Some Performances of CHAD DEITY Almost Sold Out
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PERFORMANCE LOCATION
PLEASE NOTE:
Performances of CHAD DEITY will be held at
The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom Street
Click for Directions
ABOUT THE PLAY
Set in the larger-than-life world of professional
wrestling, and fueled by vibrant, hip-hop
language, CHAD DEITY pits long-time reigning
T.H.E. Wrestling champion, Chad Deity, against
Vigneshwar Paduar, a trash-talking, India-born
athlete recruited from the b-ball courts of
Brooklyn. Casting the young upstart as an
anti-hero extremist from "over there" who intends
to catapult himself to fame by overthrowing the
"all-American" Chad Deity, T.H.E. Wrestling's CEO
plots to play upon wrestling fans' fear of
terrorism and globalization in order to mass
market an epic battle of Good vs. Evil.
PLEASE NOTE:
CHAD DEITY contains adult language.
PRODUCTION SPONSOR
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY was funded by
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative.
IN THE MEDIA
Philadelphia Inquirer
Nimble, Funny, Thoughtful Headlock On Wrestling
On tonight's wrestling card, we have the American who stands for everything good we learned in civics, or from Mom or by eating apple pie - Chad Deity. He's pure of thought, black and beautiful, resplendent in ringside bling and a shining gold jockstrap. He's built like your proverbial brick facility.
(His given name is Darnell, but shhhh!)
... This is wrestling, slyly scripted at best, pathetically cynical at worst ... It's also theater that puts you in a solid intellectual headlock and won't let up - funny throughout, thoughtful, and commanding, with a script as nimble as the champ it depicts. In its dynamic InterAct Theater staging by Seth Rozin, the company's producing artistic director, Chad Deity fills the ring with characters you wish you really knew, portrayed by actors who make sure you'll know them. ... The cast here is impeccable ... the action [is] as real in the ring as it is in a play that rings true.
Read Howard Shapiro's Full Review
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Jim Rutter looks at CHAD DEITY in the context of "Sports vs. Theater" in an article and video post on BroadStreetReview.com. In an interview with CHAD DEITY Director Seth Rozin, lead actor Juan Pacheco and Wrestling Consultant / Co-Fight Choreographer Tony "Hitman" Stetson, Jim looks at how two Philadelphia plays represent refreshing attempts to expand theater’s relevance, not to mention its audience.
Read Jim Rutter's Article and Watch the Video
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ONLINE VIDEOS
Watch some of the amazing wrestling moves in CHAD DEITY in this rehearsal footage:
Meet CHAD DEITY Fight Co-Choreographers John Bellomo & Tony "Hitman" Stetson:
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
Donté Bonner (as Chad Deity) and Juan Pacheco (as Mace)
Shalin Agarwal (as VP) and Juan Pacheco (as Mace)
Juan Pacheco (as Mace), Donté Bonner (as Chad Deity) and Shalin Agarwal (as VP)
Juan Pacheco (as Mace), Shalin Agarwal (as VP),
Donté Bonner (as Chad Deity) and Jeb Kreager (as Everett K. Olsen)
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
is a 2009/10 Jerome Fellow, a member of the Ars Nova Play Group, and a playwright-in-residence at Teatro Vista. He was one of six writers of BRINK!, the anthology play at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays. His play THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY will have its World Premiere in September 2009 at Victory Gardens (Chicago), followed by productions at InterAct (Philadelphia) and Mixed Blood (Minneapolis). His play WELCOME TO ARROYO'S will be published in 2009/10 in the first critical anthology of hip-hop theater, and will have its world premiere at American Theater Company in 2010.
His plays have been developed and performed at Arielle Tepper's Summer Play Festival, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, The Donmar Warehouse, South Coast Repertory, American Theater Company, Teatro Vista, Victory Gardens, Ars Nova, The Orchard Project, The Tank, Manhattan Theatre Source, New York University, Brooklyn College, and New Dramatists. Kristoffer has also participated in Raw Impressions Music Theater Festival, Rebel Verses Youth Theater Festival, The Prospect Theater Dark Nights series, and the Gallatin Arts Festival at NYU. He has co-created several community-based theater projects at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice, the International Thespian Festival, and NYU.
As an educator, he has served as an adjudicator for Florida Thespians, and a workshop presenter/panelist at the International Thespian Festival, Future Aesthetics, Dreaming the Americas (No Passport) and the Latino Playwright Initiative. His play THE TROPHY THIEVES: A HIGH SCHOOL LOVE STORY is published by PlayScripts. Kristoffer is a recipient of the Van Lier Fellowship with New Dramatists and a Playwright Residency at London’s Donmar Warehouse.
