My Verona announces 3rd consecutive season of contemporary theatre

My Verona announces 3rd consecutive season of contemporary theatre

Critics have hailed their productions as “sharp”, “innovative”, “exhilarating”, and “simply too good to miss.” Others (and even sometimes the same critics) have called other shows they’ve done “smug”, “ridiculous”, and “different.” In a single season they've produced “one of the best dramas of the year” and ““the biggest creators-vs.-critics conflicts of the year.” …And just when you thought that they might have given up,the Quad-Cities' much-talked-about indie theatre My Verona is back with a full season of new works.

My Verona’s third season will see the independent theatre premiere of
“The PIllowman” by Tony/Oscar winner Martin McDonagh, the return of Joe
Manetello’s hilarious adaptation of David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries,” and a plethora of other area premieres.

The season will kick off with a one night only engagement of “Spank. One Night. One Monkey.” In the vein of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, “Spank.” is an R-rated comedy by Dave and Darren from the 97 Rock morning show. It'll feature the famous sock monkey puppet doing a blue stand-up routine and then taking questions from the audience.

“Spank” will take the stage at 10 p.m. Friday, April 28 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District. Admission is free.

“Spank” is rated R.

My Verona’s summer will begin with the anticipated independent theatre
premiere of the acclaimed 2005 Broadway hit “The Pillowman.” Written by
Tony/Oscar winning playwright/director Martin McDonagh, the play is A
brilliantly idiosyncratic, Kafka-esque exploration of the role of artists and artistic responsibility in contemporary culture. Set in a totalitarian state, a series of child murders spurs authorities to arrest and detain a horror writer, Katurian, whose works parallel the gruesome details of the murders. But did Katurian do it? That's the big question.

“The Pillowman” will open May 26 and run through June 3 at Comedy
Sportz Theater in the District. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12.

“The Pillowman” is rated R.

August will see another QC first when My Verona will present its very sincere salute to legendary playwright David Mamet. 2 actors. 75 minutes. All Mamet. “Blue Hour: City Sketches: A Night of David Mamet,” will feature 14 scenes and monologues by the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning author that Mamet himself considers to some of the best writing he has ever done.

“Blue Hour: City Sketches: A Night of David Mamet" will open August 4 and run through August 12 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.

“Blue Hour” is rated PG-13.

Next up is The Non-Conformist's Double-Bill. It will feature Eric Bogosian's ``Sex, Drugs Rock N Roll'' and Bill Hicks' ``It's Just A Ride.'' Adam Michael Lewis and Jason Conner will rock the stage with the edgy works of two of the greatest comic writers of the last two decades.

“Sex, Drugs, Rock N Roll” and “It’s Just a Ride” will open September 22
and run through September 30 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District.
Shows are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.

“Sex, Drugs…” and “It’s Just a Ride” is rated R.

And then for something completely different... My Verona will team up with Ballet Quad-Cities to present the second annual “Ballet Rocks.” Combining classical dance choreographed to modern rock, alternative and pop music provided by area bands, Ballet Rocks features the music of QC favorite The Metrolites.

“Ballet Rocks” runs October 7 through October 15 at the Capitol Theater, Davenport. Times and ticket prices are t.b.a.

Rounding out our third consecutive season is the return of our popular holiday show, “SantaLand Diaries” starring Adam Michael Lewis. Joe Mantello’s adapatation of David Sedaris’ “SantaLand” is a one man show about a thirtysomething aspiring soap opera star who finds himself desperate and has to work as an elf at Macy's over the holidays. What ensues is a hilarious trip through the bizarre, goofy underbelly of retail life in the Christmas season.

Directed by the lauded Michael Oberfield, My Verona's Production of David Sedaris' ``SantaLand Diaries'' was a hit in 2005! Critics and audiences raved about the ``superb'' performance of star Adam Lewis and called the show ``hilarious.''

“SantaLand Diaries” opens November 17 and runs through November 26 at
Comedy Sportz in the District. Friday and Saturday shows are at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday shows are at 7:30 p.m.

“SantaLand'' is rated PG-13 for some adult language.

All My Verona performances are held at Comedy Sportz Theatre, 1818 3rd
Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois. Tickets are available at the door beginning 30 minutes before show time, at the Circa ’21 Box Office or by calling (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more information, see www.myveronaproductions.com,
www.myspace.com/myverona, or the My Verona page on seanlaery.com.

My Verona is paid solely by its founders, Sean Leary and Tristan
Tapscott. Why? For the fun of it, for the creative experience and because
they want people to see these excellent shows. All the shows we bring in are area, if not regional or Midwest, debuts.