THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, ORDINARY DAYS and More Set for Round House Theatre's 2013-14 Season

Round House Theatre today announced its first full season under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Ryan Rilette. In 2013/14, Round House will produce two modern classics, two Broadway comedies, an Off-Broadway comedy, and an Off-Broadway musical on its mainstage in Bethesda.

"This season reflects a new artistic vision that we hope will excite current patrons and new theatergoers," says Rilette. "In Bethesda, we will be producing revivals of modern classics and area premieres of celebrated new plays and musicals. We're also presenting a great slate of new plays by some of the area's best theatre companies through our 'In Residence' program in Silver Spring."

Round House has also simplified its pricing structure, lowering the cost of many seats in Bethesda. In addition to its existing subscription and FlexPass programs, Round House has added the new House Pass. With a House Pass, a patron can see all of the Round House's productions in Bethesda - as well as "In Residence" performances in Silver Spring by Forum Theatre, dog & pony dc, and Happenstance Theater - as many times as they wish. Each House Pass is good for one person and is valid from August 1, 2013 thru July 31, 2014.

In Bethesda, Round House will also launch its new "In Conversation" series, bringing prominent journalists and leading theater artists together for lively discussions.

THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by Jeremy Skidmore
August 21 - September 15, 2013
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Maureen, a lonely spinster in her forties, lives with her diabolically manipulative mother Mag in an isolated cottage in the west of Ireland. Mag whines and bullies to get her way while Maureen resentfully fulfills her mother's every command. When Maureen is offered a last chance at love, she sees a chance to escape. But Mag has other ideas, setting in motion a chain of deceptions, secrets, and betrayals that are both heartbreaking and hilarious. With savage irony, this Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning tragicomedy by Ireland's greatest living playwright surprises audiences through to its horrifying conclusion.

THIS
By Melissa James Gibson
Directed by Ryan Rilette
October 9 - November 3, 2013
Round House Theatre Bethesda

AREA PREMIERE. Jane is a poet-without-a-muse, a single mother trying to reignite her life after she suddenly loses her husband. Her supportive friends try to help but only make things more complicated while a sexy, French Doctor-Without-Borders incites temptation - and perspective. This un-romantic comedy with music is a sharp, superbly crafted portrait of a group of friends as they navigate their way through parenthood, death, and adultery into the choppy waters of middle age. An Off-Broadway hit by Obie-winning playwright Melissa James Gibson, it points out with wit and searing grace the absurdities of modern life.

THE LYONS
By Nicky Silver
Directed by John Vreeke
November 27 - December 22, 2013
Round House Theatre Bethesda

AREA PREMIERE. Indomitable matriarch Rita Lyons is at a major crossroads. Her husband is dying, her son is in a dubious relationship, and her daughter is barely holding it together. Tempers flare, words are exchanged, and secrets are revealed. Worst of all, Rita can't figure out how to redesign her living room. Nicky Silver, that "strange progeny of a coupling between Neil Simon and Edward Albee" (New York Times), brings another of his deliciously dysfunctional families to the stage in the scathingly funny Broadway smash that earned Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations.

SEMINAR
By Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Jerry Whiddon
February 5 - March 2, 2014
Round House Theatre Bethesda

AREA PREMIERE. There's no such thing as an "easy A" in this class! Writing turns into a contact sport in the fast, funny, and smart new comedy by Pulitzer Prize nominee Theresa Rebeck. Four aspiring young novelists sign up for private classes with Leonard, an international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon, and hearts are unmoored. They came for a class in writing but got a lesson in survival. Laughter abounds in this hit from Broadway's most-produced female playwright.

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