New Play About Jackie Kennedy Sets Southwest Premiere For March 2024 At The Eisemann Center In Richardson

The Eisemann Center will present the Southwest premiere of Actor/Playwright Tom Dugan's new play JACKIE as part of the Eisemann Center Presents series.

Performances are Saturday, March 9 at 2 PM and 8 PM and Sunday, March 10 at 2 PM in the Bank of America Theatre at the Charles W. Eisemann Center (2351 Performance Drive in Richardson, TX). Tickets to this all-new one-woman play about one of our country's most fascinating icons range from $38 to $64 and are on sale now at the Eisemann Center Ticket Office (972.744.4650 • eisemanncenter.com).

In JACKIE, actor Kait Haire portrays former First Lady Jackie Kennedy in a powerful and revealing narrative that begins on June 5, 1968, when she receives word of her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy's assassination. Set in her 5th Avenue New York City apartment, the audience takes a journey with a distressed Jackie who's wondering how she could possibly live through another great loss. She contemplates a course of action that would greatly surprise most Americans. The play's journey sheds light on the profound emotional and mental anguish that nearly pushed her to the brink.

Playwright Tom Dugan dives deep into Jackie Kennedy's life history to stay true to the woman portrayed in the play. He explains, “During my extensive research for JACKIE, I adhered to the highest standards of verifiable information regarding the life of Jackie Kennedy (Onassis).” Dugan continues, “It is important to note that I benefited greatly from my personal interviews with members of Jackie's inner circle and from previously unavailable reports and briefs focusing on the years 1964 to 1968 prepared by the Secret Service and the FBI which were released in 2007 under the Freedom of Information Act. I came to understand that Jackie had a powerful sexuality she used to manipulate the media, the public, and the people in her life.” He concludes, “Kait Haire has that same alluring charisma – her Jackie is compelling, real, and seductive.”

 

JACKIE is produced by Emery Entertainment. The producing entity has a rich history with the Eisemann Center with previous theatricals playing the Center including Christmas with C.S. Lewis, Churchill and more.

Tom Dugan (Playwright) Dubbed by critics “A National Treasure,” Tom Dugan is a popular Los Angeles based playwright/actor who for over 25 years has been honored with many awards and nominations (New York Drama Desk, New York Outer Critics Circle, Los Angeles Ovation, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Los Angeles Stage Scene). His meticulously researched historical one-person plays have been produced throughout the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Israel, India, Australia, Italy, Scotland, and the Caribbean. His play Wiesenthal (“Heartbreaking and beautiful” – New York Times), about famed Nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal, was produced by Daryl Roth Off - Broadway and was featured on PBS. Tom performed Wiesenthal at the Eisemann Center in April 2016. Mr. Dugan's other solo plays include Tell Him It's Jackie [Kennedy] (“Masterful” - Curtain Up), The Ghosts of Mary Lincoln (“Spellbinding” - LA Times) Robert E. Lee – Shades of Gray (“Brilliant” - Stage Happenings), and Frederick Douglass in the Shadow of Slavery (“The Best” - Peninsula News). Most recently, Tom's multi-character play Cemetery Pub (“hilarious and original”- South Florida Theater Magazine) premiered in Los Angeles in 2022, and then enjoyed a successful production in 2023, with Pigs Do Fly Prod. in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This winter/spring Tom will be on national tour with his award-winning plays Wiesenthal, and Tevye In New York! tom.dugan@outlook.com

 

Kait Haire (Jackie Kennedy) is originally from Vero Beach, FL, where she first began acting in the seventh grade. After high school she attended the George Washington University in Washington, DC. There she was awarded the Presidential Scholar of the Arts Scholarship for acting. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has appeared in the short films Ballet of Balance and Flicker; as well as performing in the Group Repertory Theatre Company's productions of Otherwise Engaged and In My Mind's Eye. She received the Los Angeles Stage Scene Award for best solo performance in the premiere of JACKIE.

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