RTP Presents THE CAKE

Richmond Triangle Players begins its second decade in its Scott's Addition venue with Bekah Brunstetter's new comedy The Cake, opening Friday February 14, 2020, at 8 pm, following two low-priced previews on Wednesday and Thursday, February 12 & 13, at 8 pm. The production, sponsored by Carreras Jewelers, will run through March 7.

Della makes cakes, not judgment calls - those she leaves to her husband, Tim. And she's good - she's about to compete on The Great American Baking Show. But when the girl she helped raise comes back home to North Carolina to get married, and the fiancé is actually a fiancée, Della's life gets turned upside down. With her church upbringing bearing down on her, she can't really make a cake for a same-sex wedding, can she? For the first time in her life, Della has to think for herself.

Playwright Bekah Brunstetter, one of the writers of the TV smash This Is Us, was brought up as a part of a conservative Winston-Salem family, and knows characters like Della intimately. The play, she says, "is my attempt to understand myself and articulate things that had been confusing and frustrating me." And while she once worried at some point that the topic might be dated, "Over the course of developing it, the play became more relevant than ever." The production is Triangle Players' entry into the city-wide annual Acts of Faith Festival.

Terri Moore, who is playing the central role of Della, was most recently seen in Always Patsy Cline with Virginia Rep at Hanover Tavern and at RTP in The Company of Angels. The other roles will be played by actors making their onstage debut at RTP: Gordon Bass (Della's husband, Tim), Nicole Morris-Anastasi (Della's god-daughter, Jen) and Zakiyyah Jackson (Jen's fiancée, Macy).

RTP's production is directed by Dawn A. Westbrook, who directed Buyer and Cellar at RTP, and recently appeared onstage in The Normal Heart. Scenic Design is by David Allan Ballas, Costume Design by Sheila Russ, Lighting Design by Michael Jarett, and Sound Design by Sheamus Taylor. Lauren Langston is the Production Stage Manager

The Cake opens Friday February 14, 2020, at 8 pm, following two low-priced previews on Wednesday and Thursday, February 12 & 13, at 8 pm. Performances run Thurs-Sat Eves at 8 pm through March 7; Sunday matinees at 4 pm on February 23 and March 1; and Wednesday at 8 pm on March 4. Tickets are $30-35 ($18 for the previews; $10 for students, always, and discounts for groups of 10 or more). There will be Acts of Faith-sponsored talkbacks following each of the Sunday matinees.

All performances will take place at Richmond Triangle Players' home at the Robert B. Moss Theatre at 1300 Altamont Avenue in Scott's Addition, just northwest of the intersection of Arthur Ashe Boulevard and West Broad Street. Reserved seat tickets can be purchased online at RTP's web site at www.rtriangle.org, through RTP's Facebook page, or by leaving a message on the RTP Ticket hotline at 804-346-8113. Discounts are available for groups, and student tickets are always just $10.

RTP's Robert B. Moss Theatre is a 4000-square foot performing arts facility accommodating flexible seating arrangements just over 90 patrons. The building features fully ADA-compliant access and comfortable restrooms, as well as a generous bar, and catering capability, and is also available for cabaret performances and private events.

For more information, please contact RTP executive director Philip Crosby at 804-342-7665 or by e-mail at Crosby@rtriangle.org.