Winding Road Theater Ensemble presents SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

 

From: Winding Road [mailto:windingroadte@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2012 11:12 AM
Subject: Winding Road Theater Ensemble presents SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WINDING ROAD THEATER ENSEMBLE PROUDLY PRESENTS

SPEECH & DEBATE

A PLAY WITH MUSIC BY STEPHEN KARAM

2012 PULITZER-NOMINATED AUTHOR OF

SONS OF THE PROPHET, GIRL ON GIRL AND COLUMBINUS

 

September 20-October 7, 2012

Directed by Christopher Johnson

Preview performance on Thursday, September 20 at 7:30 PM

Opening Night performance on Friday, September 21 at 7:30 PM

Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM with Sunday Matinees at 2:00 PM

 

All performances at Beowulf Alley Theatre Company

11 S 6th Avenue | Tucson, AZ 85701

Free Parking off 6th Avenue behind Chicago Music Store

 

Preview Tickets: $15 | Regular Tickets: $20 | Discount Tickets: $17*

*Discounts available for Theatre Artists or with Senior / Student / Military ID

To make your reservation now, call (520) 401-3626,

or to purchase tickets online visit us at windingroadtheater.org.

Produced by Special Arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

 

‘Glee’ meets ‘The Crucible’ in SPEECH & DEBATE as Three teenage misfits in Salem, Oregon discover they are linked by a sex scandal that's rocked their town. When one of them sets out to expose the truth, secrets become currency, the stakes get higher, and the trio's connection grows deeper in this searching, fiercely funny dark comedy with music.

 

Directed by Christopher Johnson

Featuring Amy Erbe, Lucille Petty, Evan Werner and Emilio Zweig

 

“…savvy comedy…bristling with vitality, wicked humor, terrific dialogue and a direct pipeline into the zeitgeist of contemporary youth…Karam has a keen ear for how teens talk, move and think, how they view each other and the adult world…and uses both the advantages and perils of cyberspace to make amusing, original points…” —Variety

 

Stephen Karam - Playwright - is the author of SPEECH & DEBATE which was produced off-Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company as the inaugural production of Roundabout Underground. Other plays include the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-nominated SONS OF THE PROPHET (co-world premiere, Huntington/Roundabout Theatre Company), COLUMBINUS (New York Theatre Workshop) and GIRL ON GIRL (Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep). A MacDowell Colony Fellow, Stephen grew up in Scranton, PA and received his B.A. from Brown University.

 

Christopher Johnson - Direction - serves as Co-Artistic Director of Winding Road Theatre Ensemble. He is a member of the Acting Company at The Rogue Theatre (where he can currently be seen as Tripitaka in JOURNEY TO THE WEST) and spent five seasons as Artistic Director of Etcetera at Live Theatre Workshop. Directing credits include the World Premiere workshop productions of UNITED, THE WIZARDS HAVE LANDED and THE PENIS MONOLOGUES, the Arizona Premieres of PERSEPHONE OR SLOW TIME, THE BOOK OF LIZ, MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE, SAY YOU LOVE SATAN, ROBOTS VS. FAKE ROBOTS, I WROTE THIS PLAY TO MAKE YOU LOVE ME and BUG as well as new productions of WIT, KILLER JOE, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST and SAVAGE IN LIMBO. Previous credits with WRTE include roles in UNITED, FIFTH OF JULY, THE LION IN WINTER and ARMOR.

 

Amy Erbe - Teacher / Reporter - relocated to Tucson in 1996 from New Jersey. Roles with WRTE include Honey (WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?), Kathy (THE LAST FIVE YEARS), Sally Talley (TALLEY’S FOLLY), Alais (THE LION IN WINTER), Frankie (FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE) and ensemble roles in A HUMAN EQUATION and UNITED. Favorite roles elsewhere include Lin (THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL -- 2010 MAC nominee, best actress in a musical), Artie (ELEEMOSYNARY), Curley’s Wife (OF MICE AND MEN), Jennet Humphrey (THE WOMAN IN BLACK), Chantal (THE BALCONY), Miss O’Callahan THE DEAD, Aldonza (MAN OF LA MANCHA) and The Witch in INTO THE WOODS. She has been privileged to act in two of Toni Press-Coffman’s plays, HOLY SPIRIT ON GRAND AVENUE (Celeste) and NEW HOUSE, NEW DOG (Suzanne).

 

Leslie J. Miller - Assistant Direction - has directed the Etcetera productions of THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING) -- 2011 MAC Award nominee for Best Actor, KIMBERLY AKIMBO -- 2011 MAC Award Nominee for Best Comedy / Best Actress, and THE EATING DISORDER TALENT SHOW (which she workshopped with the author). For the mainstage at Live Theatre Workshop Leslie directed THE CLEAN HOUSE, THE UNEXPECTED GUEST, THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, INSPECTING CAROL and BEAU JEST. Leslie served as Artistic Director of Catalina Players in Tucson for several seasons. She is a member of Winding Road’s board of directors and a frequent collaborator with Mr. Johnson.

 

Lucille Petty - Diwata - is an Artistic Associate of WRTE, where acting credits include FIFTH OF JULY and ARMOR. She was seen last season in LTW’s HARVEY, Arizona Onstage’s STEEL MAGNOLIAS and Invisible Theatre’s CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION. You may have also caught her in Etcetera's productions of JAILBAIT, THE BOOK OF LIZ, ROBOTS VS. FAKE ROBOTS, MR. MARMALADE and THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW.

 

Evan Werner - Howie - is thrilled to be making his Winding Road debut. Originally from Bay City, MI, Evan studied theatre at Depaul University and Pima Community College. In his fifteen years of acting experience, he has served as Director / Producer for Purple Summer Productions in Bay City as well as spending three seasons in a variety of roles at The VanBuren Theatre. Notable acting credits include JOAN IS BURNING (John Burgund), ANTIGONE (Haemon), CURTAINS (Christopher Belling), HEAD: THE MUSICAL (Seductra), ANYTHING GOES (Sir Evelyn Oakleigh), THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Algernon), LOVE SONG (Beane), I LOVE YOU BECAUSE (Jeff), DEATHTRAP (Clifford), CHICAGO (Amos) and PROOF (Hal) to name a few.

 

Emilio Zweig - Solomon - is a recent graduate of Tucson High Magnet School for the Performing Arts. He has performed locally in Winding Road’s ARMOR, Borderlands’ PASTORELA, Live Theatre Workshop’s DEATH AND THE MAIDEN and HARVEY, and Etcetera’s PSYCHO BEACH PARTY, THE BOOK OF LIZ and KIMBERLY AKIMBO (MAC Award Nomination, Best Comedy).

 

Winding Road Theater Ensemble (Glen Coffman, Co-Artistic Director; Christopher Johnson, Co-Artistic Director; Toni Press-Coffman, Administrative Coordinator) is a group of artists whose mission is to tell dynamic, theatrical stories that illuminate the human condition and celebrate the theater’s power to entertain us, to move us, and to bring us joy. Inspired by the disparate creative journeys that eventually brought us together, WRTE has a special commitment to developing new work by living American playwrights. We fulfill our mission by producing seasons of contemporary and classic works representing diverse styles, themes, and perspectives; and by presenting readings, workshops, and full productions of new plays.

 

 

 

Tucson Theatre Announcements List

For subscription information go to TucsonStage.com