He holds an MFA from New York University’s Department of Dramatic Writing, an MFA from Brooklyn College's Performing Arts Management program, and a BA in Dramatic and Cultural Studies from the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies at NYU.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
co-founded InterAct Theatre Company in 1988, and has since served as Producing Artistic Director. He has directed over 40 productions for InterAct, including Israel Horovitz's LEBENSRAUM (1999 Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble), IT'S ALL TRUE (2001 Barrymore nominations for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Overall Production), and PERMANENT COLLECTION (2004 Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Overall Production). He has twice been named "Best Director" by the Philadelphia Inquirer for the world premiere of Thomas Gibbons' 6221 in 1993 and for LEBENSRAUM. Other notable productions with InterAct include the world premieres of Thomas Gibbons' BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE, BLACK RUSSIAN and A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS and the Philadelphia premieres of SKIN IN FLAMES, BLUE/ORANGE, NIXON'S NIXON, AUNT DAN AND LEMON, LONELY PLANET, SEASCAPE, and GOD'S COUNTRY. Seth has also directed for the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, Blue Heron Theatre and the 45th Street Theatre in New York, as well as regionally with Act II Playhouse, Venture Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival, and the University of Pennsylvania. As a playwright, Seth is the recipient of two fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, as well as The Smith Prize for his play BLACK GOLD. MEN OF STONE and MISSING LINK garnered Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding New Play in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Seth has served on funding and/or award panels for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Theatre Communications Group, and the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist. He has served on the Boards of the Women's Theatre Festival, Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, New Paradise Laboratories, Fresh Visions Youth Theatre, and the National New Play Network (for which he served as Chair from 2002-2006).
ABOUT THE CAST & CREW
is a native of the West Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. Upon graduating from Arcadia University, with a B.F.A. in Acting, Juan relocated to Los Angeles where he began working in television and film. A proud member of the Screen Actors Guild, he recently appeared in the independent film The Take alongside John Leguizamo, Tyrese, and Rosie Perez. He has also appeared in over a dozen national commercials. His stage credits at Arcadia include the title role of OTHELLO, for which he received an A.C.T.F. National Certificate of Merit Award; Brutus in JULIUS CEASAR; Orlando in AS YOU LIKE IT; and Demetrius in A MID-SUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, all of which were under the direction of David Bassuk. Other favorite productions include ALICE IN WONDERLAND, directed by Janet Pilla; THE CRUCIBLE, directed by Susan Wilder; and THE GLASS MENAGERIE, directed by Ed Gavin. CHAD DEITY marks Juan Pacheco's professional theatre debut, and what better place than in his hometown of Philadelphia.
makes his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Mr. Bonner traveled to Florida to receive his B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Central Florida. His recent stage appearances include the role of Oswald in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater production of KING LEAR and the Bridegroom in the BRIDEGROOM OF BLOWING ROCK at Florida Stage. His film credits include the major motion picture “Sydney White” starring Amanda Bynes. Mr. Bonner also starred in “Inside A Change”, winner of the Best Film Award at the 2009 HBO: New York International Latino Film Festival, directed by award winning music video director, Rik Cordero.
is proud to be back at InterAct, where he last appeared in FROZEN, for which he won the 2008 Best Lead Actor Barrymore Award. Jeb’s recent stage work includes SCANDALOUS PEOPLE (Fringe NYC), MR. MARMALADE (Theatre Exile; Barrymore nominated), PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE (Delaware Theatre Co.), RECENT TRAGIC EVENTS (1812 Productions; Barrymore nominated), THE BFG (Arden), and THE FOREIGNER (People's Light; Barrymore nominated), among others. He is a founding member of the Obie Award-winning New Paradise Laboratories, and will co-create and appear in FREEDOM CLUB: PARTS I & II in NYC, Philadelphia, and Princeton, in 2009 and 2010. His television and film credits include “Hack” (CBS), “Z Rock” (IFC), Animal Husbandry (directed by A.R. McElhinney), Flogging Margaret (Warner Bros.), and the festival shorts The Prescotts and Felix Melman. Jeb is a graduate of Virginia Tech and attended Antonio Fava's Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico (Reggio Emilia, Italy), and Circle in the Square (NYC).
makes his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Shalin's New York and regional stage credits include THERE OR HERE (Hypothetical Theatre Company), THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST’S WIFE (Penobscot Theatre Company), BREAKROOM (Manhattan Theatre Company), SUBURBIA (Posseble Theatre Company), and ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (Hudson Shakespeare Company). His feature film credits include Homeland, Bottom Feeder, Bronx Paradise, and A Dangerous Place. His television credits include a featured role in “30 Rock,” the pilot episode of “Cupid,” and “One Life to Live.” Shalin is originally from Miami, Florida, and is a graduate of the B.F.A. Theatre Program at Southern Methodist University.
