Showing March 23-April 15 at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City

Final production of Gilbert Street Season

Collected Stories by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Donald Margulies will mark the 6^th and final show of Riverside Theatre's Gilbert Street Season and will feature artistic director Jody Hovland and a newcomer to Riverside's stage, New York actor Shamis Beckley. The show will open March 23 and run through April 15. Tickets range from $12 to $23 and are available for purchase by phone at (319)338-7672 or on-line at www.riversidetheatre.org.

Collected Stories, directed by Riverside associate artist Kristin Horton, explores the conflict between the established artist and the adulatory student who becomes a friend and confidante - and finally a threatening rival. Ruth, a prominent short-story writer, takes on Lisa Morrison as a protégé. But when Lisa's first novel - which appears to have cannibalized Ruth's life experiences - is published to much critical acclaim, the resulting duel between the two formidable characters is a dramatic tour-de-force.

"This play brings up so many fascinating questions concerning authorship and copyright. Do we own exclusive rights to our experiences and stories? When do our stories become fair game for others to tell? As a theater artist who is in the business of telling other people's stories for a living, this is of tremendous interest to me" says Horton. Horton is a New York based director and current Artistic Fellow at the Lark Play Development Center. She is a recipient of the 2005-07 NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors and a 2007 Directing Residency at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Artistic Director Jody Hovland, who plays Ruth Steiner, is drawn to Margulies' characters. "These are two very smart, strong women who share both funny and tender moments as well as have some great battles. That kind of emotional playfulness is a great attraction for the actor and compelling, I think, for the audience."