Swimming with Jellyfish, a new play by Katie Grant Shalin, will have its theatrical debut at The Art Place, 3330 Sandy Plains Rd, Marietta, 30066 on Thursday August 2nd at 7:30pm with performances on Friday August 3rd and Saturday August 4th at 7:30 pm and Sunday August 5th at 2pm.
   This play explores the lives of the Hollowells, the picture of a perfect suburban family... on the outside. Inside the house, they are forced to confront each other's dirty little secrets and grapple with the question: how far will you go to keep your family from falling apart?
 Playwright and actor Grant Shalin is on the Acting Faculty of the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA) at Pebblebrook High School. She draws her inspiration from her daily life. “I have always wondered about the Southern suburban moms I encounter who seem to have the perfect children, the perfect Christmas card, the right dish at every pot-luck. They make it seem so easy. I always wished I could be a fly on the wall inside their homes to see what it takes to maintain that exterior perfection. This play does just that”.
  The production joins Grant-Shalin with her Pebblebrook colleague Robert Adams, head of the school’s theater department. Both Adams and Grant-Shalin are classically trained actors with extensive professional experience. Adams, an Ovation award winner and several- time Shuler Award nominee, is well known in the community as a teacher and a director.
Stage manager and former Pebblebrook student Lauren Goss is thrilled to have the opportunity to see her teachers practice their craft. “We all know what Ms Grant and Mr Adams are capable of in terms of their teaching.  Everyone is so excited to see them practice what they preach. I think everyone is going to find them just as special onstage as they are in the classroom.”
Rounding out the cast are two Pebblebrook Alums, Eleonore Dendy and Nick Druzbanski. Both graduated from Pebblebrook in 2009 and have returned home from their respective college theater programs to perform with their former teachers.  “While at school Ellen and Nick were two of our most outstanding students,” says Adams, “It will be exciting to work with them. They have grown so much in their university training.”
Tickets for all performances are $11.00 general admission. Seating is limited. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at http://www.stubmatic.com/ktmgrant.