Courtesy of ArtisTree
ArtisTree actors rehearse for “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” for an audience of one, at Damon Hall.
Friday, Nov. 6 — HARTFORD — ArtisTree Theatre Company presents “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” a hilarious comedy with wit and drama, which opens Friday, Nov. 6 and runs Nov. 6-8 and 13-15 at Damon Hall in Hartford, Vt. Tickets are available now through ArtisTree, www.artistreevt.org or 802-457-3500.
Following the sold out production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and the recent collaboration with RAW Shakespeare Company, ArtisTree finishes the year off with Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.” Set in 1953 in a scruffy office in Manhattan, “Laughter” is inspired by the playwright’s youthful experience as a staff writer on Sid Caesar’s television hit, “Your Show of Shows.” Laughter is the inevitable result of the stunning, stinging wit and comic drama of the harried writing staff as they scramble to top each other’s gags and capture the esteem of their madman star. The names have been changed to protect the guilty, but the play is a revealing peep-hole into a crucial time in American pop culture when television discovered its power for good… and evil.
Jarvis Green, Director, states, “One of the reasons why I chose this show is because it’s based on real people and truth. It’s about how sad and funny life is. To free us from the expectation to be funny my main goal is to make it real. It’s about middle class Americans saying and doing funny things in extreme contrast to the unhappiness they are feeling. The most important idea for me is for the audiences to see the truth we present and to give them what they expected and a little more.”
Special Events/Performances:
- Preview performance: Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Special cost of pay-what-you-can at the door.
- Opening night reception: Friday, Nov. 6, 9:30-10:30 p.m. ArtisTree will host a reception at Damon Hall following the performance on Nov. 6, for the audience and company of “Laughter.”
- Post show discussion: Sunday, Nov. 8, 7-8 p.m. A standard Q & A talkback with the audience and cast.
To learn more or for tickets, visit www.artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500.
