THE WAFFLE PALACE Returns to Horizon Theatre, Beginning Today

After a sold-out world premiere production last summer, Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee's The Waffle Palace: Smothered, Covered and Scattered 24/7/365 returns to Horizon Theatre for an open run starting tonight, January 11, 2013. ArtsATL praised the show as "an easy-to-eat mixture of the funny, familiar, corny, nostalgic, and odd," perfect for theatre-goers and Waffle House regulars alike.

Inspired by real life news stories about Waffle House restaurants, the play follows a Midtown diner owner, his staff, and a hilarious cast of customers as they battle to keep The Waffle Palace open against encroaching real estate developers. Larson and Lee have tweaked the story and script over the last few months to make the remount production even better than before. Developed as part of Horizon's New South Play Festival and a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, The Waffle Palace was nominated for three 2012 Suzi Bass Awards including Outstanding World Premiere Production.

The whole Waffle Palace crew (with one exception) is back for the 2013 production. Playwright Larry Larson returns as Waffle Palace owner John with Horizon regular Marguerite Hannah as his right-hand waitress Connie. Maria Rodriguez-Sager and Enoch King, currently appearing in Horizon's The Santaland Diaries, round out the Waffle Palace staff, and taking on a slew of oddballs and diner customers are returning cast members Allan Edwards and Eric Mendenhall with the addition of Mary Lynn Own, last seen on the Horizon stage in 2009's Third.

The production also boasts a decorated creative team led by Directors and Horizon Co-Founders Lisa and Jeff Adler. Lisa most recently directed Horizon's acclaimed production of Time Stands Still and received a Suzi Bass Award nomination for her direction of 2010's Tree. Jeff is in the midst of directing the 14th rendition of Horizon's The Santland Diaries and also headed up 2010's season opener Superior Donuts. Moriah and Isabel Curley-Clay received Suzi Bass Award nominations this year for both their Waffle Palace scenic and costume designs. Adding all of the nuances to the show from waffles to jukeboxes are props designers MC Park and Kate Bidwell LaFoy, and rounding out the creative team are Horizon's resident lighting designer Mary Parker and sound designer Thom Jenkins.

The Waffle Palace re-opens at Horizon tonight, January 11, 2013. Performances are Wednesday through Friday at 8:00 PM, Saturday at 3:00 PM and 8:30 PM, and Sunday at 5:00 PM. Tickets start at $20. Tickets and information are available at horizontheatre.com or 404.584.7450.

From births to marriages, to police chases and lottery wins, anything can happen at 3 AM in the Waffle Palace. Inspired by amazing real life events at Waffle House restaurants, Larson and Lee let loose with this roller coaster of humor and imagination in which John Pickett and his staff battle to keep their Midtown diner open against heavy odds. The Waffle Palace: where everyone is welcome and the only unforgivable sins are throwing waffles and under-tipping.

PLAYWRIGHTS Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee's writing, acting and directing teamwork began over thirty years ago as company members with the Academy Theatre in Atlanta, working with their Main Stage, Tour Team, Lab Theatre and Children'sTheatre. Since then, their award-winning plays have been seen locally, nationally and internationally. Prior to Waffle Palace, Larson and Lee's most recent work, Charm School, premiered at Horizon Theatre and won the 2007 Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Suzi Bass Award, and The Bench: A Story of Christmas, premiered at the ALLIANCE THEATRE in 2003. They wrote and acted extensively with the Southern Theatre Conspiracy in the 80's where their popular plays included: The Blood Orgy Trilogy, Mirandolina Unchained, Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends: A Final Evening with the Illuminati, and Tent Meeting. Some Things... and Tent Meeting went on to Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival, and have been subsequently produced at many theatres in the U.S. and overseas. Tent Meeting received the TCG/HBO award for Best New Play in 1986. Larson and Lee's published plays are Tent Meeting, Some Things...Illuminati, Isle of Dogs and The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge - available from Dramatists Play Service and Samuel French Publishing, Inc. In addition, Larson and Lee partnered to write and direct The Grubb Chronicles, Tales of Rat Alley, Merlin!, and Treasure Island for the Alliance Children's Theatre and wrote The Invisible Man for Georgia Ensemble Theatre. Eddie Levi Lee is also a past artistic director of Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta and the Empty Space Theatre in Seattle. Larry Larson is a weekday on-air personality for WMLB AM 1690 The Voice of the Arts.

DIRECTORS Lisa Adler is the cofounder and Co-Artistic/Producing Director of Horizon Theatre Company, now in its 29th season of contemporary plays. She has directed or dramaturged more than 60 plays at Horizon and founded the New South Play Festival of plays from, for, and about the contemporary South. Critically- acclaimed productions of Third by Wendy Wasserstein, The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl, In Darfur by Winter Miller, 9 Parts of Desire by Heather Raffo, The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien, Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman, Quills by Doug Wright, and Skylight by David Hare, all directed by Ms. Adler, were voted top productions of their year by local media. She dramaturged and/or directed many of Horizon's New South Play Festival world premieres, including Night Blooms by Margaret Baldwin, The Perfect Prayer by Suehlya El-Attar, and Charm School by Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee. She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab in NYC and holds a holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where she also returned for post-graduate study in directing.

Jeff Adler is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic/Technical Director of Horizon Theatre Company. He has directed numerous productions, beginning with Horizon's first production Bonjour, la, Bonjour in 1983. Other Horizon favorites include Superior Donuts, Shooting Star, Altar Boyz, Madame Melville, The Lonesome West, Racing Demon, Voir Dire, Marvin's Room, The Film Society, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Heathen Valley, The Secret Rapture, Full Moon, Mere Mortals, All in the Timing, Wonder of the World, Time Flies, Charm School, and Almost, Maine. He has also directed at other theatres and colleges including LaGrange College, Gainesville Theatre Alliance and GMT Productions. He is a 1999 recipient of a Lexus Leaders in the Arts Award and the Arts and Business Council's Abby Award for Outstanding Arts Professional.

CAST
John - Larry Larson*
Connie - Marguerite Hannah*
Esperanza - Maria Rodriguez-Sager
Walter, Vince, Kenneth - Enoch King*
Hugo, Bubba, Roadie, Hank - Allan Edwards*
Ralphie, Tommy, Rocker, Waffle
Fact Man, Blues Singer, Gary, Vivien - Eric Mendenhall*
Tooty, Castle, Veronica, Candy, Erica - Mary Lynn Owen*

*Member of Actors Equity Association

CREATIVE TEAM
Scenic and Costume Designers - Moriah and Isabel Curley-Clay
Lighting Designer - Mary Parker
Sound Designer - Thom Jenkins
Prop Designers - MC Park and Kate Bidwell LaFoy
Stage Manager - Jude Futral*

General admission tickets for The Waffle Palace start at $20. Upgrade to the VIP experience for $15 which includes reserved seating and a complimentary beverage. Tickets may be ordered by phone at 404.584.7450 or online at horizontheatre.com. Performances start January 11, 2013. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 3 PM and 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 5 PM. Ticket prices are subject to change. 8% sales tax will be added to all ticket orders. Internet convenience fee added to all online orders. No refunds, exchanges, or late seating.

Horizon Theatre Company, 1083 Austin Avenue, connects people, inspires hope and promotes positive change the stories of our times. We produce professional area and world premieres of smart, funny and provocative contemporary plays. For more information about tickets, group sales, or to receive a season brochure, call 404.584.7450 or visit horizontheatre.com.

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