Elizabeth VanWinkle as Valerie and Marla

Cindee Mayfield Dobbs as Grace and Sandy

Sandi and Joe Black and The Modern Stage announce a reading of the outrageous BLOODLETTERS, a new comedy by Tom Sime, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 at Pocket Sandwich Theater

The Modern Stage and Broadway producers Sandi and Joe Black present a reading of Bloodletters, a comedy-thriller by Tom Sime, for potential investors and other theatre lovers.  The reading is Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 7:15 p.m. at Pocket Sandwich Theatre, 5400 E. Mockingbird Lane,  #119, in Dallas.  Admission is free; R.S.V.P. to LoneStarStudios@yahoo.com for reserved seats or take your chances at the door, which opens at 6:15 p.m. for dinner and light refreshments.

Carnage and comedy meet in Bloodletters when friction leaps out a writer’s computer.  Grace, a successful author of scary stories, uses her family as unwilling models for characters in her sexy, new work.  Hubby’s sexual frustration, daughter’s neurosis and granddaughter’s fascination with horror become amplified to deathly proportions, taking audiences on a roller-coaster of laughter, shock and suspense, as these worlds careen on parallel courses.

A stellar Dallas-Fort Worth cast features Cindee Mayfield Dobbs, Dennis Millegan, Elizabeth VanWinkle, Trista Wyly, Andrew Dillon and Shane Strawbridge.  Cindee and Elizabeth reprise their roles from the wild, 2008 workshop.  The actors each play two characters, in Grace’s quiet suburban world, and in her story about a vampire playboy and his gay henchman.  Mr. Black directs.

Bloodletters was developed for more than three years, including readings and workshop productions in Dallas and Theatres @ 45 Bleecker in New York City.  It had a tune-up reading with Tony and Drama Desk Award-winner Karen Ziemba this June.  The producers plan an Off Broadway run in beginning March, 2011.

Sime says, “The character of Grace was inspired by Joyce Carol Oates,” the bestselling novelist noted for disturbing violence in her fiction. The playwright idolized Oates and interviewed her while an arts writer at The Dallas Morning News.  “I always wondered how such a meek-seeming, delicate person could imagine such mayhem.  Did she tap into some alternate universe of Grand Guignol, or was the violence she dreamt up a grotesque metaphor for her own suppressed rage?”  It was this question, rather than the life or works of Oates, that gave rise to the play.

Bloodletters was first presented by WingSpan Theatre Company in a staged reading directed by Robin Armstrong in 2007.  Response from audiences and critics was intense and enthusiastic.  Ms. Armstrong then directed the first workshop at Teatro Dallas, whipping the play into producible form.

Glenn Arbery of People Newspapers called the play “…A domestic comedy routed through Anne Rice and Stephen King….  Audiences might be surprised at what lurks in Tom Sime’s imagination.  Let’s just say it could make Quentin Tarantino wince.”

Alexandra Bonifield wrote on Lakewood-Now.net, “Two threads of action, full of striking twists and turns and peopled with intriguing characters unfold in a riveting and sexually-charged plot that finally ties all loose ends together in a totally chilling, satisfying and unexpected manner. Hold on to your seats—it’s a breathless ride from the moment the lights come up.”

This play contains scandalous, irreverent language and is gory, with gay undertones, perfect for Off Broadway.  No one under 18 will be admitted.  Running time with intermission is about two hours.  If you would like to view a Bloodletters prospectus, please contact the producers.

For more information:

Sandi and Joe Black (972) 407-1437 cell (707) 758-8883

Tom Sime (214) 883-8621 (212) 260-8250

Taylor-Made Press, Lisa Taylor  (214) 943-1099

=====================================================================================
* if you would like to no longer receive these emails, please reply with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject line and you will be removed immediately.

map • scroll to the end for more sharing options

downloadable press release

Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the new Wyly Theatre in downtown Dallas Arts District

Presented by the Cultural Affairs Commission, City of Dallas and Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition

WHAT:

Arts Advocacy Day is an opportunity for everyone interested in the arts and arts education to learn how to successfully advocate for arts funding and how to create a greater awareness of the impact of arts and culture on a community.  The featured speaker is Douglas C. Sonntag, Director of Dance, National Endowment for the Arts.

There will be workshops and panel discussions in the morning dealing with advocacy and public relations techniques.  The cost for Advocacy Day is $35 and includes lunch and all workshops.

WHEN:

9:00 –   9:30    Registration

9:30 –   9:45    Welcome and Introductions

9:45 – 11:30    Panel Presentations

• New Media Marketing and Communication:  Anne Bothwell – KERA, Director Art&Seek, Jill Magnuson, Vice President Marketing and Communications, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, Donna Harris, Owner/Publisher, Intownmix.

