Playhouse on the Square Presents World Premiere of Back When Mike Was Kate

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Focus Mid-South

Ray Rico, a Latinx advocate, owns a digital marketing agency and publishes Focus LGBT magazine, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices in Tennessee and the Mid-South. He champions HIV advocacy, fighting stigma and discrimination. Through his work, Ray strives for a more inclusive society.
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Back When Mike Was Kate
by Ben Kemper

Running January 4 – January 27, 2019

TheatreWorks
2085 Monroe Ave
Memphis, TN 38104

Playhouse on the Square, in partnership with super sponsor Dr. Thomas Ratliff, is proud to present the World Premiere winner of the 2017 NewWorks@TheWorks Playwriting competition.  This is the first installation of our 2018-2019 POTS@TheWorks series.

Four years ago, Kate and Howard parted ways; he brokenhearted, she determined to find her true self. Yesterday, Howard found Kate again: as the tender transgender drifter Mike. Now, Howard will do anything to win back the heart he covets, even if the love of his life is no longer the girl he knew.

Claire Rutkauskas (Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook), Assistant Director of Playhouse on the Square’s Theatre Education department and 2018 Focus Magazine Visionary Award nominee, directs this production alongside a groundbreaking cast.  Resident Company member Brooke Papritz (Little Women: The Broadway Musical, Perfect Arrangement) makes her TheatreWorks debut as Astrid. Playhouse on the Square is also happy to introduce transgender actors Joshua LaShomb (Mike), Logan Kucinkas (Howard), and Ronnie Karimnia (Cameron) in their first theatrical feature.

Playwright Ben Kemper is a writer and professional storyteller from Boise, Idaho. Ben is a graduate of Northwestern University where he studied playwriting. His other plays include The Further Adventures of Sean and Sophie Morass, Bloodless, and False Light.

The NewWorks@TheWorks Playwriting Competition provides an outlet for new playwrights

to showcase their work and have a chance to see their play produced on a professional level. Two works are chosen annually to receive a cash prize and fully mounted productions.

The complete cast for Back When Mike was Kate is as follows:

Mike – Joshua LaShomb
Howard – Logan Kucinkas
Kate – R. Franklin Koch
Astrid – Brooke Papritz
Cameron – Ronnie Karimnia
Directed by Claire Rutkauskas
Stage Manager – Jasmine Simmers
Scenic Designer – Jill Koenig

Production Manager/Technical Director – Phillip Hughen

Performances will run Thursday – Saturday 8:00 pm curtain and with 2:00 pm curtain on Sunday.  For tickets, call the Box Office at (901) 726-4656 or visit our website www.playhouseonthesquare.org. Follow with social media using #MIKEKATEMEMPHIS and #FindYourself. Group rates available.

Special ticket pricing for opening weekend $25. Pay What You Can performance, sponsored by Arts First and the First Tennessee Foundation is December 6.
For questions and booking, please contact Playhouse on the Square Director of Community Relations, Marcus Cox (901) 937-6496.
Picture of Focus Mid-South

Focus Mid-South

Ray Rico, a Latinx advocate, owns a digital marketing agency and publishes Focus LGBT magazine, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices in Tennessee and the Mid-South. He champions HIV advocacy, fighting stigma and discrimination. Through his work, Ray strives for a more inclusive society.
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