Tickets Available for 'Lost in Yonkers'

The Montana Repertory Company will present Neil Simon's play "Lost in Yonkers" at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in Wallman Hall Theatre. Fairmont State University's Student Government is sponsoring this second engagement of the acting company.

Tickets for the performance are available at the FSU Box Office by calling (304) 367-4240. Tickets are free for FSU students and $7 for the general public. There is a discounted ticket price for Fine Arts Season Subscription holders and Fine Arts Guild members.

When Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1991, it marked a milestone in a career of milestones. With work spanning half a century highlighted by more Academy Award and Tony nominations than any other writer, and translations of his plays in dozens of languages, Neil Simon is arguably the world's most successful playwright.

Set above a candy store in 1940s New York, "Yonkers" is the story of two young brothers who came to live with their strict German grandmother during World War II. While awaiting the return of their father, the boys wrestle to contain their fiery wit as a host of eccentric relatives enter their lives. With an overbearing grandmother, a childlike aunt and mobster uncles, the boys find themselves nose to nose with a family as sweet and as brittle as the candy they peddle downstairs.

"Lost in Yonkers" rides the line between comedy and drama. It is a play about family. What holds them together? What pulls them apart? These questions are at the center of Simon's play.

Montana Repertory Theatre presents "Yonkers" as part of its continued mission of bringing to life the great stories of America--stories that explore the core of a nation's experience and help to uncover the heart of American character. Established in 1977, Montana Rep has become one of the most respected professional touring companies in the country today. Recent productions include "It's A Wonderful Life," "The Miracle Worker," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Steel Magnolias" and last year's national tour of "The Trip to Bountiful," which was also performed at FSU.

"Lost in Yonkers" is directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni, a recipient of both the Kaufmann Prize in Directing and a Presidential Public Service Fellowship. She has served as the artistic director of the Yale Summer Cabaret and resident assistant director at the Eugene O'Neill Summer Playwrights Conference. Vaeni is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.