WaterTower Announces Creative Team For OUR TOWN

WaterTower Theatre Producing Artistic Director, Terry Martin, announced today the creative team for Our Town which will open the Company's 2010-2011 season. In addition to Terry Martin as director, Amy Corcoran is the assistant director, Claire Floyd DeVries is set designer, Curtis Craig sound designer, Susan A. White lighting designer, Michael A. Robinson costume designer, Georgana Jinks properties designer and Heidi Shen, stage manager.

Our Town is generously sponsored by Atmos Energy, including a special series of student matinee performances. Media sponsors are WFAA and The Dallas Voice.

Our Town previews September 24, 25 & 26 and opens on Monday, September 27 running through October 24. Press/Media night is Monday, September 27 at 7:30 pm.

"Our Town is one of America's great plays: timeless, simple and profound" said Terry Martin. "Directing Thornton Wilder's extraordinary examination of a microcosm of the human family is a privilege. I feel particularly fortunate to have such a creative team to help me bring Wilder's play to life with a fresh, new vision."

Our Town, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1938, is an iconic giant in American dramatic history. Spanning almost thirteen years in the town of Grover's Corners, the quintessentiAl Small community, Our Town's characters reflect the hopes and dreams, the failures and successes, of people everywhere.

A pivotal figure in the history of 20th century letters, whose works explore the connection between The Commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience, Thornton Wilder's works continue to be widely produced and read. Wilder is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and drama - for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) and two plays, Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1942). His other novels, all but one best-sellers, include The Cabala, The Woman of Andros, Heaven's My Destination, The Ides of March, The Eighth Day and Theophilus North. His other major dramas include The Matchmaker (adapted as the internationally acclaimed musical comedy Hello, Dolly!) and The Alcestiad. The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden and The Long Christmas Dinner are among his celebrated shorter plays.

Wilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin on April 17, 1897, and was raised in China and California, graduating from Berkeley High School in 1915. After attending Oberlin College for two years, he transferred to Yale where he received his B.A. in 1920. His post-graduate studies included a year at the American Academy in Rome (1920-21) studying Archaeology and Italian, and graduate work in French at Princeton (M.A., 1926). His many honors include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Book Committee's Medal for Literature, The Order of Merit (Peru), and the Goethe-Plakette (Germany).

First produced in 1938, and still running Off-Broadway, Our Town is the quintessential American play. Set at the turn of the 20th century, Wilder's masterpiece is a rich commentary about the fleeting nature of life and the need to appreciate every moment to its fullest. This is revealed through the lives of the ordinary citizens of Grovers Corners, New Hampshire.

About the Creative Team

Terry Martin (Director) is WaterTower Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, a position he has held for 12 years. Our Town will be MR. Martin's 39th production he has directed for WaterTower Theatre. Some of his directing credits at WTT include Man of La Mancha, Humble Boy, The Crucible, Take Me Out, A Country Life (which he adapted from Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and which won the 2005 Rabin Award - Best New Play), Cabaret, It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues, Company, An Inspector Calls, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Laramie Project, You Can't Take It With You, Book of Days, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2002 Rabin Award - Director of a Play), Sweeney Todd (2002 Rabin Award Nomination - Director of a Musical), Desire Under the Elms, Ravenscroft, Rockin' Christmas Party (2000, 2001), Enter the Guardsman (2001 Rabin Award Nomination - Director of a Musical), Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and Little Shop of Horrors (2000 Rabin Award Nomination - Director of a Musical) among others. For Plano Repertory Theatre, he has directed Journey's End (2000 Rabin Award - Director of a Play), Dracula, La Bête, Little Shop of Horrors and Pump Boys and Dinettes.

Amy Corcoran (Assistant Director), director and choreographer, recently completed her Masters of Fine Arts in Directing at Penn State University under the tutelage of Tony Award-nominated Susan H. Schulman. Amy was the 2009 SDC Noel Coward Fellow for Comedic Direction, which placed her on a production of Private Lives at California Shakespeare Theater. Favorite directing credits include two productions of Smokey Joe's Café, The Little Dog Laughed, Rabbit Hole, In Trousers and All Night Strut. Favorite choreography credits include Crazy For You, Company and this summer's off-Broadway production of Thank You for Being a Friend: The Unauthorized Golden Girls Parody Musical. She has assisted on productions in London, Ontario, Canada at the Grand and at Goodspeed Opera House under Mark Rucker, Michael Lichtefeld and Christopher Gattelli.

Clare Floyd DeVries (Set Designer) returns to WaterTower Theatre for her twenty-seventh set design. She has designed for theatres across the metroplex, including Dallas Theater Center, Casa Manana, Undermain Theatre, Kitchen Dog Theater, Shakespeare Dallas, the University of Texas at Dallas, Plano Repertory Theatre, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, Garland Civic Theatre, Circle Thatre, Second Thought Theatre and WingSpan Thatre Company. Clare's designs have garnered her five Leon Rabin Awards for WaterTower Theatre's The Sugar Bean Sisters, Urinetown, Enchanted April, The Spitfire Grill and Sweeney Todd. She has received three additional nominations for The Crucible and It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues. She has

received four Dallas Fort Worth Theatre Critics Awards and numerous Column Awards. A licensed architect, Clare received her Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University. Her recent work can be seen in the film Ciao. Clare is an Artistic Associate at Kitchen Dog Theater.

