Ted Swindley Theatre Workshop In Association With Dirt Dogs Unleashed Presents THE BOOK OF MARY

Get ready for the ultimate theatrical collaboration as two Houston legends join forces to bring you The Book of Mary (It Costs a Lot to Be Real). Mary Hooper's self-authored, one-woman show promises to be a standout production-with Director Ted Swindley at the helm and Mary taking center stage in the spotlight where she belongs. It's a show filled with laughter and heart that you won't want to miss.

Ted Swindley Theatre Workshop in association with Dirt Dogs UNLEASHED presents the world premiere of The Book of Mary (It Costs a Lot to Be Real) written by and starring Houston's own Mary Hooper and directed by Ted Swindley, founder of Houston's Stages theatre and author of the popular musical, Always...Patsy Cline. It's a raucous ride: from her Beaumont beginnings as a shy child of deaf parents and her timely escape to the "gayborhood" of Montrose in the 70s and 80s, to her adventures onstage in Houston's way off Broadway theatre scene. Both funny and poignant, The Book of Mary is a love letter to the diva in us all.

Mary Hooper is well known to Houston audiences. From piano bars, improvised warehouse performance spaces, to more sophisticated venues like Alley Theatre and Stages Repertory Theatre, Mary has been on the boards in the Houston theatre scene for more than 45 years. She has numerous performance credits, including those with The Montrose Players, Equinox Theatre and Theatre LaB. In addition, she is a founding member of the company at Stages and was the first cisgender female to join the cast of The Diana Awards.

The Book of Mary (It Costs a Lot to Be Real), not only features Mary in the starring role, it is her maiden voyage as a playwright. "I've been told so many times, 'You should really write a book! What a life you've had!' and I always thought, who would believe it?" Mary recounted. "The pandemic gave me the opportunity to write-not exactly a book, but my own one-woman show. Writing and performing The Book of Mary is my greatest adventure yet!"

Director Ted Swindley is also a playwright and producer, as well as the founding artistic director of Stages Repertory Theater in Houston. He has directed and/or produced plays and musicals for more than 40 years and is internationally known as the creator and original director of the popular musical, Always...Patsy Cline. He is President and Executive Director of Ted Swindley Productions theatrical licensing where he continues to write plays and musicals, consult and mentor playwrights, including high school seniors for the Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. Annual Student Playwright Festival, and direct plays for various theaters throughout the U.S. and abroad. Ted's complete bio is available at www.tedswindleyproductions.com.

Rounding out the creative team are Mark Lewis (scenic designer), Ian Evans (lighting designer), Tim Thomson (sound/video designer) and Norma Catlin Thomson (production stage manager).