NAZARETH COLLEGE THEATRE AND DANCE DEPARTMENT TO PRESENT NEW PLAY: END OF SHIFT

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ROCHESTER, NY (01/30/2018) In a riveting and honest portrayal of adolescence, the Nazareth College Theatre and Dance Department takes you back to the tumultuous time in all of our lives when we first began to truly assert our independence. This poignant and timely new play, End of Shift by Jenny Connell Davis, will have its premiere staging at Nazareth College on February 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and February 18 and 25 at 2:00 p.m. Under the direction of Lindsay Reading Korth, the Nazareth College Theatre and Dance Department, in conjunction with the Theatre League, will give audiences a glimpse into the secret and dangerous lives of five high school seniors.

End of Shift was first developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's National Playwrights Conference in 2015. The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center is two-time Tony-winner, and is responsible for developing, producing, and supporting over 1,000 new works of theatre and theatre artists every year. The National Playwrights Conference had a record-breaking pool of new play submissions in 2015, and out of over 1,300 submissions, End of Shift was one of seven works chosen for development.

The play follows Jesse, Max, and Ben - known around town as the "Three Musketeers" - who set out one late summer night to memorialize a fallen hometown "hero." However, when the valedictorian, Amanda, and Ben's on-again-off-again girlfriend, Heidi, begin to ask questions, the "Three Musketeers'" plans begin to crumble, and Jesse, Max, and Ben must reevaluate everything they thought they knew about love, loyalty, and friendship. What follows is a gripping tale about coming of age, coming to terms, and coming clean.

The award-winning playwright of End of Shift, Jenny Connell Davis, has worked closely with the cast and creative team in the initial rehearsal process.

"I'm thrilled that Nazareth is choosing to stage the play. I hope it's one that sparks real conversations about how we all talk and think about sex, love, friendship and loss, about who we make heroes, and about how we move on," says Davis. "While these characters are far from perfect, nobody in this play is 'the bad guy,' and nothing about what they're grappling with, here, is simple. I've loved what I've seen of the rehearsal process so far, and am excited to see the whole thing on stage!" As the first ever staged production, audiences will be getting the first glimpse of a new play, as they dive into the lives of these teenagers with End of Shift.

This play contains mature content. It is not suitable for young audiences.

TICKETS
Tickets to End of Shift are $12 for general admission, $10 for seniors, and $6 for students at the door with I.D. For tickets call - or visit - the Box Office: 585-389-2170 or order online: naz.edu/artscenter.

The Nazareth College Arts Center Box Office is located on campus at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester. Regular box office hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and 11 a.m. until curtain time on performance days.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
The play's cast features, Robert DiJames (Max), Ismael Cisse (Ben), Jared Curtis (Jesse), Chiara Giampietro (Amanda), and Alexandra Ireijo (Heidi).

The End of Shift design team consists of Lindsay Reading Korth (director), Allen Wright Shannon (scenic designer), Emily Stork (sound designer), and Yuanting Zhao (costume designer). Student creative team members are Maya Schuetz (technical director), Demitri Payne (stage manager), Chelsea Jensen (assistant stage manager), and Briar-Rose Murphy (dramaturg).