American Stage Theatre Company Breaks Attendance Records for 2nd Time in One Season with TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

American Stage Theatre Company success at the box office continues, as it's recently closed production of TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE broke all attendance records for a single production in the theatre's 30 year history.

Selling 4,601 tickets, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE unseated American Stage's previous number one attended production, A TUNA CHRISTMAS (4,453), which was produced in December of the current season. The rest of the top five attended plays in American Stage's history are DINNER WITH FRIENDS (4,327), ANNA OF THE TROPICS (4,272) and MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS (4,240).

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is Jeffrey Hatcher's comic and moving dramatization of the story that was on the New York Times Best-Seller List for more than four years. It is the autobiographical story of celebrated journalist Mitch Albom (played by Chaz Mena), his former college professor Morrie Schwartz (played by Michael Edwards), and what happens when both are reunited for one of the last great classes on the meaning of life.

"It is so exciting to have two of the highest attended plays in our history happen in the same season," said Todd Olson, the theatre's producing artistic director. "Since the recession has been declared it seems like every week, somewhere in the country, another professional theatre has closed its doors. Somehow we are having the most successful season we have had in our three decades of existence. What a great way to celebrate our 30th anniversary season."

Currently onstage at American Stage is the Tampa Bay-area premiere of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning hit drama, DOUBT, as the final play of the theatre's 30th anniversary season, thru August 16.

The most lauded play of this century and winner of the Tony Award for "Best Play" and Pulitzer Prize for Drama, DOUBT tells the story of a Bronx Catholic school in turmoil during the fall of 1964. Sister Aloysius is an old-school nun who insists that the young and popular Farther Flynn is having an inappropriate relationship with Donald Muller, the school's first black student. Armed with nothing more than a resolute belief in her suspicion and a few circumstantial details, she instigates a relentless campaign to remove the priest, enlisting the help of a subordinate nun and the child's tormented mother. Flynn vehemently denies the allegations, but who is telling the truth? This powerhouse drama will keep audiences guessing until the final curtain.

American Stage is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1977. The company's mission is to create the most satisfying live theatre in the Tampa Bay area, accessible to all members of the community. Their vision is to preserve the greatest human stories from our past, while creating the most defining stories and storytelling of our time. American Stage will move into a brand new state of the art 182 seat performance space in June. The Hough Family Foundation is the Season Sponsor, Raymond James is the Mainstage Sponsor, Bank of America is the Education Partner and WUSF 89.7 is the Radio Sponsor of American Stage.

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