TheatreWorks premieres sinister comedy, MAURITIUS June 4 – 26, 2010

NEW MILFORD, CONN. (May 21, 2010) – On Friday. June 4, TheatreWorks New Milford will present the gripping drama, MAURITIUS, by Theresa Rebeck. The show is scheduled for a four-week run.

The stakes are high when half-sisters inherit a book of rare stamps that may include the “crown jewels” of the stamp-collecting world and could be worth millions. The battle for possession takes a dangerous turn when three rival collectors enter the sisters’ universe, willing to go to any lengths to stake their claim on the find. Put lightly, it is a story of the dark side of stamp collecting.  Put strongly, it is what happens when suffering, greed, selfishness and lies slam together over one rare treasure.

Director Sonnie Osborne, of New Milford, found it fascinating that the plot is built around factual history of the stamps, the title referring to the “Holy Grail” of philately – a couple of uncancelled, misprinted African stamps. “How the stamps came into the sisters’ possession is the story of family secrets…and how they leave their possession is the story of a con. Both stories reveal how the errors of the past yield value and meaning in the present, drawing you in with the twists and turns.”

The production features some of the region’s finest actors: Tracy Hurd (Brookfield), Arielle Uppaluri (New Milford), Viv Berger (Southbury), Mike Ritts (Torrington), and Aaron Kaplan (Danbury).

The crew includes producer and scenic designer Glenn R. Couture (Ansonia), technical director Scott Wyshynski (Washington) and his FRGS team, and stage manager Kelly Gayowski (Watertown).

Playwright Theresa Rebeck, who has also written screenplays for television shows such as “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue,” and “LA Law,” made her Broadway debut with MAURITIUS in 2007 at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s Biltmore Theatre.

MAURITIUS runs June 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26. Curtain time is 8:00 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays, with 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinee is on June 20. Tickets for all shows are $20 for reserved seating.

On Thursday, June 3, senior citizens are invited to a free dress rehearsal at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, June 10 at 8:00 p.m. is TheatreWorks’ Pay-What-You-Want night. At this performance, you name the price for your ticket.

Reservations can be made online at WWW.THEATREWORKS.US or by calling the box office at (860) 350-6863.

TheatreWorks is an award-winning, local theatre company located on 5 Brookside Avenue, just off Route 202 (next to the CVS), in New Milford, CT.