“Gripping” —The New York Times
“A searing piece of writing”—The Guardian
“Compelling and provocative” —San Francisco Chronicle
Directed by Jenn Thompson
March 29 – May 4, 2014
PITTSBURGH, PA (March 17, 2014)—City Theatre continues its 2013-2014 season with Grounded, a high-intensity drama by George Brant. Directed by Jenn Thompson, Grounded runs from March 29 to May 4, 2014 in City Theatre’s Hamburg Studio, with an Opening Night performance on Friday, April 4 at 8pm.
This powerful one-woman show follows a gutsy fighter pilot whose unexpected pregnancy puts her career on hold. When she gets back in the game, flying has a whole new meaning: operating remote-controlled drones in Afghanistan from an air-conditioned trailer near Las Vegas. Hunting terrorists by day and being a wife and mother by night, the pilot’s struggle to navigate her dual identities is her toughest mission yet.
“Grounded is a riveting drama filled with powerful storytelling about the dualities of war and family,” says Tracy Brigden, City Theatre’s Artistic Director. “Both relevant and original, George Brant’s award-winning script tackles issues of surveillance, drones, and the ambiguities of warfare in the twenty-first century. This vivid play demands a strong female actor who can own the show, and we’re thrilled to welcome Kelly McAndrew back to perform. Last seen at City in Precious Little, Kelly embraces commanding roles with intensity and authenticity.”
Kelly McAndrew returns to City Theatre, having last been seen in 2011’s Precious Little. Most recently she has been seen Off-Broadway in Almost, Maine (Transport Group) and Good Television (Atlantic Theatre Company). On Broadway, she played Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Additional Off-Broadway credits include: Still Life (MCC), The Cataract (The Women’s Project), and Book of Days (Signature Theatre). Other New York theatre credits include: My California (Here Arts), Greedy (Clubbed Thumb), Topsy Turvey Mouse (Cherry Lane Mentor Project), Trout Stanley (Culture Project), Lyric is Waiting (kef productions). Recent regional credits include: Other Desert Cities (The Guthrie), Good People (Pittsburgh Public), August: Osage County, Alive and Well, Dividing the Estate, and Sight Unseen (The Old Globe). Other regional theaters include: ART, Huntington, Cincinnati Playhouse, Denver Center, Shakespeare on the Sound, Arena Stage, Baltimore Centre Stage. TV: “Smash,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Gossip Girl.” Film: Appropriate Behavior (Sundance 2014), In the Family (2011 SPIRIT nomination), Everybody’s Fine (with Robert DeNiro), Superheroes, New Guy, Out of the Darkness. Training: UMKC. Member: TACT.
George Brant’s plays include Elephant’s Graveyard, The Mourners’ Bench, Any Other Name, Salvage, Grizzly Mama, Three Voyages of the Lobotomobile, and Dark Room. A Core Writer at the Playwright’s Center, his scripts have been produced internationally by Trinity Repertory Company, the Studio Theatre, the Gate Theatre of London, Cleveland Play House, Page 73, and the Traverse Theatre, among others. He has received a Kennedy Center National Playwriting Award, the Smith Prize, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, a Creative Workforce Fellowship, an NNPN Rolling World Premiere, two OAC Individual Excellence Awards, and the Keene Prize for Literature. He has been awarded writing fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the McCarter Theatre Center, Blue Mountain Center, the Djerassi Resident Artist’s Program, and the Michener Center for Writers. He is published by Samuel French, Oberon Books, and Smith & Kraus.
Grounded features Kelly McAndrew as the Pilot. The creative team includes Anne Mundell (Scenic), Sabrina Zain (Costume), Martin Vreeland (Lighting), Toby Algya (Sound), and Larry Shea (Projections).
CITY THEATRE PRESENTS
Grounded
By George Brant
Directed by Jenn Thompson
When: March 29 – May 4, 2014
Preview Schedule
Saturday, March 29 at 5:30pm
Sunday, March 30 at 7pm
Tuesday, April 1 at 7pm
Wednesday, April 2 at 7pm
Thursday, April 3 at 8pm
PRESS / OPENING NIGHT
Friday, April 4 at 8pm
Regular Run Schedule
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm
Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 5:30 and 9pm
Sundays at 2pm
Weekday matinees will be performed on Wednesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 16 at 1pm.
There will be no performances on Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1.
Where: City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)
Tickets: $35 to $55
Box Office: 412.431.CITY (2489) or citytheatrecompany.org
Audiences under 30 may reserve $15 tickets in advance for all performances except Fridays 8pm and Saturdays 5:30pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, rush tickets are available two hours prior to show time and based on availability.
Seniors age 62 and older may purchase $22 rush tickets at the Box Office beginning two hours before show time. Based on availability.
Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounts. Call Kari Shaffer at 412.431.4400 x286.
As a participating Blue Star Theatre, City Theatre offers 25% off to U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their immediate families. Inquire for details.
City Theatre is now in its 39th season. Located on Pittsburgh’s historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in new plays, commissioning and producing work by playwrights including Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell McCraney, and Theresa Rebeck. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member Board of Directors, City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience. CityTheatreCompany.org
