>Ratio Opens 3rd Season in “The Dining Room”

>Ratio Theatre kicks off its third season with AR Gurney’s award winning comedy – “The Dining Room” which opens a six performance run on Friday, September 23rd at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, 516 Hancock St. New Bern, NC.

In addition to its normal ticketing, Ratio, in cooperation with the Outback Steakhouse, will offer a fixed price Dinner and a Show ticket which includes a single price meal and show ticket. Full details and information may be found at www.ratiotheatre.org or by calling the Ratio office at 252-626-0358.

A discounted four play season ticket is also available in limited quantities. All tickets may be purchased on line www.ratiotheatre.org and at Bank of the Arts 317 Middle St. New Bern, NC, 252-638-2577.

The play is set in the formal dining room of a typical well-to-do household, the place where the family assembled daily for breakfast and dinner and for any and all special occasions.

The action is comprised of a mosaic of interrelated scenes-some funny, some touching, some rueful-which, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP. The actors change roles, personalities and ages with virtuoso skill as they portray a wide variety of characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids. Each vignette introduces a new set of people and events; a father lectures his son on grammar and politics; a boy returns from boarding school to discover his mother’s infidelity; a senile grandmother doesn’t recognize her own sons at Christmas dinner; a daughter, her marriage a shambles, pleads futilely to return home, etc. Dovetailing swiftly and smoothly, the varied scenes coalesce, ultimately, into a theatrical experience of exceptional range, compassionate humor and abundant humanity.

“The Dining Room” is directed by Joey Infinito and features a talented and versatile ensemble: Noah Fisher, Ken Hamm, Justen Nast, Allen Plaster, Michelle Roys and Michelle Wood.

Performance dates and times are: September 23, 24, 30 and October 1 at 8pm. Matinees are offered September 25 and October 2 at 2pm. Prices for single general admission ticket are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. All tickets will be on sale beginning on Thursday, September 15.

Opening night audiences will enjoy free refreshments provided by the Outback Steakhouse in the Outback Café at the theater.

Ratio Theatre Company regrets that tickets for the October 15th Glen Miller Orchestra Concert were not yet available when the concert was announced Thursday, August 18th in the New Bern Sun Journal. Ratio thanks all patrons for their persistence and patience. Tickets are now available on line www.ratiotheatre.org and at New Bern Bank of the Arts.

Submitted by: Andrea Owens, Ratio Theatre Company, 252-670-7736