• Economic Impact of the Arts:  Mark Nerenhausen, CEO, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, Phillip Jones, President/CEO, Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, Larry Kivett,  Deloitte, LLP

11:30 – 12:30    Welcome by Mayor Tom Leppert

Lunch featuring Keynote Speaker, Douglas C. Sonntag

1:00 -    3:00    Private meetings with Dallas City Council members at City Hall

WHERE:

Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
2403 Flora Street
Dallas, Texas 75201

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Since 1997, Douglas C. Sonntag has served as the Director of Dance for the National Endowment for the Arts.. From 2004 to 2008 he was also the Director of the Office of National Initiatives where he supervised work on several signature Endowment programs. Previously, he served as program administrator and senior program specialist for the Arts Endowment’s Dance Program. From 1981-1986, Mr. Sonntag was general manager of the Repertory Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as an associate instructor for the University of Utah’s Institute of Arts Administration and a staff specialist for the Department of Ballet. From 1980-81, Mr. Sonntag was the project director of the Utah Playwriting Conference, a joint project of the Sundance Institute and the Utah Arts Council.  He has served as a judge for the American College Dance Festival/Dance Magazine Awards, and as a panelist for the Utah Arts Council, the Jerome Foundation, and the Carlisle Project. He has spoken at and served on panels many organizations including Dance/USA, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the International Association of Blacks in Dance, and at the International Tanzmesse NRW in Dusseldorf, Germany, and the Monaco Dance Forum, Monte Carlo, Monaco. Mr. Sonntag attended the American College in Paris and the University of Utah graduating with a B.F.A. in Ballet and an M.F.A. in Theater with an emphasis in arts administration.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Register online at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/73006

Due to ongoing construction and safety precautions, tickets will not be available at the door. Please park in the Arts District Parking Garage and you will be directed to the event site.

Joanna St. Angelo, President, Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition

Joanna@sammonsartcenter.org
214-520-7789

=== if you would like to no longer receive these emails, please reply with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject line and you will be removed immediately. ===

map • add to calendar • scroll to the end for more sharing options

downloadable press release • Print Ready Photo

Undermain Theatre is pleased to announce its next show, The Black Monk by David Rabe, based on an Anton Chekhov story, will be performed April 4-May 2, 2009 at Undermain’s Dallas location in historic Deep Ellum. Previews are April 2-3. Katherine Owens will direct. Designed by John Arnone, Steve Woods and Bryan Wofford. Undermain Theatre performances are Wednesdays-Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are Thurs $15, Fri $20, and Sat $25. Undermain is located at 3200 Main Street at Murray Street in Deep Ellum.  Discounts are available for seniors, students and KERA members. Call 214.747.5515 or visit www.undermain.org.

David Rabe brings Anton Chekov’s spiritual mystery to vivid life.  Tony and Obie award winning writer David Rabe is the author of such classic American contemporary plays as Stick and Bones, Hurlyburly, Streamers, In the Boom Boom Room and more. He’s also written screenplays for films such as I’m Dancing as fast as I can, The Firm and Casualties of War. Undermain returns to Rabe’s work after the acclaimed productions of Rabe’s play Goose and Tom Tom, which Rabe attended in 1991.

Kovrin, a young scholar exhausted to the point of madness by his studies decides to visit his childhood friend Tanya on her father’s garden estate. The two fall in love and plan to marry. Kovrin tells Tanya the legend of the black monk whose image has been reflected in mirages for a thousand years and who will soon return in the flesh. One day in the garden, the black monk appears to the young man and holds the key to either enlightenment or total devastation.

The cast for The Black Monk is: Bruce DuBose as Yegor Semyonitch Pesotsky; Jonathan Brooks as Andrei Vasilich Kovrin; Shannon Kearns-Simmons as Tanya; Newton Pittman as The Black Monk; Stefanie Tovar as Nadia; Richard Rollin as Orlov; Maryam Baig-Lush as Varvara Nikolaevna; Ian Sinclair as Mikhail; Parker Hornsby as Yakov; Ryan Lescalleet as ensemble. Musicians will be Ariana Cook and Reynaldo Patiño.
“The late 19th-century storyteller and the contemporary playwright become one. The graceful flow from one to the other, and from the page to the stage, is remarkable. Mr. Rabe has heightened theatrical possibilities by extending descriptive passages into dramatic scenes that catch fire…The Black Monk is a heady event… Don’t miss it.” -Alvin Klein, The New York Times