makes his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Nick was last seen on stage as Hubby in the World Premiere of DOUBLE AND SMALL with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Other favorite roles include Lago, Mercutio, and Milo Tindle. He has worked with Flashpoint Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Commonwealth Classic Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, and Enchantment Theatre. Nick is the founder and artistic director of Radio Hound Productions, which recently produced THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE: A NEW AUDIO DRAMA for the Wilmington Fringe Festival.
makes her InterAct debut in CHAD DETY. Samantha is a recent UArts graduate and was most recently seen on stage as June Summer McCarthy in New Paradise Laboratories’ FATEBOOK with the Philly LiveArts Festival. Some of Sanatha's other favorite roles include Annabella in ‘TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE, Helen in IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM, and Ado Annie in OKLAHOMA!.
is a Philadelphia native who is making his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY, although he has been making an impact on pop-culture for over a decade. After a time serving in the Marine Corps, Eric trained as a pro wrestler and refined his image into “The Smoke.” Taking the independent wrestling world by storm, The Smoke has been named Intercontinental, Tag-Team, and World champions, working for companies such as E.C.W., G.L.O.O.W., W.E.W., and N.W.A.Shockwave. Due, in part, to his uncanny likeness to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, The Smoke has been featured on the television shows ”The Jenny Jones Show” and “G.L.O.O.W.;” on Philadelphia’s Sports Radio 610WIP; and in several local celebrity boxing events. He has also appeared in the feature films Leaf, The Black Ninja, and White Men Can’t Rap, as well as many independent film projects. Currently, The Smoke is a cast member of the hit television show “Heavy Sedation” as well as the web series “Fighter’s High” and is a featured character in Big City Comics’ vampire series “Tempest.”
The design team for CHAD DEITY includes Set Design by Adam Riggar, Lighting Design by Peter Whinnery, Costume Design by Rosemarie McKelvey, Sound Design by Mark Valenzuela, Video Design by Steve Organ, and Properties Design by Avista Custom Theatrical Services. The production will be Stage Managed by Tom Helmer, with Rebecca Wright serving as Dramaturg, Britt Plunkett as Technical Director, John Bellomo as Fight Co-Coordinator, and 1993 Eastern Championship Wrestling (E.C.W.) Tag Team Champion, Tony Stetson (a.k.a. "Hitman" Tony Stetson), as Wrestling Consultant & Fight Co-Choreographer.
EXPLORING THE ISSUES
During CHAD DEITY, InterAct will host several post-performance talk-backs to encourage further discussion on the issues it raises. Speaker Sundays, a series featuring invited scholars, community leaders and artists, are scheduled to follow matinee performances on:
Featuring
Maven Bentley is the owner of the MBA, LLC, the promotion company behind , WXW c4, Ground Breaking Wrestling and a host of other companies. Maven has worked backstage for every major wrestling organization in the U.S. including WWE. He currently serves as the Vice President of Combat Zone Wrestling and is responsible for their mainstream media expansion starting with their role in The Wrestler. He graduated from St. Joseph's University in 2002 with a Master's of Business Administration and also does acting and voice over work.
Speaker
Tony "Hitman" Stetson broke
into professional wrestling in the fall of 1985. Trained by Bam Bam Bigelow, Tony had
his first professional match on December 9th, 1985 in Poughkeepsie, NY, against his
mentor. He spent the next 17 years working for various promotions along the East
Coast, Europe and other areas. Tony came to fame with the TWA, Tri-State Wrestling
Alliance out of Philadelphia with a hardcore feud with Johnny Hotbody that changed
the face of professional wrestling with the birth of hardcore and ECW. Tony recently
returned to the ring for the at Flyers Skatezone,
in Voorhees, NJ.
Featuring Dr. Salman Akhtar, Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson University
Following the 2nd and 3rd Tuesday and Wednesday performances of every production, we invite patrons to grab a brownie and a cup of joe, then join us for Coffee Converstaions, informal discussions with company artists. During CHAD DEITY, Coffee Converstaions are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3; Wednesday, November 4; Tuesday, November 10; and Wednesday, November 11.
Check back often for up-to-the-minute updates on guest speakers!
CHAD DEITY PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
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SUBSCRIPTIONS & TICKETS
Purchasing Tickets or Subscriptions:
215.568.8079
InterAct's Box Office at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Phila
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Kristoffer Diaz (Playwright)
