Presidential Politics Get Even More Absurd in BLINDERS by Patrick Gabridge

WATERTOWN, MA - Imagine the Trump campaign. Now double it. In this high-stakes election year, Flat Earth Theatre is proud to present BLINDERS by prolific Boston-based playwright Patrick Gabridge, a cautionary tale about the dangers of the American political circus. BLINDERS will run June 10th – 25th at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown, MA. Tickets can be purchased at http://flatearth.ticketleap.com/blinders/ for $20 in advance, $25 at the door, or $10 student rush.

In BLINDERS, the world is in awe of a scientific miracle: two genetically identical humans, unrelated but more twin than twins, exactly the same in every way! No one can tell them apart – except journalist Karen Sayer, whose declaration to the brainwashed public that they don’t look anything alike destroys her career and throws her sanity into question. As the duplicates parlay their commercial success into a bid for President of the United States, Karen’s quest for truth takes her on an unexpected mission with some unlikely allies and even stranger enemies.

According to playwright Patrick Gabridge, BLINDERS has become frighteningly relevant since he wrote the play nearly 20 years ago. “With our current election circus,” says Gabridge, “BLINDERS no longer feels like a script that’s speculating on a strange and distant future. Instead, each passing day seems to make the play feel like it was written only yesterday. As a playwright, I’m glad that this kind of weird, funny play now seems more relevant than ever. And, as a citizen, I’m deeply unsettled by this fact.

“I’m especially grateful to Flat Earth for choosing to produce this play right now,” adds Gabridge, “because these are the kinds of moments where theatre can be the most immediate and most important. We’re seeing a surge of political satire and political plays on stage in Boston right now, because we need the conversation and the examination. And they’re a hell of a lot of fun.”

BLINDERS will be the second of Gabridge’s plays to be produced in Boston this summer. In partnership with the Bostonian Society, Gabridge’s Blood On the Snow, recounting the Boston Massacre and its rippling effects, will be presented this May at the Old State House, in the room the historical events actually took place – making it a busy season for the Medford playwright.

BLINDERS continues Flat Earth’s 2016 season, “Ten Years at the Edge of the World,” three shows that highlight the role of the outsider. This season marks the company’s 10-year anniversary, and also featured the East Coast premier of Gina Young’s TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE LESBO in March, an 80’s and 90’s pastiche examining gender and sexuality, and will conclude with Suzanne Lebeau's THE SOUND OF CRACKING BONES in November, the devastating story of two child soldiers’ abduction, captivity, escape, and salvation.

STAFF & CAST

Directed by Korinne T. Ritchey, BLINDERS’ design team includes Debra Reich (Set Design), Betsy Krah (Costume Design), Matt Breton (Lighting Design), Jake Scaltreto (Props Design), Mac Ritchey (Sound Design), and Lindsay LaPointe (Projection Design). The Producer is Lindsay Eagle, the Stage Manager is Elizabeth Ramirez, and the Technical Director is Connor Van Ness. The cast features Kimberly McClure as Karen Sayer, Craig Ciampa as Stack Thompson, Matt Arnold as Chris, Justus Perry as Alex, and an ensemble consisting of Robin Abrahams, Marge Dunn, Arthur Gomez, Sarah Mass, and Glen Moore.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Patrick Gabridge’s full-length plays include Blinders, Lab Rats, Distant Neighbors, Constant State of Panic, and Chore Monkeys. He’s worked with more than 40 New England theatres, and has been a Playwriting Fellow with the Huntington Theatre Company and New Rep. His historical plays include work about the Boston Massacre (Blood on the Snow, produced in May/June at the Old State House), the creation of the English Bible (Fire on Earth), the astronomers Kepler and Tycho (Reading the Mind of God), a volcanic eruption on Martinique (The Prisoner of St. Pierre), and 19th century Boston publisher Daniel Sharp Ford (None but the Best). His short plays have received more than 1,000 productions from theatres and schools around the world. He’s the author of three novels, Steering to Freedom, Tornado Siren and Moving [a life in boxes]. Patrick helped start Boston’s Rhombus Playwrights’ group, two theatre companies in Denver and New York, and the on-line Playwrights’ Submission Binge. He’s a member of the Dramatists Guild, StageSource, and a board member of the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund. He is the co-founder and coordinator of the New England New Play Alliance. In his spare time, he likes to farm and fix up old houses. gabridge.com

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Blinders marks director Korinne T. Ritchey’s fourth collaboration with Flat Earth Theatre, and she is grateful to have the opportunity to help bring Patrick Gabridge’s fabulous script to life with a such a magnificent cast and crew. Other Flat Earth credits include Tales of a Fourth Grade Lesbo (Choreographer), The Farnsworth Invention (Lizette, et al.) and Rocket Man (Rita). Additional recent projects include Terminus (director) for the HCE Players, the New England premiere of Love in a Glass Jar (Eve), and Artistic Associate/ contributing choreographer for Six One Seven Dance Collective. Korinne completed a Master’s degree in theatre education at Emerson College where she focused on directing, and she currently works as an adjunct theatre professor and disability support specialist at Middlesex Community College.