RED HOT PATRIOT Deemed Success By Philadelphia Theatre Company

Philadelphia Theatre Company's (PTC) world premiere production of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit Of Molly Ivins by Allison Engel and Margaret Engel starring Kathleen Turner shattered all PTC box office records in ticket sales. Performing to unanimous raves from critics and patrons alike, the production played to five-and-a-half weeks of houses at over 95% capacity. Previous top selling hits at PTC are Grey Gardens (spring, 2009) and The Happiness Lecture (spring, 2008), written and performed by Bill Irwin, which PTC commissioned.

"We are thrilled at the response this new play has generated. It demonstrates that our audiences are happy to join in the exciting process of supporting new work," said PTC's Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik. She added, "It had also been quite gratifying to celebrate the life of the extraordinary and dearly-missed Molly Ivins. Kathleen Turner brilliantly channeled her at every performance under David Esbjornson's imaginative direction. It has been a charmed experience for us."

"During the run of Red Hot Patriot PTC became a tourist destination as audience members traveled to Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts from all over the country, including Dallas, Austin, Des Moines, Portland, and San Francisco, just to see this production. National journalists, local branches of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood came to Philadelphia to enjoy the play and be part of the buzz generated around Red Hot Patriot," continued PTC Managing Director Diane Claussen.
In Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, Kathleen Turner portrayed the unsinkable Molly Ivins, the famously brassy newspaper columnist and best-selling author. A true Texas original, Ivins was a sharp-tongued wit who skewered the political establishment and the "good ol' boys" with her unforgettable humor and wisdom. Written by twin sisters, themselves longtime journalists, the play celebrates Ivins' courage and tenacity - even when it seemed like a complacent America wasn't listening.

Founded in 1974, Philadelphia Theatre Company is a leading regional theater company whose mission today is to produce, develop and present entertaining and imaginative contemporary theater focused on the American experience that both ignites the intellect and touches the soul. By developing new work through commissions, readings and workshops-alone or in collaboration with others-PTC generates projects that have a national impact and reach broad regional audiences. Prior to Red Hot Patriot, the Company's world premiere production of Golden Age by Terrence McNally transferred to The Kennedy Center in D.C., as part of the Terrence McNally's Nights at the Opera Festival.

Sara Garonzik has been PTC's Producing Artistic Director since 1982, and Diane Claussen became its Managing Director in 2007. Under their leadership, PTC supports the work of a growing body of diverse dramatists and takes pride in being a home to scores of nationally recognized artists who have participated in more than 130 world and Philadelphia premieres. In October 2007, PTC moved into a home of its own, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre On Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts, solidifying the Company's status as a major player on the American theater scene.

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