“The Substance of Bliss” Opens January 14th at the NJ Repertory Company

Press Release:

 

New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to announce the World Premiere of The Substance of Bliss by Tony Glazer. 

It’s 2am… do you know who your child is?  While Paul and Donna nervously await the return of their troubled fifteen-year-old late one night, they find themselves questioning their renovation choices, the political and religious persuasions of their neighbors, the feral cats running amok in their backyard, and ultimately, their decision to marry and have the child that is causing them so much angst.

The cast includes Christopher Daftsios (Swimming at the Ritz) and Susan Maris (Happy) and is directed by Evan Bergman (The M Spot). Sneak preview performances to this limited engagement begin Thursday, January 14 with opening night Saturday, January 16 at New Jersey Repertory Company (179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ), and will run  through Sunday, February 14, 2016. Tickets may be purchased by calling 732-229-3166 or at www.njrep.org.

The production team includes: Jessica Parks (Set Design & Props), Brian Snyder (Technical Director,) Jill Nagle (Lighting Design), Merek Royce Press (Sound Design), Patricia Doherty (Costume Design), and Jennifer Tardibuono (Stage Manager).

Tony Glazer (Playwright) Tony Glazer is an award-winning writer, director and producer, and a Managing Partner and founding member of Choice Films & Choice Theatricals. (www.choicefilms.com). He also serves as both a Managing Member and Board Member of The Private Theatre (www.theprivatetheatre.org). Glazer’s plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Canada and England. He just wrapped production on his first feature film, Junction, which he wrote and directed www.junctionthemovie.com and which Hollywood Studios International now represents. His short film, A Younger Man, (www.ayoungerman.com) is now in several festivals around the country and has won multiple awards. His short stories “Single White Mammal” and “Buster” won dual prizes in Writer’s Digest’s 2006 Best Short Story Competition and were published in Writer’s Digest’s 2006 Competition Collection. Glazer’s stage plays include: Stain, and Safe (both published by Samuel French Inc.), The Substance of Bliss (2009 Weissberger Award Winner), In The Daylight and Reading Under the Influence. In 2011, Reading Under the Influence completed an extended Off-Broadway run at Union Square’s DR2 Theatre in New York City and has now begun a regional tour. One of his short plays, Doll Play, premiered in the 34th Annual Samuel French Short Play Festival under his direction. Glazer’s newest play, Everything Must Go, will have its premiere in the fall with The Private Theatre. Tony also serves on the Advisory Council of the T. Schreiber Studio where he directed a production of Better Living which received three NYIT (New York Innovative Theater) Award Nominations for excellence. Tony received his BFA in Acting from Boston University and studied acting with Maggie Flanigan. Find Tony online at www.tonyglazer.com.  

Evan Bergman (Director) For NJ Rep World Premieres: The M Spot by Michael Tucker, A View of the Mountains by Lee Blessing. The Tangled Skirt by Steve Braunstein (nominated 2011 EDGAR Award). Saving Kitty by Marisa Smith. American Stare by Tony Glazer. Jericho, Poetic License and Place Setting (Nominated 2005 Best Play The Star-Ledger) by Jack Canfora. Off-Broadway: Love Therapy with Alison Frazer. The Director starring John Shea (New York and Los Angeles). The Glass House (workshops) with David Strathairn, Laila Robins, Hope Davis (Connecticut); with Geraint Wynn Davies (Barrington Stage), New York premiere starring Harris Yulin (Clurman). Gryzk (Ensemble Studio Theater). Poetic License, Jericho (NY Times critic pick; 59E59). Workshop Goodnight Sister; James Lapine (Cherry Lane Theater). Film: Dig A Hole, Find A Finger by John Ford Noonan official selection Palm Springs and Newport Beach International Film Festivals.

Christopher Daftsios (Paul) New York Theater credits include: Picture Ourselves In Latvia (published/produced by Samuel French- originated role), Visitor from Forest Hills (w/ Tony Roberts, Louise Lasser), Of Mice and Men (Mint Theater Company), The Muckle Man (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), A Flea in Her Ear (John Houseman Studio). Regional Theatre credits include: Swimming at the Ritz (NJ Rep), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (New Century Theatre), The Glass Menagerie/ Biloxi Blues/ Laughter in the 23rd Floor (Forestburgh Playhouse), Mercy and the Firefly (Luna Stage – originated role), Lobby Hero/ Glorious/ Boeing Boeing (Shadowland Theatre). Film/TV: Royal Pains, Law & Order, Law & Order: Conviction (guest lead), Incident at Chekhov Creek (w/ David Strathairn), Family Secrets (A&E), Terry from Ohio (Fox), Denizen (w/ Anthony Laciura) and the upcoming feature Evil Alive. Christopher has collaborated with Berlin directors Johanna Hegenscheidt and Christoph Winkler creating over a dozen original theatre pieces performed in over thirty venues in New York and throughout Europe. His most recent collaboration with Winkler, True Face: Dance IS Not Enough won Germany’s prestigious Faust Award: Best New Theatre 2014.

Susan Maris (Donna) NYC credits: The House of Bernarda Alba, The Book of the Dun Cow, and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Prospect Theater Company), Afternight Seating and How to Draw Mystical Creatures (Toy Box Theatre), Henry V, The Edwin Booth Company Presents (Titan Theatre Company), work at The Wild Project, Secret Theatre, and West End Theatre. Regional: Happy (NJ Rep), The Grapes of Wrath, The Servant of Two Masters, Othello, A Christmas Carol, and touring productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth (The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Cymbeline (August ’13, TheatreWorks, CO). Film and Web: Limitless, She Gave Me Water, College Humor. www.susanmaris.com.

 About NJ Rep

Support for NJ Rep is provided in part by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Edgerton Foundation, Investors Bank Foundation, OceanFirst Foundation, Dramatists Guild Fund, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, JENNJOE Fund, the Darien Family Fund, the Jewish Communal Fund, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, Actors Equity Foundation, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the Puffin Foundation. NJ Rep is a member of the National New Play Network, The New Jersey Theater Alliance, TCG, and the Monmouth and Long Branch Arts Councils.