THE SHOOTING STAGE
February 24 - March 19 at 45 Below Theater

"Besides being a riveting evening of theatre, The Shooting Stage is a penetrating look at the lives of grown men through the painful prism of adolescence." " London West Ender

" It's the wicked turns of the plot that command our attention. Things change, constantly and rapidly, in this compelling and labyrinthine story." * * * * " Toronto Globe and Mail

"Like the transition from youth to adulthood, The Shooting Stage is challenging, sometimes exhilarating, but consistently compelling." " Georgia Straight

Tesseract Theater presents the New York Premiere of THE SHOOTING STAGE by Michael Lewis Maclennan (Queer As Folk). Directed by John Pinckard, performances begin February 24th at The Culture Project’s 45 Below Theater with opening night scheduled for Sunday, February 27th.

Twenty years ago, child TV star Len took a photograph of a nude boy. Now the portrait has resurfaced as part of an obscenity trial and the subject has returned to confront Len. At the same time, teenage Elliot pursues his secret "sissy boy" ambitions while bullied by a troubled schoolmate who himself is mired in a web of lies. Elliot's friend Ivan may be able to stop the inevitable disaster, but only if he can find the courage to transform himself. Ultimately, THE SHOOTING STAGE explores how boys become men, and how the fortunate survive violence through acts of the imagination.

The production stars Chris Durham (End of the World Party), Hunter Gilmore (Five By Tenn), Ben Masur, Noah Peters, and Robin Taylor (Creation Nation) with sets by Jason Lajka, lighting by Rob Henderson, costumes by Alexis Hadsall, sound by Julie Pittman, original music by Craig Limkin, and fight direction by Ian Marshall.

Michael Lewis MacLennan divides his time between Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles, working as a playwright, screenwriter and TV producer. He is a two-time finalist for Canada's prestigious Governor General's Literary Award, and the only playwright to win the Herman Voaden National Playwriting Award twice. His first play Beat the Sunset garnered Vancouver's Jessie Richardson Award and won the Theatrum National Playwriting Competition. His plays The Shooting Stage and Last Romantics both won the Voaden Prize and were Governor General's Award nominees. Other plays include Grace, Leaning Over Railings, Come On! and The Fabulous Life. As a screenwriter, Michael has been nominated four times for the Writers Guild of Canada Award. His screenwriting credits include the CBC'S "Wind at My Back" and the PBS series Anne of Green Gables. He is now supervising producer on Showtime's Queer As Folk.

THE SHOOTING STAGE runs February 24 - March 19, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm with opening night on Sunday, february 27 at 7pm. The Culture Project’s 45 Below Theater is located at 45 Bleecker Street (at Lafayette Street -- accessible from the F,V,B,D,4,5&6 trains at Broadway/Lafayette). Tickets are $15. For advance tickets visit Theatermania.com or call 212-352-3101.