Tom Key Stars in 'R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER' at Theatrical Outfit, Beginning Tonight

R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER: THE HISTORY (AND MYSTERY) OF THE UNIVERSE will run October 1-25, 2015 at The Balzer Theater at Herren's (downtown Atlanta), starring Tom Key as R. Buckminster Fuller. Written by D.W. Jacobs with direction by David de Vries, the play is based on the life, work, and writings of R. Buckminster Fuller.

Hop onboard a captivating quest chronicling the Leonardo da Vinci of the twentieth century in this unconventional one-man show blending multimedia, poetry and humanist humor. Can humankind sustain itself on Earth, and if so, how? Do we have the courage to reinvent ourselves? So ponders R. Buckminster Fuller - engineer, environmentalist, futurist, philosopher and inventor of the geodesic dome. A visionary who foretold many of today's challenges, Bucky teaches us to save the planet by doing more with less. Meet the mesmerizing man behind the world-saving mission.

IF YOU GO:

R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER: THE HISTORY (AND MYSTERY) OF THE UNIVERSE

Tonight, October 1 - 25, 2015

At the Balzer Theater at Herren's, 84 Luckie St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Previews: 7:30 p.m. on October 1 and October 2

Opening: 7:30 p.m. on October 3

Regular Run: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and 2:30 Saturday and Sunday

Post-Show Talk Back: October 16

Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes without an intermission

Tickets: $25-$50; 678.528.1500; www.theatricaloutfit.org/shows/r-buckminster-fuller-the-history-and-mystery-of-the-universe

MEET the STAR and DIRECTOR of R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER:

TOM KEY (R. Buckminster Fuller):, now in his 20th season The Outfit, is dedicated to the Theatrical Art Form as a catalyst to creating community. He has served as Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit since 1995 where his drive to tell "Stories That Stir The Soul" in the heart of downtown with the best artists of the city has developed the company into one of Atlanta's major performing arts institutions. As an actor, he has appeared in over a 100 productions from off Broadway to Los Angeles and is one of Atlanta's most celebrated performing artists: Alliance Theatre (Art, Grapes of Wrath, Candide, Our Town, A Christmas Carol), The Atlanta Ballet (Peter and the Wolf), The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (The Defiant Requiem and Beethoven's Egmont), Kenny Leon's True Colors Theater and Arena Stage in Washington DC (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) and Theatrical Outfit (Big River Suzi Winner, Young Man From Atlanta Suzi Nominee, Red Suzi Nominee). He has performed his solo dramatization, C.S. Lewis On Stage, across North America including residencies at Harvard and Yale Universities as well as Oxford University of England. At The Outfit, he has directed Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate (ArtsATL "Best Production of the 2013-2014 Season), Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys, Hank Williams Lost Highway, Godspell (Suzi Nominee), his adaptation of Walker Percy's The Moviegoer and Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Seminar, and Cecil Dawkins' adaptation of Flannery O'Connor's The Displaced Person. His off-Broadway musical hit, Cotton Patch Gospel, which he created, co-authored with the late Harry Chapin, and starred in nationally continues to be one of the most celebrated and produced musicals in the Dramatic Publishing catalogue. He has received The Governor's Award in the Humanities; the Georgia Arts and Entertainment Legacy Award, Two Dramalogue Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Theater and two Mayoral proclamations for his service to the city of Atlanta. Creative Loafing describes Tom Key as: "An actor with such energy that even standing still, he seems to quiver like a divining rod."

DAVID DE VRIES (Director): is a T.O. Associate Artist with connections extending back to The Royal Hunt of the Sun, which opened The Outfit's space at the Kress building in 1982. He appeared in many T.O. shows like I'm Not Rappaport, Baby and the Bathwater, and most recently as Sigmund Freud in Freud's Last Session. As a director, he cut his teeth at The Outfit with shows like Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, the 2012 Suzi Award winner for best production, Red, and most recently Storefront Church. David performed on Broadway and on several National Tours as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast-an association that lasted 11 years, along with three different companies of Wicked. Regional appearances include Carapace (Alliance Theatre), The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (The Acting Company) and A Tuna Christmas (Actor's Theatre of Louisville). He most recently spent the holiday season playing Scrooge in the Alliance's production of A Christmas Carol. Television and film credits include "Halt and Catch Fire," "Nashville," "Devious Maids," and the features "Kill the Messenger" and the upcoming "Lila and Eve." As a voice artist, David is an award-winning audio book narrator, with over 100 titles for children and adults to his credit. He holds degrees from American University and Gonzaga University and is the proud father of his son Willem.

Theatrical Outfit continues its vision of creating compassion - one story at a time - by starting the conversations that matter. Our thought-provoking and soul-stirring 2015-2016 season lineup will transport audiences from the radio airwaves and smoky music clubs of Tennessee in the 1950s with Memphis (a musical co-production with Aurora Theatre); into the mind of one of the 20th Century's brightest visionaries with R. Buckminster Fuller: The History and Mystery of the Universe; from Africa to Victorian London via the pluck of an unstoppable young girl with A Little Princess (a musical); around the globe as a mysterious book trades hands and evolves in the world premiere of Moxie; and into the complex hearts of a mother and daughter vacationing in a sunshine-filled Tuscany of yesteryear with The Light in the Piazza (a musical). From Tony-winning musicals to one-man shows to a family-friendly holiday musical to world premieres, our courageous Season 2015-2016 truly offers something for everyone!

Atlanta's second-oldest continually-operating professional theatre company was founded in 1976 and has been led by Artistic Director Tom Key since fall 1995. Key led the company through the creation of its award-winning downtown home, the Balzer Theater at Herren's, the first U.S. theater to achieve LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The theater is on the historical site of Herren's, the first Atlanta restaurant to voluntarily desegregate (in 1963). Theatrical Outfit tells consistently high-quality, soul-stirring stories, often from great classics and contemporary literature that feature many of the best writers of the American South: Carlyle Brown, Truman Capote, Evan Davis, Horton Foote, Harper Lee, Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Sherry Shepard-Massat, Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Hank Williams and Tennessee Williams. Theatrical Outfit is in the midst of transformation. After retiring its mortgage debt, the organization turned its attention to creating a new, multi year strategic plan, which was finalized in mid-2014. The new plan is a growth model and the first action was to hire a managing director, Lee Foster, who has just completed her first year with the organization.

Photo Credit: Mark & Tracy Photography

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