ABOUT UNDERMAIN
Undermain Theatre, founded in 1984, is a company of artists that performs new and experimental works in Texas, New York, and Europe. The theater collaborates with playwrights, supports a theater archive and operates a theater under 3200 Main Street in Dallas’ legendary Deep Ellum. Call 214-747-2417 or visit www.undermain.org for more information.
Artistic Director: Katherine Owens. Executive Producer: Bruce DuBose. Associate Producer: Suzanne Thomas.

map • add to calendar • scroll to the end for more sharing options

David Jeremiah and Manson Thomas – photo courtesy PublicWorks Theatre

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

Run Dates: March 13-28, 2009
Written By: Beau Willimon
Directed by: Catherine Hopkins

PublicWorks Theatre and the Bath House Cultural Center are proud to present “Lower Ninth’’ a powerful new play inspired by the devastating effects Hurricane Katrina. Written by Beau Willimon, this new drama will be directed by Catherine Hopkins (artistic director of PublicWorks and director of “Lord of the Flies” which made its regional premiere last year at the Bath House) and will feature David Jeremiah (“Top Dog UnderDog and “Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”) and Dallas stage newcomers Derrick Beasley and Manson Thomas. Performances are Fridays and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. with opening night scheduled for Friday, March 13, 2009.

Lower Ninth focuses on the story of two men stranded on a roof after a terrible storm. As Malcom and E-Z struggle to survive, they must battle heat, hunger and their pasts. Ultimately, their only hope for salvation rests with each other.

Beau Willimon has written seven full-length plays that have been developed or performed at venues including Ars Nova, MCC, HERE Arts Center, New Dramatists, and The DR2 Theatre. He is a recipient of the Lila Acheson Wallace Juilliard Playwriting Fellowship and the Lincoln Center Le Compte du Nuoy Award. Lower Ninth was included as part of Arielle Tepper’s 2007 Summer Play Festival and his play Farragut North has been optioned for Broadway by Jeffrey Richards. In addition to his work in theatre, Willimon is currently working on two feature films for Warner Brothers and one for Fox 2000. A resident of Brooklyn, Willimon holds an M.F.A. in playwriting from Columbia University.

PublicWorks Theatre is a new company inspired by new writing and challenging, contemporary adaptations of classic theater and literature. PWT’s mission is to make dynamic, ground-breaking theater in order to inspire informed debate and creativity. We are committed to exploring outreach opportunities and finding new ways to extend social debate through theatre education. PublicWorks (in partnership with Risk Theater Initiative) was last seen at the Bath House in June at the 2008 FIT Festival with its production of William Inge’s “A Murder” and in January 2008 with a regional premiere stage adaptation of “Lord of the Flies.” The critically acclaimed production, with an all-youth cast set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, played to sold-out houses at the Bath House and attracted a diverse audience of more than 1,000 adults and young people.

LOWER NINTH performances begin March 13 – March 28
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $10-$15 at the door
Tickets online at: www.publicworksdallas.org
214 764 3078

map • add to calendar • scroll to the end for more sharing options

downloadable press release

high res image

Three women are in front of you in the checkout line at the grocery store. Odds are excellent that one of them has had an abortion.

You’re sitting in the bleachers at your kid’s soccer game, chatting with three women in the next row. Odds are, one of them has had an abortion.

You’re helping yourself to tuna casserole at a church potluck. Three women are setting out tea and punch at the next table. Odds are, one of them has had an abortion.

You never guessed? Of course not. Few women ever discuss their abortions, even with their intimate friends. Because abortion – an experience shared by one in three American women – is the last great taboo, a secret millions of women carry in silence.

One in 3 breaks the silence. The original play, written by three established Dallas women writers and produced by Project X, will have its official world premiere at the Green Zone near the Dallas Design District on Jan. 22, 2009, following a preview on Jan. 21. It will run through Jan. 31.

One in 3 tells the sometimes wrenching, often surprising, and even occasionally humorous stories of a group of women who have virtually nothing in common except the need to confront this most complex and personal of decisions.

“It’s about the courage, compassion, anger, love, grief, relief, defiance, and ambivalence of individual women facing a decision others often want to make for them, but only they can make for themselves,” said Gretchen Dyer, one of the authors. Ms. Dyer is a board member of the Texas Equal Access (TEA) Fund, which will receive the proceeds from the inaugural run of One in 3.

Raphael Parry, a Project X founder, said he chose to direct One in 3 because Project X is dedicated to producing original works that burst the bounds of conventional theater. In addition, he said, “the success of taboo-breaking works such as The Vagina Monologues and The Laramie Project reflect a widespread hunger for plays that speak our truths and touch the deepest parts of our lives.”

One in 3 takes chances in more than its subject matter, incorporating film and other non-traditional elements for an experience designed to provoke, entertain, enlighten, and perhaps even heal.  Some performances will be followed by talk-backs with the artists and activists.  The play’s website, www.onein3.org, will also invite women to post their stories online.

