Actor Craig MacArthur Dolezel and director Melissa Firlit return to the Thingamajig Theatre stage for a one-man performance of Marrow, the headline feature of the theatre’s fall season that opens at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts tomorrow, Friday, October 13 at 7pm.
The show, produced in collaboration with Resolve Productions, plays for five performances, closing Friday, October 20.
Marrow is a deeply honest and occasionally darkly humorous drama about a gay artist who takes a euphoric journey through his memories while recovering from a vicious hate-inspired beating. It is an urgent plea for mutual tolerance and respect regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The show was well received at the 2019 and 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals where Broadway Baby called it “solo theatre on a big topic at its finest.” As well, an early workshop production earned MacArthur the Gypsy Rose Award for best actor by the Seattle Critics Group and Seattle Theater Writers.
“Hopefully people come away from the show contemplating the destructive nature of hate and possessing a renewed appreciation for everyone’s right to exist and love,” says director Melissa Firlit.
Star of the one-man, 55-minute play is Craig MacArthur Dolezel, who has wowed Thingamajig audiences in the past with powerful performances in Red, A Few Good Men, Steady Rain, Misterman and It’s a Wonderful Life. Well known for his solo performances that are multi-layered, MacArthur also is a versatile actor in other genres and a teacher of master classes in voice and diction.
Director Melissa Firlit is greatly admired by Thingamajig audiences for her work as the director of multiple hits from serious dramas like Red and Proof to blockbuster musicals like Jekyll & Hyde, Aida and West Side Story.
Laine Wong is the lighting designer for Marrow. She also is a distinguished veteran of previous Thingamajig hits including Legally Blonde, West Side Story, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Hairspray.
Brian Quirk is the playwright. Several of his other plays have been workshopped at the Thingamajig Playwrights Festival in previous years.
All four artists are residents of New York City.
Tickets for this featured fall show are $35 and are available at pagosacenter.org or by phoning the box office at 970-731-SHOW (7469). Season tickets are also available, and Marroe is included in the theatre’s current winter season ticket package.
Thingamajig Theatre Company was co-founded in 2011 by Tim and Laura Moore. It is an award-winning professional nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre in residence within the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts. Its talented actors, directors and production experts come from across the U.S. to produce musicals, comedies and dramas year-round. Thingamajig also is dedicated to providing theatrical experiences and educational opportunities for youth and teens in our community.