Cariani and Bender To Team For Wishcamper Helmed 'IRMA VEP' At Old Globe 7/31-9/6

The Old Globe Executive Producer Lou Spisto has announced the cast and creative team of Charles Ludlam's gothic spoof, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Jeffrey Bender and John Cariani are a "cast of thousands," taking on the roles of Lady Enid, Lord Edgar, Nicodemus Underwood - and a mummy - among many others. Directed by Henry Wishcamper.

The Mystery of Irma Vep will run in the Globe's Arena Stage at the San Diego Museum of Art's James S. Copley Auditorium July 31 - Sept. 6, 2009. Low-priced previews are available from July 31 - Aug. 5. Opening night is Aug. 6 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office.

Ludlam's Obie-winning farce has enjoyed a run as one of the most-produced plays in America. On a "dark and stormy night," Lady Enid arrives at an estate with her new husband, who is under the spell of his deceased first wife and haunted by something that's prowling the grounds. Strange things begin to happen around Lady Enid while the mysterious portrait of Irma Vep hanging over the fireplace gazes down upon her. The Mystery of Irma Vep is a hilarious comedy that satirizes everything from Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca to Victorian Melodrama to The Mummy's Curse.

The creative team includes Robin Vest (scenic design), Jenny Mannis (costume design), Jason Bieber (lighting design), Paul Peterson (sound design) and Kathryn Davies (stage manager).

Jeffrey Bender (Lady Enid Hillcrest/Nicodemus Underwood/Alcazar/Pev Amri) has previously appeared at the Globe in Opus. Broadway: Cymbeline (Lincoln Center Theater). Off-Broadway: Jane Eyre, (The Acting Company). Regional: The Three Musketeers (Seattle Repertory Theatre); Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Rivals, Life of Galileo, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Enrico IV, Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, Measure for Measure and Camino Real (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey); The Nerd (Delaware Theatre Company); Rounding Third and Fuddy Meers (Capital Repertory Theatre); The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare on the Sound).

John Cariani (Lord Edgar Hillcrest/Jane Twisden/An Intruder) is making his Globe debut. Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof (Tony Award nomination; Outer Critics Circle Award). Off-Broadway: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Public/NYSF; Modern Orthodox; It's My Party... Regional: Ahmanson Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Film: Showtime, Kissing Jessica Stein, Robot Stories. TV: Law & Order (2002-2007 - Beck, the forensics tech), Six Degrees.

Charles Ludlam was an American actor, director, playwright and founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company in New York City. His works include Big Hotel (1967), Conquest of the Universe, or When Queens Collide (1968), Turds in Hell, an adaptation of The Satyricon (1969), The Grand Tarot (1969), Bluebeard, an adaptation of H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr Moreau (1970), Eunuchs of the Forbidden City (1971), Corn (1972) Camille (1973), Stage Blood, an adaptation of Hamlet (1975), Caprice (1976), Der Ring Gott Farblonjet, an adaptation of The Ring Cycle, The Ventriloquist's Wife, Utopia, Incorporated, The Enchanted Pig, Elephant Woman, A Christmas Carol, Reverse Psychology (1980), Love's Tangled Web (1981), Secret Lives of the Sexists, Exquisite Torture, Galas (1983), inspired by the life of Maria Callas, How to Write a Play (1983) and The Artificial Jungle (1986).

Henry Wishcamper's recent directing credits include Port Authority (Atlantic Theater Company); The Seafarer (Hartford TheaterWorks); The Mound Builders (Julliard); Talking Pictures (Goodman Theatre); the New York premiere of Jane Martin's Flags (59e59); Doug Grissom's Elvis People (New World Stages); his own play The Polish Play, A Conflation of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry (Katharsis Theater Company); Pullman Car Hiawatha, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Play (Keen Company); Scott Blumenthal's So Frightful... (McGinn/Cazale Theater); The Good Thief (Portland Stage Company), Moliere's The Flying Doctor and The Imaginary Cuckold (Roundtable Ensemble); and John Ford's ‘Tis Pity She's a Whore (HERE). He served as the assistant director on the Broadway productions of August: Osage County (directed by Anna D. Shapiro), Shining City (directed by Robert Falls), Absurd Person Singular (directed by John Tillinger) and Match (directed by Nicholas Martin). Wishcamper is the Artistic Director of Katharsis Theater Company and a Drama League Directing Fellow.

Associated events taking place during the run of The Mystery of Irma Vep include:

INSIGHT SEMINAR: The Mystery of Irma Vep Monday, Aug. 3 at 7:00 p.m. FREE
"Insight Seminars" are a Monday night series of informal presentations of ideas and insights to enhance the theater-going experience. The seminars feature a panel selected from the artistic company of each production and take place in the theater where the production is performed. Champagne reception, 6:30 p.m. Seminar, 7:00 p.m. No reservations are necessary.

OUT AT THE GLOBE: Thursday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. $21
An evening for gay and lesbian theater lovers and the whole GLBT community, Out at the Globe includes a hosted wine and martini bar, appetizers, door prizes and a pre-show mixer. $21 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to The Mystery of Irma Vep are sold separately.)

WINE LOVERS NIGHT: Friday, Aug. 7 at 6:30 p.m. $19
This casual pre-show party includes a hosted wine bar and tasting, with a selection of cheeses and fruit. $19 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to The Mystery of Irma Vep are sold separately.)

THANK GLOBE IT'S FRIDAY: Friday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m. $21
Kick off the weekend with the Globe's Friday pre-show bash. TGIF includes a hosted wine and martini bar, appetizers and dessert, and live music from a local San Diego artist. $21 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to The Mystery of Irma Vep are sold separately.)

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesday, Aug. 11 & 18 and Wednesday, Aug. 12 FREE
Discuss the play with members of The Mystery of Irma Vep cast and crew during free post-show discussions led by The Old Globe's creative staff after the 7:30 p.m. performances on September 17 and 23.

TICKETS to The Mystery of Irma Vep can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the box office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances begin on July 31 and continue through Sept. 6. Ticket prices range from $29 to $59. Low-priced preview performances are available from July 31 to Aug. 5. Performance times: Previews: Friday, July 31 at 8:00 p.m., Sunday Aug. 1 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 4 and Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7:00 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more.

The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($10). For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

Shakespeare Festival: Twelfth Night, Cyrano de Bergerac and Coriolanus (in repertory thru 9/27), Sammy (9/17-11/1), The Savannah Disputation (9/26-11/1), Whisper House (1/13-2/21).

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for 74 years. Under the direction of Executive Producer Louis G. Spisto, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the 580-seat Old Globe Theatre, the 250-seat Arena Stage at the San Diego Museum of Art's James S. Copley Auditorium (an interim second stage during construction of the new 280-seat Conrad Prebys Theatre Center) and the 612-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education programs and outreach services. Numerous Broadway-bound premieres and revivals, such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs in New York and at regional theatres across the country.

Photo of John Cariani by Craig Brockman.