THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN Opens Friday At Beck Center

Beck Center for the Arts will present the regional premiere of The Velocity of Autumn by Cleveland's most prolific playwright Eric Coble, March 23 through April 29, 2012 in the Studio Theater. There are no performances the weekend of April 6 through 8. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are now on sale.

Directed by Eric Schmiedl, The Velocity of Autumn stars the grand dame of Cleveland theater, Dorothy Silver as the aging artist, Alexandra and David Hansen as her estranged son, Chris. Despite her children's attempts to move her into a nursing home, Alexandra is determined to spend her final years in the Brooklyn brownstone she calls home. Chris is forced back into her life after years of separation when she threatens to blow up her home in a final act of desperation. "For all its fantastic conflict, drama and motion," said Schmiedl "at its heart, this lovely play celebrates the remarkable power of a quiet, gentle act of kindness.

The Velocity of Autumn had its world premiere at Boise Contemporary Theater in April 2011. Reviewers called it a "funny and touching new play…that takes you someplace real within yourself...and it leads to a sweet and satisfying resolution." Beck Center's production of Velocity includes recent script rewrites by Coble including name changes for the two characters, Alexandra and Chris.  

Velocity is the third in a series of plays by Coble known as "The Alexandra Plays," a trilogy of stories about the same witty, strong-willed character in different stages of her life. The first play, A Girl's Guide to Coffee premiered last month at Actors' Summit in Akron.Girl's Guide tells the story of a young barista extraordinaire named Alex who has no real plans in life and "speaks the truth" regardless of the social consequences. These same character traits are apparent in an older Alex as she continues to challenge social conventions in Beck's production of The Velocity of Autumn.

Tickets for The Velocity of Autumn are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $17 for students (with valid ID), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Preview Night on Thursday, March 22 is $10 with general admission seating. Group discounts are available for parties of 13 or more. Purchase tickets online atbeckcenter.org or call Customer Service at 216.521.2540, ext. 10. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available. 

Beck Center's production of The Velocity of Autumn is sponsored by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.  

Beck Center for the Arts (beckcenter.org) is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional Theater Productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and gallery exhibits featuring regional artists