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Friday, September 21, 2018

PASSAGE THEATRE TO CO-PRODUCE “SALT PEPPER KETCHUP” WITH PHILADELPHIA’S INTERACT THEATRE

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SALT PEPPER KETCHUP

WHEN: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm during the first weekend, and Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 3pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday at 3pm during the second and third weekends.
WHERE:
Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 E. Front Street, at the corner of Montgomery Street in Trenton, NJ. On-street parking will be available.
TICKETS: $20 - $33 ($38 Saturday night). Student, group and senior discounts available.
Salt Pepper Ketchup contains mature language.
To purchase tickets call (609) 392-0766, or visit www.passagetheatre.org

Passage Theatre Company, Trenton’s Barrymore Award-winning professional theatre company, will open the first run of its world premiere co-production of Salt Pepper Ketchup this fall. Written by Josh Wilder and directed by Jerrell L. Henderson, who helmed Passage’s smash hit Caged last season, this production is co-produced with Philadelphia’s InterAct Theatre Company, and will move to InterAct following its run at Passage.

A layer of bulletproof glass won’t protect Superstar Chinese Take-Out from the gentrification consuming South Philly’s Point Breeze neighborhood. When a trendy food co-op opens nearby, the Wus and their customers initially see it as a hipster annoyance, but as tensions mount they begin to recognize the intrusion as an act of war. Tinged with genuine humor and pathos, Wilder’s play examines the very human consequences of neighborhood redevelopment — who benefits and who gets chewed up and spit out?

Both Passage and InterAct are excited to work together to produce a story that speaks to both cities. Wilder is a Philadelphia playwright, and the cast reflects the local flavor; half are from the Philadelphia area, while the other half hail from New York. The cast includes Jay Battle, Richard Bradford, Mark Christie, Kendra Holloway, Fenton Li, Justin Pietropaolo, Chuja Seo, and Miriam White. Keeping the cast as close to home as possible was a deliberate effort on the part of both theatre companies, as the themes of gentrification and revitalization echo strongly in both Trenton and Philadelphia.

The first time I read the script, I immediately knew that this show had to be seen by the people of Trenton,” says Passage’s Artistic Director, Ryanne Domingues.

“Over the past year, I have watched the people in this community work very hard to come together and revitalize this city. As we continue to develop opportunities here, it will be incredibly important to maintain the characteristics that make Trenton so unique. The balance between gentrification and revitalization is challenging, but this show opens up the discussion in a funny, heart-warming and poignant way. I can’t wait for the conversations it inspires!”

InterAct’s Artistic Director, Seth Rozin, also says, ―We are incredibly pleased to finally be co-producing with Passage Theatre, with which we share a lot of values and a similar aesthetic. It’s great to be launching this partnership with the kind of gritty and provocative world premiere that has defined both our companies. And I am particularly excited to welcome two native Philadelphians – playwright Josh Wilder and director Jerrell Henderson – back home on such a timely and important play about gentrification in the neighborhood where they grew up.