Starry Night Theater Stages VINCENT This Weekend

Leonard Nimoy's Vincent will be presented by Starry Night Theater Company, a professional touring company, at the Stage Door Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center for five performances only, today, May 29 through June 1, 2014. This one-man play about artist Vincent van Gogh, written by Leonard Nimoy and performed by professional actor James Briggs, has been delighting audiences throughout the Northeast.

The passion, the love and the tormented beauty of the life of Vincent van Gogh is dramatized in this intimate one-man play, which author Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's Mr. Spock) adapted from hundreds of letters between Vincent and his closest ally, his brother, Theo. In Vincent's lifetime, he sold only one painting, for four hundred francs. His critics labeled his work "madness" in which "blood and fire appear to have usurped the place of color." But his story is so much more than that of the misunderstood genius who cut off his own ear. His life was one of great passions, and even greater turmoil, ultimately ending in suicide one summer day in 1890.

This production, which BroadwayWorld.com described as "enlightening and enjoyable" and said "is not to be missed," stars James Briggs. Briggs movingly reveals Vincent van Gogh as few knew him. Most of the story is told by Theo, but at times, Briggs becomes Vincent and embodies the loving, passionate and brilliant man so cherished by his brother. This play is not simply a biographical work, but one filled with drama, conflict, humor and beauty. It also includes over 100 stunning projections of Vincent's artwork on a large screen. The Burlington Free Press described this production as "a visual treat."

The Director, Dr. Brant Pope, has a thirty-year career in both professional and academic theatre and has directed over one hundred productions. He is currently the chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin and is holder of the Z .T. Scott Family Chair. He has directed at such theatres as Hartford Stage Company, The John Houseman Theatre, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and Park Square Theatre. For eleven years, he served as director of the FSU Asolo Conservatory, and associate artistic director of the Asolo Theatre Company in Sarasota, Florida.

James Briggs is the actor and founder of Starry Night Theater Company. He has acted in regional theaters such as The Sun Valley Repertory Company, The Asolo Theater, The Williamstown Theater Festival, and the Potomac Theater Project. He is a graduate of The Asolo Conservatory of Professional Actor Training in Sarasota, Florida.

Vincent runs approximately 85 minutes, with no intermission. While appropriate for all audiences, it is best suited for adults and children ages ten and up.

Performances of Vincent will take place at the Stage Door Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina. Performances are Thursday, May 29 at 8:00 P.M., Friday, May 30 at 8:00 P.M., Saturday, May 31 at 2:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M., and Sunday, June 1 at 2:00 P.M.

Tickets are $24 for adults and $20 for Seniors and Students. Tickets available through the Blumenthal Performing Arts Box Office, located in the Belk Theater Lobby at 130 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, 28202; Telephone: 704-372-1000 and www.carolinatix.org. Tickets will also be available at the door, subject to availability. For more information about Starry Night Theater Company, visit www.starrynighttheater.com.

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