MR. TOOLE to Play Midtown International Theatre Festival

Mr. Toole, a new play written by award-winning playwright Vivian Neuwirth will have its World Premiere at The Midtown International Theatre Festival on July 21st. Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, this play is a deeply personal reflection on the life of John Kennedy Toole, author of the Pulitzer Prize Winning, "A Confederacy of Dunces." The play was inspired by Vivian's time as a student of Mr. Toole's at St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans.

The play is directed by Cat Parker who is the Artistic Director of Articulate Theatre Company. Previous directing credits include the New York Innovative Theatre Award-Winning Productions of, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Twelfth Night. Cat's recent credits include Articulate Theatre Company's production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. The ensemble cast has an impressive list of credits that range from Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional productions.

In this new play inspired by true events, the life of John Kennedy Toole, author of "A Confederacy of Dunces," is seen through the eyes of one of his students at an all-girl's college in New Orleans. The student, who is haunted by the memory of her first love, Mr. Toole, goes back in time to solve the mystery of his death and what she could have done to stop it. The teacher a student will never forget becomes a legend the world will never forget.

Todd d'Amour (2015 Broadway Debut Manhattan Theatre Club's Airline Highway), Brenda Currin (Obie award-winner/Orpheus Descending, directed by Austin Pendleton), Laura Butler (Boardwalk Empire/Inside Llewyn Davis), Richard Vernon (Broadway Poor Murderer, directed by Herbert Berghof), John Ingle (Off-BroadwayTOSOS, Steve Sterner and Peter del Valle's musical revue LOVERS) and Lou Liberatore (Broadway, Burn This & As Is).

The creative team includes set design by George Allison, lighting design by Kia Rogers, video design by Eric Siegel, stage management by Earline Stephen, assistant director & stage manager Becky Abromowitz, dialect coach Charley Layton, and co-produced by Vincent Marano.

Performances take place at the WorkShop Theater Company, 312 West 36th Street (between 8th & 9th avenues), 4th Floor, New York, New York 10018. Subways: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, R, Q, W to 34th Street. Tickets are $18.00 and are available at web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/960364 or by calling 866-811-4111 - Running time: 90 minutes.
Show dates: Thursday, July 21 @ 8:00 pm (opening)Saturday, Jul 23 @ 2:00 pm Tuesday, July 26 @ 8:15 pmSaturday, Jul 30 @ 5:00 pmSunday, Jul 31 @ 5:15 pm
More info is available at www.mrtoole.com and www.midtownfestival.org.