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Ithaca, NY: The Kitchen Theatre Company continues its 2005/06 - 15th Anniversary MAIN STAGE Season with The SantaLand Diaries, a decadent dose of holiday humor, courtesy of NPR humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris. David Sedaris' popular holiday story known to This American Life listeners has been adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello into a screamingly funny one-person play that stars Karl Gregory. It begins previews on Thursday, December 1 at 7:30pm, opens Saturday, December 3, and runs through Friday, December 23, 2005. [Mature theme & language]

David Sedaris may well be "the closest thing the literary world has these days to a rock star" (New York Times). His speaking engagements are now consistently standing-room-only, a far cry from his early days as a housecleaner in New York City. His sardonic wit and incisive social critique have since made him one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which Sedaris slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that he is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

Sedaris made his comic debut recounting his strange-but-true experiences of his job as a Macy's elf clad in green tights, reading his SantaLand Diaries on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. The experience eventually made its way into the book Barrel Fever that rapidly soared to No. 1 on the "New York Times Bestseller List". It was adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello as a one-man play that premiered at the Atlantic Theater in New York City in 1996.

This off-beat, one-man comedy stars KTC company member Karl Gregory, whose comic portrayal of 37-different characters in Fully Committed garnered him a 2005 Syracuse Area Live Theater Award. As Sedaris' cynical alter ego, Gregory portrays an out-of-work New Yorker who, on a whim, responds to a want ad for "holiday elf". Through intense training, a Santa-size list of the do's and don'ts of acceptable elfin behavior, and all the ups and downs that come with the adventure, this not-so-innocent job seeker transforms into a "low key kind of elf" endearingly named "Crumpet".

With a cool but oddly critical eye, Sedaris scrutinizes the outrageous behavior of frayed families and fellow employees ranging from out-of-work actors to displaced white-collar workers. Get a behind the scenes look at Macy's Santa Land as Crumpet caustically counts down the dysfunctional days 'til Christmas in this merrily malicious anti-holiday cult classic treat.


David Sedaris (Playwright) is the author of the bestsellers Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day, both of which became immediate bestsellers. Sedaris and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name "The Talent Family" and have written several plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center, and The Drama Department in New York City. These plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe, which received an Obie Award, Incident at Cobbler's Knob, and The Book of Liz, which was published in book form by Dramatist's Play Service. His essays appear regularly in Esquire and The New Yorker. Sedaris' original radio pieces can often be heard on This American Life, distributed nationally by Public Radio International and produced by WBEZ in Chicago. In 2001, David Sedaris became the third recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He was named by Time magazine as "Humorist of the Year" in 2001. His book Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim was published in June 2004, and an anthology of stories, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: An Anthology of Outstanding Stories, edited by David Sedaris, was published in April 2005. In 2005, David Sedaris was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album (Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim) and Best Comedy Album (David Sedaris: Live at Carnegie Hall).


Joe Mantello (Adapter) Directing credits include Assassins (Tony Award); Wicked; Take Me Out (Tony Award); Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; A Man of No Importance; Design for Living; Terrence McNally and Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking for the San Francisco Opera; The Vagina Monologues; Bash; Another American: Asking and Telling; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Proposals; The Mineola Twins; Corpus Christi; Mizlansky/Zilinsky or Schmucks; Blue Window; God's Heart; The SantaLand Diaries; Lillian; Snakebit; Three Hotels; Imagining Brad and Fat Men in Skirts. Mr. Mantell also directed the film Love! Valour! Compassion!. As an actor he appeard in Angels in America (Tony nomination) and The Baltimore Waltz. He is the recipient of the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Clarence Derwent, Obie and Joe A. Callaway awards. He is a member of Naked Angels and an associate artist at the Roundabout.


Karl Gregory (Actor) has been seen in over 40 Kitchen productions since becoming a Company member in 2001. Favorite shows include Swimming In The Shallows, Drunken City, The Chairs, Frankenstein, The Drawer Boy and 2nd Annual 48 Hour Playwriting Marathon, as well as title roles in The Cripple of Inishmaan, A Perfect Ganesh and The Servant of Two Masters. Mr. Gregory is the recipient of a 2005 SALT Award for "Best Actor in a Season" for his portrayal of 37 different characters in the Kitchen's production of Fully Committed, directed by Craig MacDonald.


KTC's Assistant Artistic Director, Jesse Bush, directs the play, "Santaland offers a wonderful alternative to the all-too-often saccharine Christmas fare. I'm a huge fan of holiday entertainment and David Sedaris' take on 'the most wonderful time of the year' is truly unique!" The scenic design is by Norm Johnson, lighting design is by Rose AC Howard, costume design by Lisa Boquist, and sound design by Tim Reppert.


Performance Dates:

Dec 1, 2005, Thursday at 7:30 pm (Preview 1 of 2)
Dec 2, 2005, Friday at 8:00 pm (Preview 2 of 2)
Dec 3, 2005, Saturday at 8:00 pm (Press/Opening Night)
Dec 4, 2005, Sunday at 4:00pm (Matinee 1 of 3)

Dec 7, 2005, Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Dec 8, 2005, Thursday at 7:30 pm
Dec 9, 2005, Friday at 8:00 pm
Dec 10, 2005, Saturday at 8:00 pm
Dec 11, 2005, Sunday at 4:00 pm (Matinee 2 of 3)

Dec 14, 2005, Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Dec 15, 2005, Thursday at 7:30 pm
Dec 16, 2005, Friday at 8:00 pm
Dec 17, 2005, Saturday at 8:00 pm
Dec 18, 2005, Sunday at 4 pm (Matinee 3 of 3)

Dec 21, 2005, Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Dec 22, 2005, Thursday at 7:30 pm
Dec 23, 2005, Friday at 8:00 pm (Closing)


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