MERRIMACK REPERTORY THEATRE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: October 7, 2008
CONTACT: Vanessa L. Crowl
PR CONTACT PHONE: 978.654.7595
PR CONTACT EMAIL: crowl@merrimackrep.org
BOX OFFICE: 978.654.4MRT (4678)
TONY AWARD-WINNING ALLEY THEATRE TO PRODUCE SECRET ORDER
Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s Charles Towers Directs
Lowell, MA – Biomedical thriller Secret Order by Bob Clyman, which Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) produced Off-Broadway last November/December at 59E59 Theaters, will run at the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre October 24 – November 23, 2008. MRT’s Artistic Director Charles Towers, who also directed the productions in New York City and Lowell, directs the Houston production.
Secret Order’s move to Houston represents another major success for Merrimack Repertory Theatre, who produced the play’s regional premiere in April/May of 2007. The accomplishment attests to the professionalism and quality of work MRT produces on its stage.
“A production of the Merrimack [Repertory] Theatre of Massachusetts, [Secret Order] is fully professional in every respect and demonstrates, like so much at the 59E59 Theaters, what is wrong with Broadway, even when there is no strike, if it leaves such worthy shows to lesser venues,” said Bloomberg critic John Simon of the production’s Off-Broadway premier last November.
Secret Order received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for the John Gassner Playwriting Award in 2008. The Outer Critics Circle is the official organization of writers on the New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media beyond Broadway.
Led by two original cast members from MRT’s production at 59E59 Theaters, Larry Pine (Robert Brock) and Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle Award-winner Kenneth Tigar (Saul Roth), The Alley’s production also features Dylan Chalfy (William Shumway) and Melissa Miller (Alice Curiton). The creative team includes Bill Clark (scenic design), Martha Hally (costume design), Kevin Rigdon (lighting design) and Pierre Dupree (sound design).
The Alley Theatre is one of the country’s largest and most prestigious non-profit resident theatres. Founded over sixty years ago as Houston’s resident theatre company, The Alley has earned a national and international reputation for artistic achievement, including the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 1996. The Alley Theatre is funded by an approximately $12 million budget compared to MRT’s $2.3 million. Everything might be bigger in Texas, but MRT’s “small but excellent” philosophy has proven to hold its own on any stage in America, no matter its budget size.
###
Merrimack Repertory Theatre is located in beautiful historic downtown Lowell at Liberty Hall, the Company’s 308-seat theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852 (adjacent to Lowell Memorial Auditorium). Each season, MRT presents an eclectic mix of six contemporary productions, engaging the best available actors, designers and directors in the country. Now celebrating its 30th Anniversary, MRT’s mission is “To advance the cause of human understanding by creating theatrical productions at the highest level of artistic excellence and making them affordable to the broadest possible community.” MRT’s unique artistic vision is shaped by a passion for excellence and a profound commitment to its community. MRT strives to enhance the community’s life while contributing to its economic strength, measuring success by the depth of the Company’s artistic and social contribution to the region.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 2008-2009 Season
The Fantasticks book & lyrics by Tom Jones Music by Harvey Schmidt, October 16-November 9; Skylight by David Hare, November 20-December 14; A View of the Harbor by Richard Dresser, January 8-February 1; Tranced by Bob Clyman, February 12-March 8; Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck, March 19-April 12; A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O’Neill, April 23-May 17.
|
