Rover Dramawerks to Record PREMIERE! for the Dale Wasserman Foundation

Rover Dramawerks' current production of Premiere! was honored with the attendance this past weekend of Martha Nelly Wasserman, playwright Dale Wasserman's widow. Rover's production is only the fourth that the play has had, and Mrs. Wasserman enjoyed the performance so much that she has requested Rover to videotape their production so that she can use it for marketing purposes. As she told director Jason Rice, "The set is right, the costumes are beautiful - this is how it should be done."

Mrs. Wasserman plans to use the video when in discussions with other theatres who are considering producing the show, and she isn't ruling out television broadcasts. One of the video's first uses may be to help with an ambitious translation into Japanese that is already underway.

Rover Dramawerks has engaged TetraMedia of Plano to produce. "TetraMedia was the logical choice, being a Plano-based company with experience in multi-camera and live events," says Mr. Rice. They will be taping during the live performances on Friday and Saturday nights, November 13 and 14. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. and tickets are still available at www.roverdramawerks.com.

There are six shows remaining for Premiere! - in addition to the performances being recorded this weekend on Friday and Saturday nights, there are shows on Thursday, November 12, as well as Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, November 19-21, all at 8:00 p.m. at the Cox Building Playhouse, 1517 H Avenue in Plano (next to the Courtyard Theater).

Playwright Dale Wasserman is best known for Man of La Mancha and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Premiere! was his last play before his death this past December and was named Best Original Play at the 2009 AriZoni Awards in September.

Gil is the comedic playwright of his day, doomed to hit after hit when all he wants is to be taken seriously, darkly, academically. Like...dare he say it? The Bard. A hilarious series of events - involving a visiting British Shakespearean expert and a shrewd forger named Lefty Guggenheim - leads to the discovery of a "new" long lost tragedy by William Shakespeare. When does a forgery become art itself? Is truth absolute or a function of aspiration, democracy, and marketing? Rover is pleased to present the Regional Premiere of this intelligent comedy.

The ensemble cast includes Kelly Moore Clarkson, Matthew J. Edwards, Rich Hancock, Mike Hathaway, Howard Korn, and Elfriede Russell.

Jason Rice directs, with Sonya Jones as Assistant Director/Stage Manager. Kelly Williams is set designer, Carol M. Rice is costume designer, and Katherine J. Kramer is properties designer. Jeff Mabray is lighting designer, with Michael Rathbun as sound designer.

Tickets for Premiere! are $15.00 on Thursdays and matinees and $18.00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Premiere! is the first show in Rover Dramawerks' 10th Anniversary Season - A Year of Premieres. Tickets may be ordered online at www.roverdramawerks.com, and season tickets are also available.

Show sponsors include the Dale Wasserman Foundation and Las Brisas Properties. Season sponsors include the City of Plano, Plano Arts and Cultural Endowment, and Texas Commission on the Arts. For more information, please call 972-849-0358 or visit www.roverdramawerks.com.