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"A TRIUMPH. HILARIOUS, BRILLIANTLY PERFORMED
& IMMENSELY ENTERTAINING."

- Caryn James, The New York Times

October 5, 2007 – February 24, 2008


Speech and Debate



SPEECH & DEBATE
by Stephen Karam
directed by Jason Moore

starring
Susan Blackwell as “Teacher/Reporter”
Jason Fuchs as “Solomon”
Gideon Glick as “Howie”
Sarah Steele as “Diwata.”

Speech & Debate completed it's critically-acclaimed
extended run on February 24, 2008

Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
with no intermission

Performances Schedule:
Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00PM,
Saturday and Sunday at 2:30PM
and Sunday Evening at 7:00PM.



Sex. Secrets. Performance-art video blogs with a George Michael beat.

Just another typical day when you're a teenager in Salem, Oregon.

SPEECH & DEBATE is Stephen Karam's fiercely funny and surprisingly timely new play, bowing as the inaugural production of Roundabout Underground, Roundabout Theatre Company's new initiative in its 62-seat black box theatre.

Even though they go to the same school, misfits Solomon, Diwata and Howie have never met. But when a shocking scandal involving one of their teachers brings them together through an unexpected chain of events, they realize three voices are stronger than one. And since their school has no speech and debate squad, maybe this is their chance to be heard at last – by the school and even the world.

Directed by Jason Moore (a Tony® nominee for Avenue Q), the play stars Susan Blackwell ([title of show]), Jason Fuchs (Sea of Tranquility), Gideon Glick (Ernst in the Tony-winning smash Spring Awakening) and Sarah Steele (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie).







Susan BlackwellSUSAN BLACKWELL (Teacher/Reporter). Theatre: [title of show] (Vineyard Theatre), The New Wondertwins, In Sparklevision, Avant Garde Arama (Performance Space 122), Sparklefest 2000 (Dixon Place), Museum (Keen Company). Vilna's Got a Golem, Working Title (American Jewish Theatre), The Heidi Chronicles (Sychronicity Space), Firebugs, As You Like It, The Broken Jug, A Christmas Carol (Guthrie Theatre), Comedy of Errors (Geva Theatre), Talley's Folly, Cover of Life, Simple Gifts (The Theatre Exchange), Scotland Road, The Boys Next Door (Human Race Theatre Company). Film & Television: Int/Night/Trailer, Changing Lanes, The Living, Le Nozze, TueSDAY, "The Sopranos," "3rd Watch," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Bun-Bun."


Jason FuchesJASON FUCHS (Solomon). Actor, writer. New York City native Jason Fuchs has been acting since the age of 7 when he appeared at Lincoln Center in the play Abe Lincoln in Illinois with Sam Waterston. In 1996, Jason made his feature film debut as Marvin in Flipper opposite Elijah Wood and Paul Hogan. Back on stage, Jason originated the role of Jonathan the "turkey boy" in Madison Square Garden's musical production of A Christmas Carol, a role he reprised for the first three seasons of the show's run. In 1999, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his performance in the feature film comedy Jane Austen's Mafia! Jason was next seen in a leading role opposite Ben Kingsley in the family film Spooky House. TV: "Cosby", "The Sopranos", "The Beat", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", and "Ed". He received his second Young Artist Award nomination for his guest starring role on an episode of "Law & Order: SVU" in 2003. On stage, Jason originated the role of JoJo in the initial New York reading and subsequent Toronto workshop of Seussical the Musical. In 2004, Jason performed in the Atlantic Theater Company's production of the Howard Korder play Sea of Tranquility. In 2005, Jason starred on-stage in the off-Broadway rock musical Gorilla Man from OBIE-award winning playwright Kyle Jarrow. Jason and the cast of Gorilla Man were invited to and performed at the 2005 OBIE Awards in New York City. Most recently, Jason wrote, produced and starred in the 2006 short film "Pitch". The film made its premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, Jason is slated to begin production on the feature film comedy The Last First Time, which he wrote and will star in. Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) will direct.


Gideon GlickGIDEON GLICK (Howie). Gideon played the role of Howie in the reading of Speech & Debate at the Roundabout. Broadway: Spring Awakening (Original cast); Off Broadway: Spring Awakening (Original Cast) (Atlantic Theatre). NY: Issues Project: Democracy (Naked Angels/Culture Project), Thicker Than Water: DC (Ensemble Studio Theatre), played the role of Aladdin in MTI's Disney's Aladdin. Regional Peter Pan and Wendy, The Snow Queen (Philadelphia):, The Rainbow Company Festival (Prince Music Theatre), The Three Musketeers (Wilma Theatre). Film: One Last Thing... (HDNET films).


Sarah SteeleSARAH STEELE (Diwata). Off-Broadway: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Regional Theater: The Princess in the Fire, The Big Hit, Shattered Secrets, A Bad Hair Day (Prince Music Theater), Once On This Island, Cotton Patch Gospel (Walnut Street Theatre), The World Goes Round, Twelfth Night, After Midnight, The Trial of the Big Bad Wold, Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream (McGuffin Theatre and Film). Film: Margaret, Mr. Gibb and Spanglish. TV: "Law & Order" and "Neighbors" (Pilot).




STEPHEN KARAM (Playwright) co-wrote columbinus (2006 Helen Hayes nomination), which ran off-Broadway last season at New York Theatre Workshop following a co-production by Round House/Perseverance Theatres. His last two plays, Speech & Debate and Girl on Girl, debuted at the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Repertory Theatre. A winner of YPI and Blank Theatre Company's Young Playwriting Competitions and the KC/ACTF Award for Musical Theatre, Karam's writing has also appeared in The Advocate and online at McSweeney's. He is a graduate of Brown University.


JASON MOORE (Director). Broadway: Shrek (upcoming), Steel Magnolias, Avenue Q. Off-Broadway: Avenue Q, Guardians, The Crumple Zone. Regional: Vices (Mixed Blood Theatre, Minnesota), Opening Day (Powerhouse Theatre, Los Angeles). Associate directing: Les Misérables (Broadway, National Tour), Ragtime (Vancouver). Writer: The Floatplane Notebooks (Charlotte Repertory Theatre). TV: episodes of "Dawson's Creek," "Everwood," "One Tree Hill," and "Brothers and Sisters." Jason has a B.S. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University.



Support for Roundabout Theatre Company's New Play Initiative provided by Altria Group,
The Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust,
and U.S. Trust Corporation Foundation.

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Last Update: February 24, 2008

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