FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Iron Crow Theatre's “COLLECTIVE RAGE: A PLAY IN 5 BETTIES” opens September 6!
Jen silverman’s absurdist queer dark comedy opens the 19/20 season of the renegade: a 10 year anniversary celebration.
Critic’s Pick! “A full-tilt lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone […] If you’re wondering whether you’ll enjoy the revolution, Collective Rage makes an excellent (and hilarious) test case.” - The New York Times
"Anger, love, and loneliness are comedically but honestly rendered in this occasionally absurd, stylized, queer-centric play […] With hilarity and poignancy, Collective Rage offers a broad spectrum of queer voices rarely seen on stage.” - Variety
"Straight-up funny." - New York Magazine
BALTIMORE, Maryland - August 23, 2019: Heralded by The New York Times as “a full-tilt lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone,” Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties follows five different women named Betty as they collide at the intersection of anger, sex, and the “Thea-Tah.” Betty is rich; Betty is lonely; Betty’s busy working on her truck; Betty wants to talk about love, but Betty needs to hit something; and Betty keeps using a small hand mirror to stare into parts of herself she’s never examined. Award-winning playwright, Jen Silverman’s absurdist dark comedy is simultaneously hilarious, inspired and boldly unapologetic. Are you ready for the revolution?
“For the past three years I’ve been very tired of the ways in which women are stereotyped, dismissed, underestimated, patronized to, passed over, and made invisible,” said Director Natka Bianchini who previously directed Iron Crow Theatre’s critically-acclaimed and award-winning productions of Cloud 9 and The Mystery of Love & Sex. Jen Silverman’s Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties grabbed me by the throat from its very first moments. It demands that we pay attention to these five women named Betty and that we look beyond the boxes that society has put them — to really see them. It’s also a raucous, righteous, hilarious celebration of women of all kinds featuring a cast of renegades that spans the spectrum of race, gender presentation, and queerness. In a world that prefers women to play supporting roles, these five Betties boldly claim space and transform into their truest selves.
“While the 19/20 Season of the Renegade celebrates Iron Crow Theatre’s first decade, it also ushers in its next, solidifying the theatre's commitment to telling queer stories that celebrate the renegade and unorthodox in all of us,” said Artistic Director Sean Elias. “Fresh from its NYC run, Iron Crow Theatre is proud to present the hilarious, inspired, and boldly unapologetic premier of the most recent edition of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties.”
CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
Featuring Allyson Boate* as Betty 1
Ann Turiano^ as Betty 2
Asia-Ligé Arnold as Betty 3
Hana Clarice as Betty 4
Rena Marie as Betty 5
Written by Jen Silverman. Directed by Natka Bianchini^. Set Design by Megan Suder, Lighting Design by Thomas Gardner, Costume Design by April Forrer^ and Sound Design and Composition by Sam Lee^. Stage Management provided by Julie Anderson. Safer Spaces training provided by Shawna Potter of Hollaback! Baltimore.
* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the professional union for actors and stage managers in the United States.
^ Denotes Iron Crow Theatre Resident Artist.
PERFORMANCES & TICKETS
Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ironcrowtheatre.org/rage. All performances take place at the historic Baltimore Theatre Project located at 45 West Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. All programming follows the performance schedule outlined below:
September 6 - September 15, 2019
Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Friday, September 6
8:00pm opening performance of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Complimentary Opening Night Reception to follow.
Saturday, September 7
8:00pm performances of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Sunday, September 8
5:30pm performance of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Thursday, September 12
7:00pm performance of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Friday, September 13
8:00pm performance of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Saturday, September 14
2:00pm & 8:00pm performances of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Sunday, September 15
5:30pm closing performance of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Individual ticket prices for Collective Rage: A Play in 5 betties
General Admission: $35
Educator / Military / Senior: $30
Student: $20
All ticket prices above reflect the removal of all fees; pay one flat rate, online or in person. In addition, any individual with difficulty attending a production at the ticket prices set are sincerely encouraged to reach out to the theatre directly at [email protected] as additional discounts and sponsorship opportunities may be available. Iron Crow Theatre is a proud member of the Playwrights Welcome program providing free tickets to members of the professional dramatists union, the Dramatists Guild of America.
IRON CROW THEATRE is Baltimore’s award-winning professional queer theatre and produces queer theatre for a queer city, celebrating the renegade and the unorthodox in all of us.
PRESS/MEDIA INQUIRES
April Forrer, Managing Director
443.637.2769
[email protected]
