MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Andrew Lloyd Baughman,
Producing Artistic Director
landlesstheatre@gmail.com (301) 613-7133
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2007
Landless presents the classic FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON at Flashpoint’s Mead Theatre
*** Landless Branches Out With FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON***
Washington DC – October 15, 2007 – The Landless Theatre Company will open its production of Flowers
For Algernon at Flashpoint, October 25-November 18. The play is written by David Rogers, and is based
on the classic novel by Daniel Keyes. The production is directed by Catholic University MFA Directing
candidate Matt Ripa.
“Flowers For Algernon” runs October 25-November 18 at Flashpoint. Performances are Thursdays-
Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM.
Flowers is the heart-breaking story of Charlie, a young man with an intellectual disability who undergoes
experimental surgery to increase his intelligence to genius levels - only to experience a tragic side-effect.
“This is a very special production for Landless,” said Producing Artistic Director Andrew Lloyd
Baughman. “We have garnered a solid reputation for producing cult and camp theatre for younger
audiences, but our mission is to generate new audiences for live theatre. We selected Flowers in an effort
to reach out to our local disabled population, a highly underserved audience, in my opinion.”
Brother Matt Baughman, also a founding member of Landless, plays the central role of “Charlie.” The
Baughmans have a very personal connection to this piece because their father, Fred A. Baughman, served
as the Executive Director for The ARC of Montgomery County (formerly “Association for Retarded
Citizens”) for many years.
“We grew up immersed in the culture, visiting residents in group homes and getting to know and
appreciate the individuals” said Matt Baughman. “A lot of real people are represented in my
characterization of ‘Charlie.’”
The production is directed by Matt Ripa, an MFA Candidate at Catholic University. Ripa brings experience
as an teacher-director for the Pegasus high school special needs troup at BAPA’s Imagination Stage.
“For me, it’s about the value of human worth,” Ripa said. “ The issue at the heart of this play is that
Charlie is struggling for identity. He essentially had no identity as an intellectually disabled man. He was
labeled and stereotyped and therefore treated a certain way. Once he gets this surgery the same is true.
He still has no identity that is his own. So he is in a struggle to figure out the maze of his life and who he
is in a world that has dictated his life for him.”
The cast includes Bob Lavery, John-Paul Pizzica, Courtney Tisch, Alyssa Hayek, Anita Jones, Carol
Randolph, Laura Quenzel, Christian Sullivan, Thomas Wood and Lindsay Kitt Weibe as “Alice.”
“This is our first step in a long-term commitment of outreach to the local disabled community,” said
Andrew Baughman. “My goal is to develop the resources to give professional actors and playwrights with
disabilities the opportunity to share their art through Landless.”
Flowers for Algernon runs October 25 through November 18, 2007, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00
PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM. All performances are held at Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint located at
916 G Street, NW (across the street from Gallery Place Metro). Admission is $18. For tickets and
information visit www.landlesstheatrecompany.org.
**Press Night is Saturday, October 27 at 8:00 PM. Call 301-613-7133 or email andrew.
baughman@landlesstheatrecompany.com to RSVP.
Visit www.landlesstheatrecompany.org for details on the Landless Theatre Company’s 2007-2008 season.
About The Director:
Matt Ripa is currently a graduate student at Catholic University finishing up his Masters of Fine Arts in
Directing. He is a teaching-artist at Imagination Stage where he works with their Teen Improv Troupe
and co-directs Pegasus, a performance troupe for special needs high school students. Matt recently
directed Six Characters Involved in the Assassination of Julius Caesar, or Kill Him in the Shell, which
was a group created adaptation with his acting company, the Misfit Actors. Matt has also directed
Lysistrata, The Pelicans, and This House is Condemned at Catholic University.
About Landless Theatre Company:
The Landless Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to infusing vitality into the
local arts by producing exciting and accessible alternative theatre to generate new and diverse audiences.
More information and production history online at www.landlesstheatrecompany.org