kitchen mattandben

Kitchen Theatre Company concludes its 2017-2018 Season with a female-led production of Matt & Ben by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, a comedy about friendship, fame, and two well known public figures. Performances of Matt & Ben begin at the Kitchen Theatre Company in The Percy Browning Performance Space on May 27 and run through June 10.

Two guys, buddies since high school, eat junk food and work on their first screenplay: a film adaptation of Catcher in the Rye. "Adaptation is the highest form of flattery!" they say. They are getting nowhere fast when all of a sudden, a finished script falls from the ceiling. The script is "Good Will Hunting". What will Matt Damon and Ben Affleck do with their newfound luck? Matt & Ben starts with this ridiculous premise and adds another unexpected twist-Matt and Ben are both played by women. Writers Mindy Kaling (of TV's The Mindy Project and The Office) and Brenda Withers originated the roles and performed in the original hit Off-Broadway run of the play.

"I am so excited to be bringing this side-splittingly funny play to Ithaca!" says Kitchen Theatre Company Producing Artistic Director M. Bevin O'Gara. "It's the perfect start to summer, it's a Corona with a lime, sitting on your back patio eating chips and guac kind of play. And having all these amazing and hilarious women in the room together marks the end of my first season at the Kitchen in exactly the right way-with an amazing team of fabulous ladies."

Matt is played by Caitlin Nasema Cassidy and Ben is played by Lilli Hokama, both NYC-based actors making their Kitchen Theatre Company debuts. The production is led by an all-female artistic team: director Shana Gozansky, scenic designer Anna Grigo, lighting designer Annie Wiegand, sound designer Pornchanok Kanchanabanka, costume and properties designer Megan Parker, and fight choreographer Ashley Brenon. The production stage manager is Jennifer Schilansky. Casting is by Lisa Donadio.

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