Breckenridge Backstage Theatre Presents
THE UNDERSTUDY
Written by Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Creative Director Branden Smith

BRECKENRIDGE (February 14, 2023) – Breckenridge Backstage Theatre is pleased to present the hilarious and witty play The Understudy, by Theresa Rebeck, and directed by Creative Director Branden Smith. The Understudy will run March 8 – April 1, 2023, at Breckenridge Theater, 121 South Ridge St. in Breckenridge, CO. Tickets are currently available at www.backstagetheatre.org. The press opening is Friday, March 10 at 7:00pm.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go behind the scenes at a Broadway show? The Understudy gives you backstage access to the world of theatre! Follow Jake, the action movie star, Harry, the understudy looking for his big break, and Roxanne, the smart stage manager working against all odds to rehearse the Broadway premiere of a Franz Kafka play. All three of their lives collide for one day, full of laughs, a love triangle, and the need for each to pursue their passion for the theatre. Find out why the show truly must go on! Rated PG-13 for adult language and adult situations. Recommended for ages 16 and up.

Featuring Harrison Farmer, Hanna Uselding, and Philip Shinn.

The production team includes Branden Smith (scenic design), Erik Siegling (sound designer), Miranda Ray (Stage Manager), Kiana Holmes (Asst. Stage Manager) and Jacqueline Stone (Producing Artistic Director).

EVENT DETAILS:

Title: The Understudy
Written by Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Branden Smith

Cast: (in alphabetical order): Harrison Farmer (Harry), Hanna Uselding (Roxanne), and Philip Shinn (Jake).

Location: Breckenridge Theater, 121 South Ridge St., Breckenridge, CO
Dates: Previews Wednesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 9 at 7:00pm
Press opening Friday, March 10 at 7:00pm
Regular run: Friday, March 10 – Saturday, April 1, 2023
Curtain times: Wednesdays – Sundays at 7:00pm
Tickets: $20 – $40. All reservations must be claimed no later than 15 minutes before a performance or they will be released. Tickets are currently available at www.backstagetheatre.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Harrison Farmer (Harry) is grateful to be back in beautiful Breck! He has recently appeared in BBT’s The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Haunting at Breck Theater. Other regional shows are Romeo and Juliet (Shakes Fest STL), Hamlet (Rep STL), My Fair Lady (Muny), and Fahrenheit 451(SargCo). He got his BFA from The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

Hanna Uselding (Roxanne) is making her Breckenridge Theatre debut with this production of The Understudy. She has spent the past few years traveling the states and taking on roles in the real world that she never thought would suit her. From goat milking to being a handyman on a ship, her curiosity for characters has only grown. As a kid she began acting on stage, where she learned what art and performance could mean to a person. While her primary creative endeavor of recent has been making films for her YouTube channel “Hanna’s Hiatus” she has continued to find a way back to performing live time and time again.

Phillip Shinn (Jake) Breckenridge Backstage Theatre: Peter and the Starcatcher (Lord Aster), The Play That Goes Wrong (Johnathon/Charles Haversham), Off-Broadway: King Lear (The Public), Regional: Picnic (KCAT), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, As You Like It (HASF), The Government Inspector (3LD). TV: “The Good Wife”, “The Blacklist”, “Younger”, “Madame Secretary”, “The Bite”.

Branden Smith (Director) serves as the full-time Creative Producer for the Breckenridge Backstage Theatre. Branden most recently directed The Importance of Being Earnest at BBT. You may have seen him acting on-stage in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Taming of the Shrew, Sweeney Todd, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Originally from Cape Cod, MA, Branden moved to Summit County in 2017 to work in the marketing department at Keystone Resort. After performing in shows at BBT pre-pandemic, he was thrilled to create theater in Summit County year-round once the theater reopened. Branden holds a B.A in Theatre from Emerson College in Boston.

Theresa Rebeck (Writer) is a prolific and widely produced playwright, whose work can be seen and rad throughout the United States and abroad. Last season, her fourth Broadway play premiered on Broadway, making Rebeck the most Broadway-produced female playwright of our time. Other Broadway works include Dead Accounts, Seminar and Mauritius. Other notable NY and regional plays include: Seared (MCC), Downstairs (Primary Stages), The Scene, The Water’s Edge, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann, and Spike Heels (Second Stage), Bad Dates, The Butterfly Collection, and Our House (Playwrights Horizons), The Understudy (Roundabout), View of the Dome (NYTW), What We’re Up Against (Women’s Project), Omnium Gatherum (Pulitzer Prize finalist). Rebeck is the recipient of the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation, a Lilly Award and more.

ABOUT BRECKENRIDGE BACKSTAGE THEATRE
Breckenridge Backstage Theatre (BBT) is the oldest year-round theatre company on the western slope. In 1976, the theatre incorporated as Summit County’s first non-profit, with a desire to bring live performance to the community. The artistic vision has continued to evolve and over the years has been awarded with numerous Colorado Theatre Guild and True West Awards. In 2010, BBT received the prestigious Colorado Theatre Guild – Outstanding Regional Theatre Award. In 2012, the Breckenridge Town Council approved a $2.55 million renovation of the Breckenridge Theater. Construction on the building began in Spring 2015 and completed in June 2016. Today it serves as the company’s main performance space in addition to use of the 750 seat Riverwalk Theatre space as needed. In 2022, the company led a national search for new leadership and recently appointed Chicago veteran arts leader Jacqueline Stone as Producing Artistic Director, tasked with leading the next phase of organizational growth and strategy. Annually the theatre produces 5-6 main stage productions, one community production, one youth production, and a full set of classes and summer camps for ages 3 – 21.