FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Theater at Bates stages six performances of "Later Life"

LEWISTON, Maine -- Theater at Bates will stage A.R. Gurney's "Later Life" at 8 p.m. on (Friday) October 3 in the Black Box Theater. Jonathan Adler, a Bates sophomore from West Newton, Mass., is directing the Robinson Players production about growing and loving and whether in later life we are simply exaggerations and extensions of our earlier selves. The play also will be performed at 8 p.m. on (Saturday) Oct. 4, 2 p.m. on Oct. 5, 8 p.m. on (Friday and Saturday) Oct. 10 and 11 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 12. Tickets are $5 for general admission and $3 for students and seniors. For reservations and additional ticket information, call the box office at 207-786-6161. The play focuses on Austin, who has spent his entire life convinced that something terrible is bound to happen to him. One night, while at a party overlooking Boston Harbor, he rekindles a romance begun 30 years ago with Ruth, a multiple divorcee whose personal life is in such turmoil that their mutual friends consider Austin as Ruth's last shot at normalcy. These same friends hope the wildly unpredictable Ruth will shake Austin from years of depression and lifelessness. Comically, and sometimes painfully, Austin and Ruth rediscover each other and themselves while a bevy of other high-spirited guests rally behind them and emphasize the infinite possibilities life holds. "Seldom can a sad story have been told with more fun and humor than there is in A.R. Gurney's 'Later Life,'" said "The New Yorker." Ethan Craig, a senior from Irvine, Calif., has the role of Austin, and Milena Zuccotti, a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., plays Ruth. The male and female guests are played by Chris Mathien, a sophomore from Veazie, Maine, and Emily White, a junior from Winchester, Mass. Upcoming in the Theater at Bates series is "GLACIAL DRIFT," a dance concert with Berg, Jones & Sarvis, 8 p.m. on (Saturday) Oct. 18 and 2 p.m. on (Sunday) Oct. 19 in Schaeffer Theatre. For tickets call L/A Arts at 207-782 7228.