The "smart and darkly funny comedy" opens Oct. 19 at the resident Equity theatre in Manalapan, FL, near Palm Beach. From the author of The Last Schwartz and The Gulf of Westchester, which also premiered at Florida Stage, End Days was presented as a staged reading in last season's 1st Stage New Works Festival at Florida Stage and then as a workshop production at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut, in preparation for this world premiere production.

Florida Stage producing director Louis Tyrrell directs the play, which tells the story of the family Stein. According to Florida Stage, "Sixteen-year-old Rachel is having a bad year. Her father won't change out of his pajamas, her born again mother has visions of the end of the world and has become so devoted to Jesus that he has moved in with the family, and her 16-year-old neighbor who dresses up like Elvis has a crush on her. Her only hope is that Stephen Hawking can save the day."

Laufer's The Last Schwartz was nominated for a South Florida Carbonell Award and was published by Smith and Kraus in "Women Playwrights, the Best Plays of 2003." It has received numerous productions around the country, including one at The Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, where it starred Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker.

Her Fortune opened at The Marin Theatre Company in January 2005, and has had several productions in California and Florida.

The cast includes Scott Borish as Nelson, Michaela Cronan as Rachel Stein, Elizabetha Dimon as Sylvia Stein, Terrell Hardcastle as Jesus and Stephen Hawking and Jim Shankman as Dad. The creative team includes Richard Crowell (scenic and lighting designer), Erin Amico (costume designer) and Matt Kelly (sound designer).

Florida Stage's mission is to develop and produce "new plays in a passionate, intimate and caring environment, adhering to a standard of uncompromising excellence."

Carbonell Award winner Louis Tyrrell founded Florida Stage in 1987. Nancy Barnett is managing director.

For more information, call (561) 585-3433 or (800) 514-3837 or visit www.floridastage.org.