The sun. The sand. The dark comedy.
Rockaway Theatre Company presents The Value 10 times from Friday, May 23, to Sunday, June 8.
Created by Utah-based playwright and theatre professor Nicholas Dunn, this play follows three small-time crooks – Ian, Zoey, and Victor – who are enlisted to steal a painting from a museum. The job spirals into unexpected territory after they meet a mysterious buyer at a seedy motel, setting the stage for humor, conflict, and moral ambiguity.
Ticket prices run from $17.82 to $23.02.
With a pen, Dunn has won the Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition and the Marius P. Hanford Award for Playwriting. As an actor, he has appeared with Pioneer Theatre Company, Old Lyric Rep Company, and Magnolia Pictures, among others. He’s also an adjunct professor at the University of Utah, where he obtained a BFA in Acting and Dramatic Writing.
The Value’s 8 pm shows are May 23, 24, 29, 30, 31, and June 6 and 7. The 2 pm matinees are on May 25 and June 1 and 8.
The production will take place in John Gilleece Theatre, located in Building T4 (1 Murray Rd.) at Fort Tilden. The venue was once a cinema for United States Army personnel.
Founded in 1997, RTC offers performances intermittently throughout the year, usually Broadway musicals, comedies, and dramas. Past performances include Guys and Dolls, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Fiddler On the Roof, Oklahoma, and Annie Get Your Gun. The nonprofit’s faculty teaches workshops in such subjects as acting, vocal, tap dance, dancing, stage management, sound, light design, and musical theater history.
The Value’s cast features Jonathan Nathaniel Dingle-El as Ian, Jannicke Steadman as Zoey, Angel Tavarez as Victor, and Gil Ron as McEvoy. The director is Frank Caiati with Mia Melchiorri as the co-director. Alison Goldman provides stage management with assistance from Tessie Tokash. Lighting design is by Diana Bayne with sound design by John Panepinto. Jack Tammaro composed the incidental music.
Next up for RTC is Sweet Charity, which is scheduled to run 11 times from July 25 to Aug. 11.
Image: Unsplash/Michael Mora