Detroit Rep to Present ENDANGERED SPECIES, 5/29-6/22

The World Premiere comedy ENDANGERED SPECIES by Tom Baum, a play about a professor facing his worst nightmare - a student who takes his teachings seriously, will have its Champagne Opening on Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 8:30 PM at the Detroit Repertory Theatre. The playwright will be flying in to see the Premiere of his play. All are invited to meet the playwright, and after the performance, join in a Champagne toast with the playwright, cast and crew in the elegant lobby gallery of Michigan's oldest professional, Union theatre in the heart of Detroit.

Tickets remain the lowest price for professional theatre in the region at $17 per ticket in advance or $20 day of performance. Complimentary Champagne is included with Opening Night tickets. Call the Box Office at (313) 868-1347 for reservations or visit detroitreptheatre.com for more information.

Victoria Army and Wayne David Parker in ENDANGERED SPECIES Leon is a philosophy professor. His wife is an animal research scientist pushing him to write his memoirs and looking for an assistant to help him. When a young woman with vegetarian convictions and compromised virtue arrives, followed by a young man with a cause and on a mission, mishaps, subterfuge, duplicity and mayhem reign supreme. Add in 40 pound rabbits and chaos ensues.

Tom Baum, Playwright, Novelist, Screenwriter, has written extensively for movies and television. He has written a number of novels and has had numerous plays produced. The Repertory production of his comedy, Endangered Species, is a World Premiere.

Harry Wetzel, Detroit Rep resident designer and director, will stage Endangered Species. Over the years Mr. Wetzel has directed many successful productions at the Rep but he is best known for his love of offbeat comedy. Recently, he directed the acclaimed throw-back farce, Paradise of Fools, and the delightful grave yard mind-tickler, Dead and Buried. Rep audiences can count on another comical romp with Endangered Species.

His cast for the new play features Wayne David Parker as the wily college professor. Mr. Parker will make his first appearance on the Repertory stage, however, he has been captivating theatre audiences around the Detroit Area for some thirty years, especially at the Purple Rose Theatre. Janee' Ann Smith returns to the Rep stage as the philosopher's wife after her sensational performance as a young girl in My Occasion of Sin. Aaron Kottke returns to the Rep stage in Endangered Species as the zealous young man with an over developed cause and a grandiose mission. He was seen as the bumbling orderly in the first play of the season A Facility for Living. Finally, Victoria Army makes her Detroit Rep stage debut as a young lady with vegetarian convictions and questionable virtue. Ms. Army studied in the Detroit Repertory Acting Workshop.

Endangered Species opens May 29 and runs every Thursday through Sunday until June 22, 2014.

All tickets, fundraisers, Bargain Booklets, and Subscriptions remain the most affordable prices for not-for-profit professional theatre in the Region. General admission is $17 in advance and $20 the day of performance. The Rep's "Anytime, Multi-Use" Gold Double Subscription for two is the unmatched price of $100 and a Silver Single Subscription is $50. 10-ticket Bargain Booklets, Regular and Matinee are $110 and $100 respectively and make great mini-fundraisers.

For tickets, bookings and information call or visit the Rep Box office, 313*868*1347. Tickets can be purchased by phone using Visa or Master Card. There is no surcharge. Curtain Times: 8:30 PM Thursdays and Fridays 3 PM & 8:30 PM Saturdays 2 PM & 7:30 PM Sundays

About the Detroit Repertory Theatre: The oldest professional (Union) non-profit theatre in the State of Michigan, the Detroit Repertory Theatre's mission is guided by the belief that the sense of community is stronger than the forces that splinter and that efforts to preserve unity deserve the same attention and support as the justly cultivated efforts to retain diversity. The implicit goal in all the theatre's efforts is to produce the best possible professional theatre while fostering cultural democratization of the arts, and fighting by example, the disturbing level of racism that still exists. Detroit Repertory Theatre is located in the geographical heart of the city at 13103 Woodrow Wilson, Detroit, MI 48238 Parking is Attended, Lighted, Fenced-In and Free. Call (313) 868-1347 or visit www.detroitreptheatre.com for more information.

Pictured: Victoria Army and Wayne David Parker in ENDANGERED SPECIES. Photo by Bruce Millan.

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