Lorraine Hansberry Theatre to Present Waitin' 2 End Hell Feb. 14 - March 1 at PG&E Auditorium

Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT) presents the Northern California premiere of William A. Parker's uproarious comedy/drama, Waitin' 2 End Hell, running from February 14 through March 1, 2009 (previews Feb. 12& 13) at PG&E Auditorium, 77 Beale Street, San Francisco.
Buddy Butler, who has had a long relationship with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, will direct Waitin' 2 End Hell.

For the company's 1985 season, Butler directed his play In the House of the Blues, to an enthusiastic response from both media & audiences and in 2003 he directed LHT's The Dance on Widows Row, featuring The Love Boat's Ted Lange, which also met with great success.

Sacramento playwright, William a. Parker, wrote Waitin' 2 End Hell, in response to Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale. Exploring the both hilarious and tragic shifting dynamics in a contemporary marriage, the story begins when a group of friends gather to celebrate Dante and Diane Jones's twentieth anniversary where cracks are beginning to show in this long lasting union.

Dante Jones will be portrayed by Alex Morris who was featured last season in LHT's production of August Wilson's Fences directed by Stanley E. Williams, LHT's Artistic Director.

In Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan examined men's foibles from the female perspective. In a era where women are filing for divorce at a rate of 2 to 1 in America, Parker examines the analogous male point of view and ask some tough questions: What is it that women want? How does divorce affect the welfare of America's future, our children? Is this the end of the nuclear family?

Waitin' 2 End Hell tells the story of Dante Jones, a handsome and intelligent parole officer who loves his wife and children. He comes from the tradition of strong, marriage unions and still believes that there are certain roles that men and women should play in the household. Despite the difficulty of marriage, Dante wants to keep his family together, a position traditionally held by women. Diane Jones is a woman who seeks divorce, and is willing to take her earnings, drop stakes and build a new life apart from her husband of 20 years. She is a powerful advertising executive, who loves her husband and children but has experienced the tragedy of divorce and abandonment by her father as a child, and now finds it hard to trust in men and the institution of long term marriage... preferring the lease/option approach.

Waitin' 2 End Hell will run Thursdays-Sundays February 12-March 1 at the PG&E Auditorium at 77 Beale Street (at Market - near Embarcadero BART) in San Francisco (Previews: Thursday, February 12 & Friday February 12). Performances are at 8 PM with 2 PM 1/2 price ($18) Target matinees on Sundays. Tickets are $20-36 and available at our Box Office 415 474-8800, Tickets are available online WWW.LHTSF.ORG

Alex Morris (Dante) Born in Chicago, Illinois, Alex's career has spanned over 25 years. He has performed on stages all over the world, and is a familiar face on the small and large screen. His many stage credits include the entire August Wilson canon. He won acclaim as Doub, in Jitney, winning the prestigious Ovation Award in Los Angeles for his work.

Most recently he appeared as Doaker in The Piano Lesson, which he produced with his wife Vanessa Paul under their own 444 Productions. He appeared as Troy in Fences at both The English Theater of Frankfurt Germany and at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and as Enobarbus in Anthony and Cleopatra with Vanessa Redgrave at The Public Theater. For seven years Alex was a member of The Alley Theater's Tony Award winning acting company. Alex has also directed and acted in numerous productions at the legendary Ensemble Theater in Houston, Texas. He is an original cast member of the iconic Diary of Black Men. Some of his many TV and screen credits include a 5-year stint as Trey on Malcolm in the Middle, My Name is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, Alias, Monk, Frazier; Powder, and Guess Who with Bernie Mac. He has appeared in well over 100 National and regional TV commercials.

For more information, ticket availability or to subscribe to the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre 2008-2009 season, call 415/474-8800 or visit the theatre's web site at www.LHTSF.org.