Greyman Returns to Loop Festival with Ervi’s WAKING UP March 1-11

Kelsey Ervi, who directed Greyman Theatre Company's critically-acclaimed Dani Girl at WaterTower Theatre's 2011 Out of the Loop Fringe Festival, is having her first play produced as playwright. The short play, Waking Up, is being presented at the 2012 Festival, which runs Mar. 1-11.

A fundraising campaign to mount the production was announced Jan. 1, and has since generated over $500 in donations. The campaign will be live through Jan. 30 at http://kck.st/u5o3QC.

According to Ervi, "Waking Up is a humorous and heartfelt look at what happens before and after we sleep. Giving the audience glimpses into the lives of 11 people, the play captures trust, doubt, fear, and love, and shows the characters at their most comfortable and their most vulnerable. Waking Up touches on the emotions beneath the things we wake up for or go to bed with and the reasons we don't wake up at all."

The Out of the Loop Fringe Festival provides opportunities for existing and emerging theatre, dance, and music companies and artists to present work that may vary in form and presentation from their typical content. Together, these companies provide the North Dallas and surrounding areas with a diverse range of artistic endeavors. The Festival typically hosts around 20 organizations presenting over 50 individual performances and drawing 4,000 arts lovers each year.

Greyman Theatre Company was created in 2009 by Baylor University students and continues to run under the leadership of artistic director Matt Tolbert and managing director Joshua Gonzales. Greyman's production history has included two regional premieres, Dani Girl and Homemade Fusion, by the writing duo Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (book and lyrics). The mission of Greyman is to operate as a launching platform for theatrical artists, from writers to actors to directors to designers, to showcase their works. Contemporary works play a vital role in reflecting society's views and questions about the life of the time. Greyman serves to document and preserve that history. For more information on Greyman, please visit www.facebook.com/greymantheatreco.

The performance dates and times of Waking Up have yet to be announced, but will take place at the Addison Theatre Centre, just 15 minutes north of Downtown Dallas. The full Festival line-up will be announced later this month. Single tickets go on sale Feb. 7. For tickets and information, call (972) 450-6232 or visit www.watertowertheatre.org. The Addison Theatre Centre is located at 15650 Addison Road in Addison, Texas.