The March of the Kitefliers
by Neil Gobioff & Shawn Paonessa
HELD OVER! August 5 - 21, 25 & 26, 2005

Due to popular demand, we have added two performances for The March of the Kitefliers.

Jobsite concludes their most successful season to date with the premiere of a quirky 30-something romantic comedy written by Tampa playwrights, Neil Gobioff and Shawn Paonessa. The March of the Kitefliers plays Aug. 5 - 21, 25 & 26 in the Shimberg Playhouse at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, where Jobsite is resident theater company.

When Sam (Shawn Paonessa) graduated from college with a double major in art and marketing, he had big dreams of a career in advertising. The corporate world caused him to submit to a mediocre job, while pursuing his dreams by chronically escaping into his vivid fantasies.

When Julia (Meg Heimstead) walks into his life, suddenly Sam is forced to decide whether to finally grow up and pursue the woman he loves or follow the footsteps of his best friend, Jack (David M. Jenkins), who lives in a perpetual state of childhood. What ensues is an endearing romantic comedy and a hilarious post-modern satire that asks: who are we really, and what ever happened to the dreamers within us when we were children?

The March of the Kitefliers has similarities to two other recent romantic comedies: Chasing Amy and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Those familiar with Chasing Amy writer Kevin Smith's work will undoubtedly identify with Kitefliers protagonists Sam and Jack - one stuck in a dead end job and the other a comic strip artist. Conversations with clever dialogue about cult films like Star Wars and Blue Velvet are interspersed with others about relationships, the nature of existence and bad poetry. Like Eternal Sunshine., Kitefliers is infused with a few dark twists along the way and the difference between real and perceived is almost never clear.

Cast & Crew

The March of the Kitefliers is directed by Second City veteran Kari Keller, now a Jobsite Artistic Associate. In addition to Heimstead, Jenkins (voted Best Actor in WP's 2001 Best of the Bay Reader's Poll) and Paonessa, the show stars Summer Bohnenkamp-Jenkins, Jason Vaughan Evans, Stephen Ray and Katrina Stevenson (voted Best Actress in WP's 2004 Best of the Bay Reader's Poll). It features lights by New York designer John Pinckard, sets by Jobsite's resident scenic artist Brian Smallheer and costumes by WP's 2004 Pundit's Pick Best of the Bay award-winning designer Katrina Stevenson. See more about the cast and crew here.

 
A History of Premiers  

The opening of the show in August represents the end of a 20-month process since the first draft of the play was circulated. The writers, director and cast have participated in numerous meetings, readings and workshops to refine, finesse and edit the script. "This is the best shape an original script has been in this far out from production" says Jobsite Artistic Director David M. Jenkins. "They have truly done an outstanding job of delivering a top-notch play. It's going to really surprise people and resonate intensely not only with our 30-something audience core, but with all ages."

Jobsite has always dedicated significant time and resources to the development of new work. They have produced work by emerging writers across the US and abroad in the shows Y2K: Yearn to Know, The Nature of Fear and it's Effects and Murder Ballads: A Tribute to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They also premiered Tampa legend Joe Popp's sci-fi musical MAXWELL and the Tampa-centric cult hit The Ruins, scored by Paul Reller. Neil Gobioff and Shawn Paonessa have been perennial contributors to past original productions, including The Curse of Millhaven (featured in Murder Ballads) and Learning Swerve (Y2K), for which they were voted Best Playwright in Weekly Planet's 1999 Best of the Bay Reader's Poll.

  
   
Just the Facts  

Tickets cost $16.50. Show times are 8pm Fridays and Saturdays and 4pm on Sundays. Two shows have been added: Thr., Aug. 25 and Fri., Aug. 26, both at 8pm. There is a special $10/ticket preview performance on Thr., Aug. 4. For tickets visit The Center Ticket Office, call 813.229.STAR or click here.

This show contains adult language. Patron discretion is advised.

MEDIA CONTACT: David M. Jenkins - 813.222.1092