Mauckingbird Theatre Company Presents [title of show], 1/12-30

Mauckingbird Theatre Company's fourth season kicks off with the regional premiere of [title of show], the company's first ever musical production. Hailed by The New York Times as, "delectable entertainment ... a postmodern homage to the grand tradition of backstage musicals," the hit Broadway musical is a quirky comedy about creative expression and taking risks. Directed by Mauckingbird Artistic Director Peter Reynolds, [title of show] will feature a cast of four Philadelphia actors with musical direction by Barrymore Award-winner Mat Wright.

[title of show] runs from January 12 - 30, 2011 (opening night is Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m.) at the newly renovated UPstairs stage at The Adrienne Theatre, located at 2030 Sansom Street in Philadelphia. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students and are available by calling the Mauckingbird Theatre Company box office at (215) 923-8909 or online at www.mauckingbird.org.

With the New York Musical Theatre Festival deadline just around the corner, struggling writers Hunter and Jeff decide to take the plunge and write an original musical in just three weeks time. The two soon discover that their conversation about what to write about is more interesting than anything else they have on the backburner. With the help of songstresses Susan and Heidi (and Larry on keys), the hilarious [title of show] quickly becomes a production about its own creation as two guys and their friends write a musical about writing a musical destined for Broadway and starring themselves!

The cast includes Michael Philip O'Brien as Hunter, Ben Dibble as his writing partner Jeff, Kate Brennan as Susan, and Kim Carson as Heidi, with Musical Director Mat Wright as the pianist Larry.

"Mauckingbird was founded with the mission of producing gay-themed professional theatre," says Peter Reynolds, Artistic Director of Mauckingbird Theater Company. "Our first productions have included reimagining's of classic texts through a queer lens, but it's always been part of our original mission to explore musical genres," added Reynolds, who also serves as the Head of Musical Theater for the Department of Theater at Temple University.

"Though the two main characters are gay, [title of show] isn't so much about homosexuality or the politics of being gay. This is a play about what it means to be a working artist. It just happens that Hunter and Jeff are gay, and that's what I really love about the play," continued Reynolds.

ABOUT THE CAST

The [title of show] cast of four actors from Philadelphia's thriving theatre community includes several Barrymore Award-winners and nominees.

Michael Philip O'Brien (Hunter) is an actor and co-Founder of the Philadelphia-based 11th Hour Theatre Company. He is a two-time Barrymore Award nominee and 2009 winner of the Barrymore for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical for 11th Hour's production of Avenue X. Regional credits include performances with the Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre Co., Bristol Riverside Theatre, The Prince Music Theater, Act II Playhouse and more.

Ben Dibble (Jeff) has been seen on numerous Philadelphia stages from productions at the Arden Theatre Co. to the Walnut Street Theatre. His is a recipient of the prestigious F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist, presented by the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

"I am excited to play a character that seems to have little to no filter," says Kate Brennan, who will play the role of Susan in [title of show]. "Susan is wild, zany, and extremely comedic, and those roles don't come around that often."

A Philadelphia native, Kate Brennan has worked with the Arden Theatre Co., Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Workshop, Pig Iron Theatre Co., and New Paradise Laboratories, among others. She is the co-Artistic Director of BCKSEET Productions. Recent credits include Janis Ian in Between the Lines (BCKSEET), Harper in Angels in America Parts I & II (BCKSEET), and Zoe Ex in Fatebook (New Paradise Laboratories), among others. A theatre educator, Brennan is currently on faculty with Rosemont College, Merion Mercy Academy and Montgomery County Community College.

Kim Carson (Heidi) is a five-time Barrymore Award nominee and 2008 winner of the Barrymore for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Yitzhak in Azuka Theatre Company's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. An actress and teaching artist, Carson has worked with numerous Philadelphia theatre companies including the Arden Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Peoples Light and Theatre Co., 11th Hour Theatre Co., and the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, among others.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM

The [title of show] production team includes lighting design by Jessica Wallace and set design by Kyle Melton. Wallace and Melton are both third year MFA Design candidates at Temple University, where they recently worked with director Peter Reynolds on Temple Theaters' Sweeny Todd.

