Williamston Theatre Opens Season with BLUE DOOR, 9/23

Mid-Michigan's award winning professional theatre company, Williamston Theatre, located at 122 S. Putnam in downtown Williamston, is starting off its 2010-2011 Season with Blue Door.  Tickets for this vivid, exuberantly theatrical play about the African-American male experience are now on sale.

Blue Door begins with five Preview performances starting Thursday, September 23.  During the first four Previews audience members will have the opportunity to take part in the process of creating a show by participating in a talkback session with the director following each performance.  The Official Opening Night is Friday, October 1 with the show scheduled to run through Sunday, October 17. Performances will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at eight o'clock and Sunday matinees at two o'clock with additional three o'clock matinees on Saturday, October 2 and October 16 and the theatre's first Thursday matinee on October 7.

A tenured professor of mathematics at a well-regarded university is jolted from the rut of his life when his wife leaves him.  Underneath his veneer of success lies a soul troubled by questions of personal and cultural identity.  While experiencing a disorienting insomnia he inadvertently conjures his ancestors. Three generations of men, from slavery through Black Power, challenge him to embark upon a journey combining past and present. Infused with abundant humor and woven through with original songs, Blue Door is a tour de force for two actors.  This show contains mature themes.

The cast consists of Julina Gant and Rico Bruce Wade.  Suzi Regan is the Director for Blue Door.  The rest of the production team includes set design by Bartley H. Bauer (Five Course Love, This Wonderful Life), lighting design by Donald Robert Fox (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds), costume design by Holly Iler and prop design by Michelle Raymond (Five Course Love).  The Stage Manager is Rochelle P. Clark.

Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can for Thursday, September 23.  Remaining Preview tickets are $15.00! Starting Opening Night, tickets prices are $24.00 for Friday and Saturday evenings, $20.00 for all matinees and $18.00 for Thursday evenings.  Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more for most performances.  Tickets can be ordered by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469), Monday - Friday from 12 - 6pm.  Williamston Theatre patrons will find ample parking on the street and in several municipal lots throughout the city.  The theatre is located in downtown Williamston (exit 117 off of I-96) just south of Grand River Avenue.

The Williamston Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional live theatre company, dedicated to producing plays that excite, engage and entertain our audiences.  The theatre opened its doors in 2006 and has received a number of local awards including the 2008 Robert Busby Award for extraordinary overall contribution to theatre in the Greater Lansing Area.

Additional information about the company and the rest of the shows in the 2010-2011 Season is available online at www.williamstontheatre.org or by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469).