BOTANIC GARDEN Coming to Ware Center

Todd Logan's highly acclaimed and emotionally poignant stage play Botanic Garden will be performed at the Ware Center on Friday, February 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. The play, starring real-life married partners Carmen Roman as Kate and James Leaming as her deceased husband Jake, offers a funny and refreshingly unsentimental look at love and loss, questioning our collective belief that "moving on" is the best medicine. Roman and Leaming are acclaimed actors both on-stage and on-camera, appearing in shows such as "Law and Order" and "Prison Break." The Ware Center is located at 42 N. Prince Street, Lancaster.

Botanic Garden premiered in February 2008 at the Victory Garden Theater in Chicago, directed by Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis. After a successful run, this much-loved theater piece for two actors is touring North America.

The play is "first and foremost a love story, one that continues even after Jake has died," says playwright Todd Logan. The play begins with Kate dreading her first date as a widow, and the only person who can help her resolve this situation is Jake, to whom she was married for more than 25 years. Kate's memories of her marriage -- some filled with laughter and passion, others ridden with frustration -- surround her as she reevaluates her choices in this new chapter in her life.

"Botanic Garden is an inventively constructed portrait of an imperfect marriage between people who always loved each other, even when they didn't get along," says one critic from the Daily Herald. "Scenes ... will ring familiar to anyone married a long time."

Carmen Roman and James Leaming will lead a post-show discussion immediately following the performance, allowing the audience a chance to both share their own life experiences -- not just loss, but love and relationships in general -- and discuss these with the actors who have been a couple for 29 years in real life.

Carmen Roman has performed on stages throughout the country, including Classic Stage Company in New York, Hartford Stage Company in Connecticut, and several venues in Chicago. She has received numerous awards and nominations for her stage performances. Roman has acted in several TV series as well, including "Boss," "Betrayal," and "Law and Order."

James Leaming has performed for Syracuse Stage in New York, Steppenwolf Theatre Company and The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and the Writers' Theatre in Glencoe, IL, among others. His on-camera credits include the hit TV show "Prison Break" and "Early Edition." Leaming is also a founding member of the American Blues Theater Company in Chicago, now in establishment for over 30 years.

Open captioning is available for this performance; please indicate need for this service at the time of purchasing tickets through the box office at least two weeks in advance of the performance. Relay calls welcome. Please contact barry.kornhauser@millersville.edu with any questions.

Tickets are Adults $18 | Seniors $15 | Students $5. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting ArtsMU.com or by calling 717-871-7600. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Ticket Office located in the Student Memorial Center on Millersville's campus, or the Ware Center, located at 42 N. Prince Street, in Lancaster. Doors open one hour before each show for ticket sales, subject to availability.

The Millersville University Visual and Performing Arts Season is made possible by support from Season Platinum Partner Rodgers & Associates and Gold Season Sponsors Aussie and the Fox and Hagelgans & Veronis, and Silver Season Sponsors Clipper Magazine, The Hotel Lancaster, 12:34 MicroTechnologies, and Weber Advertising. First Friday Music Stage is sponsored by Fine Living Lancaster. This season's Luminary Donors include Ann Barshinger, John & Susan Garofola, Mary Burton & Laurent Horne, Linda Holman Marcks, William McIlwaine, Peggy Neff, Mary Kearns & Jon Walker, and Paul & Judy Ware.