Tickets available 1/5/2010 For Audra McDonald/Will Swenson performance At Hale Center Theater Orem

On January 5, 2010, at 10 AM, tickets go on sale for sixteen performances this summer where four-time Tony Award winning actress Audra McDonald will reprise her Tony Award nominated role as Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade. She will be joined by Tony Award nominee Will Swenson (playing Bill Starbuck) on a 320 square-foot stage at the 300 seat theater-in-the-round Hale Center Theater Orem (HCTO) in Orem, UT. The two know each other from the show's 2007 Broadway revival in which they both performed.

Only 2010 HCTO Season Ticket holders and those who have donated $1,000 or more to the theater will be able to purchase tickets on that date in person or over the phone. Tickets will be available to Orem residents in person or over the phone on January 11 and Utah residents on January 14. Online and general public ticket sales to the event begin January 19 at 10:00 AM. Ticket prices range from $99 to $149 for the event. A limited number of VIP packages will also be available.

Word has spread rapidly about the event, with McDonald fans from Georgia, New York, and Scotland calling the theater for information. Some have bought Season Tickets for the sole purpose of being able to have first access to the performance.

The event is the first of its kind in Orem, and in Utah. It is also a fundraiser for the nonprofit Hale Center Foundation for the Arts and Education. Neither McDonald nor Swenson will accept any compensation for their talents. Swenson's brother and his wife, Cody and Anne, along with his uncle and his wife, Cody and Linda, are the Managing Directors of Hale Center Theater Orem, est. 1990.
Says McDonald of the event, "I got talking with Will and we just said, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could figure out a way to help support Cody's theater?' Then we thought maybe we could sneak out, do a limited run and have some fun. ... Once I got to know about their organization, it reminded me so much about the theater I grew up in in California. So it will feel like going back to my roots in a way."

The first performance is June 28 and the limited engagement will run through July 10 with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday, no show on Sunday. With only 4848 seats available for the entire run, it is expected to sell out quickly.

Photo credit: Walter McBride