Susannah Wells, Don Bearden, Jeremy Zoma, Andrew Hodge, and Amber McDonald Good star in SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE in the TWILIGHT ZONE, now playing at the Red Barn Theatre.

“There is a sixth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.”

With these words back in 1959, writer Rod Serling opened his ground-breaking anthology television series, “The Twilight Zone”. He and his cadre of exceptional co-writers fashioned stories of imagination, fantasy, science fiction, horror, the paranormal, intelligent Kafkaesque comedy, and in some cases – as we look back now – prophecy. The show was an immediate hit, and ran for five highly successful seasons, and produced some 190 episodes now looked on as classics of the genre.

As the third mainstage production of its remarkable 40th Anniversary season, Key West’s Red Barn Theatre will resurrect the spirit of “awe and imagination” that Serling’s series inspired with the new rendition of their always-popular show, “Short Attention Span Theatre”, which they are subtitling, “In the Twilight Zone”. The show will run February 18 through March 14.

“We’ve put together seven short, ten-minute plays that fit the mold of Serling’s ‘Twilight Zone’,” said the Red Barn’s Gary McDonald, who, with his wife Mimi, son Jack, and daughter Amber, will produce and direct the show. “And one of them is an adaptation of one of Serling’s actual ‘Twilight Zone’ scripts. Two of the other scripts were winners of the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Festival of Plays last year. One was written by Tennessee Williams, believe it or not, and another is by Nina Mansfield, as well-known mystery writer.They’re all pretty exceptional pieces of theater.”

The McDonald family – who have been behind the Short Attention Span Theatre shows for the last several years – have brought together a stellar group of local and New York actors to populate the evening’s fare: Amber McDonald Good, Susannah Wells, Don Bearden, Andrew Hodge, and Jeremy Zoma. Hodge and Zoma were recently seen in “Prime Time” at The Studios of Key West, Bearden in “The Classics of Comedy” – also at the Studios, and Wells just completed a run of “Life Sucks” at the Red Barn. Good was last seen in the 2019 edition of SAST.

“What we all liked best about ‘The Twilight Zone’ was the way it was the social consciousness of that time,” McDonald said. “There was a moral to the stories, even with their bizarre natures. And actually, when you think about theater, most shows are little ‘Twilight Zones’, aren’t they?”

Expect to see the full range of “Twilight Zone”-style stories…from the hilarious to the off-kilter bizarre. Some will have Serling-type narrative introductions. “But they’re all most-definitely little journeys into ‘The Twilight Zone’,” McDonald said. “You’ll be impressed with each of them.”

The McDonalds have recruited a few more local celebrities to brighten up the stage and show this year. One of note is Gary Marian – better known as Sushi – who will be creating some very special “bug” costumes for one of the sketches. “I can’t wait to see what he comes up with,” Gary said.

Tickets for “Short Attention Span Theatre in the Twilight Zone” are available at redbarntheatre.com or by calling the Red Barn box office at 305-296-9911. There will be a Reduced-Price Preview on Monday, February 17, and ticketholders for the Opening Night performance on February 18 will be invited to join the cast and crew for a catered Opening Night Reception in the Zabar Courtyard of the Red Barn.

The show is sponsored by Key TV, Design Group Key West, and by grants from the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs and the Tourist Development Council.

The special invitation to the Gala…make sure you’re in the “in Crowd” with Jay Gatsby and Daisy!

It’s time to join Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan and help celebrate 40 years of top professional theater at the Red Barn Theatre! A night of Roaring 20’s fun and shenanigans in a gorgeous home on the water in Key West, with nothing but the finest in food, drink, and entertainment.

It all happens Sunday, February 9th, from 5-8 pm at the spectacular home of Kay and John Behmke, 51 Front Street in Truman Annex. Long known for its elegance — and the stunning sunset view over the water — the Behmke’s have opened their home to the Red Barn for this special evening.

A full menu of mouth-watering foods will be provided by the Iron Chefs, an Open Bar will serve you drinks of the day, and entertainment will be provided by the one and only Bobby Nesbitt. AND…as a special “Thank You” to all who attend and support this fundraising effort…everyone will receive a special token bottle of bubbly with which to raise a glass in support of the very special lady the Red Barn Theatre is.

And that’s not all! One lucky bidder in the only auction of the night will be taking home a special bottle of Rye Whiskey, bootlegged in Templeton, Iowa from the same recipe and by the same family that used to make the whiskey for none other than Al Capone back in the 20’s. It took a special trip and a nefarious bit of “under the radar” bargaining to get the bottle, but one was procured and will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. For those wishing to give it a taste, the Red Barn crew managed to get a second bottle, which they will be offering at the bar that evening.

So it’s time for the ladies to don that flapper dress and the men to strap on the cummerbund…Jay and Daisy will be making a special appearance at the gala, and you’ll definitely want to get yourself in a photo with them!

And don’t worry about the Oscars that night…the party will be over just as Hollywood’s big night is getting started, so you won’t miss a glamorous moment.

