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

For Immediate Release

RED BARN THEATRE ANNOUNCES THEIR NEW “OUTSIDE THE BOX” 2020-21 SEASON

Artist rendering of the new Red Barn Theatre’s “Outside the Box” outdoor performance space.

Key West’s venerable Red Barn Theatre – now entering its 41st remarkable professional season – has found some clever and intriguing ways to step “Outside the Box” by welcoming patrons back to the theater experience while making sure they are doing so in the safest and healthiest way possible.

In keeping with their “Outside the Box” theme, the Red Barn’s new season will make full use of the gorgeous, open-air Zabar courtyard that fronts their theater. The bricked space, comfortable and shielded by the overhang of a magnificent Royal Poinciana and surrounded by the foliage of Betsy’s Garden, is large enough to accommodate a decent-sized stage, and socially-distanced outdoor seating for upwards of 40 theater-lovers. The Woman’s Club, whose building fronts the property along Duval Street and who owns the courtyard space, has enthusiastically endorsed the Red Barn’s plans.

“In a survey of our patrons earlier this year, we found that most indicated they were not comfortable sitting inside a closed theater space just yet, but they’d most certainly come back to theater if we could present our productions outdoors,” said Bob Bowersox, actor, producer, and Publicity Director for the Barn. “So we took our time, looked at the options, and found we had exactly what our patrons were asking for sitting right in front of us.”

Artistic Director Joy Hawkins has planned a full season of live theater in the outdoor courtyard space, and thrown in a couple of unique online extras to boot.

One of those extras will kick off the Red Barn’s 41st “Outside the Box” season November 25-28 with an online production of Nora and Delia Ephron’s hilarious “Love, Loss and What I Wore”. The play, which was an enormous hit for the theater back in 2013, will be brought to life again in a new incarnation performed live and recorded. Patrons will be able to access the streaming show through the Red Barn’s website, redbarntheatre.com. Those purchasing any of the season Membership levels will be admitted free. Tickets are otherwise $10.

“This is a show that is tailormade for the Zoom platform,” said Bowersox, who is producing, with veteran Carole MacCartee directing. “Five women, talking to the audience and among themselves about the trials and tribulations of clothes. It’s hard not to be laughing every second – it’s one of those plays that’s enormously funny because it’s so true and everyone can relate.”

The play will star Key West’s Barbara Mundy, Melody G. Moore, Peggy Montgomery, Susannah Wells, and Amber McDonald Good. Tickets can be purchased at redbarntheatre.com and the link and password to the show will be offered at the end of the transaction.

The other extra will be a Christmas gift to Key West – a free offering of the smash hit “With Bells On”, which made its premiere last Christmas to enthusiastic packed houses at the Barn. It also will stream across the Red Barn’s website, December 16 – 20. Starring Trey Gerrald and Don Bearden, and directed and costumed by Christopher Peterson, the show revolves around a meek and mild accountant stuck in an elevator with a flamboyant drag queen on Christmas Eve. Access to the free streaming video of the play will again be through redbarntheatre.com. If patrons are so inclined, they can return the gift by making a donation in support of the Red Barn when they access the website.

The main stage shows planned for the “Outside the Box” outdoor theater space will run January through April. First up is “Quarantine for Two”, a brand new play from Key West’s Hy Conrad, who is well-known for his clever and funny writing on TV’s “Monk” series. The show will run January 12 through February 6.

Planned for February 23 through March 20 is “Cats Talk Back” by Bess Wohl, a funny “Waiting for Guffman” style parody that purportedly reveals the hilarious secrets behind the making of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical and the dark side of the Great White Way.

And winding up the Barn’s season March 30 through April 24 will be “Sez She” by Jane Martin. The show is performed by five actresses, who reveal through monologues the funnier, stranger sides of these early days of the 21st century. Hilarity, surprise, and homespun philosophy top the contemporary perspective on everything from sexual harassment to sleeping in theaters to the erotic appeals of silence.

The Red Barn’s annual Membership Drive is now in full swing and can be accessed through redbarntheatre.com. Membership revenue is critical to the Red Barn’s operations, and each level comes with its own special percs. Check them out on the website.

Subscriptions to the season are also available, which allow patrons to assemble their tickets to the various shows. Doing so is highly recommended, as the “Outside the Box” courtyard space has limited seating for each production.

For more information, visit redbarntheatre.com or call 305-296-9911.

March 16, 2020

In keeping with the recommendations from the CDC, the Coronavirus Task Force, and the City of Key West, the Red Barn Theatre Board feels it prudent and necessary to postpone all remaining productions of our 40th Anniversary Season, beginning immediately.

We have not made this decision lightly. The amazing amount of hard work on the part of our actors, directors, stage crew, and support staff is second to none in our theatrical community, and we know how important it is to each and every one of them that we bring you the best theatrical entertainment possible. To put in the time and effort and then not be able to offer to you, our audiences, is particularly painful.

But we also have an obligation to those cast and crew, and to all of you, our loyal customers old and new, to do whatever we can in this time of crisis to make sure we are not part of the problem, but are contributing to the solution. Because our beautiful little theater is so intimate and close — part of the charm that has made it a cornerstone of professional theater in Key West and up the Keys for forty continuous years— it would be impossble for us to guarantee that there would be no chance of spreading the virus that continues to ravage our country. While there have been no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Key West as of this date, there is no way of assuring that will continue to be the case.

So we are erring on the side of safety, health, and prudence. We have suspended our productions for now, but we hope that within the next couple of weeks, the arc of the disease will weaken and we will be able to once again trod the boards of our stage. That is our hope, anyway.

So for now, we will be dark. But we hope not for long. Check back with this website frequently for updates on how we see things developing. And please…take care of yourselves. Follow the guidelines, watch out for each other, and we’ll see you soon.

The Red Barn Theatre Board of Directors

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.