The Resident Ensemble Players (REP), a professional theatre company in residence at the University of Delaware, has premiered Yeah Baby, a new comedy that is written and co-directed by Pulitzer nominee Theresa Rebeck. Yeah Baby begins previews April 21, and will continue through May 8, opening April 23.
Yeah Baby marks the fourth premiere production between Rebeck and REP. Pprevious premieres include O Beautiful, Fever, and a new variation of The Bells.
“I’m thrilled to have been asked to do it,” says Rebeck. “I think the REP is astonishing. The company is so gifted. Individually they are all wonderful actors, and they are all incredible comedians. As a unit, they are sort of beyond reckoning. It’s an astonishing opportunity for me to be able to walk into a unit like that.”
Yeah Baby follows a troupe of theatre artists who discover the follies of the world while mounting a production of an absurdist comedy in today’s reality, where real life is more absurd than any imagined play could ever be.
The cast includes REP company members Hassan El-Amin as Jermaine, Lee E. Ernst as Larry, Michael Gotch as Greg, Elizabeth Heflin as Merry, Mic Matarrese as Bobby, Stephen Pelinski as Duncan, Kathleen Pirkl Tague as Brigit, and Steve Tague as Alan, and guest actor Erin Partin as Tanya.
Rebeck co-directs the world premiere with Sanford Robbins, leading a creative team that includes scenic designers Christopher and Justin Swader, costume designer Candice Donnelly, lighting designer Matthew Richards, sound designer Michael Keck, and projection designer Yana Biryükova.
For more information, visit Rep.UDel.edu.