Company of Fools Presents DISTRACTED, Now thru 3/1

Company of Fools, part of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, finishes its 17th season with Distracted by Lisa Loomer running tonight, February 13 - March 1 at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. Time Out NY called Distracted a "My favorite comedy of the year!" The play examines the perplexing and emotional journey of two parents hoping to make the best treatment decision of treatment for their son's Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Distracted, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2007 and made its Off-Broadway debut in 2010, is a sharp, chaotically entertaining riff on the challenges of parenting in the modern age.

Company of Fools' Season Sponsors are High Country Fusion, Main Street Market, Cox Communications, Wood River Insurance, and media sponsor The Weekly Sun.

What's wrong with nine-year-old Jesse? He can't sit still, he curses, he raps, and you can't get him into-or out of-pajamas. His teacher thinks it's ADD. Dad says, "he's just a boy!" and Mom's on a quest for answers. Is Jesse dysfunctional, or just different? Don't we all have ADD, to some degree? Mom consults a psychologist, a homeopath, a neuropsychologist, and an environmental physician. She talks to neighbors, whose kids have their own diagnoses. A psychiatrist prescribes Ritalin for Jesse, but surely a pill can't solve all his problems. Throughout, Jesse is an offstage voice, becoming louder and angrier, but he is in danger of fading away. And his parents' marriage is in peril. Everyone is distracted, even the actors-they're breaking character! A hilarious, provocative, and poignant look at a modern family and an epidemic dilemma: Are we so tuned into our 24/7 info-rich world that we've tuned out what really matters?

Denise Simone directs Company of Fools' production, featuring some of the Valley's favorite actors; Max Albright, Andrew Alburger, Jana Arnold, Beth Hilles, Christine Leslie, Claudia McCain, Traci Otto, Jennifer Jacoby Rush, and Joel Vilinsky. Set design is by Dennis Rexroad, lighting and costuming by John Glenn and stage management by K.O. Ogilvie.

Ms. Loomer's other plays include Living Out, The Waiting Room, Expecting Isabel, Broken Hearts and Birds. Her plays have been produced at Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Trinity Repertory Company and The Public in the United States as well as internationally. Lisa's screenplay credits include Girl, Interrupted. Numerous awards include the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays, the American Theatre Critics Association Award (twice) and an Imagen Award for positive portrayals of Latinos in all media.

On Sunday, February 17 following the 3PM performance, the audience is invited to stay for a discussion with the actors, director and Dr. Evelyn Johnson and Anne Clohessy both with the Lee Pesky Learning Center.

Dr. Johnson received her Doctor of Education degree from the University of Washington, Seattle in 1999 and holds a joint appointment as an associate professor of special education at Boise State University and as the executive director of Lee Pesky Learning Center. Licensed Psychologist, Ann Clohessy, is the clinical director of the Lee Pesky Learning Center. Along with members of the cast they will facilitate a discussion with the audience about the issues raised in the play.

Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors (62 and over) and $10 for students (18 and under). These ticket prices do not include the "Pay What You Feel" night (Wed., Feb. 13), Girls Night Out (Sat., Feb. 16) and Educator Day (Sun., Feb. 17). There is also a SPECIAL GROUP RATE - groups of six or more receive $20 tickets!

Purchase tickets online at companyoffools.org, by phone at 208.578.9122 or at the box office starting one hour prior to curtain. The box office is located at the Liberty Theatre, 110 N. Main Street in Hailey. Regular hours are 10 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

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