Dates/Times/Location/Prices
January 21- 31, 2009 *
Wednesday – Saturday
8:00 p.m.
Project X Studio at the Green Zone
161 Riveredge – Dallas, TX 75207
*Note that January 21st is a preview performance

Prices: $20 adults, Wednesday’s are Pay What You Can.
Call 214-421-2400 or visit www.onein3.org.

The Dallas premiere is only the beginning for One in 3.  The National Network of Abortions Funds plans to sponsor a national tour of the play to major cities across the U.S.  The rights to the script, scenery, and film will be released to the Network, which will also make them available for translation into other languages and for independent productions in other cities.  With this expanded platform, One in 3 has the potential to generate a new national dialogue around abortion, shifting the conversation from the political controversy to the personal reality.

About the Authors

Gretchen Dyer is a documentary and feature film screenwriter whose film, Late Bloomers, was featured at the Sundance Film Festival, released theatrically in the U.S. and foreign markets, and broadcast on HBO Cinemax.  She is a board member of the TEA Fund.

Victoria Loe Hicks is a playwright and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.  Her plays Jill’s War and Truth Be Told premiered in Dallas.

Merritt Tierce is a writer published in Southwest Review and featured by WordSpace.  She is a board member of the TEA Fund.

About the Producers

Project X: TheatreDanceMusicFilm (PX) is a non-profit corporation founded in 2001 by acclaimed director, producer and actor Raphael Parry. Mr. Parry founded Project X with the desire to create a unique venue for eclectic programming and educational and community outreach services. The mission of Project X is to revitalize North Texas’ cultural landscape by creating and presenting diverse art forms through innovative collaborations of theatre, dance, music, film and beyond.  PX has presented a diverse array of intimate performances, workshops and gallery exhibits and has hosted such artists and companies as performance artist Laurie Anderson (in partnership with TITAS), musical innovators BL Lacerta, Massachusetts-based Shakespeare & Company, and Big Thought’s award-winning arts education program Creative Solutions.

One Mind Productions, which will create the original film incorporated into the play, is a film production company founded by Gretchen Dyer and her sister, Julia Dyer. One Mind produced Late Bloomers, directed by Julia, and has other film projects under development, including The Playroom and Backlash.

The Texas Equal Access Fund is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005.  Its mission is to promote reproductive justice for women in North Texas by helping to lower economic barriers to abortion access for low-income and disadvantaged women. The organization also works to inform and educate the public about reproductive justice issues.  Since 2005, volunteers have processed more than 5,000 calls, providing information, referrals and emotional support in addition to helping more than 1,300 women pay for abortions.  The TEA Fund is an affiliate member of the National Network of Abortion Funds, whose more than 100 grassroots groups raise money to directly help women cover the cost of abortion and to eliminate economic barriers to abortion.

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

Dallas’ very own LONE STAR CIRCUS® presents
Celebration – Le Cirque
A Holiday Circus Extravaganza
At the Rosewood Center for Family Arts
Saturday, December 27 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 28 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Monday, December 29 at 7:30 pm
Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Acrobats, aerialists, hand balancers, jugglers, clowns and an international galaxy of star circus performers will join Dallas’ own Lone Star Circus in Celebration – Le Cirque, a Holiday circus extravaganza celebrating the holidays, the end of 2008 and the dawn of a new year.  The circus will recall the days of the Middle Ages when performers would go to castles to help the royalty celebrate the year-end. Produced by Lone Star Circus® and directed by Fanny Kerwich, this dazzling, brand new production will feature over 20 world-renowned artists from Russia, Europe, South America, Mexico, United States and Dallas, Texas.  Several remarkably talented children, chosen among the best students of Lone Star Circus School, will perform for the first time along with these elite circus stars, adding their own touch of magic to this unique and exciting holiday event, filled with fun, joy, and amazing circus talent.
A perfect family holiday entertainment, Celebration––Le Cirque will give seven performances only from December 27 through 31, 2008, at The Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman, in Dallas. Tickets prices range from $19-$65*.  Purchase tickets at The Rosewood Center for Family. Arts (Dallas Children’s Theater), by phone at (214) 740-0051, and online at www.dct.org. *New Year’s Eve with champagne

Lone Star Circus® is the performing arm of Lone Star Circus Arts Center, a non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, whose purpose is to promote circus arts through training and performance.  It is the brainchild of Fanny Kerwich, a fifth generation circus artist of French descent, who started teaching circus arts several years ago at Dallas International School, and in her own studio, The Expressionists. Lone Star Circus Arts Center was incorporated in 2006. Its circus school, Lone Star Circus School, organizes recreational and professional training in circus arts for children and adults at The Palaestra, 3550 Garden Brook Drive, Farmers Branch, Texas 75234-2443 (for more information, call 214-564-9259). Lone Star Circus Arts Center also provides circus-themed entertainment for fundraisers and corporate and civic events.

