THE CIDER HOUSE RULES Comes To The Stage At Merriam 4/3-3/5

Students from The University of the Arts come together with three of Philadelphia's leading theater artists to bring John Irving's 1985 novel "The Cider House Rules" to the Merriam Theater stage April 3-5.

Johnnie Hobbs Jr. and Aaron Cromie, faculty members in the university's School of Theater Arts, direct the play's first and second parts, respectively. Fellow faculty member David Howey takes on the controversial role of orphanage director Dr. Wilbur Larch, who performs safe, but illegal abortions, in Peter Parnell's stage adaptation. Musical Theater senior Jamison Foreman plays opposite Howey as the impressionable orphan Homer Wells. The production also includes an ensemble of more than 20 students.

"The Cider House Rules" tells the story of Homer Wells, a foundling raised at a remote Maine orphanage as the protégé of the gruff Dr. Larch, who delivered him. Hungry for experience, Homer ventures into the world and discovers that friendship and love have unexpected complications.

Tickets are $18, $9 for seniors, students and university alumni. Part I ("Here in St. Cloud") will be presented April 3 at 8 p.m. and April 4 at 2 p.m., while Part II ("In Other Parts of the World") will be performed April 4 at 8 p.m. and April 5 at noon. Separate tickets are required to attend each part. Tickets are available online at http://uarts-theater.ticketleap.com. Reservations can also be made by calling 215/717-6449 or emailing sotatickets@uarts.edu. Because of the mature subject matter of the story, children under 14 years of age will not be admitted.

Hobbs heads the university's Acting program in the School of Theater Arts. In addition to being a three-time Barrymore Award nominee for acting, he has directed Susan-Lori Parks' "Venus," a production chosen for inclusion in the American College Theater Festival; and "6221," Thomas Gibbons' chronicling of the MOVE bombing in West Philadelphia. Hobbs starred in last season's university production of the Philip Hayes Dean one-man bio-drama "Robeson" and has appeared in the films "Twelve Monkeys" and "Rocky Balboa," and television dramas "The Wire" and "Hack."

The recipient of an Independence Foundation Fellowship, Cromie is a multidisciplinary theater artist who has collaborated as performer, designer, director, writer and musician with several companies, including Arden Theatre Company, The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Mum Puppettheatre, The Studio Theatre, Wilma Theater, Lantern Theater and Shakespeare Theatre, among others. He was nominated for a Barrymore Award for his direction of "The Fantasticks" at Mum Puppettheatre.

An associate professor of acting with two Barrymore Award nominations to his credit, Howey is well-known for his work on Philadelphia stages, though he began his career as an actor in the United Kingdom. Howey appeared at the Merriam Theater in 1974 (when it was known as the Shubert Theater) as a cast member of The National Theatre's all-male production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It," and also appeared on Broadway in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of C.P. Taylor's play "Good." In recent years, he has appeared at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, Wilma and Arden Theaters, and with the InterAct Theatre Company.

The University of the Arts is the nation's first and only university dedicated to the visual, performing and communication arts. Its 2,300 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs on its campus in the heart of Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. The institution's roots as a leader in educating creative individuals date back to 1868.