Michael A. Robinson (Costume Designer) has been with WaterTower since its inception fourteen years ago. A member of the National Costume Association, Michael's design work has been seen at Garland Summer Musicals, Garland Civic Theatre, Crossroads Theatre, Plano Repertory Theatre, and the University of North Texas Opera. Michael received a Leon Rabin Award in 2003 for 42nd Street. He has received 3 additional nominations, including one in 2006 for WaterTower's production of Urinetown the Musical. Additionally, Michael has received two Dallas Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum Awards (for designs of WaterTower's The Old Settler and Camping with Henry and Tom) and six Column Awards. Michael is adjunct faculty for Acting and Introduction to Theatre at Brookhaven College.

 

Susan A. White (Lighting Designer) has previously designed Grey Gardens, Intimate Apparel, Humble Boy, Happy Holi-divas!, Into the Woods, Take Me Out, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues and Dinner with Friends for WaterTower Theatre. Susan has designed for the Off-Broadway productions of Nunsense, Blues in the Night and The Immigrant. Regionally, she designed Little Me and Hot Mikado for Ford's Theatre; Spunk and Romeo & Juliet for Cleveland Playhouse; Play On!, Harlem Nocturne, and Tamer of Horses for Crossroads Theatre. Susan has also been the Assistant/Associate Designer on over two dozen Broadway productions. Local credits include Lyric Stage (28 shows), Garland Summer Musicals (7 shows), Texas Ballet Theatre, and S.M.U. Dance and Opera Productions. Susan has received two Leon Rabin Awards (for Lyric Stage's Titanic and Ragtime) and six additional nominations. Susan is adjunct faculty at S.M.U. and has been a guest lecturer for Kent State University, Harvard, UCSD, NYU, and USITT. Susan received her B.S. in Education from North Texas State University, an M.A. from Arizona State University, and is in the Doctoral program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

 

Curtis Craig (Sound Designer) is an Assistant Professor of Sound Design at Penn State University. Curtis has worked extensively around the nation, including Seaside Music Theater, Dallas Theater Center and Shakespeare Dallas among others. He has worked on the recordings "Walt Whitman and Musical Modernism" (Garland Press) and "Mythologies" (Harold Blumenfeld). A member of AES, USITT and NARAS, Curtis received the 1998 Leon Rabin Award for his sound design of The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. He received subsequent nominations in 2002 for WaterTower Theatre's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and 2006 for WaterTower's Take Me Out. Curtis received his BS from Clarion University.

Georgana Jinks (Props Designer) has her Masters in theatre from Texas Woman's University and her BA in theatre from Texas State. Before coming to Dallas she worked at the AD Players in Houston as Stage Manager, technician and actor. Since moving to the DFW area Georgana has done work as prop designer at the Music Theatre of Denton and for Word of Mouth Production in Frisco.

 

Heidi Shen (Stage Manager) became WaterTower Theatre's Resident Stage Manager in 2005. She has stage managed over thirty WaterTower productions, beginning with Noises Off. During the 2001-2002 season, Heidi served as WaterTower's Texas Commission on the Arts Apprentice. An Artistic Company Member at Kitchen Dog Theater and a member of Actors' Equity Association, Heidi received her BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University.

Our Town

Written by Thornton Wilder
Director, Terry Martin
Assistant Director, Amy Corcoran
Set Designer, Clare Floyd DeVries
Costume Designer Michael A. Robinson
Lighting Designer, Susan A. White
Props Designer, Georgana Jinks
Sound Designer, Curtis Craig
Stage Manager, Heidi Shen

Performance Schedule:
September 24-October 24, 2010
Previews: September 24 & 25 @ 8:00 PM; Sept. 26 @ 7:30 PM
Opening night: Monday, September 27 @ 7:30 PM

Performances: September, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, October 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.

Atmos Energy Student Matinee Performances: October 5, 7, 12 & 14.

Performance Times:
7:30 PM Wednesday & Thursday
8:00 PM Friday & Saturday
2:00 PM Sunday
2:00 PM Saturday on October 23
Student Matinees: 10:00 AM

How/Where to buy tickets: www.watertowertheatre.org or 972-450-6232 or in-person at
WaterTower Theatre Box Office (Tuesday - Friday, 12 pm to 6 pm)
Addison Theatre Centre
15650 Addison Road
Addison, Texas 75001

About WaterTower Theatre

WaterTower Theatre is one of the leading regional theatres in North Dallas and Texas. It is consistently recognized for its artistic excellence by the Dallas Theatre League, Dallas/Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Observer, D Magazine and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, among others. WaterTower Theatre has a subscription base of more than 2,100 subscribers and serves an audience of over 35,000 patrons annually.

WaterTower Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of The Town of Addison, TACA, Texas Commission on the Arts, The 500, Inc., and the National Endowment for the Arts. WaterTower Theatre is supported, in part, through the generosity of Ackley Financial Group, Inc., Atmos Energy, AT&T Yellow Pages, Target, , the Embrey Family Foundation, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Liberty Capital Bank, Rainmaker Advertising and The Shubert Foundation.

 

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