Main Street Theater to Present Reading of Thomas Hagemann's 1946, 1/28

On January 28 at 7pm, Main Street Theater will present the first reading of local playwright Thomas Hagemann's latest work, 1946. Main Street produced the world premiere of Hagemann's Breakfast at Eight in 2010. This staged reading, which will be followed by a discussion with the playwright and wine and cheese reception, is a Part of the Art Series event at Main Street and will benefit MST's current Capital Campaign to purchase and renovate its Times Blvd. location in Rice Village. Tickets are $50 and $25 (and $25 of the $50 ticket is tax-deductible). Tickets are on sale in person at the Main Street Theater Box Office, 2540 Times Blvd., via phone at 713.524.6706, or online at MainStreetTheater.com.

About 1946 and the Reading

1946 chronicles the lives of a Texas family in the aftermath of World War II. It is joyful and funny at certain moments - and it's mournful and reflective in others.

The reading will be directed by Patti Bean. The cast includes Brandon Balque, Shannon Emerick, Scott Gibbs, Christianne Mays, Crystal O'Brien, Justin O'Brien, Rodrick Randall, Bill Roberts, and Rosarito Rodríguez-González.

About Thomas Hagemann

In his day job, Thomas Hagemann is a partner with Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Houston. He is a trial lawyer whose practice focuses on white-collar criminal matters, and he has repeatedly been recognized by a variety of publications as one of the best lawyers in this area, both in Texas and nationally. He graduated in 1978 from Rice University, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and obtained his law degree from Yale. Mr. Hagemann was a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles from 1985-91. There, he was nominated for the John Marshall Award - the Attorney General's highest award for trial lawyers - for his trial work in United States v. Amers, et al., the largest police corruption case in the history of Los Angeles. From 1989 to 1991, Mr. Hagemann was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California Law School, where he lectured in Evidence.

Following his service as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Hagemann was one of fifteen young American professionals selected to be a Robert Bosch Fellow in Germany from 1991 to 1992. He spent the year focusing on German and European environmental issues - working first at the federal Environmental Ministry in Bonn and then for the state administration in Leipzig in former East Germany. When he returned to the United States in 1992, Mr. Hagemann worked at the Clinton-Gore campaign's national headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was primarily responsible for environmental research, as well as involved in preparation for the presidential debates. He returned to private practice in Houston in 1992.

By night and at other odd times, Mr. Hagemann is a lover of theater and performance. He has been an amateur actor since sixth grade when he starred in Herbie Gets a Haircut, although more widely known roles include Antonio in The Tempest, the Inspector in Statements after an Arrest, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? While in Los Angeles, he also wrote an as-yet unproduced play about a murder in federal prison entitled Nothing to Lose. Last, but by no means least, his wife and muse, Ms. Christianne Mays, is a professional actress, when she is not busy performing the role of mother of two teenagers. Tom is currently finishing a trilogy (the third of which is still in progress): 1946, Breakfast at Eight, and The End (or, Fluke's Last Chance).