<DIV><p>Praise for <I>The Whale</I>:</p><p>"A vibrant, provocative new play. . . . The sharp-eared skill and sensitivity with which Hunter explores his thickly layered material are matched by his fair-mindedness."?<I>The Village Voice</I></p><p>Praise for <I>A Bright New Boise</I>:</p><p>"A simple, superb little heartland heartbreaker. . . . This is a rube tragedy?a respectful and honest-feeling one, for a change?and by jingo, it sings."?<I>New York</I></p><p>Acclaimed for his gentle, complex characterizations, Samuel D. Hunter's big-hearted and fiercely funny plays explore the quiet desperation running through many Middle American lives. <I>The Whale</I> tells the story of a six hundred-pound shut-in's last chance at redemption and of discovering beauty in the most unexpected places when he reaches out to his long-estranged?and severely unhappy?daughter. Hunter's second piece, the Obie Award-winning <I>A Bright New Boise</I>, is a philosophical investigation of faith and search for meaning in rural Idaho where a disgraced evangelical is forced to take a minimum-wage job at the local Hobby Lobby craft store in an effort to reunite with his estranged son.</p><p><B>Samuel D. Hunter</B>'s other plays include <I>A Permanent Image</I>, <I>Jack's Precious Moment</I>, <I>Five Genocides</I>, and <I>Norway</I>. He has active playwriting commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center, Seattle Rep, South Coast Rep (California), and Playwrights Horizons (New York). He is also the 2013 resident playwright at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and is a core member of the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.</p><BR></DIV>