52 PICK UP

(photo credit - Michelle Bates)

by TJ DAWE and RITA BOZI
directed by K. Brain Neel

lighting design by Jason Meininger
scenic elements designed by Jeffrey Aney    

One woman  +  one man  = a relationship.

52 scenes of that relationship. One deck of cards.
  (You do the math.*)

A combination of astutely scripted observations and improv, 52 PICK UP can swerve from belly-busting comedy to quiet heartbreak in the proverbial turn of a card, as the characters navigate their way through the events of their relationship.

What's WACKY about 52 PICK UP???

52 ‘titles’ about a relationship are written on an ordinary deck of playing cards. At the top of each show, the performers throw the cards in the air. and thrown in the air and performance then follows the order that they are randomly (honest!) picked up throughout the show

 (YIKES!)   

*A WORD ABOUT THE ODDS OF TWO SHOWS OF 52 PICK UP EVER BEING THE SAME: Never. Oh - all right… - a mathematical engineer fan of ours in Seatte did the math - 80 658 175 170 943 878 571 660 636 856 403 766 975 289 505 440 883 277 824 000 00 000 000. (YIKES!!!) 52! ( read “52 factorial”) : Although this number is outrageously big, it is real. The formula for finding the maximum number of variations in a deck of 52 cards is 52 x 51 x 50 x 49 x 48 x 47... all the way down to  x 3 x 2 x 1. Try it with paper and pencil. It'll be fun. As a point of interest, the odds of getting all six numbers right and thereby winning the Lotto 6/49 are 1 in 10 068 347 520. Hmmm. The odds of winning a Lotto 6/49 are waaaaaay better…

note:  adult language/situations

NOW ON TOUR
Tour history

52 PICK UP had is US Premiere at the Seattle Fringe Festival in Spring, 2001 (SOLD OUT)
Piccolo Spoleto Theatre Series  Charleston , South Carolina  May/June 2001 (SOLD OUT)
Nelson, British Columbia
Whitefish Montana
Bumbershoot, Seattle 2001 (SRO)
The Union Garage September 2001 (SRO)
The WA Fringe, Perth , Western Australia February 2002
The Adelaide Fringe. South Australia February/March 2002
Gold Coast Arts Centre, Gold Coast, Queensland , AU
Flipside Arts Festival, Singapore, June 2004

  theater simple would like to thank TJ and Rita, Brian and Miz Rebecca Denk, and our fab housemate and cousin Bill for all your support and cheerfulness during the many many perambulations of the show. YOU ROCK!

RAVES - 52 PICK UP

marvelously random entertainment. -- Seattle Weekly

  52 Pick Up delights and amazes! -- Charleston Post and Courier

  “52 Pick Up’’ relies a lot on chance.  And chance is a pretty good gimmick A solid bet . -- Seattle Times

  (our personal favoriteJ)

… within moments, these two actors have created a bond so intimate that the audience actually cares about these hapless, bumbling lovers. During a couple of scenes, if I closed my eyes, I could almost believe I was listening to a recording from my own life. Yikes! Perfect show for anybody who's ever been destroyed by love. -- The Stranger (Seattle)

  Probably the best in the fest. … Polished, clean and touching.. If you want to see great acting and great writing, this is the one to see. -- Seattle Fringe Rag

  The simpletons have worked their magic again. Astounding.  Another star in the crown of theater simple -- tpsonline.org

- tightly focused and cool… impressive -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  ‘Simple’ in name only-  A play you should see! -- Charleston City Paper