The Brown University/

Trinity Rep MFA Programs presents Will Eno’s deeply moving and poetic comedy, “Middletown,” directed by Heidi Handelsman (Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs ’14).  A meditation on birth and death, “Middletown” examines the mystery of existence through the everyday lives and relationships of ordinary people.  Performances run December 6-15 in the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence.  General admission $12, and $6 for students and seniors.  Tickets are on-sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, by phone 351-4242 and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Amidst the all-American homes of “Middletown,” an unlikely friendship unfolds between new arrival Mary Swanson, a young woman who’s about to start a family despite the absence of her husband, and lonely, longtime resident John Dodge, the town’s unofficial handyman.  Delving deeper into the intersecting lives of the small town’s residents, “Middletown” reveals the epic beneath the ordinary.  Journeying from the comforting walls of the local library to the mystifying outer limits of space, the play explores the perplexing passages through life and the forces that hold it altogether.

“Humans and the everyday things around them will be transformed into art objects,” explains director Heidi Handelsman, and describes the language in “Middletown” as poetic, but with an extraordinary economy of words.

“We’re creating a dream of a town, suspended in a sparkly, airy magic. That is the world of ‘Middletown,’” says Handelsman. “I hope the audience will take the play with them when they leave the theater; I hope they find flecks of it in their pockets for weeks afterwards.”

The cast features third-year MFA acting students Nikki Massoud (Mrs. Swanson), Zdenko Martin (John Dodge), Ben Grills (Cop), Matt Russell (Mechanic), Katie Dupont (Librarian/

Aunt), Bridget Saracino (Tour Guide/Sweetheart/Intercom), Ted Moller (Public Speaker/Greg/Male Doctor/Janitor), Steven Jaehnert (Male Tourist/Freelancer/

Attendant), Alex Curtis (Man/Landscaper/Ground Control/Radio Host/Attendant), and Sherri Eldin (Female Tourist/ Woman/ Female Doctor/Cop’s Radio/

Radio Host).