PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: July 28, 2009
CONTACT: Dan Berube, berube@merrimackrep.org
PR CONTACT PHONE: 978.654.7595
BOX OFFICE: 978.654.4MRT (4678)
MERRIMACK REP CLOSES OUT SUCCESSFUL 2008-09 SEASON
Numerous Awards Highlight Artistic Excellence
Theatre Finishes Year in the Black Despite Recession
Expands Season to Seven Productions in 2009-2010
Lowell, MA – Merrimack Repertory Theatre has completed its 30th Anniversary season, and is proud to report that 2008-2009 was both an artistic and financial success. With the books now closed on fiscal year 2009, which ended June 30, the company can report that Merrimack Repertory Theatre has finished in the black and recorded a modest operating surplus for the fourth consecutive year. The surplus will further reduce the theatre’s mortgage on its Bagshaw Mills office/rehearsal/housing facility and build operating cash reserves. The economic crisis that began early last season has had a dire effect on several local non-profit theatres, but thanks to the proactive leadership of Merrimack Rep’s Board of Trustees and staff and the continued support of its thousands of subscribers and donors, the company is weathering the financial storm.
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS
While this theatre’s fiscal responsibility during the year is notable, the true mission of an arts organization is to produce high quality work. The 2008-2009 season had many highlights for theatergoers. The season opened with The Fantasticks, the theatre’s first full musical in 15 years, featured two regional premieres in A View of the Harbor and Tranced, and closed with a critically acclaimed production of the Eugene O’Neill classic A Moon for the Misbegotten. A View of the Harbor marked the company’s 200th professional production, and Merrimack Rep sold its one-millionth ticket during the run of Skylight. The theatre’s commitment to hiring the country’s best available actors paid off, as Amanda Fulks took home the Best Actress Award from the Independent Reviewers of New England for her performance in Skylight, and Elizabeth Aspenlieder was honored by the Boston Theatre Critics Association for Outstanding Solo Performance in Bad Dates. In April 2009, Merrimack Rep also received 7 Independent Reviewers of New England awards for its 2008 production of Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance, including Best Production of a Play and Best Director for Artistic Director Charles Towers.
Speaking on the subject of artistic achievement at the theatre, Merrimack Rep Artistic Director Charles Towers stated, "Each season at Merrimack Repertory Theatre we strive to make improvements both on and off stage, and that was no different in 2008-2009. On stage, it is always about creating theatrical productions that offer deeper, richer, more rewarding experiences for our audience, within the framework of new plays, regional premieres and American classics. With two regional premieres and two American classics, we surpassed our literary goals, while offering some of the best individual and ensemble performances ever seen at Merrimack Rep.”
Towers added, “In spite of the recession, Merrimack Rep's outstanding staff has taken the critical steps necessary to produce our next first-rate season, with two world premieres – a new production created by The Flying Karamazov Brothers and a new play we have commissioned from playwright Richard Dresser – and three regional premieres, Heroes, Black Pearl Sings!, and The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead. We continue to stand by our mission of creating 'vibrant contemporary theatre for a vibrant contemporary audience,' and applaud our subscriber base of 4,000 audience members who demand and support non-commercial, artistically-oriented theatre."
The success of Merrimack Rep’s Secret Order also continued. After being invited to produce the show Off-Broadway in 2007, Artistic Director Charles Towers was asked to direct a production of the play at the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre in Houston this past October. Secret Order was well received by the Houston audience, with The Houston Press saying “the dynamic cast, under the sharp direction of Charles Towers, creates a high-stakes world that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR 2008-2009 SEASON
“The Fantasticks is first rate theatre.”
– BroadwayWorld.com (Review of The Fantasticks)
“The Merrimack Repertory Theatre production of David Hare's play ebbs and flows with a rhythm that manages to be both unsettling and inspiring.”
– The Boston Globe (Review of Skylight)
“There’s much to like about Merrimack’s production, as directed by Charles Towers, especially a marvelous performance by Amanda Fulks that’s very much worth the price of admission and drive to Lowell.”
– Metrowest Daily News (Review of Skylight)
“Once again, the Merrimack Repertory Theatre has successfully brought to my attention a production very much worth watching.”
