The Blonde, The Brunette And The Vengeful Redhead Set For PN 2009-2010 Season

Performance Network Theatre is pleased to announce the seven shows in their 2009-2010 Professional Season. Each show has been carefully selected to create a season filled with meaningful contemporary dramas, entertaining comedies and well-loved classics. PNT's 28th Season will include seven of the best, most important and most cutting edge plays from around the country.

"On the heels of our successful fundraising drive, we are going into a new season with renewed energy," said executive director Carla Milarch. "So many people spoke up and said that Performance Network Theatre is important in their lives. We're proud to present seven amazing shows selected with care for this wonderful community we belong to."

In the nine seasons Performance Network has produced in its downtown home, The Shure Theatre, it has brought the Ann Arbor community 57 fully-mounted professional productions of classics from Ibsen to Tennessee Williams, crowd-pleasing musicals, Tony and Pulitzer prize winners and much more. It has brought ten World Premieres to life, seven of those by Michigan playwrights, three of which garnered nominations for Best New Play by the American Theatre Critic's Association, and one of which has gone on to be optioned for a Broadway production. It has featured guest productions by local companies including Mosaic Youth Theatre, Peter Sparling Dance Company, Terpsichore's Kitchen Dance, Brass Tacks productions and many more. It has employed hundreds of actors, directors, and designers, and has trained 25 apprentices. Its children's theatre branch has brought theatre performances to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. And for the past three years, Performance Network has received the most awards and nominations of any theatre company in the state.

"This is our 10th Season in our downtown home in 120 East Huron and we wanted to celebrate with lineup that includes a little something for everyone," says Artistic Director David Wolber. "The big musical, the World Premiere, the Tony winner... it's all here. The feedback from the fund-drive was that people appreciate the range of important, eclectic programming we do-it's what makes us unique in Southeast Michigan."

Several special events and projects are underway for the 10th season, including a Gala performance fundraiser and a lobby renovation project that will bring a new sheen to the PNT lobby and greater comfort and enjoyment to PNT patrons. Details on both projects will be announced in a later release.

The seven shows in Performance Network's professional season:

The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewitt. September 10 - October 11, 2009.
The truth depends on who is telling the story. Everyone has a version of the day a very desperate housewife committed a crime of passion in the shopping mall... but you won't know all of the secrets until the final moments. A single actress plays seven roles in this funny, poignant tour de force that looks at love, betrayal, revenge and redemption. A runaway hit at Canada's Stratford Festival.

Christmas Carol'd by Charles Dickens (Classic). November 19 - December 27, 2009.
A holiday entertainment for young and old! "Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas' on his lips should be buried with a stake of holly through his heart," says Ebenezer Scrooge. This well-known humbug is cruel, miserly and mean to his employees... but when the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future pay a spooky visit, Scrooge's hard-hearted ways come back to haunt him. Five actors play over 40 roles in this fast-paced adaptation, gleefully inventive evening of holiday pleasure. Starring John Seibert (Fuddy Meers, A Doll's House, The Baker's Wife, A Feminine Ending) as Scrooge. Directed by David Wolber (Necessary Targets, Language Lessons, The Clean House, Exits and Entrances, Geoffrey & Jeffrey).

K2 by Patrick Meyers (Drama). January 7 - February 7, 2010.
Fighting for survival at 27,000 feet. Two men are stranded on an icy ledge high up on K2, the world's second highest mountain. The situation is desperate: the supplies are gone, a storm is approaching and one climber has a broken leg. Will they survive? Or will one make the ultimate sacrifice? This intense drama will create the harsh landscape of a mountain as it explores the bond between two very different men who have only each other to depend on. The shattering conclusion will leave you breathless.

It Came From Mars by Joseph Zettelmaier (World Premiere Comedy). February 18 - March 21, 2010.
Co-Production with Williamston Theatre
We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this breaking news... An off-the-wall story about a group of radio actors terrified by Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast. Passions ignite, secret identities are revealed and mayhem ensues when a washed-up director, his ex-wife, a wanna-be war hero, a ditzy actress and a German sound effects wiz all think they are about to be annihilated by men from Mars. Deadpan humor and a zany retro vibe make this comedy the must-see World Premiere of the year! Directed by Tony Caselli (Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, Summer in Smoke, Take Me Out, Stop Kiss).

Little Shop of Horrors, Book/Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken (Musical). April 1 - May 9, 2010.
Feed me, Seymour! A slightly twisted comedy musical spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies. Seymour is an insecure floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an unusual plant. Soon fame, fortune and love seem within his grasp, and all Seymour has to do is feed the growing appetite of his foul-mouthed, R&B-singing leafy friend. There's just one problem... the plant's mysterious craving for fresh blood. Where else can you find catchy tunes, comic book creepiness and a talking plant from outer space? This special performance will feature 3-D effects from designer Monika Essen! Starring Broadway veteran Naz Edwards (Souvenir, Man of La Mancha) as Audrey II (The Plant) and Jason Richards (The Fantasticks) as Seymour.

The Seafarer by Conor McPherson (Drama) June 10 - July 18, 2010.
The Devil is in the details. Tony Award-winning Broadway smash about four Irish mates who spend Christmas Eve on an all-night bender of drinking and poker. Whiskey bottles empty, the words begin to fly and their game turns a dark corner when the Devil himself wants a piece of the action. This rich, earthy tall tale- filled with colorful characters and steeped in Irish myth- is darkly funny and surprisingly inspiring.

Woman Before a Glass by Lanie Robertson. August 5 - September 5, 2010.
Life as a work of art. Fabulously eccentric Peggy Guggenheim collected modern art and modern artists. She was convention-flaunting and outspoken, with an art collection outnumbered only by her lovers. The humor, heartbreak and chutzpah of an extraordinary life are shared through unforgettable stories about her father's death on the Titanic; saving art from the Nazi invasion of Paris; and the artists: Pollack, Miro, Dali, Picasso and more.

Subscriptions: The best ticket value!
Subscriptions of five and seven show packages are now on sale at the Performance Network box office, 734.663.0681, or at Performance Network Theatre (120 East Huron St., Ann Arbor) Monday-Saturday 11am - 6pm. Subscriptions include guaranteed seats for each show and restaurant coupons. Subscription packages range from $103 to $241, depending on the performance, and are discounted up to 12% off single ticket prices.

PNT also offers discounted Flex Tickets in packages of six and ten. Preview-only packages are $120 or $200 and anytime packages are $155 or $250. For more information about Flex Tickets, contact the Performance Network box office.

Single tickets:
Single tickets go on sale for The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead on August 1, 2009; for Christmas Carol'd on September 10, 2009; for K2 on November 19, 2009; and for the remaining four shows on January 1, 2010. Single ticket prices range from $22 to $41 depending on the day of the performance.

Pay-What-You-Can (preview Thursday 8pm and 1st Saturday 3pm): Suggested donation $10/$15
Preview Friday 8pm, Sunday 2pm and Thursday 8pm: $22
Preview Saturday 8pm: $30
Opening Night and Saturday 8pm: $39
Thursday 8pm: $27
Saturday 3pm: $25
Friday 8pm and Sunday 2pm: $32

*Premium seats are $2 additional per seat
** Tickets for Little Shop of Horrors are $3 additional

Tickets can be ordered at the Performance Network Box Office at 734.663.0681, online at www.performancenetwork.org <http://www.performancenetwork.org> or by coming to the Performance Network Theatre (120 East Huron St., Ann Arbor) Monday-Saturday 11am - 6pm or one hour before a performance.

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