For theatergoers looking for unique fare this holiday season, Rep Stage has just the ticket. Michael Stebbins, Rep Stage's producing artistic director, will bring to life -- with simply a chair, music stand, and bottle of water -- three holiday short stories by American humorist David Sedaris on December 17, 18, and 19 in the Monteabaro RecitAl Hall at Howard Community College (HCC). "Holiday Readings (With Some Surprise Packages)* - * = some adult humor" features Stebbins reading "Based Upon a True Story," "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" and "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" In the spirit of Sedaris and the holidays, door prizes will also be handed out to the most "festively" dressed audience members. Patrons wearing elf slippers, glowing red noses, and sweaters featuring full macramé snow scenes will be rewarded with t-shirts, mugs, holiday cards and more. Performance times are 8 p.m. on December 17; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on December 18; and 2 p.m. on December 19. Tickets are $10 online and $12 at the door and may be purchased at the Horowitz Center Box Office, online at www.repstage.org, or by calling 443-518-1500. Parental discretion is advised.
Michael Stebbins is no stranger to the works of David Sedaris. A self-proclaimed Sedaris-aholic, he directed Rep Stage's 2007 production of Sedaris' "The Santaland Diaries," drawing praise from "Metro Weekly" for creating "a production that is a wonderful combination of polished, professional theater and something out of ‘Waiting for Guffman.'" "Since this is a reading, it will certainly be a different experience," Stebbins says. "But I really wanted to share some Sedaris around the holidays because I know there are people out there just as twisted as he is - bitter and angry at holiday time. This is for them...or for anyone who appreciates his sense of humor."
The most popular of the three short stories, "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!," is a "holiday letter" from the Dunbar Family: Clifford, Jocelyn, Kevin, Jacki, and Kyle. But this year, there's a new addition to the Dunbar Family - a 22-year-old named Khe Sahn Dunbar. In "Based Upon a True Story," a network television executive strong-arms the congregation of a small Pentecostal church. "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" finds the bitter, mean-spirited local theater critic savagely attacking the various holiday plays and pageants presented by the area's elementary schools.
Stebbins has performed in Rep Stage's "Wittenberg," "Mrs. Warren's Profession," "Stones in His Pockets," "Fully Committed" and "The Santaland Diaries." At Rep Stage he has directed "Two by J. M. Barrie: The New Word and The Old Lady Shows Her Medals," "The Glass Menagerie," "A Moon for the Misbegotten," "A Dickens of a Carol," and "The Santaland Diaries." He has performed on some of the top regional theatre stages across the country and is celebrating his fifth year as Rep Stage's producing artistic director. He is the recipient of a Helen Hayes Tribute Award and will appear in Rep Stage's production of "An Almost Holy Picture" in February of 2011.
Monteabaro RecitAl Hall is located inside the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center (HVPA) on the campus of HCC at 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia, MD, 21044.
Note: These stories from "Holidays on Ice" by David Sedaris are performed with the permission of the author's agents, Don Congdon Associates, Inc. © 1997 by David Sedaris.
About Rep Stage
Rep Stage, a professional Equity theatre in residence at Howard Community College, is in its 18th season. The company is a member of both League of Washington Theatres and Baltimore Theatre Alliance. Performances are made possible by Howard County Arts Council, Howard County Government, and Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the state of Maryland and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as through generous individual contributions. Howard Bank is the Rep Stage 2010-11 season partner.
