THE HAPPY COUPLE Opens 4/9 at The Overtime Theatre

In April 2010, the Overtime Theater will proudly present the world premiere production of The Happy Couple, a new drama by playwright James Venhaus.

As described by the playwright, The Happy Couple tells the story of a young lawyer and his wife returning to the house that they rented while he attended law school: "A lot has changed in ten years. Squatters now occupy the house and won't let the happy couple leave. By the time the sun comes up, no one's life will be the same."

James Venhaus is a San Antonio playwright whose works have been published and performed across the country. Matthew Byron Cassi will direct. Cassi recently directed Run for Your Wife at the Sheldon Vexler Theatre and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for the San Antonio Shakespeare Company at the Jump-StArt Theatre.

"Having The Overtime Theater produce the world premiere of The Happy Couple is the culmination of almost 10 years of development work on the script," Venhaus said.

An early draft of the play was given a staged reading in Dallas in 2002. Matthew Halteman, who played Billy in that first reading, will be making his San Antonio stage debut in the same role.

Auditions for the production were held in early March. The cast of The Happy Couple includes:

Mary Elizabeth: Courtney Coston

Michael: Tyler Keyes

Angel: Christie Beckham

Billy: Matthew Halteman

Eddie: E. J. Crowell

"Finally all of the stars have aligned for this play," Venhaus said. "Not only is the script finally ready for production, but the director, cast and crew are some of the best people I have ever worked with. I can't imagine doing this play with any other group."

Location: The Overtime Theater, in the Blue Star Complex, 1414 S. Alamo, #103, San Antonio, TX 78210.

Show Dates and Times: April 9 - May 1, 2010. 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays, with one 3 pm Sunday matinee on April 25.

Ticket Prices: $12 general admission, and $9 for teachers, students, seniors 65+, active military, and SATCO members.

Information & Reservations: www.theovertimetheater.net, info@theovertimetheater.net, and (210) 557-7562.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFO & OVERTIME THEATER HISTORY

James Venhaus is a playwright, actor, director and educator. His plays include the award winning one-acts The Temple of Dionysus and Inside the Loop, full-length plays The Happy Couple and Weird Sisters, 10-minute plays The First Christmas, Concourse 'E', Santa's Little Helper, Amy's Last Shift, and Three Kings, and plays for young audiences Romeo and Juliet at Verona High and The Top Hand of Lone Tree Ranch.

His work has been performed off-off Broadway at 13th Street Repertory Company, and in theatres across the country including Ground Zero Theater Company, Audacity Productions, and Junior Players (Dallas), SUNY Brockport (New York), Killing My Lobster (San Francisco) and Loyola University (New Orleans). He holds a B.F.A. in Theatre from Southwestern University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Austin College. He lives in San Antonio, Texas with his wife and daughters.

Matthew Byron Cassi is an acclaimed actor and director originally from the Seattle area. Most recently he directed Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at the Jump-Start Theater and Run for Your Wife at the Vexler Theater. Cassi has a degree in theater performance and enjoys being on stage almost as much as he enjoys directing. He directed a James Venhaus one-act scene earlier this year at the SATCO's TheaterASAP and looks forward to collaborating with such a brilliant local playwright again at the Overtime Theater.

About the Overtime Theater:

In business since 2006, the Overtime Theater was founded by John Poole, a San Antonio theater veteran who sought to create a theater "for people who don't usually go to theater" (San Antonio Express-News). The Overtime is dedicated to providing innovative and accessible entertainment at an affordable price. The shows are all new, original works, or new adaptations of old classics. The Overtime Theater specializes in world premieres of works never before seen on stage! In just three years, the Overtime has produced more than two dozen new shows.

In 2008 and 2009, the theater produced three original musicals: Sheer Bloody Lunacy!, Pirates Vs. Ninjas, and The Brain That Wouldn't Die: A New Musical. Other notable productions have included The Good Samaritan, Poet Faustus, Sob! Choke...LOVE!, Lear, What Will Happen, and most recently, the world premieres of Buddha Swings, Action Philosophers!, and The Hard Bargain. The Overtime Theater also collaborates with local visual artists and The Bent Easel Gallery, giving local artists a prominent space in which to display their works in the Blue Star Complex.

The Overtime Theater is making the transition from a for-profit, single-proprietorship business to non-profit status. This decision has been made to extend the Overtime's mission of "art for the people" to the greater community, including through planned, low-cost classes in acting, comedy improv skills, and art workshops by working professionals.

Photo of Playwright James Venhaus