Theatre Daedalus Presents World Premiere of Unanswered, We Ride by Jaclyn Villano
One-woman play launches theater's new season on November 22nd
COLUMBUS, OH (October 26, 2009)—Theatre Daedalus is proud to present the world premiere of Jaclyn Villano's new play, Unanswered, We Ride, November 22–29, 2009 at Wild Goose Creative in Columbus.
"I'm excited to start the season with this new production," says Theatre Daedalus co-founder Michael Parsons, who commissioned the piece during his year as the company's Artistic Director. "Jaclyn pulled out all the stops to create a fantastic piece of theater that is moving, powerful, and uplifting."
Parsons worked with Villano to workshop and develop the script, which originated as a ten-minute play for Project 10, Theatre Daedalus' June 2009 production. Director April Olt and actress Sonda Staley Lewis worked on the original piece, and both returned for the expanded work.
"I couldn't be happier with how it has worked out," Parsons said. "April and Sonda bring tremendous energy and talent to the project. They were the perfect creative team for this new play."
Unanswered, We Ride chronicles the journeys of Reese O'Leary, career woman, wife and mother, as she attempts to rediscover love and hope after a life-changing event. Staley Lewis performs this one-woman show, portraying ten distinct characters in the process.
"This play is the first in a series of milestones for Daedalus," says Managing Director and Theatre Daedalus co-founder Jeremy Sony. Unanswered, We Ride marks the company's first full-length production and multi-weekend run, following a successful season of short plays and one-acts. It is also the first production since the creation of the Theatre Daedalus Ensemble. "Having originated from Project 10, the series that launched our company, Unanswered, We Ride is the perfect piece to take us to the next level—we couldn't ask for a stronger beginning to the second season."
Unanswered, We Ride will be staged at Wild Goose Creative, 2491 Summit Street, Columbus, OH, opening with a gala premiere on November 22 and running through November 29. Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested contribution. Advance tickets cost $15, and can be purchased through our website, www.theatredaedalus.com. For more information, please call 614-787-0327.
About Theatre Daedalus
Founded in 2008 by Michael Parsons, Jeremy Sony, and Jaclyn Villano, Theatre Daedalus believes in the power of theater to educate and entertain. To that end, we seek to develop original plays, cultivate theatrical awareness in the community, and present thought-provoking works for the stage. As a theater founded by writers, we are committed to showcasing gifted new playwrights as well as paying homage to established masters of the craft. Theatre Daedalus collaborates with exceptional, diverse artists to bring powerful theatrical experiences to its audience. For more information, please visit www.theatredaedalus.com.
About the Playwright
Jaclyn Villano is a playwright, director, and producer whose plays have been staged across the county and have been appearing on stages in Ohio since 2008. Her short plays The Game; The Mainstays; A Lifetime of Firsts; Unanswered, We Ride; Reindeer Game-On!; and No Place Like Home were seen as part of Project 10 in 2008 and 2009 at Theatre Daedalus. She also co-wrote, produced, and directed for Theatre Daedalus' Triple Play in 2009. Most recently, her short play, Rockabye Bullet, was staged by Raconteur Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. Villano's plays have appeared at several festivals and conferences including: The First Time: A Series of Shorts (Penobscot Theatre's 3rd Annual New Play Festival, "Audience Favorite Short Play Award", Bangor, Maine; Curtain Players Playwrights Festival 2009, Galena, Ohio); No Worse for the Wear (Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Valdez, Alaska; Curtain Players Playwrights Festival 2008); A Lifetime of Firsts (Camino Real Playhouse's 2009 ShowOff! New Play Festival, 3rd place winner, San Juan Capistrano, California); Ratings Worthy (New Vision Theatre Company 2009 Summer Shorts Festival, Oceanside, California). Villano's ten-minute plays, Through the Looking Glass and The Game, were finalists in Heartland Theatre Company's 10 Minute Play Project and Theatre Oxford's 10 Minute Play Contest, respectively. Her play Breathing Room was given a staged reading by the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival in Montauk, New York, where she once worked as the Manager of Children's & Special Events. Villano is co-founder and currently serves as artistic director for Theatre Daedalus in Columbus, Ohio.
