Media Contact: Peggy Kearns | tel: 571.216.5136 | email: ScenaMedia@gmail.com
Scena Theatre presents the Washington-area premiere of the The Norwegians, a delightful
and new dark comedy by C. Denby Swanson
RSVP now for Press Night, Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 8:00 pm: ScenaMedia@gmail.com
Washington, DC — February 5, 2015 The Directors of Scena Theatre are excited to announce the DC-area premiere of The Norwegians by C. Denby Swanson, a female playwright with a fresh new voice. Artistic Director Robert McNamara will direct this witty dark comedy. Set in Minnesota, the play is about two scorned women who enlist two "nice gangsters" (aka Norwegian hit men) to whack their ex-lovers. The Norwegians will run from March 14 – April 19 at the newly-thriving Anancostia Playhouse with tickets ranging in price from $10 (previews) to $35 - 45 (full run).
In this contemporary comedy, two women meet in a Minnesota bar and lament the struggle "to find a lover before the first freeze" as well as the not-so-nice men who have recently dumped them. It turns out there are really, really nice hit men for hire who will take out your miserable ex and text you when it is over. However, just as the path of love does not run smooth, hilarious twists and complications arise with all involved in this business of revenge.
The cast for this production is small, but mighty. The group of award-winning and notable DC actors includes Nanna Ingvarsson (who currently has nominations for two different roles in the "Best Lead Actress" category for the Helen Hayes Awards), Brian Hemmingsen, Ron Litman, and Nora Achrati. What make things even more interesting, Ingvarsson and Hemmingsen are married, and both have wowed Scena audiences for more than 20 years with many powerful performances. Litman recently gave a critically-acclaimed performance in Scena's Shining City. Meanwhile, Achrati is a welcomed newcomer to the Scena stage.
The Norwegians premiered off-off Broadway in 2013 and had an off-Broadway run at The Drilling Company Theatre in 2014. McNamara is eager to present The Norwegians to DC audiences for the first time: "I'm thrilled to introduce this fresh, modern piece by a very talented, rising female playwright. Heartbreak and the desire to exact revenge on an ex are so relatable, and Swanson infuses these concepts with a dark comic wit. The result is a hilarious mashup between Fargo and Thelma and Louise."
Opening / Press Night for The Norwegians is Thursday, March 19, 2015. Press members: please RSVP to ScenaMedia@gmail.com to attend or schedule an alternate date.
Previews: $10 on Mar 14, 15, 17 & 18 (Sat, Tue & Wed @ 8:00pm, Sun 3:00pm)
Opening: Thursday, March 19, 8:00pm
Full Run: March 19 – Apr 19, 2015 Thurs – Sat at 8:00pm, Sun 3:00pm
Price: Adults: Thurs & Sun: $35; Fri & Sat: $45 , Students / Seniors: $20 for all performances
TICKETS: Reserve Now Online
Venue: (New Location): Anacostia Playhouse — 2020 Shannon Place SE, WDC 20020
Press: All inquiries and Press Night RSVPs: ScenaMedia@gmail.com
Parking: Street parking is plentiful; the Playhouse is also accessible by Metro Green Line
Metro: Metrobuses 90 & 92 as well as the Circulator. Visit www.wmata.com for schedules.
Actors: Nanna Ingvarsson (Helen Hayes Award winner), Brian Hemmingsen (Helen Hayes Award nominee, twice), Ron Litman & Nora Achrati
Designers: Robert McNamara (Director), Lena Salins (Production Manager), Katie Key (Stage Manager), Denise Renee (Sound), Daniel Schrader (Set), Samina Vieth (Properties), Megan Holeva (Costumes), Mary Keegan (Lighting), Gabriele Jakobi (Dramaturg), and Rachael Murray (Assistant Director).
About C. Denby Swanson
Swanson graduated from Smith College, the National Theatre Institute, and the University of Texas Michener Center for Writers, where she was a playwriting and screenwriting fellow. She has been a Jerome Fellow, a William Inge Playwright in Residence, and a McKnight Advancement Grant recipient. Her full length adaptation, Atomic Farmgirl won a prize in the 2009 Earth Matters on Stage Festival at the University of Oregon. She won a 2008 Susan Smith Blackburn Special Prize for her short play The Potato Feast, which was also nominated for a 2008 New York Innovative Theater Award. She is a former Artistic Director of Austin Script Works and on the faculty at Southwestern University.
About Scena
Scena Theatre brings the best international theatre to Washington, DC and stimulates cultural exchange between theatre artists, locally and worldwide. Founded in 1987 under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert McNamara and Managing Director Amy Schmidt, Scena produces an annual season of plays and seasonally staged readings. To learn more about Scena's mission, niche in Washington, or past productions, please click on the About button in the left sidebar or call 703-684-7990.
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