* * * * *

WHAT:      Celebration Le Cirque – A Holiday Circus Extravaganza

WHERE:      Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman, Dallas, Texas 75231.

WHEN:      Saturday, December 27 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 28 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Monday, December 29 at 7:30 pm
Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

TICKETS:     $19-$65* (*New Year’s Eve includes champagne)
These include specially priced tickets for children 12 and under.

TICKET SALES AND INFO: By phone, 214.740.0051, or online at www.lonestarcircus.org

map • add to calendar • scroll to the end for more sharing options

Link to high res photo

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready file

Undermain Theatre is pleased to announce its next show, Eurydice, a re-imagining of the classic myth of the lovers Orpheus and Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, will be performed Nov. 22-Dec.13, 2008 at Undermain’s Dallas location in historic Deep Ellum. Bruce DuBose will direct.  Undermain Theatre is thrilled to take on the work of this brilliant young writer. Sarah Ruhl’s plays include The Clean House (Susan Smith Blackburn Award, 2004), Melancholy Play, Eurydice, Late: a cowboy song, Orlando, and Passion Play. She received her M.F.A. from Brown University, and is originally from Chicago. In 2003, she was the recipient of a Helen Merrill Award and a Whiting Writers’ Award.
In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl re-imagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.
Undermain Theatre performances are Wednesdays-Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are Thurs $15, Fri $20, and Sat $25. Undermain is located at 3200 Main Street at Murray Street in Deep Ellum.  Discounts are available for seniors, students and KERA members. Call 214.747.5515 or visit www.undermain.org.
“RHAPSODICALLY BEAUTIFUL. A weird and wonderful new play – an inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory.” The New York Times

“EXHILARATING!! A luminous retelling of the Orpheus myth, lush and limpid as a dream where both author and audience swim in the magical, sometimes menacing, and always thrilling flow of the unconscious.” The New Yorker

“Touching, inventive, invigoratingly compact …Eurydice reframes the ancient myth of ill-fated love to focus not on the bereaved musician but on his bride — and on her struggle with love beyond the grave” – The San Francisco Chronicle

ABOUT UNDERMAIN
Undermain Theatre, founded in 1984, is a company of artists that performs new and experimental works in Texas, New York, and Europe. The theater collaborates with playwrights, supports a theater archive and operates a theater under 3200 Main Street in Dallas’ legendary Deep Ellum. Call 214-747-2417 or visit www.undermain.org for more information.
Artistic Director: Katherine Owens. Executive Producer: Bruce DuBose. Associate Producer: Suzanne Thomas.

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

My Favorite Animal is an outrageous and refreshing romantic comedy by newcomer Tom Sime.  The Modern Stage and Joe and Sandi Black are presenting a three-week engagement of the work Nov. 12-30 at The 45th Street Theatre in New York City.  The drawing-room comedy, which just completed its run in Texas, brings together star-crossed, zany characters, trying to get uncrossed.

Randi (Catherine DuBord), a vivacious girl with an incredible secret, shows up unexpectedly at psychotherapist Jerry’s (Matt Lyle) office.  While he figures if he’s dealing with a prank, a psychotic or something else, she proves to have attracted a much more dangerous problem.  The cast includes Sylvia Luedtke, Nicholas Venceil and Ben Mayer, all swept into the trouble.

– Lawson Taitte of the Dallas Morning News says, “Apparently being a theatre critic is good training for writing verbally rich, ebullient comedy.  The twists and turns of the plot, and the characters’ quips, are often explosively comical.  Thanks to director Phyllis Cicero, the actors stay well-grounded even in the most far-fetched moments.”
[Ms. Cicero is also Stella the Storyteller on Barney and Friends.]

– Mark-Brian Sonna of PegasusNews.Com says, “Delightful. A potent cocktail of laughs.”

– Martha Heimberg of Turtle Creek News calls My Favorite Animal, “A touching and original love story [that] wraps gender change, role-playing and even the mystical notion of shape-shifting.”

– “Tom is prolific, won some awards, a recovering theatre critic,” Mr. Black says. “It’s adult comedy for straights, straight comedy for gays; fun for most everyone.”

Performance times:  My Favorite Animal runs Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM. The play runs Nov. 12-30, 2008. Talk-Back sessions are scheduled the first two Thursdays and Sundays with the playwright, director and cast.  Tickets, $35 general admission, $29.50 for both seniors (60+) and young adults (18-30), are available online at www.tix.com, by phone (800) 595-4849 and at the door. 45th Street Theatre is 354 West 45th St., between 8th and 9th Avenues.

