FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2011          

Media Contact: Sarah Pressler
press@roundhousetheatre.org
240.644.1387

Round House Theatre launches its 2011/12 season
with a multimedia production of

FAHRENHEIT 451

By Ray Bradbury, based on his novel
Directed by Sharon Ott

 September 7 – October 9, 2011 at Round House Theatre Bethesda
240.644.1100 or www.roundhousetheatre.org

 TICKETS GO ON SALE AUGUST 15, RANGING FROM $10 to $60
$10 & $15 tickets at each performance for age 30 & under
“$10 Tuesday” on September 20 & 27, with $10 tickets for all ages

(BETHESDA, MD) Round House Theatre launches its new season with Ray Bradbury’s stage adaptation of his sci-fi masterpiece Fahrenheit 451. Directed by legendary American theatre director Sharon Ott, this multimedia production incorporates cutting-edge video, projection, and sound design created at the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design.

Fahrenheit 451 runs September 7 through October 9, 2011 at Round House Theatre Bethesda, 4545 East-West Highway. Tickets are $10 – $60 and may be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, online at www.roundhousetheatre.org, or at the Round House box office in Bethesda. Groups of 10 or more should call 240.644.1387.

Bradbury’s tale of a future without books comes chillingly to life in an adaptation by the legendary author himself. Firemen in this futuristic world burn books and hunt down anyone who risks reading them. Free-thought and intellectualism are discouraged, questioning authority is dangerous, and the masses are spoon-fed a diet of interactive reality shows on their huge TVs. Montag, a fireman in charge of burning the forbidden volumes, befriends a young woman who dares to read. Suddenly a hunted fugitive, he must choose between safety and intellectual freedom. The New York Times raved that Bradbury’s account of “this insane world, which bears many alarming resemblances to our own, is fascinating.”

Director Sharon Ott and her design team enlisted the talents of more than 120 artists at the Savannah College of Art and Design to help create this multimedia piece. The set includes eight video screens, and is the result of the creativity of students in SCAD’s film, animation, motion graphics, production design, sound, and performing arts departments. SCAD Atlanta’s motion media department also lent their expertise.

Fahrenheit 451 is sponsored in part through generous support from Michael Beriss & Jean Carlson and The Dupler Family.

Sharon Ott is the 2011/12 Season Melissa Blake Rowny Visiting Artist.

Fahrenheit 451 is recommended for age 13 & up.

Ray Bradbury, an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet, was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. His reputation as a writer of courage and vision was established with the publication of The Martian Chronicles in 1950. Next came The Illustrated Man and then, in 1953, Fahrenheit 451, which many consider to be Bradbury’s masterpiece, a scathing indictment of censorship set in a future world where the written word is forbidden.

Other works include The October Country, Dandelion Wine, A Medicine for Melancholy, Something Wicked This Way Comes, I Sing the Body Electric!, Quicker Than the Eye, and Driving Blind. In all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books, close to 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, and plays. His short stories have appeared in more than 1,000 school curriculum “recommended reading” anthologies.

Bradbury’s work has been included in four Best American Short Story collections. He has been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. In November 2000, the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters was conferred upon Mr. Bradbury.

Ray Bradbury has been nominated for an Academy Award (for his animated film Icarus Montgolfier Wright), and won an Emmy Award (for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree). He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television’s Ray Bradbury Theater.

Sharon Ott makes her Round House Theatre debut with Fahrenheit 451. Previous directing in DC includes the American Premiere of Edward Bond’s Restoration at Arena Stage. New York productions: Playwright’s Horizons, Manhattan Theater Club, and The Public. Regional productions: South Coast Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, Alliance Theatre, Utah, California and Georgia Shakespeare Festivals, Huntington Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, and Opera Colorado. She was the Artistic Director of the Berkeley and Seattle Repertory Theatres, directing over 30 plays for both companies, and accepting the 1997 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre for Berkeley Rep. Other awards: Obie Award (with Theatre X for A Fierce Longing), Bay Area Theatre Critic’s Circle Awards (The Tooth of Crime, Heartbreak House, and You, Nero at Berkeley Rep), Elliot Norton Award (The Woman Warrior), Dramalogue Awards (Ballad of Yachiyo, The Lady from the Sea, Twelfth Night) Footlight Award (Restoration Comedy – Seattle Rep), and The Paine Knickerbocker Award for Sustained Achievement (San Francisco).  She is currently a Professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design and serves on the Executive Board for SDC.

