F.U.D.G.E. Opens AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN, Jan 25

The F.U.D.G.E. (FRIENDS UNITED DEVELOPING GENUINE ENTERTAINMENT) Theatre Company will present their 12th Anniversary Season's production of "AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN," "Douglas Carter Beane's Award-winning comedy about deception, fraud, embezzlement, sexual politics, elusive fame, amoral women, sitting-duck men and revenge, which will open on Friday, January 25 at The Factory Theatre (791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA – between Camden Street and Northampton Street) where it will play through Sunday, January 27.

Joey DeMita (F.U.D.G.E.'s Founding Artistic Director) will direct this now infamous comedy about a con-woman named Alexa Vere de Vere who preys on the almost-famous, promising to fulfill their wildest dreams of success to be played out on the world's media-lit stage.

She leaves her victims in the dust, holding their maxed-out credit cards in disbelief as they stand in line at their local banks trying desperately to convince the branch managers that their accounts couldn't possibly be empty.

Alexa is beautiful, exotic, enchanting and seductive. Her vocabulary is intoxicating. She seems to speak a language only the celebrity-starved can hear. She used to be called Brenda Gelb. But that was a long time and at fifty victims ago. Her latest "mark" is first-time author Evan Wyler who used to be called Eric Wollenstein. She hunts him down, dazzles him, strips him financially bare and pretty much leaves him for dead. But he's not dead. He's very much alive and fuelled by an unquenchable desire for REVENGE. In Act II, he gets it !

"AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN" originally opened in early June of 1997, Off-Off Broadway at The Greenwich House to rave reviews which propelled it to a glittering Off-Broadway Premiere seven weeks later on July 24th at the Lucille Lortel Theatre where it ran for 366 performances through July 7, 1998. For his efforts, author Douglas Carter Beane was awarded the Outer Critics Circle's prestigious John Gassner Playwriting Award. The play's star, J. Smith-Cameron, won the OBIE Award for Best Actress in a Play.

THE F.U.D.G.E. CAST
Linda Goetz - ALEXA VERE DE VERE
Ryan MacPherson - EVAN WYLER
Anthony DiBartolomeo - PHOTOGRAPHER, SWEN, ROYALTON CLERK, KADEN -
Frank Consolo - RONALD, SKUNK, MIKE
Milourdes Augustin - AMBER, BACKUP SINGER, SECRETARY, BETHANY, GINNY, A SECOND MUSE
Julia Bailey - WAITER, BACKUP SINGER, CARLA, NEWSSTAND WOMAN, DENISE, ILLYA, A MUSE

THE CREATIVE TEAM
Directed by Joey DeMita, "AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN" is being designed by Michael Clark Wonson (Lighting), Mr. DeMita (Scenery) and Emily Monroe (Props). Miss Monroe and Julia Murray are the production's Stage Managers.

THE PLAYING SCHEDULE
Friday, January 25 at 8:00pm (PRESS OPENING)
Saturday, January 26 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm
Sunday, January 27 at 2:00pm

The Box Office opens 45 minutes prior to each show. Tickets are $26 for Adults and $21 for Students/Seniors. For reservations, call 617-945-0773 or visit www.fudgetheatre.com.

The Factory Theatre is located at 791 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass. (between Camden Street and Northampton Street).

LINDA GOETZ returns to The F.U.D.G.E. Theatre Company after appearing in three previous productions including the critically acclaimed and IRNE Award nominated Spring Awakening. Miss Goetz' other credits include Karen in Dinner with Friends (Concord Players), for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination, Chelsea in On Golden Pond (Marblehead Little Theatre), Gertrude in The Underpants (Arlington Friends of the Drama), Pat in Breaking the Code (Quannapowitt Players), Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa, Miss Fischer in A Piccaso, Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show, Polonius in Ganymede Arts' all-female production of Hamlet and Dolly Levi in The Footlight Club's Hello Dolly for which she won The DASH Award for Best Actress. Miss Goetz has also received critical acclaim for her appearances in A Comedy of Errors (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), The Rimers of Eldritch (Stoneham Theatre) and It's A Wonderful Life (Stoneham Theatre). She has toured nationally in A Christmas Carol (Nebraska Theatre Caravan) and Rip Van Winkle (New England Theatre Guild) and has been featured in the summer stock productions of Noises Off and On Golden Pond at Leatherstocking Theatre Company as well as several staged readings at the Glimmerglass Opera Company in Cooperstown, NY. Her upcoming appearances will include the Salem Theatre Company's production of A Delicate Balance and the PBS Docudrama "Our Founding Fathers" in which she portrays AbiGail Adams. She will also be in Williamsburg, Virginia this summer to portray Martha Jefferson in Thomas and Martha. Linda has just completed writing, directing and filming the Web Series "Brillig" which is based on Alice in Wonderland and is described as "Doctor Who" meets "Downton Abby." (www.brilligwebseries.weebly.com) One of her favorite roles is, of course, being mom to her ten-year-old son who continues to inspire her in the arts and in every other endeavor. Linda is also a volunteer at Lucky Horse Equine Rescue, which rescues and rehabilitates horses in need of new homes or rescue. (www.luckyhorse.org)

Joey DeMita (Director/Choreographer) is one of the founders of The F.U.D.G.E Theatre Company, Inc. Directing credits include Jake's Women (Stonehill Theatre Company), Company (Winthrop Playmakers), and the over twenty F.U.D.G.E. productions, including the premieres of I Sing!, I Love You Because, Half-Married (World Premiere), bare, Nevermore, Glory Days (IRNE Nomination: Best Director, Best Musical) and The Glorious Ones. Other notable directing credits with F.U.D.G.E. include Carousel (IRNE Nomination: Best Chorography) and Spring Awakening (IRNE Nomination: Best Director, Best Musical). Joey has also served as the directing intern to Rob Ruggiero at TheatreWorks Hartford on productions of The Exonerated (featuring TV/Film star Kim Fields) and the world premiere musical Ella: Off the Record (starring Broadway's Tina Fabrique). In the Boston area, Joey served as the assistant director to Adam Zahler on the Lyric Stage's production of Talley's Folly. It is Joey's belief that any show can fit in any space, and he always looks forward to bringing un-expected shows to the intimate Black Box space at the Arsenal Center. Joey spent his summer teaching theatre to children through the Community Music Center of Boston and the Reagle Theatre Summer camp. During the year, Joey teaches elementary school music/drama and works with the 5th and 6th grade Extended Day program at the Runkle School in Brookline. Mr. DeMita most recently received across-the-board critical acclaim for his production of PARADE at The Arsenal Center for the Arts.