Jan McArt to Present Eric H. Weinberger's VIVIAN VANCE STORY at Lynn University, 11/2

"I was a huge "I Love Lucy" fan growing up," says Key West playwright Eric H. Weinberger. "And I still love to watch that show. It always makes me laugh out loud."

He's also always had an interest in the lives of actors he admires. And so, when a biography of Vivian Vance was published, he read it eagerly and was fascinated by her complex, rich life.

"I thought it had the makings of a good play," he adds. "I hope I was right, and that the one I wrote is of interest to audiences."

Meanwhile, at Boca Raton's Lynn University, Jan McArt says "We haven't seen the final draft for this play yet." McArt, Florida's First Lady of Theater, heads theater development at Lynn.

"And we won't see that final draft till the first day of rehearsals, when our playwright turns it in. That way he can keep working on it right up to the first table read-through."

One week after that read-through 'THE VIVIAN VANCE STORY,' Weinberger's new play, will be presented as a fully Staged Reading for one night only, at 7:30 PM on Monday, November 2nd, 2015, in Lynn University's Wold Performing Arts Center, as part of Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series.

McArt runs this award-winning play reading series at Lynn, where playwrights get the chance to bring a new play to life, working with a cast and a director for six days - rehearsing, re-writing, rehearsing, rewriting. Then, at the end of the six days, their new, polished, reworked play is presented to the public in performance, fully staged, with actors up on their feet, scripts in hand, employing minimal costumes, sets, lighting, etc., to aid them in the presentation of the new work.

"I looked up Vivian Vance on the internet and saw that there had been a retrospective of her life in her hometown of Albuquerque, NM a couple of years ago, at a museum," Weinberger says. "Vivian's baby sister, Lou Ann Graham (now 91), was very instrumental in making that happen, and I got in contact with a local TV station in Albuquerque who put me in touch with her.

"She's a lovely woman and has been so kind and helpful to me with the editing of my play, with corrections on inaccurate information I had researched, and with providing me new information and insights that I believe have deepened and strengthened the play."

'THE VIVIAN VANCE STORY' will be directed at Lynn University by John Tolley, and the cast includes Leigh Bennett, Steven A. Chambers, Niki Fridh, Mia Matthews, Nicholas Richberg, and Michael H. Small.

Fridh, Matthews and Richberg just received Silver Palm Awards for their outstanding performances in plays they appeared in around the region during the 2014-15 South Florida theatre season.

This is the first presentation of this Lynn play reading series' 2015-2016 season.

Season tickets ($30 for four plays) are now available for the entire 2015-2016 lineup, which includes: 'THE VIVIAN VANCE STORY,' a new play with music by Eric H. Weinberger, directed by John Tolley, November 2nd, 2015; 'THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS,' a new comedy by Stuart Meltzer, directed by Margaret M. Ledford, January 11th, 2016; 'WAVE YOUR FLAG!,' a new play with music by Tony Finstrom, starring Jan McArt, directed by Wayne Rudisill, February 15th, 2016; 'MIDDLETOWN,' a new drama by Dan Clancy, directed by Peter Pileski, March 7th, 2016.

Single tickets are also currently available at $10 each for 'THE VIVIAN VANCE STORY.' Call 561-237-9000 or go to www.lynn.edu/tickets for more information.

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