For more press information and reviewer tickets, please contact Lisa Taylor of Taylor-Made Press, (214) 943-1099, lisatmp@swbell.net, or Tom at (212) 659-0571, tomsime@verizon.net.

www.themodernstage.com

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

Undermain Theatre is pleased to announce a special presentation of Monkey: The Quest to the West, created and performed by Fred Curchack and Laura Jorgensen, which will be performed for two weeks only Oct. 9-18, 2008 at Undermain Theatre in historic Deep Ellum.
Monkey: The Quest to the West follows the supernatural trickster Monkey King who makes war with heaven until he is imprisoned under a mountain by Buddha. After 500 years, he is freed to protect a Buddhist monk on his perilous journey from China to India to bring back spiritual teachings. On the way, they encounter all manner of deities, demons, monsters and outrageous misadventures. This magical story has been adapted for The Beijing Opera, several kung fu movies, plays, rock operas, cartoons, anime, manga, and cult TV series in China, Japan, England, and the U.S. (“Lost Empire”).

Undermain Theatre performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are Thurs $15, Fri $20, and Sat $25. Undermain is located at 3200 Main Street at Murray Street in Deep Ellum.  Discounts are available for seniors, students and KERA members. Call 214.747.5515 or visit www.undermain.org.  For press information: Lisa Taylor, 214-943-1099 or lisatmp@swbell.net. Artistic Director: Katherine Owens. Executive Producer: Bruce DuBose.  Associate Producer: Suzanne Thomas.

BIOGRAPHIES OF PERFORMERS:

Fred Curchack has created over seventy original ensemble theatre pieces and twenty-six solos.  His performances have been featured at dozens of international theatre festivals.  He has received the Gold Medal at the International Festival of Solo Theatre, the American Theatre Wing Award, Critics’ Awards in L.A., S.F., Dallas, Austin, and his work has been “Best of the Week” in Los Angeles Times, “Top Ten of the Year” in The New York Times, “Top Ten of the Decade” in The Austin Chronicle, and in the “Top Ten of All-time” in The Dallas Morning News.  He has received funding from Creative Capital, the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts International, The Henson Foundation and he is a Guggenheim Fellow.  After receiving a drama degree from the High School of Performing Arts in N.Y., and a BA and MA in theater from Queens College, Curchack studied Japanese Noh with Sadayo Kita, Indian Kathakali with Krishnan Nambudiri, Balinese Topeng with Nyomen Wenten, choreography with Alwyn Nikolais, and he trained with Grotowski’s Polish Theater Lab.  He has taught theater at the United Nations International School, N.Y.; Sonoma State University, California; and he is currently Professor of Art and Performance at The University of Texas at Dallas.  This is his sixth theatrical collaboration with Laura.

Laura Jorgensen has performed in Craig Lucas’ Blue Window, Reckless, Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind, Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest, Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild, Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance and Three Tall Women, Terrence McNally’s A Perfect Ganesh, G.B. Shaw’s Heartbreak House, Alan Bennet’s Talking Heads, and Athol Fugard’s The Road to Mecca. She created roles in the world premieres of John O’Keefe’s Glamour and Queer Theory. She was an original member of Western Union Theater Company at Cinnabar Theater.  While living in Budapest, she worked with The English Theater Company and directed its production of Our Country’s Good.  Recently, she performed in Porchlight Theatre’s production of Oscar Wilde’s, The Ideal Husband. She has created and performed five shows with Fred, including The Mental Traveler, Golden Buddha Beach, Sexual Myth-Stories, An American Dream Play.

ABOUT UNDERMAIN
Undermain Theatre, founded in 1984, is a company of artists that performs new and experimental works in Texas, New York, and Europe. The theater collaborates with playwrights, supports a theater archive and operates a theater under 3200 Main Street in Dallas’ legendary Deep Ellum. Call 214-747-2417 or visit www.undermain.org for more information.

Artistic Director: Katherine Owens. Executive Producer: Bruce DuBose. Associate Producer: Suzanne Thomas.

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

Undermain Theatre, through special arrangement with Wixen Music Publishing, is pleased to announce the return of its production of Neil Young’s Greendale to Dallas after performances at this summer’s Ice Factory presented by Soho Think Tank at the Ohio Theatre in New York City.  Neil Young’s Greendale, which was adapted for the stage by Bruce DuBose, will be performed Sept. 10-Oct. 4 at Undermain’s Dallas location in historic Deep Ellum.
Neil Young’s Greendale, the rock opera by the legendary singer – songwriter was adapted for the stage by Undermain Theatre and opened in Dallas this Spring before going to New York City this Summer. This song cycle has been compared to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Sherwood Anderson’s Winesberg Ohio as a portrait of the changing face of small town America.   Performed with a live band and sung by an ensemble cast, Greendale explores the lives of three generations of the Green family through themes ranging from corruption to mass media consolidation to environmentalism.

