Yale Rep ends its season with a romantic comedy about aloneness

A world premiere romantic comedy about the fear of being alone — and not being alone — is the next production of the Yale Repertory Theatre.

A world premiere romantic comedy about the fear of being alone — and not being alone — is the next production of the Yale Repertory Theatre.

Playwright Sheila Callaghan’s “Elevada,” which runs April 24-May 16, tells the story of Ramona, a woman in New York City who is going on lots of first dates but sabotaging her chances for a second, and Khalil, a social media superstar who is about to close a huge deal that will take him completely off the market. They’ll do anything to float above their own lives, even as fate tries to pull them both back to earth.

The play will be staged at the Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St. (at York Street).

A finalist for the 2014 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, “Elevada” marks the Yale Rep debut of Callaghan, who has been described by The New York Times as “a gutsy writer with a gift for creating vivid images rooted in the emotional life of her characters.” Among her other plays are “That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play,” “Roadkill Confidential,” and “Women Laughing Alone with Salad.” “Elevada” is also the recipient of a 2014 Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Callaghan’s plays have been produced and developed with Soho Rep., Playwrights Horizons, South Coast Repertory, Clubbed Thumb, The LARK, Actors Theatre of Louisville, New Georges, The Flea, Woolly Mammoth, Boston Court, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, among others. The playwright is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award for emerging artists, a Jerome Fellowship from the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, a MacDowell Residency, a Cherry Lane Mentorship Fellowship, and the prestigious Whiting Award. Her works have also been produced internationally.

The play will be directed by Jackson Gay, who has staged “These Paper Bullets!” and “The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow” at Yale Rep. The Yale Rep premiere of “These Paper Bullets” won Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for outstanding direction and outstanding production of a play. Gay will direct the play later this year at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and Atlantic Theater Company in New York. Her staging of “The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow” won a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for outstanding production of play. She is a founding member of New Neighborhood and is the director of artistic programming for Fuller Road Artist Residency in Vermont. A graduate of Yale School of Drama, she teaches directing at Columbia University.

The cast for “Elevada” includes Laurel Casillo, Greg Keller, Alfredo Narciso, and Keira Naughton. The creative team includes Kyle Abraham and Kevin Williamson (choreographers), Kurtis Boetcher (scenic designer), Steven M. Rotramel (costume designer), Tyler Micoleau (lighting designer), Kate Marvin (sound designer), Shawn Boyle (projection designer), Catherine Sheehy (production dramaturg), and Emily DeNardo (stage manager). Casting direction is by Tara Rubin Casting.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with an additional 8 p.m. performance on Monday, April 27. There are 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday, May 2 (followed by a Talk Back with members of the cast and crew), Wednesday, May 6 (preceded by a reception for seniors at 1 p.m.), Saturday, May 9 (an open-captioned performance that will be followed by a Talk Back), and Saturday, May 16 (an audio-described performance). Opening night is Thursday, April 30.

Tickets are $20-$98 ($20 performances are Monday-Wednesday, April 27-29). Tickets are available by phone at 203-432-1234, in person at the Yale Rep Box Office, 1120 Chapel St., or online.

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Media Contact

Steven Padla: steven.padla@yale.edu, 203-432-1574