Rough & Tumble Theatre Company knows there are plenty of reasons not to go to theater – it's expensive, it's hard to know what's good, it's expensive, it's can be abstract and boring, and it's expensive?

“It's the rare night that I can muster the strength to go to see a new play from an emerging theater,” says Rough & Tumble's Artistic Director Dan Milstein. “Giving up a weekend night and paying exorbitant ticket prices for an unknown commodity? It's a big risk.”

However, Milstein and company are quite confident that, if you take a chance on a Rough & Tumble show, you'll go home satisfied. The are so confident, in fact, that they've decided to put their money where their mouth is.They are going to guarantee that you have a good time.

“We think our job is to entertain you. We hold fast to the quixotic belief that theater should be both fun and deeply satisfying,” says Milstein. “We figure if you are going to give us your time and hard-earned cash, you deserve nothing less. So if you come and if you don't enjoy the show, we'll refund your ticket price – it's a simple as that. And we invite every other theater company in town to stand behind their product, too.”

Rough & Tumble has a seven-year history of satisfying audience with warm, quirky, original theater pieces. Their current production, "I’m Away From My Desk Right Now…: An Indie Play," presents quirky stories set in the surreal world of the office. The show marks Rough & Tumble's fifteenth original production. The company produces new works almost exclusively, developing work on their own or collaborating with some of Boston's best writers. For this production, R & T is teaming up with playwright Bill Donnelly, who penned last season's breakout hit "Backwater: A Movie Play."

Donnelly says, “R & T doesn't treat theatre like it's some dusty old librarian who's going to yell at you if you're not on your best behavior. They work hard to make theatre that's alive and immediate and fun but not frivolous. It's an exciting balance. I've been a long time fan of Rough & Tumble because they take risks, they do things you won't see anywhere else, and they're nice people – all rarities in 21st century American theatre.”

"I’m Away From My Desk Right Now…: An Indie Play" is R&T's inaugural performance at the new Calderwood Pavilion's most intimate space, currently called “Hall A” (naming rights are being reserved). Performances run Thursdays through Sundays until December 18.

For ticket information, visit BostonTheatreScene.com or www.rough-and-tumble.org.

-- OnStage Boston

12/3/04

 

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