Sarasota, Florida (April 17, 2006) – Last season, Asolo audiences applauded playwright Michele Lowe’s black comedy Smell of the Kill. This season, the Asolo Theatre Company presents another of Lowe’s acclaimed new plays, String of Pearls, which premiered at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre in the 2003-2004 season and played in New York City at Primary Stages.

The Asolo presents String of Pearls, under the skillful and experienced direction of Joan Vail Thorne. Thorne is also a playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. Her play, The Exact Center of the Universe, starring Frances Sternhagen, enjoyed a successful run Off-Broadway and is still presented throughout the country.

String of Pearls features Asolo resident actors Devora Millman and Carolyn Michel, and third-year Conservatory students Natasha Staley and Darlene Horne. The four-actress cast plays 27 characters, covering 36 years of history in approximately 100 minutes of time.  The production also features original sound design by Matt Kelly, who previously collaborated with director Joan Vail Thorne on String of Pearls at Florida Stage in Manalapan, Florida. Michele Macadaeg, costume designer for String of Pearls, also fashioned the costumes for Lowe’s work presented last season at the Asolo.

String of Pearls traces the journey of a literal string of pearls from the 1960s to the present as they are handed down, stolen, discarded and lost, and finally rediscovered as they find their way back to their original owner. The play structurally represents the singular necklace as each scene, which features a different woman and a different story, symbolizes a uniquely beautiful pearl. These are strung together by the characters’ “deep desire to connect.” Finally, when the pearls complete the circle and find their way home, we connect again with the beginning and see the play as a whole.   

According to playwright Michele Lowe, “When those connections are made, it seems that doors fly open and anything is possible. I have found with women, that one good story usually launches another. The very act of connecting makes us want to open up more. And it is in those resonant moments that we recognize our deeper desire to connect with ourselves.”

To be performed in the Jane B. Cook Theatre, String of Pearls opens on Friday, May 12 at 8PM and runs through June 18, 2006. The opening night performance is followed by a complimentary champagne and “mingle with the stars” reception to be held on the MEZZANINE. Ticket prices are from $29-$33, with special discounts for students and groups of 10 or more. Call 941-351-8000 or toll-free at 800-361-8388, or order online at www.asolo.org.