DORSET THEATRE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES STAGED READING OF ‘BAD DATES’ SEQUEL BY THERESA REBECK

(Dorset, VT – August 29th, 2025) Dorset Theatre Festival has announced a one-night-only staged reading of the new play Bad Dates: End Game by prolific writer and Pulitzer Prize Nominee Theresa Rebeck, directed by Tony Award-winner John Benjamin Hickey, starring Tony Award-winner Julie White. The performance will take place Tuesday, September 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM at the Dorset Playhouse (104 Cheney Rd, Dorset, VT 05251).

“We are always excited to support what Theresa is cooking up,” said Dorset Theatre Festival’s executive artistic director, Will Rucker. “I am especially excited for Dorset to be a part of the next chapter of this play and its iconic hilarious heroine.”

Twenty years ago, Rebeck broke the mold of Off-Broadway romantic comedies with Bad Dates, which offered a funny perspective on love, with a particular focus on the female experience. The personal journey of Haley, a recently-divorced woman navigating the world of online dating and awkward encounters, gave the genre a modern twist and portrayed women in a way that had been largely underrepresented on stage at the time. Now, Rebeck is back with a laugh-out-loud sequel and reunited with the original Haley, Julie White. Director John Benjamin Hickey joins the two in exploring a whole new time in a woman’s life.

When the original Bad Dates debuted Off-Broadway in 2003, the New York Times hailed it as “hilarious and heartwarming.” The show was immediately met with positive reviews, quickly earning a reputation for its humor, heart, and relatable take on the messy and unpredictable world of modern romance. It has since been performed worldwide.

In Bad Dates: End Game, Haley is back, and she’s as hilariously relatable as ever. This time, the post-menopausal widow is diving headfirst into the absurdities of modern dating, from disastrous Tinder encounters to awkward setups, all while rediscovering herself with sharp wit and comedic charm. Starring Broadway legend Julie White (Tony Award Winner for ‘The Little Dog Laughed’) and directed by Broadway’s John Benjamin Hickey (Tony Award Winner for ‘The Normal Heart’), this staged reading promises a first look at the same uproarious humor and heartfelt moments that originally made ‘Bad Dates’ a runaway success. Don’t miss this side-splitting exploration of resilience, self-love, and the unexpected joys of life—complete with a rescue dog and a margarita or two!

“Staged readings like this are so great because they give very talented artists a brief opportunity to experience Dorset, and in return, the Festival audience gets to play an integral part in the birth of a new play,” said Rucker.

Bad Dates: End Game will star Julie White whose original portrayal of Haley garnered widespread critical praise, earning her a 2004 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. White is known for her work in both television and on stage. She gained recognition for her role as Nadine Swoboda on the sitcom Grace Under Fire. White is also a Tony Award winner, having received the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play award for her role in The Little Dog Laughed.  Additionally, she has appeared in films such as the Transformers series and Michael Clayton.

Director John Benjamin Hickey, an actor, director, and producer whose career spans stage, film, and television, is known for his Tony Award-winning performance as Felix Turner in the Broadway play The Normal Heart. He also originated the role of Arthur in Love! Valour! Compassion! on Broadway and in the 1997 film adaptation. Hickey has appeared in numerous television shows, including The Big C, The Good Wife, and Jessica Jones.

Theresa Rebeck is an award-winning playwright whose work has been staged across the globe. Broadway: I Need That; Bernhardt/Hamlet; Dead Accounts; Seminar; Mauritius. Other notable work includes Dig; Mad House; Seared; Downstairs; The Scene; The Water’s Edge; Loose Knit; The Family of Mann; Spike Heels; Bad Dates; The Butterfly Collection; Our House; The Understudy; View of the Dome; What We’re Up Against; Omnium Gatherum (Pulitzer Prize finalist). As a director, her work has been seen at The Alley Theatre, the REP Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, the Orchard Project and the Folger Theatre. Film and TV credits: Trouble (writer and director), “NYPD Blue,” NBC’s “Smash” (creator) and many more. Books: Three Girls and Their Brother and I’m Glad About You. Rebeck is the recipient of the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award, and a Lilly Award. She is currently working on a musical adaptation of Working Girl, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, which will premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in fall 2025.

“The original Bad Dates has long been one of Theresa’s most popular plays, and it feels like a great honor for our Resident Playwright to be debuting the sequel right here in southern Vermont.”

Tickets are on sale now. More information is available on Dorset’s website, dorsettheatrefestival.org.

Support For Dorset Theatre Festival is provided by the Shubert Foundation, the Rodgers Family Foundation, the James H. and Irene M. Hunter Charitable Trust, and the members of the Dorset Theatre Festival World Premiere Circle.

ABOUT DORSET THEATRE FESTIVAL

Now in its 48th year, Dorset Theatre Festival produces a professional Main Stage season at the historic Dorset Playhouse in Dorset, VT, highlighting both new plays and classic works. Enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring audiences since 1976, the Festival’s annual celebration of great plays runs June through September and features top theater-makers from around the country.

Increasingly known for producing high quality world and regional premieres, the Boston Globe dubbed the Festival, “Just north of the Berkshires, a new destination for playwrights” (2017). In addition to Main Stage productions of new plays, the Festival’s new play development programs showcase works-in-progress and provide Southern Vermont audiences with an opportunity to play a key role in the evolution of new plays in consideration for future productions at the Festival and beyond.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT

WWW.DORSETTHEATREFESTIVAL.ORG