The production is performed by a live band composed of lead guitarist Kenny Withrow of New Bohemians. Paul Semrad of Course of Empire on bass, and Grammy winning drummer Alan Emert, of Brave Combo. Undermain Theatre’s artistic Director Katherine Owens directs.

The cast is Bruce DuBose, Newton Pittman, Shannon Kearns-Simmons, Stefanie Tovar, Ian Sinclair, Jonathan Brooks, Marjorie Hayes, Richard Rollin, Ashley Randall. Designers are Giva Taylor and Rhonda Gorman, costumes; Steve Woods, lighting; and Robert Winn, set.

Undermain Theatre performances are Wednesdays-Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are Wed and Thurs $15, Fri $20, and Sat $25. Undermain is located at 3200 Main Street at Murray Street in Deep Ellum.  Discounts are available for seniors, students and KERA members. Call 214.747.5515 or visit www.undermain.org.  For press information: Lisa Taylor, 214-943-1099 or lisatmp@swbell.net.

“…Greendale is an overwhelming experience, musically and theatrically.”-Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News

“As presented by the Undermain Theatre, Neil Young’s Greendale is a hellacious piece of rock ‘n’ roll… This baby kicks; you’re not likely to hear a livelier performance in any area theater.”-Jerome Weeks, KERA 90.1 FM

“Undermain Theatre’s performance of Neil Young’s Greendale takes the rock opera close to its source: the sonic undercurrent in every small town… becoming a strange intersection of American dreams, sonic highways, and melodic bridges reminiscent of Wilder’s “Our Town.”- Cheryl Anderson, Edge Dallas

“The dense, driving sound goes right through the audience and makes for a terrific night of music and theater.” -Martha Heimberg, Turtle Creek News

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

Echo Theatre, the Southwest’s only theater company dedicated to producing plays written by women, will begin its 11th year of readings and performances in Dallas.   This season features 6 readings and 2 fully produced plays, and opens with American Cassandra: Déjà vu, a co-production with SMU, developed by Rhonda Blair and directed by Pam Myers-Morgan, on Friday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Dr. (off Northcliff) at White Rock Lake.

American Cassandra: Deja Vu will preview Thursday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. Performances continue Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with two Sunday matinees (Sept. 7 and Sept. 14 at 5 p.m.) thru Sept. 27. Admission for Thursday preview and Sunday matinees is Pay-What-You-Can. Fridays and Saturdays are $20. For reservations, call 214-904-0500, email echoreservations@att.net or visit the website at www.echotheatre.org. (Please note: There are no fees for online ticket purchases).

After years of fruitful collaboration with SMU Professor Rhonda Blair, SMU and Echo are deepening that relationship with a full-fledged co-production.  Combining the performing and design talents of Echo, one of Dallas’ premiere theater companies, and the city’s major educational institution, Southern Methodist University, will provide a creative explosion to usher in the Fall election.

It’s been four years since Echo “got political” with its hugely popular DREAMING AMERICA: IN THE BUNKER WITH GEORGE, and Echo is at it again!  In the tradition of the mythological Cassandra, Echo has been issuing theatrical warnings since 1999.  Will Echo be heard – and heeded – this time?!?

Kateri Cale and Rhonda Blair star with three SMU students: Mirela Selimovic, Regina Bonifasi, and Meredith Alloway.  Russell Parkman is designing the set. Clay Eads is the lighting designer. The piece will include monologues, video, singing and dance.

Concurrent with American Cassandra will be Thursday staged readings of Iraqi American playwright Heather Raffo’s Nine Parts of Desire, based on the stories of the women she met on her first return visit to Iraq as an adult. Readings are September 11, 18 and 25 at 8:00 pm and admission is Pay-What-You-Can.

Echo Reads, Echo’s free reading series, is scheduled for Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bath House.

About Echo Theatre

Echo Theatre was founded in the fall of 1997 by Suzy Blaylock, Pam Myers-Morgan and Linda Marie Ford. It is the theatre’s mission to unearth the power of the female theatrical voice by presenting a wide array of works written by women for the stage.  For years, theatre seasons at all levels of production have been programmed primarily with works by male playwrights, often resulting in an absence of the female voice.  Integrating exciting design concepts and exceptional acting with material that probes gender identity and social structures, Echo Theatre exists to shift that balance.

Current producing partners Brandi Andrade, Terri Ferguson, Ellen Locy, Pam Myers-Morgan, and Kateri Cale work together to bring the female voice to urgent, exciting, and challenging life through main stage productions and staged readings of plays by women, classic to contemporary.

