| New Baseball Themed Play "The Pitch" Will Run 9/26 to 11/14 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 09:50 am EDT 08/26/21 | |
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| THE PITCH A NEW PLAY SET TO THE BACKDROP OF BASEBALL TO RUN OFF-BROADWAY SEPTEMBER 26th - NOVEMBER 14th AT THE JERRY ORBACH THEATER (New York, NY) - Baseball, best friends . . . and betrayal. The Pitch, a character-driven drama set against the backdrop of baseball, will be making its off-Broadway debut this September, in a limited engagement run, September 26th to November 14th in the Jerry Orbach Theater at the Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street. Written by Stan Freeman and directed by Danny Eaton, the production begins previews on Monday, September 26th and will have its official opening night on Tuesday, Oct. 5th. www.thepitch-theplay.com The cast of The Pitch features John Haag and Julian Findlay as the elder and younger sportswriters respectively. Jack Press will play the pitcher. The Pitch is a funny and intriguing baseball themed story, where a cynical, down-to-earth retired sportswriter reluctantly agrees to collaborate with an eager young sportswriter on a paperback biography of an obscure baseball pitcher - Vernon Peters, who went to high school with the older writer. Peters threw only one thrilling pitch in the major leagues for the New York Yankees in 1973 and then disappeared. It soon becomes evident there's a secret at the heart of Peters' mysterious story - one the older writer fiercely intends to hide. It's a heartwarming and thoughtful story - with a surprise ending that will leave you stunned. The Pitch is about far more than baseball, though. It's true focus is dreams and generational differences, as well as life choices and their consequences. The play debuted to excellent reviews at the Majestic Theater in Massachusetts in early 2020 but, due to the pandemic, could not finish its five-week run until this August. It will begin previews at the Jerry Orbach Theater on Sept. 26 with much of its original cast and it will finish its New York run in mid-November. Freeman, a former newspaper reporter, said The Pitch "is that oddity - a serious play that gets lots of laughs along the way, with much of the comedy driven by a sarcastic, down-to-earth retired sportswriter who, at his age, clearly sees the world for what it is." The Pitch features set design by Greg Trochlil, lighting design by Matthew Sells and costume design by Dawn McKay. Stan Freeman (playwright) was a newspaper reporter for nearly thirty years until retiring in 2010. His articles have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, New Orleans Times-Picayune and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. For many years, he was the science and environmental writer for the Springfield Union-News and Sunday Republican of Massachusetts. He also studied fiction writing in the MFA program at University of Massachusetts. His historical novel, "The Dutton Girl," was published by Coffeetown Press in 2018. Danny Eaton (director) is the founder and producing director of the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, Mass. He has been presenting plays at the theater since 1997 and gave The Pitch its first production, directing it there as well. After a stint in the Marine Corps, he graduated from Amherst College and went on to earn a master's degree in playwriting from Wesleyan University. His plays have been seen in New York and Chicago as well as at the Majestic. He is a member of both the Dramatists Guild and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. John Haag (Roger Pennell) has extensive acting experience in New York, regional theater and touring companies. His roles have included Robert in Proof, Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind, Andrew Wyke in Sleuth, the emperor in The Emperor's Nightingale, King Henry II in Lion in Winter and Macbeth in Macbeth. He has also narrated more than 200 audiobooks. John holds an MFA from Brooklyn College. Julian Findlay (Mike Resnick) trained and performed over six seasons at Shakespeare & Company. He has performed in over forty plays for Commonwealth Shakespeare, the Silverthorne Theater, the Majestic Theater, among others. A graduate of Harvard, he is the founder and artistic director of Shakespeare Stage and was the theater director of Stoneleigh-Burnham, an all-girls prep school in Western Massachusetts. Jack Press (Vern Peters, the pitcher) is a 2018 graduate of Cornell, but he also studied theater at Fordham's London Dramatic Academy. He was in numerous productions at both, playing John Smith in The Legend of Pocahontas, Ralph in The Accrington Pals, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Caliban in The Tempest and Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing. He plays guitar and is a lifelong Yankee fan. Kelly Strandemo (Pauline) has previously appeared off-Broadway at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, WorkShop Theater, and St. Luke's, among others. Regional credits include The Thanksgiving Play (Warehouse Theatre), The Merchant of Venice (International Shakespeare Center Santa Fe), and Camelot (Sharon Playhouse). As a playwright, her work has been on stages including the Weathervane Theatre and the NY Fringe Festival. Kelly can be seen in the upcoming films "Cardiff" and and "B&B With Me." She holds an MA from LAMDA. Dennis Lee (recorded voice of the baseball announcer) was a longtime radio personality in western Massachusetts. He began his career doing play-by-play for semi-pro ice hockey in New Hampshire. He was a lifelong Yankee fan until they fired famed TV announcer Mel Allen. The next day, he switched his allegiance to the Red Sox. Tickets, $43 to $60, are available on Ticketmaster or by calling the theater's box office at (212)-921-7862. For more information, go to www.thepitch-theplay.com |
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| Link | http://www.thepitch-theplay.com |
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