Peter Reynolds is the Artistic Director of Mauckingbird Theatre Company. He currently serves as the Head of Musical Theater for the Department of Theater at Temple University. In Philadelphia, he has worked at Media Theatre, Act II Playhouse, Walnut Street Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, Villanova Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, and the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. Reynolds spent 6 years as Artistic Director of the award-winning HealthWorks Theatre in Chicago and has also worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Building Chicago, Apollo Theatre Chicago, St. Louis' HotCity Theatre, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, and Maples Repertory.

Musical Director Mat Wright, who appears on stage as the pianist Larry, is a Barrymore Award-winner for Musical Direction for his work on Mum Puppettheater's The Fantasticks.

Choreographer Brandon McShaffrey, a founding member of Mauckingbird Theatre Company, originally hails from Chicago. He has choreographed productions of Meet Me in St. Louis, Some Enchanted Evening, Into the Woods, The Fantasticks and Grand Hotel. Regional credits include Mauckingbird Theatre Company's The Threshing Floor (Director) and Temple University Theater Productions Shot! (World Premiere, Assistant Director, Director of Movement), and Sweeney Todd, Rent, Ragtime and Into the Woods (Choreographer). Additional local credits: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Drexel University, Director and Choreographer); Metamorphoses (Villanova University, Director of Movement); and Hedgerow Theatre's Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, A Little Princess, and Charlottes Web (Director, Choreographer). McShaffrey is currently pursuing his MFA in Directing at Temple University.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS

Jeff Bowen (Music and Lyrics) wrote the music and lyrics for and starred in the Broadway musical [title of show] for which he won an Obie Award, as well as a GLAAD Media nomination and, along with his cast mates, a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Performance by an Ensemble. He was awarded the Jim Owles Human Rights Award and was named one of the 100 most influential people in OUT MAGAZINE. As an actor he has performed works at The O'Neill Center, manhattan theatre source, Ars Nova, the Vineyard Theatre and appeared in the Actors Fund benefit of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the August Wilson. He co-wrote and starred in the web series, the [title of show] show as well as scoring and performing its theme song. He is currently developing a half-hour sitcom for ABC.

Hunter Bell (Book) earned an OBIE Award, a GLAAD Media nomination, a Drama League nomination, a Jim Owles Human Rights Award, and a 2009 Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical all for [title of show]. Other credits include the book for Silence! The Musical, the book for the 137th edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, Bellobration!, and the book for Villains Tonight! for Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment/Disney Cruise Lines. A finalist in the Warner Brothers Comedy Writers' Workshop, Hunter has written numerous spec scripts, pilots, and industrial films, and developed new works at the Dramatists Guild, the O'Neill Center, Irish Rep, PS 122, Goodspeed/Chester, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Neighborhood Playhouse, CanStage, and the Manhattan Theatre Source, and is currently in development with ABC television creating a new half-hour sitcom. As an actor, he has performed both on and off Broadway, at the St. Louis Rep, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, the North Shore Music Theatre, The MUNY, Dallas Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, Vineyard Theatre, Stages St. Louis, ALLIANCE THEATRE, Carnegie Hall, York Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse, and the Paper Mill Playhouse. TV credits include Guiding Light, Disney's Out of the Box, and Great Performances on PBS. Film credits include Goodbye Baby, and Men Who Stare at Goats.

ABOUT MAUCKINGBIRD THEATRE COMPANY

Founded by Artistic Director Peter Reynolds and Managing Director Lindsay Mauck, Mauckingbird Theatre Company is committed to producing professional gay-themed theatre, while also exploring classic literature and musical genres and providing affordable productions of infrequently produced works. Past productions include the critically acclaimed all-male versions of Shakespeare's R & J (2008) and The Misanthrope (2008), the lesbian adaptation of Hedda Gabler (2009), the dark crime drama Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story (2009), TRU and The Threshing Floor (2010), a repertory of two one-man shows about influential gay writers Truman Capote and James Baldwin, and an original modern interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream (2010). Mauckingbird Theatre Company is a proud member of the Off-Broad Street Consortium of Independent Theatres.

FACT SHEET
Dates: January 12 - 30, 2011
*Opening night is Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Presented by: Mauckingbird Theatre Company

Location: UPstairs at The Adrienne Theatre
2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Prices: $25 Adults, $20 Seniors, $15 Students

Mauckingbird Box Office: (215) 923-8909
*Please do not publish the phone number for The Adrienne Theatre. All ticket reservations and questions about Mauckingbird must be directed to (215) 923-8909.*

Web: www.mauckingbird.org

Performances

Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Preview
Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night
Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 23 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 30 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.