•    Presented the work of over EIGHTY female playwrights to Dallas audiences as the only Dallas company devoted exclusively to the production of theatrical works written by women
•    Received over FIFTY Rabin awards and nominations, Critics’ Forum Awards and citations in End of Year “Best of …” Lists
•    Commissioned six new pieces, produced fifteen full-length plays, presented six original performance art works, participated in fourteen short play festivals, and mounted over FIFTY performance readings as part of its innovative series, ECHO READS …
•    Offered a number of community outreach programs, including high school internships, free ticket program for clients of local women’s shelters, free children’s theatre workshops at matinee performances, and discussion panels following all readings and many mainstage shows
•    Employed over 250 actors, 80 directors, 120 designers and technicians, and 60 playwrights, musicians and choreographers
•    Maintained a high level of acting and design excellence, while presenting challenging and exciting plays by women
•    Performed benefit performances for The Lymphoma Research Foundation, The Art and Music Fund of Northaven United Methodist Church, The American Red Cross, The Degolyer Library at SMU, The Family Place, New Beginnings, The Jewish Federation Women’s Division, and Hockaday School

Undermain Theatre EXHIBITION
Beneath the Surface: 25 Years of Design at Undermain Theatre
Sept. 4-Oct. 31, 2008
J. Eric Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young St.
Over 100 objects from Undermain Theatre’s collection of costumes, puppets, props, scenery, masks, posters and photos will be on display Sept. 4-Oct. 31, 2008 on the fourth floor of the J. Eric Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young St. in downtown Dallas.  The exhibition is free and is open Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun. 1-5 p.m.  The Library can be reached at 214-670-1400.

Go Beneath the Surface            

Undermain Theatre to Bring Neil Young’s Greendale to Ice Factory Festival in New York City

“The summer festival with the hippest downtown cred.” -TIMEOUT/NY

scroll to the end for more sharing options

Undermain Theatre, through special arrangement with Wixen Music Publishing, is pleased to announce the transfer of its production of Neil Young’s Greendale to this summer’s Ice Factory Festival presented by Soho Think Tank at the Ohio Theatre, 66 Wooster St. in New York City.

The Ice Factory Festival is an OBIE award-winning summer festival of new work where artists can take risks, try out new ideas, and bring their projects to a new level. Plays introduced at the Ice Factory Festival have gone on to garner Drama Desk nominations, Obie Awards, Audience First Awards in Edinburgh, Off-Broadway productions, commercial runs, and national and international tours. ICE FACTORY ’08 will mark the15th Anniversary of the festival.

Ice Factory Festival’s Artistic Director, Robert Lyons has invited Undermain to perform Neil Young’s Greendale on July 23-26, 2008. Undermain last performed at the Festival in the summer of 2000 when it presented its production of Lenora Champagne’s Coaticook.

Neil Young’s Greendale, the rock opera by the legendary singer – songwriter was adapted for the stage by Undermain Theatre and opened in Dallas on March 29, 2008. It runs through May 3, 2008. This song cycle has been compared to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Sherwood Anderson’s Winesberg Ohio as a portrait of the changing face of small town America. Performed with a live band and sung by an ensemble cast, Greendale explores the lives of three generations of the Green family through themes ranging from corruption to mass media consolidation to environmentalism.

The production will be performed by the original cast and live band composed of lead guitarist Kenny Withrow of New Bohemians. Paul Semrad of Course of Empire on bass, and Grammy winning drummer Alan Emert, of Brave Combo. The production is directed by Undermain artistic director Katherine Owens.

Undermain is located at 3200 Main Street at Murray Street in Deep Ellum. Visit www.undermain.org or more information. For press information: Lisa Taylor, 214-943-1099 or lisatmp@swbell.net.

For more information on Ice Factory, see http://www.sohothinktank.org/summerfestival.htm or call 212-966-4844

“…Greendale is an overwhelming experience, musically and theatrically.”-Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News

“As presented by the Undermain Theatre, Neil Young’s Greendale is a hellacious piece of rock ‘n’ roll… This baby kicks; you’re not likely to hear a livelier performance in any area theater.”-Jerome Weeks, KERA 90.1 FM

“Undermain Theatre’s performance of Neil Young’s Greendale takes the rock opera close to its source: the sonic undercurrent in every small town… becoming a strange intersection of American dreams, sonic highways, and melodic bridges reminiscent of Wilder’s “Our Town.”- Cheryl Anderson, Edge Dallas

“The dense, driving sound goes right through the audience and makes for a terrific night of music and theater.” -Martha Heimberg, Turtle Creek News

downloadable press release

right-click to download print-ready photo