Photos: First Look At The World Premiere of DORIS DAY: MY SECRET LOVE

Doris Day was one of the biggest box office draws of her day. Her sunny disposition, and light hearted comedies turned her into America’s sweetheart but her personal life was far from a fairytale. In Paul Adams' new play Doris Day: My Secret Love, Doris is thrust into the spotlight again.  See photos from the production.

Doris Day: My Secret Love will have its Off-Broadway World Premiere at 28th Street Theater (TADA) in Manhattan. The limited run plays September 4 to October 29 with opening night scheduled for Monday, September 11 at 7pm. Melissa Attebery directs, musical direction by Adam Tilford, with Tiffan Borelli as Doris Day and David Beck as bandleader Les Brown. 

The play is produced by Emerging Artists Theatre for which Adams is the Artistic Director of. Doris Day: My Secret Love was previously workshopped at Emerging Artists Spark Theatre Festival NYC (formerly the New Work Series) and runs in repertory with the plays Anne Being Frank by Ron Elisha, and Sex Work/Sex Play by Caytha Jentis. 

Doris Day led a fascinating life, fueled by a drive to make people happy and a desire to find someone who truly cared for her. Join Doris and her best pal and longtime collaborator Les Brown as they step into a retrospective of her film career. In this fictional account, Doris shares stories from the past that are connected to her by songs. Yet amidst the reminiscing, the event organizers have a surprise for Doris, which triggers flashbacks to key moments in her life. Including some that are far from the crafted image the studios projected of the star. Featuring 14 of her most beloved songs.

The creative team includes scenic design by Colleen Shea, lighting design by G. Ben Swope, sound design by Grady Gund, costume design by Nicole Wee, photo montage design by Frank Colemen, and photo archivist by Darrel Black.

Previews run September 4 - 10, opening night is scheduled for Monday, September 11 at 7pm. Performance schedule: Mondays at 7pm, Wednesdays at 2pm, Saturdays at 7pm, and Sundays at 5pm. Running time: 85 minutes

All performances take place at the 28th Street Theater (TADA), 15 West 28th Street (between Broadway and 5th Avenue), 2nd Floor (elevator accessible), New York, NY 10001. Subways: N/R/1/2 to 28th Street, B/D/F/W to 34th Street. Tickets are $59 and are available at www.emergingartiststheatre.org/doris-day-my-secret-love. 

Over the past 30 years, Emerging Artists Theatre has premiered over 300 new works Off-Broadway and Off Off Broadway and garnered several awards including a Drama Desk Award nomination, the American Theatre Wing Grant Award for Consistent Excellence in Theatre, and the Founders Award at the inaugural New York Innovative Theatre Awards. In 2006, EAT started producing their bi-annual new work series which focuses on new solo shows, plays, dance, and musicals. Over the years, this series (now known as Spark Theatre Festival NYC) has given over 5,000 artists a chance to showcase their new work. EAT’s most recent Off-Broadway productions include Penny Penniworth by Chris Weikel, and The Sensational Josephine Baker by Cheryl Howard.  www.emergingartiststheatre.org

Paul Adams (Playwright) founded Emerging Artists Theatre in 1993 and has been Artistic Director for the life of the company. During this time, he has helped showcase hundreds of new works (plays, solo shows, musicals & dance pieces) for Off and Off-Off Broadway. Some of his favorite credits include directing the Off-Broadway production of Sisters’ Dance by Sarah Hollister and producing the solo show The Sensational Josephine Baker by Cheryl Howard, and Penny Penniworth by Chris Weikel which had two Off-Broadway runs and received a rave review in the NY Times. Paul performed his critically acclaimed solo show The Cleaning Guy, at FringeNYC and the Encores in 2016. He has also served on the NY Innovative Theatre Awards committee since its inception. 

Melissa Attebery (Director) began in Los Angeles in TV production and development at companies like Paramount, Viacom and Granada Entertainment. She moved to The Actors Studio Drama School at The New School in New York, where she earned a Masters in Stage Directing, subsequently focusing on the direction and development of original works playing at venues such as Primary Stages, The Abingdon, HERE, Queens Theatre In The Park, FringeNYC and The Players. She has directed a number of original works at Emerging Artists Theatre (EAT), where she is also an Associate Artistic Director and has assistant-directed for Tina Howe at the 24-Hour Plays On Broadway. Melissa also directed the award-winning comedy Larry Gets The Call by Matt Casarino, which was featured at DADAfest International in Liverpool, and directed Screw You Jimmy Choo!, which originally premiered at the Gasworks Arts Park in Melbourne, Australia, then at The Kennedy Center. Melissa is an Associate Member of the SDC.

Tiffan Borelli (Doris Day) was seen last summer as 'Mae' in the reimagined, modernized Off-Broadway premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. More Off-Broadway: Two By Two (The York) & the world premieres of Gorgeous (Brunstetter) & The Wager (LaBute) with Theatre Breaking Through Barriers. Nat’l Tours: Million Dollar Quartet & Flipside: The Patti Page Story. Regional Theatre: The Kennedy Center, Barter Theatre, & Laguna Playhouse. TV: Sweetbitter, Law & Order: SVU & The Loudest Voice in the Room. She studied with the renowned Florence Birdwell for nearly 2 decades and is passionate about the power of communication, both on stage and in her teaching studio. She is a founding member of Core Artist Ensemble Theatre Company & proud Oklahoma City University alum. 

David Beck (Les Brown and others) is an actor, pianist, and filmmaker. Off Broadway theatre credits include A Touch of the Poet (Irish Rep), In a Dark Dark House (ART/NY), On a Bench (59E59), The More Loving One (Best Play at the NY Fringe - La Mama/SoHo Playhouse). Regional: Hamlet; Our Town (Mirror Theatre, VT), Rabbit Hole (Human Race, OH), and most recently Red (Schoolhouse Theatre in Westchester). TV: Fleishman is in Trouble (Hulu) and The Food That Built America (History Channel). Writer, actor, and composer of the award-winning short films For Francis and Backup Plan (the latter which he directed), his films have appeared in festivals worldwide as well as schools and universities. He has recorded a dozen audio books for the NY Public Library for the Blind and is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College’s acting program.

Photo Credit: Richard Rivera.

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