The cast includes Katie Atkinson, David Bonham, Mark Hairston, Jean Harrison, Aurora Heimbach, Rachel Holt , John Lescault, Liz Mamana, and Jefferson A. Russell.

The artistic team includes scenic designer Hal Tiné, costume designer Dawn Testa, lighting designer Ruth Hutson, sound designer Steve LeGrand, and stage manager Maribeth Chaprnka.

Fahrenheit 451 runs September 7 through October 9, 2011 at Round House Theatre Bethesda, 4545 East-West Highway (one block from the intersection of Wisconsin Ave. and East-West Highway). Round House is one block from the Bethesda station on Metro’s Red Line.

Tickets go on sale August 15. For tickets, call 240.644.1100, click www.roundhousetheatre.org, or visit Round House’s box office in Bethesda. Tickets range in price from $10 to $60.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday performances begin at 7:30 p.m, Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 8 p.m.; matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday begin at 3 p.m.

Wednesday, September 7 – 7:30pm
Thursday, September 8 – 7:30pm
Friday, September 9 – 8pm
Saturday, September 10 – 3pm & 8pm
Sunday, September 11 – 3pm

Wednesday, September 14 – 7:30pm
Thursday, September 15 – 7:30pm
Friday, September 16 – 8pm
Saturday, September 17 – 3pm & 8pm
Sunday, September 18 – 3pm
Tuesday, September 20 – 7:30pm
Wednesday, September 21 – 7:30pm
Thursday, September 22 – 7:30pm
Friday, September 23 – 8pm
Saturday, September 24 – 3pm & 8pm
Sunday, September 25 – 3pm

Tuesday, September 27 – 7:30pm
Wednesday, September 28 – 7:30pm
Thursday, September 29 – 7:30pm
Friday, September 30 – 8pm
Saturday, October 1 – 3pm & 8pm
Sunday, October 2 – 3pm

Thursday, October 6 – 7:30pm
Friday, October 7 – 8pm
Saturday, October 8 – 3pm & 8pm
Sunday, October 9 – 3pm

Specially priced tickets for age 30 and under are available at all performances: $10 Wednesday through Friday, $15 Saturday and Sunday – call 240.644.1100. Proof of age required.

Pay-What-You-Can: Wednesday, September 7 at 7:30pm & Saturday, September 10 at 3pm.
PWYC tickets go on sale in person one hour prior to curtain. Cash and exact change only, limit of 2 tickets per person.

$10 Tuesday: September 20 and 27, 2011 at 7:30pm
Side Orchestra and Side Balcony seats on these two dates are available to all patrons at the discounted price of $10 – call 240.644.1100 or order at www.roundhousetheatre.org.

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more: call 240.644.1387.

Round House offers discounts to patrons 65 and older for center orchestra or center balcony seating. Call 240.644.1100.

Fahrenheit 451 Audience Events

Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, August 30 at 3pm & 4:30pm
This inside look at a Fahrenheit 451 rehearsal includes a brief presentation on the set and costume designs, an hour watching the rehearsal, and a question and answer period. Open Rehearsal tickets are free but advance reservations are required. Email RSVP@roundhousetheatre.org by 5pm on August 29 to reserve space. Please specify in your email which session you wish to attend – 3pm or 4:30pm. Limit of 2 tickets per RSVP. Patrons will receive an email confirmation. Space is limited to 20 people at each session. Attendees should arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start of their session. No photos or recording devices. At the Round House Theatre Rehearsal Studio, Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring. Metro: Silver Spring (approx. 4 blocks).

Designer Discussion: Wednesday, September 7 at 6:45pm
With the costume, set, lighting, and sound designers.

Director Discussion: Friday, September 9 at 7:15pm
With Sharon Ott.

Audio-described performance: Saturday, September 17 at 3pm

Parents’ Matinee: Sunday, September 18 at 3pm
Patrons can drop off children (ages 3-12, must be potty trained) to an RHT teaching artist while they’re seeing the show at this designated Sunday matinee. The kids enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of theatre games and arts activities. Childcare reservations are required in advance by 5 p.m. on September 14 by calling 240.644.1100.

Post-Show Talkbacks: Sunday, September 18 and Sunday, September 25

Sign-interpreted performance: Saturday, September 24 at 3pm
Reservations for sign interpreting services must be made by September 10.

On the RHT Blog
Round House’s blog at www.roundhousetheatre.org/blog features a two-part interview with director Sharon Ott by DC area playwright/dramaturg Jacqueline Lawton.

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