– Boston Night Life TV (Review of Skylight)
“The View’s terrific at MRT. See it yourself, and get away for a while.”
– The Lowell Sun (Review of A View of the Harbor)
“Run – do not walk – to the Merrimack Repertory Theatre to see Tranced.”
– Boston Theater Examiner (Review of Tranced)
“There is no doubt about the fact the MRT consistently puts on quality productions.”
– Chava (Review of Bad Dates)
“Utterly enchanting...irresistible...charming.”
– The Boston Globe (Review of Bad Dates)
“To see truly great theatre, you have to go to Lowell, and buy a ticket to Merrimack Rep. Because no one else in New England is doing what this theatre is doing. There’s really no one in their league in the region.”
– The Hub Review (Review of A Moon for the Misbegotten)
“Merrimack Repertory's Moon shines brightly.”
– The Boston Herald (Review of A Moon for the Misbegotten)
“One can’t help but love the Merrimack Repertory Theatre for having the courage to slip Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten into the final slot of their season.”
– Metrowest Daily News (Review of A Moon for the Misbegotten)
“I was utterly impressed by the elegance and charm the theatre possessed, along with the extremely friendly atmosphere”
– Boston Night Life TV (Review of A Moon for the Misbegotten)
LEADERSHIP
At Merrimack Rep’s Annual Meeting on June 23, the theatre’s Board of Trustees elected officers for the 2009-2010 Season. The Board will be led by Chair Nancy L. Donahue of Lowell, MA; President Norman Sieman of Newton, MA; Vice President Debra Grossman of Lowell, MA; Treasurer Stephen Irish of Scituate, MA; and Secretary Patricia McCafferty of Tyngsborough, MA. Artistic Director Charles Towers returns for his ninth season, and Tom Parrish enters his fourth season as Merrimack Rep’s Executive Director. Also at the Annual Meeting, the Board of Trustees recognized retiring Trustee and past president Edward Moloney of Chelmsford, MA. Newly elected trustees include Robert McDonald of Lexington, MA and Brenda Costello of Manchester, MA.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 2009-2010 Season is sponsored by Lowell Cooperative Bank. Merrimack Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: On sale now, Merrimack Rep offers subscription packages to fit every lifestyle and budget. With season subscription packages ranging from $45-$307, all subscriptions offer deep discounts off the single ticket prices as well as exclusive subscriber-only benefits, including free parking, restaurant and theatre discounts, lost ticket insurance and free, unlimited exchanges. Individual ticket sales for the 2009-2010 Season begin August 10, 2009. For a season brochure or subscription information, call 978.654.4MRT (4678), or visit www.MerrimackRep.org.
TICKETS: Single tickets for Merrimack Rep’s 2009-2010 season go on sale August 10. Single Tickets $26-$56; Student/Senior/Group discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased at MRT’s Online Box Office at www.merrimackrep.org, or in person at 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, or by calling 978.654.4MRT (4678). Groups of 6 or more save 25% off single ticket prices, and can call 978.654.7595 for more information.
For more information, bios, interviews, or photos, please contact Dan Berube at 978.654.7595 or berube@merrimackrep.org.
For MRT show times, tickets, season information, directions, or to request a brochure, please visit www.merrimackrep.org or call the Box Office at 978.654.4MRT (4678).
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, Merrimack Rep presents an eclectic mix of contemporary productions, engaging the best available actors, designers and directors in the country. Founded in 1979, Merrimack Rep’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.” Its unique artistic vision is shaped by a passion for excellence and a profound commitment to its community. Merrimack Rep strives to enhance the community’s quality of 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 2009-2010 Season
Flings & Eros by The Flying Karamazov Brothers, September 10 – October 4, 2009; The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, October 15 – November 8, 2009; Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras, adapted by Tom Stoppard, November 19 – December 13, 2009; Fabuloso, A Play by John Kolvenbach, January 7 – January 31, 2010; Black Pearl Sings! by Frank Higgins, February 11 – March 7, 2010; A World Premiere New Comedy by Richard Dresser, March 18 – April 11, 2010; The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett, April 22 – May 16, 2010.
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