Upcoming: Now Now Oh Now, Rude Mechanicals at the Off Center, May 17 - June 9

present

Now Now Oh Now

May 17 - June 9, Thursdays - Sundays

multiple sessions each night, starting as needed at 7:30 and 8 p.m.; possibility of adding 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. start times

audience limited to 30 persons per session

at the Off Center, 2211-A Hidalgo, behind Joe's Bakery and near E. 7th and Robert Martinez (click for map)

Tickets are $25 for general admission on Fridays and Saturdays, and "Pay What You Wish" on Thursdays and Sundays. Advance tickets go on sale staring April 17th. Tickets will also be available at the door for cash or check only. For more information and advance ticket purchases, visit www.RudeMechs.com.

The Rude Mechs will debut the first fully-mounted production of the original work Now Now Oh Now on May 17th through June 9th at The Off Center. Previously presented in various workshop versions under the working title CL1000P, the fully-realized staging creates interactive puzzle about the importance and impermanence of selecting pleasure over survival.

The concept, structure and content of the work were developed by Madge Darlington, Thomas Graves, Hannah Kenah and Shawn Sides. With a book by Kenah and staging by Sides, the production will feature actors Graves, Kenah and Sides joined by Robert Fisher, Lana Lesley and Jason Liebrecht.

Inspired by evolutionary biology, the Brontës, and live-action-role-play communities, Now Now Oh Now is performed as "a triptych tribute to everyone's inner geek." Embodying Rude Mechs' desire to create a more tangible, social, active and personal experience for their audiences, the performance marries serious scientific content and virtuosic movement with the nerdy pleasure of puzzles and gaming - with the guilty pleasure of Murder Mystery Theatre.

An intimate consideration of how individual choices lead us through life and impact the world, the staging takes a locked room puzzle, a lecture on sexual selection in evolutionary biology and the world's weirdest night of Dungeons and Dragons - and weaves them all together to "paint a picture of why the things you find beautiful are important to the world," according to the creative team.

Now Now Oh Now is a recipient of the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theatre Pilot. The goal of the program is to encourage artists and their collaborators to create high-quality works of contemporary theater - and provide for extended life of these works through touring to multi-disciplinary presenters, producing theaters and other venues.

Performances will be staged on Thursday through Sunday nights at The Off Center. Now Now Oh Now will be performed for an intimate audience of only 30 people per show, so several showings of the performance will be offered each night. Tickets will first be sold for a 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. showings each night. If these performances sell out, additional performances will be added at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.