All proceeds benefit the Red Barn Theatre as they move into their next great 40 years. Come and raise a glass to her, and have yourself a swinging good time!

Tickets are available at redbarntheatre.com or by calling 302-296-9911.

George DiBraud, Jessica Miano Kruel, David Black, Susannah Wells, Aaron Duclos, Karl M. Stahl and Caroline Taylor star in Aaron Posner’s hilarious LIFE SUCKS.

You may not think that life sucks, or that the world is somehow messed up and you’re getting a sour bite of the apple. You may, in fact, think that life is everything you hoped it would or could be. Or maybe it just doesn’t matter to you…you’re cool, no matter what.

But you’ll certainly give that question some thought, and may even get the chance to voice your opinion on it when you take advantage of seeing the Red Barn Theatre’s delightful production of playwright Aaron Posner’s “Life Sucks”, now playing on their stage through February 8.

“Life Sucks”, loosely based on Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” (stress the “loosely based”), is, quite simply, a hilarious take on love, longing and loss, falling in love with the wrong people, and trying to change a life you very often perceive as being miserable, but in reality, is pretty much okay.

In two hours, we meet a group of characters, each of whom is on that ‘life sucks’ spectrum somewhere. In a grand old estate house, come together the Professor, whose sexy young wife, Elle, everyone else in the place is in love with. Either her, or the handsome, pretty-much-always-inebriated Dr. Astor. Or they’re longing for a love they’ve never had, as is the adorable Pickles.

Then there’s the middle-aged, dispirited Vanya, who with the Professor’s daughter, Sonia, manages the property. Sonia firmly believes life sucks because Dr. Astor won’t give her the time of day, and Vanya’s the guy who feels he bit the sour apple. The only balanced person in the place is a wise woman named Babs, who tries to impart love, affection, and wisdom to all the others, often without success.

And the spark that lights the fuse of this very funny play? The Professor announces that he intends to sell the estate because he needs money, throwing all of their lives into disarray. That’s when the fun really begins.

And that fun often will involve the audience, as the characters every now and then will break the fourth wall and address them, asking what they think, and actually hoping for a response. So if your life sucks too, you’ll get a chance to let them know.

Director Joy Hawkins couldn’t have asked for a better cast of actors to bring Posner’s hilarious play to life: David Black, George DiBraud, Aaron Duclos, Jessica Miano Kruel, Karl M. Stahl, Caroline Taylor, and Susannah Wells are wonderful. Each of them is perfect in their role, able to play any line for the laughs or poignancy the play requires. There’s not a moment they won’t engage you completely…including, quite literally, the end of the play…but you’ll need to see it to enjoy that final bit of fun…don’t want to spoil it for you.

Key West artist Rick Worth – along with the Red Barn’s Gary and Jack McDonald – has provided one of his very special painted sets, depicting the formal gardens of the family estate. It’s a colorful backdrop to this delightful play.

Tickets for all remaining performances of “Life Sucks” are available at redbarntheatre.com or by calling 305-296-9911. The production is sponsored by KONKLife, Design Group Key West, Wonderdog Studios, and by grants from the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs and the Tourist Development Council.

How do you open your 40th Anniversary Season of professional theater? What play could possibly encompass and express the full range of what’s been accomplished on the same stage you’ve trod for those forty years and at the same time give your patrons a kind of love letter for all their support?

This was the dilemma Artistic Director Joy Hawkins faced as she went about planning this landmark season at Key West’s iconic Red Barn Theatre. And to all our benefits, Ms. Hawkins found a beauty.

The cast and director of TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS:
(l. to r. front): David Black, Nicole Nurenberg, Arthur Crocker, Morgan Fraga Pierson. (back): Director Joy Hawkins

The Red Barn will open its landmark fortieth season with the powerful, endearing, lovely, illuminating, often funny, sometimes heart-rending, and always relatable “Tiny Beautiful Things” – and yes, all those descriptors aptly fit this play – which was adapted for the stage by Broadway and film star Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) from Cheryl Strayed’s smash hit book of the same name.

“Tiny Beautiful Things” opens Tuesday, December 10 and runs through Saturday, January 4, 2020. The Red Barn is at 319 Duval Street, in the courtyard behind the Woman’s Club.

The story centers around a woman – a non-descript homemaker in a non-descript town – who calls herself “Sugar”, and who finds herself inheriting an online advice column. Not having any experience in such a realm, Sugar just starts winging it, dispensing what she calls a kind of “radical sincerity” to those whose letters she receives.

(Spoiler Alert: “Sugar” was the nom de plume of author Strayed, who, between 2010 and 2012, actually wrote an advice column for an online literary magazine. Her book – and now this play – chronicles those years and her experiences.)

Key West’s Nicole Nurenberg takes on the role of Sugar, supported by David Black, Morgan Fraga Pierson, and Arthur Crocker as the various letter writers who interact with Sugar over the internet. Hawkins directs.

