Best Medicine Rep Presents Bathroom Hate by Jennifer Faletto

Professional theater comes to Gaithersburg, Maryland with the arrival of Best Medicine Rep, a new, nonprofit company that specializes in comedy. Helmed by President and Artistic Director John Morogiello, Best Medicine Rep will present a monthly reading series of new plays, beginning with Bathroom Hate by Jennifer Faletto on Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Lakeforest Mall. Morogiello announced the reading series at the company’s kickoff event, a private reading of his Die, Mr. Darcy, Die! on January 8.

Bathroom Hate is a hilarious look at Texas, homecoming, and revolution. Set in a suburban high school, where legacy and tradition often go unquestioned, one student changes the consciousness of her community. The script was a finalist for the 2015 Reva Shiner Comedy Award and was developed at the Great Plains Theatre Conference and The Blank Theatre in Los Angeles.

Jennifer Faletto’s other plays include 2015 CapFringe hit Domestic Animals (2016 Woodward/Newman Drama Award finalist and 2016 O’Neill semifinalist), and This Little Light. Her plays have been developed and produced at Palm Beach Dramaworks, Panndora’s Box (CA) and Short + Sweet (Sydney). Ms. Faletto studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia and holds a BFA in theatre performance from TCU. She is also a graduate of the Second City Conservatory (Chicago).

Best Medicine Rep gets its name and its mission from an Irish proverb which states that a good laugh and a long sleep are the best medicine for every ailment. Deadpans Artistic Director John Morogiello, “If our theater company can’t provide the one, we’ll surely provide the other.”

Despite the laughs, the company is serious about bringing a professional theater company to Gaithersburg. “We’re the fourth largest city in Maryland,” Vice President Rebecca A. Herron observes, “Despite all of the new urban planning throughout the city, there is no venue for professional, live entertainment.” Best Medicine Rep plans to fill that void with a monthly reading series from February through May.

Other readings in the series include Jacqueline Goldfinger’s dark comedy Skin & Bone, which will be read on March 19, and The Insidious Impact of Anton by David Hilder, which will close out the series on May 21. All readings will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the community room of the Lakeforest Mall (701 Russell Avenue) in Gaithersburg. In April, the company plans to perform plays written by Montgomery County Public School students in classes taught by Morogiello through the Maryland State Arts Council. The date, time, and location of the April performance is yet to be determined. For more information about the reading series, please visit bestmedicinerep.org.

Best Medicine Rep is one of only two theaters in the United States devoted entirely to the development and production of comic plays. In addition to its comedic mission, Best Medicine Rep is dedicated to the artistic, educational, and cultural development of the Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village area. It was founded as a nonprofit theater company in 2016 by John Morogiello, Rebecca A. Herron, Misty Demory, Kari Luther Rosbeck, Ben Leffler and Stan Levin.

President and Artistic Director John Morogiello’s comedies have been produced at some of America’s premier theaters, including Old Globe, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Abingdon Theatre Company off-Broadway. For 20 years, he has taught playwriting in Montgomery County Schools as an artist in residence with the Maryland State Arts Council and the Center Stage Playwrights in the Schools program.

Vice President Rebecca A. Herron has been performing in DC-area theater, TV, and film for nearly 18 years. She is a Helen Hayes Award nominee and has received several acting awards for short and feature film roles.

Secretary Misty Demory has been acting professionally for over 20 years, and is a member of the Constellation Theatre acting company. She has appeared in numerous local and national commercials.

Treasurer Kari Luther Rosbeck has a degree in theater from SUNY Albany, where she met Morogiello and produced his first play. She is president and CEO of the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, a national charity charged with finding a cure for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. The TS Alliance commissioned and produced Morogiello’s documentary history of the TS Alliance Four Decades/One Community at the Hudson Theatre in New York and at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington.

Board Member Ben Leffler is a teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. Stan Levin is a television and film editor and producer.

WHO: Best Medicine Rep Theater Company

WHAT: Reading of Bathroom Hate by Jennifer Faletto

WHERE: Community Room of the Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD

WHEN: Sunday, February 12, 2017, 3:00 p.m.