Theater Works Presents DIVIDING THE ESTATE

Theater Works is proud to produce Horton Foote's masterwork DIVIDING THE ESTATE a must see for discriminating theatergoers. Nominated for two 2009 Tony Awards, this play is a human comedy about a family that must confront its past as it prepares for its future. Matriarch Stella Gordon is determined not to divide her 100 year old Texas estate, despite her family's declining wealth and the looming financial crisis. But her three children have another plan. Old resentments and sibling rivalries surface, as the members of this hilariously dysfunctional family go head to head to see who might claim the biggest piece of the pie. Performing on the Mary Jane Gyder Stage from April 29th - May 15th, "DIVIDING THE ESTATE goes for laughs and succeeds, and at the same time comments on more sweeping notions of avarice, entitlement and carpet bagging karma." NY Daily News.

Theater Works is also offering an Opening Night Group Ticket Special. When a group of 7 or more attend the April 29th performance group tickets are only $19 / person! Opening night will include a reception following the show catered by Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar of Peoria. Please call the Box Office to purchase your group ticket today!

Texas playwright Horton Foote has delighted us with dozens of classic plays (The Trip to Bountiful) and films (To Kill a Mockingbird, Tender Mercies). DIVDING THE ESTATE is a richly drawn character study of a multi-generational Texas family during the 1980s oil bust. A hit on Broadway, this play is a clear-eyed, witty portrayal of a family slow to surrender its sense of entitlement-and quick to start a feeding frenzy when the matriarch passes on.

DIVIDING THE ESTATE is directed by Daniel Schay and features Jacqueline Gaston as Stella, the family matriarch. Daniel Schay is an arts administrator, producer, and stage director with over thirty years experience in the field. He directed the World Premiere of Dale Wasserman's play, PREMIERE!, for Theater Works. Dan has also directed 11 plays for Phoenix Theatre's New Works Festival (one (almost) every season since it's founding), including last summer's acclaimed workshop of the late Mr. Wasserman's Burning In The Night. Jacqueline has performed in over 230 shows in the Valley including The Lion in Winter, Driving Miss Daisy, On Golden Pond, and The Dresser at Theater Works.

"Horton Foote's DIVIDING THE ESTATE-about a rapacious Southern family tangling over finances-contains echoes of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Little Foxes, but its elegiac tone and rich humor clearly reflect the spirit of its playwright." -NY Post.

"DIVIDING THE ESTATE will draw you into its drawing room and the shadows beyond with the theatrical equivalent of a page-turner, capturing your undivided attention as you hang on its teasing turmoil in guiltlessly glad complicity." -Bloomberg.com.

Tickets are now on sale both online at theaterworks.org and at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily and may be reached at 623-815-7930. DIVIDING THE ESTATE runs April 29th - May 15th with performances Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. There is also a special matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11th. Tickets are only $33.00 / adult and $23.00 / student (prices include service and processing fees). Theater Works is located in the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts (the theater with the copper roof) at 8355 W Peoria Avenue, Peoria.