The beauty of the play is in how everyone in the audience will be able to relate to the letter writers in some way, as they will no doubt see themselves and something of their own lives expressed by the actors on the stage. It’s a beautifully-written expression of the similarity of the problems we all face as human beings…we all struggle when our loved ones die, we all tend to have a terrible time letting go of grudges, anger is easy, forgiveness is hard.

Some of the letters Sugar receives are wacky, a good many are ribald (this is certainly an adult play), and a few are profoundly sad. They are all looking for help of some kind. Sugar, being new and not knowing any better, embraces not having pat solutions to her callers’ harrowing problems, and shares some of her own experiences of addiction, abuse, chaos, and loss.

In doing so, Sugar teaches us all how to pick ourselves up after tragedy. She insists that it’s the “tiny, beautiful things” that make up the love that pulls us from the abyss. It’s the reaching out that helps us move past what we don’t need anyway, that helps us leave our worst selves behind.

There will be a Reduced-Price Preview on Monday, December 9. Ticketholders for the Opening Night on December 10 are invited to join cast and crew for an Opening Night party after the performance that evening. For those planning their holidays, there will be a special Christmas Night performance (no performance Christmas Eve) and another on New Year’s Eve (no performance New Year’s Day). All curtains are at 8 pm. The play runs about 80 minutes, no intermission.

For more information and tickets, visit redbarntheatre.com or call the Box Office at 305-296-9911.

“Tiny Beautiful Things” is sponsored by KONKLife Magazine, Wonderdog Studios, Design Group Key West, and is supported by the Tourist Development Council and the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.

PRESS RELEASE
For further information, call: Bob Bowersox at 302-540-6102

For the SEPTEMBER 12 issue of PARADISE

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Red Barn Theatre Launches Into 40th Season with Sparkling New Website and Stellar Lineup

Forty years. It rolls off the tongue easily: Forty years.

That’s 1980, in case you don’t want to do the math. Gas was seventy-nine cents a gallon. CNN, Rubik’s Cube, and Post-it Notes debuted. A decent house cost $13,000. And Key West’s Red Barn Theatre lit its stage for the first time.

This fall, the venerable Red Barn will play those lights across that stage for its 40th professional season with a mix of new, classic, and original work, featuring top local, regional, and national talent. From the unequaled Terrence McNally to the currently white-hot Nia Vardalos and Aaron Posner, the Red Barn has pulled out all the stops to celebrate this landmark season with Broadway-quality shows.

And to top it off, they’ve launched a brand new interactive website that features not only everything Red Barn – from profiles to tickets to subscriptions and more – but provides a look back at the theater’s stellar 40 year run as well. The new redbarntheatre.com is now up and running and open for business.

“Our old web host changed their hardware and software, making our website pretty much obsolete,” said Bob Bowersox, head of Publicity for the Red Barn. “The new website is terrific – it looks new and clean, and it’s much easier to navigate and use. Our thanks to designer Susannah Wells and Wonderdog Studios for a great job.”

A visit to the new website will give a full rundown of the new 40th season:

Opening December 10 and running through January 4 of 2020 will be Broadway darling Nia Vardalos’ adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s provocative book, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” wherein a struggling writer takes over an advice column and humorously addresses questions that sometimes have no answers. The show will feature national actress Jessica Patton Pellegrino, along with local favorites David Black, Morgan Fraga Pierson, and Arthur Crocker. It will be directed by Joy Hawkins.

Playwright Aaron Posner’s playful new hit play, “Life Sucks”, will take the stage January 14 through February 8, starring David Black, George DiBraud, Aaron Duclos, Jessica Miano Kruel, Karl Stahl, Caroline Taylor, and Susannah Wells, again directed by Hawkins. A group of old friends, ex-lovers, and occasional enemies gather to grabble with life’s thorniest questions and each other. What could possibly go wrong?

The Red Barn’s always original and very popular “Short Attention Span Theater” returns February 18 through March 14, with this year’s theme, “The Twilight Zone”. The evening of very funny, very oddball short plays will be produced and directed by the Red Barn’s founding family, Mimi and Gary McDonald and their now-adult kids, Jack and Amber. Expect anything and everything to happen.

And this stellar season will end with Broadway legend Terrence McNally’s classic “Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune”, running March 24 through April 18. Directed by Murphy Davis, the play is a timeless love story about a waitress and a short order cook, their one-night stand, and their longing for more. It will star Erin McKenna and an as-yet unnamed actor.

There will also be two Special Events (not part of the Subscription Series): “The Mood I’m In”, a special two-night musical evening with singer, pianist, arranger Jim Rice (whose talent has graced many a stage show in Key West) will run February 2-3; and “John Wells is Still Alive and Well and Living In Key West” will run March 8 and 9, featuring raconteur and troubadour John Wells, one of the founders of the Red Barn, who will offer his audiences over 40 years of his stories and songs.

All in all, a great season at one of Key West’s true gems. For more information and tickets for this big 40th season, visit the new website at redbarntheatre.com or call the box office at 305-296-9911.

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