“BRILLIANT … POWERFUL … ABUNDANT WIT AND HUMOR” — LA Post-Examiner
When Della, a local baker, is asked to bake a wedding cake for her best friend’s daughter, she is overjoyed. But that joy is short-lived when she learns that the intended is another bride. Struggling to reconcile her deeply-held belief in “traditional marriage” and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory. Inspired by a story still in the headlines, this marvelously funny new play by Bekah Brunstetter (TV’s This is Us) is proof that love is the key ingredient in creating common ground.
Horizon Theatre Company is continuing its 35thAnniversary Season with a production from the writer of TV’s biggest hit, This Is Us– Bekah Brunstetter! THE CAKE, a touching new comedy, will hit the Little Five Points stage from May 17 – June 23, 2019.
“This play is so wonderfully funny and full of heart that I immediately fell in love with each of the characters the first time I read it,” says director Lauren Morris. “The real magic of Bekah’s writing is that as you are drawn in, you can’t help but also begin to look at yourself. I think it is really rare right now to encounter a divisive issue and not know immediately which side you’re on. Politically, we’re often so isolated from people who think differently than we do, that we forget that ‘they’ really are a lot like ‘us’ — doing the best they can to do what they truly believe is the right thing. The Cake is full of love, in all of its complexities, contradictions, comforts, and hopes, for not only for us but also for them. And to me, that’s maybe just the medicine we all need right now.”
All is going well for Della. Her North Carolina bakery is legendary and she’s just been cast on her favorite television baking competition. And when the girl she helped raise comes home and asks her to make a cake for her upcoming wedding, she’s overjoyed – until she discovers that the fiancé is actually a fiancée. Della’s life is suddenly turned upside down. She can’t really make a cake for a gay wedding, can she? Struggling to reconcile her deeply-held belief in “traditional marriage” and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory. Inspired by a story still in the headlines, this marvelously funny new play by Bekah Brunstetter (TV’s This Is Us) is proof that love is the key ingredient in creating common ground.
Bringing this story to life is four of the best Atlanta actors out there. As Della, the baker forced to re-examine is the fabulous Marcie Millard (Horizon’s Third Country, City Spring’s 42ndStreet). Opposite Millard as Jim, Della’s husband, is Horizon favorite Allan Edwards who has been on stage at Horizon at least once the past five seasons (Horizon’s Waffle Palace Christmas, Citizens Market, City of Conversation). As Jen, a woman returning home to plan her dream wedding is Rhyn McLemore Saver (Alliance’s Ever After, Aurora’s Bridges of Madison County). Finally, as Macy, the woman set to marry Jen is Parris Sarter (7 Stage’s Angry Fags, Actor’s Express’ Angels In America).
Lauren Morris leads a Suzi Award-Winning creative team that includes scenic design from Moriah and Isabel Curley-Clay, lighting design from Mary Parker, costume design from Cole Spivia, and sound design from Amy L Levin.
Performances are Wednesday through Sunday (Wed-Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 3 pm & 8 pm, Sun at 5 pm). There are no matinees on May 18, 2019, and June 1, 2019. There is an ADDED MATINEE on Thursday, June 20, 2019, at 11 am. Tickets start at $30 for weekdays and $35 for weekends. $20 anytime for teens and full-time student under 25 with valid student ID. Prices are subject to change and will rise as performances fill up. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets early for best prices. Seating is general admission. Our intimate theatre is in the heart of Inman Park and Little Five Points at the corner of Euclid and Austin Avenues (1083 Austin Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30307), and includes free parking. Tickets and information are available at horizontheatre.comor 404.584.7450.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT & HOW THE CAKE WAS BAKED:
Playwright Bekah Brunstetter hails from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and currently lives in Los Angeles. She is a producer on NBC’s This is Us and is currently working on a musical adaptation of The Notebook with Ingrid Michaelson. Brunstetter grew up Southern Baptist in a conservative, religious family. In fact, her father, a former state senator, voted for a 2012 amendment that prohibited same-sex marriage in North Carolina, although it was declared unconstitutional in federal court in 2014. So, she had been grappling deeply with the challenge of how to talk to people you love about your very different beliefs.
The idea for the play was sparked by the Masterpiece Cakeshop case that went before the Supreme Court. That’s the story of a Colorado same-sex-couple who became snarled in a legal battle with a baker who refused to make them a wedding cake because they were gay. She used that incident as a jumping off point for a story that was personal to her but explored the same issues of people with diametrically opposing values. “People are making assumptions and judgments and just getting angry and storming out. It’s rare that people are forced to be together and listen to each other,” says Brunstetter. She wrote a play that would offer hope and model of how we might begin to talk to each other. “You still have to love your family. You still have to reach across the table … Della is lovable because most of the time your family members are lovable … You have to give people time to change, reevaluate and change some more.”
Brunstetter has previously written for ABC Family’s Switched at Birth and Starz’s American Gods. Her other plays include Going to a Place Where You Already Are(South Coast Rep), The Oregon Trail(Portland Center Stage), Be a Good Little Widow(Ars Nova) and Oohrah! (Atlantic Theater Company). Brunstetter is currently working on musicals with Karen O and Cinco Paul. She holds a BA UNC-Chapel Hill & an MFA in Dramatic Writing from the New School for Drama. Brunstetter was a founding member of the Kilroys.
GROUP RATES
Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. Horizon Theatre offers a lounge space available for rental for pre-show gatherings. Contact Group Sales at 404.523.1477 x111 for more information.
ABOUT HORIZON THEATRE COMPANY’S 35THANNIVERSARY SEASON
From a Tony Award Winer to a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Horizon Theatre Company’s 35thAnniversary Season will be its biggest and boldest to date. Once again, Horizon will deliver smart, funny and provocative contemporary plays that change the face of Atlanta Theatre.
- The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter: May 17 – June 23, 2019 (Press Opening: May 24)
- Soon To Be Announced REGIONAL PREMIERE: July 12 – August 18, 2019 (Press Opening: July 12)
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens: A CO-Production with Aurora Theatre: September 20 – October 27, 2019 (Press Opening: September 27)
ABOUT HORIZON THEATRE COMPANY
Horizon Theatre Company connects people, inspires hope and promotes positive change through the stories of our times. We produce professional area and world premieres of smart, funny and provocative contemporary plays. We also develop the next generation of diverse artists and audiences. For more information about tickets, group sales, or to receive a season brochure, call 404.584.7450 or visit horizontheatre.com.
Major funding is provided by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and Fulton County Arts and Culture, the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund, The Shubert Foundation, the Imlay Foundation, The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Horizon is also supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. We are grateful for our play and program corporate sponsors: the Turner Voices initiative of Turner Broadcasting, Macy’s, the National New Play Network, and Kilpatrick Townsend.
🌸🌸🌸
Macaroni Kid College Park East Point Morrow is a free hyper-local weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and activities for kids in College Park, East Point, Morrow, Union City, Forest Park, Hapeville, Jonesboro, Riverdale and the surrounding areas. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides, and more. We are your go-to-guide for kids activities in South Fulton County and some of Clayton County. For more articles like this delivered to your inbox once per week, please subscribe. If you have an extraordinary event that you would like to share in our community, you can submit it for free here.
Remember to connect with us on:
Facebook ✿ Twitter ✿ Instagram ✿ Pinterest
