Alliance Theatre Premieres Phillip DePoy's EDWARD FOOTE Tonight

The Alliance Theatre is pleased to present the world premiere production, EDWARD FOOTE, by award-winning Atlanta playwright and author Phillip DePoy. EDWARD FOOTE, a Gothic murder mystery set to haunting Appalachian folk song, will premiere on the Hertz Stage tonight, March 27 - April 19, 2015. Opening night is April 1, 2015.

In EDWARD FOOTE, a stranger comes to town looking terribly familiar to the residents of a tiny rugged Appalachian community in the 1930s. Could it be that Edward Foote, a drunken good-for-nothing father, has returned? A small community is forced to reveal its darkest secrets. This world premiere noir features a captivating story told against the backdrop of shape note singing.

Phillip DePoy, a pillar of the Atlanta theatre community, marries his love of mystery writing and theatrical classics in this new work. His career as a writer spans many decades and includes poetry, several mystery series, a work of non-fiction, and close to fifty plays, including the Edgar Award winning EASY, best mystery play of 2002. DePoy calls EDWARD FOOTE a literary fractal of Oedipus (the Greek drama that explores the basically flawed nature of all human beings and our role in the course of destiny), meaning that "it doesn't need to exhibit exactly the same structure as its parent, only a similarity."

"For quite some time now I've been interested in telling mythological narratives in new, unique ways," said DePoy. "Especially as inspired by Joseph Campbell's statement that the current iteration of Oedipus is standing on the corner of 43rd Street, waiting for the light to change. Ancient stories, like the one retold in EDWARD FOOTE, are living right beside us every day."

The cast for EDWARD FOOTE includes Jeremy Aggers (The Whipping Man), Lowery Brown (The Wizard of Oz), Steve Coulter (Aurora: Underneath the Lintel), Ann Marie Gideon (The Geller Girls), Trevor Goble (Georgia Ensemble Theatre: The Man Who Came to Dinner), Bethany Anne Lind (Carapace), and Hayley Platt (The Tall Girls). The cast will also include Scott DePoy and Jeannette DePoy, expert Shape Note singers featured in the soundtrack to the film Cold Mountain.

The creative team is led by Director Chris Coleman. Coleman is the artistic director of Portland Center Stage and former artistic director and co-founder of Actor's Express. The creative team also includes Clay Benning (Sound Designer), Tony Cisek (Set Designer), Sydney Roberts (Costume Designer), and Seth Reiser (Lighting Designer). Playwright Phillip DePoy also serves as Music Director.

Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:30 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm, March 27 - April 19, 2015, on the Hertz Stage. There will be no 2:30 pm performance on Saturday, March 28.

Tickets start at $25 and are available at The Woodruff Arts Center Box Office in person or by calling 404-733-5000. Tickets are also available online at www.alliancetheatre.org/edwardfoote. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404.733.4690. Discount rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The Alliance Theatre is located at The Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street, at the corner of Peachtree and 15th Street, in Midtown Atlanta.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS:

After Words

The Alliance Theatre is committed to extending dialogue from the stage to the community. After Words (post show) events offer audience members the chance to engage with cast members in a conversation about the issues and ideas presented in the play and the behind-the-scenes production elements of the play. After Words are free to ticket holders.

After Words Opportunities --

• Saturday, April 4, following the matinee performance
• Saturday, April 11, following the matinee performance
• Saturday, April 18, following the matinee performance

Pre-show Singings

Join the playwright and music team of Phillip and Scott DePoy before each Thursday night performance for singing demonstrations and to experience first-hand the beauty and history of Appalachian music featured in EDWARD FOOTE. Audience members will have the opportunity to learn and sing together folk songs and Shape Note music.

Page to Stage

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Find out where a show really begins- as words on the page and ideas in the imagination of the playwright. Taking a cue from the book club, join us as we host a series of pre-show discussions to examine the playwriting process and the work on stage. Reserve at least two weeks in advance to receive an electronic copy of the script before the discussion. Call 404.733.5000 to reserve. RSVP deadline is March 24.

