BURNING IN THE NIGHT Set for Mesa Arts Center, 2/6-8

Mesa Arts Center Foundation will present the East Valley premier of Burning in the Night: A Hobo's Song, a play based on the memoir by the late Dale Wasserman, the award-winning playwright best known for Man of La Mancha and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Tickets for performances on Feb. 6, 7 and 8 in the Nesbitt/Elliot Playhouse are available at mesaartscenter.com or by calling 480-644-6500.

The play recounts Wasserman's early experiences when, orphaned and homeless, he took to riding the rails, lured by dreams of independence. Burning in the Night playwright Richard Warren was a personal friend of Wasserman's, is co-founder of Phoenix Theatre's New Works Festival and has published eleven plays.

The special opening night performance will raise funds for Mesa Arts Center's Spoken Word outreach program, which teaches public speaking skills and self-expression to junior high and high school students throughout the Valley. Tickets for the opening night fundraiser on Feb. 6 are $75, and purchase includes a post-show dessert reception with the cast and special guests Martha Wasserman and Richard Warren. Tickets to the performances on Feb. 7 and 8 are $32.

Burning in the Night is produced and directed by Dan Schay, managing director at Theatre Works/Peoria Center for the Arts. The live performance features an extensive score of American folk songs performed by Jam Pak Blues 'N' Grass Neighborhood Band, a recipient of the 2014 Governor's Arts Award.

Mesa Arts Center is located at One East Main Street in downtown Mesa.