Pioneer Theatre Company Opens IS HE DEAD? Tonight, 10/30

Utah's Pioneer Theatre Company will present their production of Mark Twain's IS HE DEAD? beginning tonight, October 30th. This will mark the Utah premiere of IS HE DEAD? The show is directed by Charles Morey and stars Michael Keyloun as Jean-François Millet. The production will run through November 14.

Is He Dead? is a recently discovered comedy originally written by Mark Twain and adapted by David Ives. Millet is a brilliant but impoverished painter, but no one will pay good money for his paintings while he's still alive. When his friends persuade him that the secret to success lies in convincing the world he's dead, Millet hatches a scheme which could make him rich, famous, and able to marry the girl of his dreams-if only he didn't have to be a corpse to do it.

Written in 1898, Is He Dead? remained unpublished until it was rediscovered in 2002 by noted Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin.

IS HE DEAD? opened on Broadway December 9th, 2007 and closed March 9th, 2008. It played 13 previews and 105 performances. The cast starred Norbert Leo Butz as Millet, John McMartin, Michael McGrath, Jenn Gambatese, Byron Jennings, and David Pittu.

Performances of IS HE DEAD? will run through November 14th. Performances will take place 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets range from $26 to $40 and are available through the PTC box office at 801-581-6961 or online at tickets.pioneertheatre.org.

Pioneer Theatre Company offers a wide range of exceptional theatre that explores the breadth of the human experience - challenging the intellect, stirring emotions, igniting imaginations and encouraging conversation.

Salt Lake's major regional theatre is located appropriately enough at the top of Broadway (300 South) and 1400 East. A fully professional theatre in-residence at the University of Utah, Pioneer Theatre Company produces a seven-play season running from September through May, including a mixture of classics, large-scale musicals and contemporary dramas and comedies. Over the past ten years the theatre has developed a reputation for Broadway-quality productions, including mounting Utah premieres as well as regional theatre premieres.

Notably, Pioneer Theatre Company was the first regional theatre in the country to earn the rights to produce Les Misérables, the closing musical of the 2006-2007 season. Running for a record 82 sold out performances, Les Misérables cemented PTC's reputation as a theatre capable of producing large scale, difficult productions.

For more information, visit www.pioneertheatre.org.