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The Wilma Theater announces its Wilma Wild Card: the American premiere of the searing drama CHERRY DOCS

For Immediate Release: August 24, 1999
Contact: Erin Riley, 215.893.9456 x102

Philadelphia, PA - August 24 - The artistic directors of The Wilma Theater, Blanka and Jiri Zizka, are pleased to announce the American premiere of CHERRY DOCS as the fourth show of their 1999-2000 season. CHERRY DOCS, written by Canadian playwright David Gow, premiered at Toronto's Factory Theatre in April of 1998. In less than two years the play has attracted seven independent productions across Canada and in Israel. The play was translated into Hebrew for the production in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and is currently being translated into Spanish. Few Canadian plays have attracted as much attention as CHERRY DOCS and several more productions of the play are in various stages of planning. The author is currently working on the screenplay adaptation of CHERRY DOCS, which has been optioned for a feature film. Other plays by David Gow include Bea's Niece, The Friedman Family Fortune and The Flight of Peter Pumpkin-eater.

CHERRY DOCS, a moving portrait of the angels and demons in our own backyards, follows Mike, a Neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for murder, defended by a Jewish legal-aid lawyer. In this explosive play, David Gow explores the nature of hate. Danny, a lawyer who prides himself on his liberal tolerance, must come to terms with the feelings Mike unearths in him. And Mike's life is suddenly in the hands of a man whom he wishes were dead. As both men reluctantly agree to work together, they realize that more than their beliefs are on the line. In this confrontation, their very lives hang in the balance. The Wilma is proud to present the American premiere of David Gow's CHERRY DOCS, which asks the simple, but harrowing, question: Can we eliminate hate?

EYE Magazine calls "the compelling dialectic of CHERRY DOCS - a powerful and literary examination of hate politics and society's ineffectual response - a brilliant conceit. Gow has created a collision of primal and ideological forces [with] no moral high ground and no easy answers... a skillful blend of the idiomatic and the poetic: rich and visually resonant... high-stakes emotional and physical workout for both leads." The Toronto Sun found it "a chilling and thoughtful new play by David Gow... a moral wrestling match between good and evil. This is an epic battle that will leave each man marked by the other's belief. Gow has crafted a script of considerable provocation and power..." "A delicious barrage of angry ideas... blistering dialogue... subtle shadings... very genuine characters," said The Vancouver Sun.

The award-winning Wilma Theater has been producing innovative work in Philadelphia for 20 years. In 1996, the Wilma relocated to a new 300-seat facility on the Avenue of the Arts, the first new theater built in Center City since 1928.

The Wilma Theater opens its 20th Anniversary Season on September 8th with the Philadelphia premiere of Theatre de la Jeune Lune's bold and imaginative production of THE 3 MUSKETEERS, followed by another Philadelphia premiere, Mark Saltzman's musical play THE TIN PAN ALLEY RAG, and the East Coast premiere of Tom Stoppard's THE INVENTION OF LOVE. Four-play subscriptions are now on sale for as little as $84.

CHERRY DOCS at The Wilma Theater runs May 3 through June 4, 2000. Ticket prices range from $7 - $38, with discounts available for seniors and groups of 10 or more; and special radically discounted tickets for student and theater-goers under the age of 30. Tickets are available at the Wilma Box Office, Broad & Spruce, 215-546-7824, or online at www.wilmatheater.org.