The Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC) kicks off its 25th anniversary season with the uproariously funny one-man show, Buyer & Cellar.
This comedy, directed by Ithaca College associate professor Wendy Dann, is written by Jonathan Tolins, who was inspired when he found Barbra Streisand’s only published book, My Passion for Design. Tolins’ play focuses on a fictional man named Alex (played by KTC veteran Karl Gregory), an out-of-work actor in LA who gets a job working in the mall in Streisand’s basement and his interactions with the one and only customer: Ms. Streisand herself. The set and lighting design for Buyer & Cellar is by Steve TenEyck, who is an associate professor and the associate chair in the theatre department. Also designing this show are Lisa Boquist (costumes) and Rusty Wandall (sound).
Buyer & Cellar runs from September 6 through September 27, 2015. $15 student rush tickets are available 15 minutes before performances that are not sold out, and advance tickets ($26-$40) are available at 607-272-0570 or online at kitchentheatre.org
Dann and Gregory first worked together on a production of The Cripple of Inishman, produced in 2002 at KTC, which was Gregory’s first show with the Kitchen Theatre Company. Appropriately, Buyer & Cellar marks Gregory’s 25th show with the company celebrating its 25th Anniversary Season.
“This is a marvelous way to begin the season. How terrific to have Karl and Wendy working together again,” says Artistic Director Rachel Lampert, who joined KTC in 1997. “Writer Jonathan Tolins has a great take on celebrity and all it brings, and this creative team knows exactly what to do with a comedy. I look forward to hearing a lot of laughter!”
The Kitchen Theatre Company was started in 1991 by Ithaca College students Matt Tauber and Tim O’Brien and Norm Johnson, professor of theater at IC was artistic director from 1994-97. In 2010, the company moved to its new home at 417 W State Street in downtown Ithaca to begin its 20th season. Now, in its 25th year, the company is putting together an amazing season, including shows like The Mountaintop, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Grand Concourse.
Ithaca College, specifically the theatre department, has long-appreciated the work of the Kitchen Theatre Company and has had an incredible symbiotic relationship with them over the years. Catherine Weidner, chair of the Department of Theatre at IC, says, “[We] enjoy a robust and fulfilling relationship with The Kitchen. What a tremendous opportunity to have opportunities for our students to see great theatre and engage in professional practices while in the midst of their training. Rachel [Lampert], Steven [Nunley] and Lesley [Greene] are true partners in the Ithaca arts community, and the IC faculty, students, and alumni who design, perform, and direct there (like Wendy Dann and Steve Ten Eyck in this production) ‘walk the talk’ with high caliber artistic work.”
“Important conversations happen in the Kitchen.”
Photo credit: Karl Gregory in Buyer & Cellar by Jonathan Tolins at Kitchen Theatre Company September 6 - 27, 2015. Photo © George Cannon - Images