Dinner & Show with TAP

Tuesday - Thursday evenings

One low price of $50* gets you a ticket to see EDWARD FOOTE, a world Premiere by Atlanta's own Phillip DePoy at the Alliance Theatre and dinner at TAP (1180 Peachtree St.). Dinner includes a choice of an appetizer, entrée and dessert from a select chef's menu. Use promo code TAP50 to purchase at alliancetheatre.org/edwardfoote or call 404.733.5000 to reserve today.* Dinner is at 5:30, 5:45 and 6:00pm followed by EDWARD FOOTE on the Hertz Stage at 7:30. Please call TAP ahead of time to book dinner reservation, 404.347.2220. There is NO late seating in the Hertz Theatre.

* Available on Tuesday - Thursday evenings for 7:30 performances (3/31, 4/2, 4/7, 4/8, 4/9, 4/14, 4/15, 4/16). Not to be combined with other offers and not valid on previously purchased tickets. Package is subject to availability. Tax & fees included, gratuity and alcohol not included. NO late seating for Hertz Stage productions.

Play After Work

Tuesday, March 31

Join us for Play After work, featuring happy hour and the world premiere of EDWARD FOOTE. $25*includes happy hour at Max's Wine Dive (77 12th St) at 6:00 p.m. with complimentary light bites and drinks followed by EDWARD FOOTE at 7:30 p.m. on the Hertz Stage. Use promo code PAW25 when purchasing at alliancetheatre.org/playafterwork or call 404.733.5000 to purchase today.

*Not valid on previously purchased tickets or in combination with any other offer. Subject to availability. Complimentary 2 hour validated parking provided at 77 12th St. garage.

About the Alliance Theatre - Founded in 1968, the Alliance Theatre has become the leading producing theatre in the Southeast, creating the powerful experience of shared theatre for diverse people. The Alliance values excellence, pursued with integrity and creativity, and achieved through collaboration. Reaching more than 200,000 patrons annually, the Alliance delivers powerful programming that challenges adult and youth audiences to think critically and care deeply. Under the leadership of Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, the Alliance Theatre received the Regional Theatre Tony Award in recognition of sustained excellence in programming, education and community engagement.

Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 80 original productions including Tony Award winners The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, Aida, by Elton John and Tim Rice, and Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo. The Alliance has a reputation for developing important American musicals with a strong track record of Broadway, touring, and subsequent productions, including the world premieres of Sister Act: The Musical, Come Fly Away, Bring It On: The Musical, Stephen King and John Mellencamp's Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the American premiere of Zorro, with music by the Gipsy Kings, and most recently, Harmony - A New Musical by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman. The Alliance also creates and nurtures the careers of playwrights through the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, producing a premiere for the competition winner as part of the regular season, and the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, providing developmental support and production resources for three performing arts projects each year. The work produced by the Alliance allows locally based artists the chance to create on a nationally watched stage, building and sustaining Atlanta's artistic community.

Each year the Alliance Theatre Acting Program and Education Department reaches close to 50,000 students through performances, acting classes, drama camps, and in-school initiatives. The Alliance creates and produces plays for young audiences at every age level: from the Collision Project, where high school artists create and perform new work based on a classic text, to the ground breaking Theatre for the Very Young, creating interactive shows for infants and toddlers. The Alliance also offers community education classes for all ages and abilities of theatre interest; and adult student productions of unproduced plays in development, working with local and national playwrights.

An active participant in Georgia classrooms, the Alliance has developed programs using theatrical techniques to aid in student learning through storytelling and problem solving. The Alliance's Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists equips teachers with theatrical techniques that link directly to school curriculum, align with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards, and increase student learning. These programs include Georgia Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts, which focuses on literacy skills for children in Pre-K -- 2nd Grade, and Dramaturgy K-12, in which students create research material that informs Alliance productions and prepares peer audiences. Twice recognized by the U.S. Education Department as leaders in arts education, these programs reflect the Alliance's commitment to city wide arts access.

The Alliance delivers the finest talent, art and educational opportunities for Atlanta audiences -- proving once again that the Alliance is where great theatre lives. For more information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org or call 404.733.4650.

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