Beowulf Alley Presents FRONTING THE ORDER Readers Theatre 5/11

Beowulf Alley Theatre will present a staged reading of Warren G. Bodow's play, Fronting the Order on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 7:15 p.m. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Admission is by donation. Beowulf Alley Theatre is located at 11 South 6th Avenue (downtown between Broadway and Congress). For more information, please refer to the website, www.beowulfalley.org or call the theatre at (520) 882-0555.

It's the summer of 1959 and the Eisenhower era is drawing to a close. The U.S. is feeling the sting of space dominance when the Russians launch Sputnik and Americans are determined to take back world leadership. The solution? Education, say many: better schools, bigger libraries, education in the home will ensure that we regain leadership in everything! So on a rainy August Friday afternoon, a crew of four encyclopedia salesman set about the task to sell knowledge to the families of our future leaders.

As we witness the humorous and bombastic interplay of the four salesmen, we feel the underlying tensions festering in late-50s America. We witness how the men represent their wares to their prospects. Even as we laugh, our sense of right and wrong is buffeted as the play forces us to consider whether deception must always be negative, or in the service of a greater good, it is simply a handy tool.

Warren G. Bodow, formerly President of New York classical radio station, WQXR (recently sold by The New York Times to WNYC and Univision Radio), is a self-proclaimed "second act" playwright. Since 2005, he and his wife Ellen have been part-time Tucson residents. Last fall, his full-length play, Race Music, presented as a staged reading at Beowulf Alley's Reader's Theater in 2009 was produced by Diverse City Theater Company in New York City. Mr. Bodow's three short plays about Valentine's Day were the February 2009 offerings for Beowulf Alley's Out to Lunch Theater. His full-length play, Harry the Hunk on His Way Out, was presented as a staged reading at Beowulf Alley prior to its New York Equity Showcase run at The Cherry Lane Theatre in October 2007. Mr. Bodow is a member of Tucson's Old Pueblo Playwrights and has served on the Boards of the New York State Broadcasters Association and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

Reader's Theatre at Beowulf Alley, RT@the Alley, is a project to give Tucson Metropolitan area playwrights an opportunity for the public to hear the words of a finished play that has been thoroughly vetted and thoughtfully crafted based upon a critique process and following guidelines on our website at http://www.beowulfalley.org/html/playwrights_submissions.html

The community is invited to become involved as volunteer readers to read characters and assist with this monthly event. The ability to read dramatically is necessary. We also invite members of the community to join the committee to read and comment of plays under selection consideration and to assist with front of house and concessions on the nights of the readings.

Participation is limited to those who have their own local housing and transportation and can be available at pre-arranged time. Questions and inquiries regarding participation in the Reader's Theatre project may be made via e-mail at theatre@beowulfalley.org. Script submissions are ongoing and may be mailed (please do not e-mail) to:

Beowulf Alley Theatre Company
Reader's Theatre Program
11 S. 6th Avenue
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, a 501 (c)(3) organization, is committed to enriching the community and enhancing appreciation of the arts through the production of innovative, invigorating theatre and theatrical education with the highest standards for acting and production. Equal and fair treatment will be provided to all participants regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status and/or marital status. Founded on the basis of dialogues with local theatre artists who wanted a permanent home to practice their craft, its intimate 95-seat theatre provides a facility that meets professional standards where performing artists, educators, and technicians can present their skills. Because Beowulf Alley engages a talent and volunteer pool that calls Tucson "home" for its productions, the Theatre is committed to helping grow a new generation of Tucson talent with its programs including education for adults and youth, late night theatre to experiment with and gain experience, readers theatre for playwrights' unpublished works, lunchtime theatre to bring art to the workday and screenings of independent film artists. And true to its roots, the Theatre maintains ongoing dialogues with the community, including Dialogues with theatergoers after the first Sunday matinee performance of each of its main stage plays, at Readers' Theatre nights, and other presentations, providing an opportunity for theatergoers to discuss the plays with the director and artists. Writers who cover the Tucson arts scene say the Theatre provides its audiences with "the best total package"-plays, performances and productions that are high in artistic and technical quality. Beowulf Alley has received critical acclaim, including two Mac Awards and nine MAC nominations. The company has presented over 325 performances to Tucson audiences since 2002 and has served hundreds of theatre artists. The theater also provides performance and rehearsal space for other Tucson theater companies. For more information, log on to www.beowulfalley.org. We thank the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Tucson Pima Arts Council, the Janet S. Brunel Residuary Trust, and our business sponsors for their support.

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