American Ensemble Theater offers $8 tickets for Christopher Durang comedy

American Ensemble Theater announces its next full production: the Washington, D.C. area premiere of Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang, opening Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003. The production will run from May 26 to June 11, 2011 on Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. All tickets are $8. Tickets on sale online at AmericanEnsemble.org or by phone at 1-800-838-3006.

Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang tells the story of a young woman suddenly in crisis: Is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy? Or both? Is her father's hobby of butterfly collecting really a cover for his involvement in a shadow government? And why does her mother enjoy going to the theatre so much? Honing in on our private terrors both at home and abroad, Durang oddly relieves our fears in this black comedy for an era of yellow, orange and red alerts. The play was written on commission from the Public Theater in New York City and premiered in March 2009 at the Newman Theater at the Public.

"What an amazing opportunity for AET to do a play about this issue and perform it on Capitol Hill," states Artistic Director Martin Blank. "Christopher Durang is the only playwright I can think of who can turn Americans performing torture into satire. We've also expanded our mission to produce plays with low-cost tickets. I hope everyone and especially people who would not normally go to the theater will take advantage of our $8 ticket price, then see theater elsewhere."

The AET production of Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them will be directed by Ann Fraistat. The cast is: Charlotte Akin, Jeff Baker, Mikael Johnson, Steve Lebens, Sarah Holt, Joe Thornhill, Heather Whitpan.