Suzanne Vega & Duncan Sheik's 'LOVER, BELOVED' Gets Houston Workshops

As a part of Alley All New, the Alley Theatre announces two workshop presentations of the new musical in progress Lover, Beloved: An Evening with Carson McCullers on August 23 (7:30 p.m.) and August 26 (8:00 p.m.) in the Texas Room. Advance reservations are required and can be made at alleytheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 713-220-5700. All presentations are free and open to the public.

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega pays homage to renowned Southern writer Carson McCullers (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Member of the Wedding ) in this new musical about the outspoken, perceptive and wild dreamer who became one of the brightest literary lights of the 20th century. The piece, with songs co-authored by Duncan Sheik (Tony Award for Spring Awakening), richly captures McCullers' instinctively rebellious nature and forward-thinking philosophies on race, gender and love.

Lover, Beloved is offered as a part of Alley All New, a major new works initiative comprised of a variety of public and in-house programs designed to support playwrights and cater to the needs of new projects. As at last winter's Alley All New Festival, these workshop presentations will allow the artists to share what they have created during a developmental workshop of this new musical in progress.

Lover, Beloved is directed by Jackson Gay (Alley's Grounded, Other Desert Cities ) and will be performed by Suzanne Vega and Mary Chieffo. The workshop presentations will be followed by post-performance conversations with the artists led by ElizaBeth Frankel, Director of New Work at the Alley Theatre.

Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival in the early 1980s. Since her debut 25 years ago she has sold over 7 million albums and has been nominated for 7 Grammy awards. Her song "Tom's Diner" was used in the refinement of the MP3, earning her the nickname "The Mother of the MP3." Her song "Luka" about child abuse was a surprise hit and won MTV's Best Female Video. Her song "Tom's Diner" has since been remixed nearly 25 times (by artists including Will Smith, Tupac and Destiny's Child). Suzanne tours constantly and plays sold-out concerts in many of the world's best-known halls.

Duncan Sheik, a singer/songwriter, earned two Tony Awards and a Grammy for the musical Spring Awakening. His theatre credits include American Psycho (2016), Because of Winn Dixie (Delaware Theatre Company 2015), and Whisper House (Old Globe Theater 2011). His recorded works include American Psycho (Original London Cast Recording), Legerdemain (2015), Covers 80s (Sneaky Records 2011), and Whisper House (Sony 2009), Spring Awakening (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2006), White Limousine (Rounder 2006), Daylight (Atlantic Records 2002) and Phantom Moon (Nonesuch 2001).

In addition to the new production, Vega will release a new studio album, "Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers" on her own Amanuensis Productions on October 14, 2016.

Lover, Beloved workshop presentations are free and open to the public. Advance reservations are required and are available now online at alleytheatre.org, by phone at 713-220-5700 or in person at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue. Lover, Beloved contains adult language and is recommended for mature audiences.Seating capacity is limited.

The Alley Theatre will present a post-show discussion following both the August 23 (7:30 p.m.) and August 26 (8:00 p.m.) workshop presentations of Lover, Beloved. These discussions will include the artists and Alley Theatre Director of New Work, ElizaBeth Frankel.

Alley All New is comprised of a variety of public and in-house programs designed to support playwrights and cater to the needs of each new project. The Alley plans to produce more world premieres, commission new plays, and engage and support playwrights year round. The dates for the 2017 Alley All New Festival are February 3 - 12, with special events and final festival presentations February 10-12. The annual festival made its debut this past winter and will be back again with more workshop performances and play readings, as well as the world premiere of Syncing Ink. Join the Alley Insider Group by emailing alleyinsider@alleytheatre.org and learn more about new work in development and be the first to hear about Alley All New events. More information and updates can be found on alleytheatre.org/allnew, on Facebook and #AlleyAllNew.

The Alley Theatre, one of America's leading not-for-profit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company lead by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. The Alley produces up to 16 plays each year in its newly renovated theatre, ranging from the best current work, to re-invigorated classic plays, to new plays by contemporary writers. The Alley is home to a Resident Company of actors. In addition, the Alley engages theatre artists of every discipline - actors, designers, composers, playwrights - who work on individual productions throughout each season as Visiting Artists. The renovation of the Hubbard Theatre at the Alley was completed in October 2015 - and created a new 774 seat state-of-the-art performance venue. Matched with the 310-seat Neuhaus Theatre, the Alley offers nearly 500 performances each season. The Company reaches over 200,000 people each year through its performance and education programs. Its audience enrichment programs include pre-show and post-performance talks, events, and workshops for Audience members of all ages.