Teen-Centric Comedy Speech & Debate Extends Again to Feb. 24 | Playbill

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News Teen-Centric Comedy Speech & Debate Extends Again to Feb. 24 Stephen Karam's black comedy Speech & Debate has been extended again, this time to Feb. 24, 2008, the Roundabout Theatre Company announced.

Jason Moore (Avenue Q) directed the work that began previews Oct. 5 and opened Oct. 29 at Roundabout's The Black Box. The limited engagement was originally scheduled through Dec. 16 and recently extended two weeks through Dec. 30 "due to the critical acclaim and demand following Speech & Debate's opening." The run now has eight more weeks than originally expected.

Speech & Debate centers on a trio of misfit teens in Salem, Oregon, who "reluctantly form their school's first speech and debate team after discovering they are all linked by a sex scandal that's rocked their town. Secrets become currency, blogs are belted and 'bathing suit areas' exposed in this black comedy about what, if anything, it means to be an adult," according to production notes.

The wannabe journalist, the school play reject and the openly gay teen all team to stretch the boundaries of the traditional forensics forum — using song and even interpretive dance with a number of nods to musical theatre.

The Speech & Debate cast features Susan Blackwell ([title of show]) as Teacher/Reporter, Jason Fuchs (Sea of Tranquility) as Solomon, Gideon Glick (Spring Awakening) as Howie and Sarah Steele (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, "Spanglish") as Diwata.

The design team includes Anna Louizos (sets), Heather Dunbar (costumes) and Brett Jarvis (sound and projections). Playwright Karam co-wrote the work columbinus, which played Off-Broadway last season at the New York Theatre Workshop. His other works include Girl on Girl.

The play is the first production at Roundabout Underground, a new initiative to introduce and cultivate artists. The new, 65-seat space is located below the company's Off-Broadway home, the Laura Pels Theatre, in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre.

Tickets to Speech & Debate at The Black Box Theatre, 111 West 46th Street, are available by calling (212) 719-1300 or by visiting www.roundabouttheatre.org.

 
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