Circle Theatre Previews Bright Ideas, 10/21

Circle Theatre is getting into the Halloween spirit with its production of Bright Ideas, a dark comedy written by Eric Coble. Preview performances are Thursday, October 21; Friday, October 22; and Saturday, October 23 (matinee). The production officially opens Saturday evening, October 23, at 8:00pm, followed by a post-show party with the cast and crew.

Bright Ideas was originally produced by the Cleveland Play House, and had its New York premiere at the MCC Theater in November 2003. Under the direction of Robin Armstrong, Circle Theatre's production of Bright Ideas features Andy Baldwin* (Joshua), Morgan McClure** (Lynzie, Ensemble), Leslie Patrick** (Denise, Ensemble), Norah Sweeney Villanueva (Genevra), and John Venable* (Ross, Ensemble). Production team members for Bright Ideas are: Sara Harris*, Stage Manager; Clare Floyd DeVries, Set Designer; Robin Armstrong, Costume Designer; David H. M. Lambert, Sound Designer; John Leach, Lighting Designer; and John Harvey, Props Designer. (*Member of Actors' Equity Association **Equity Membership Candidate)

Circle Theatre's Executive Director, Rose Pearson, says, "It is a pleasure to have Robin Armstrong return to create her special brand of theatrical magic on Circle Theatre's stage. The cast for Bright Ideas includes Andy Baldwin, a Circle veteran who most recently appeared as Lenck in our award-winning production of Bach at Leipzig. Andy was also featured at Circle in Incorruptible by Michael Hollinger and Five Course Love by Greg Coffin. Another Bright Ideas cast member, John Venable,
appeared in our world premiere musical, A Lone Star Christmas Carol by Gary Moody and Gary Taylor. After appearing non-stop in roles at other area theatres, John has literally come ‘full circle' back to our stage, a year later. We are thrilled to introduce Circle Theatre patrons to Morgan McClure, Leslie Patrick, and Norah Sweeney Villanueva for the first time on our stage."

Plot Summary

Joshua raced from the delivery room to place their newborn child on a waiting list for one of the best pre-schools in the country. As the child's fourth birthday approaches, they've almost made it to the top. What will the Bradleys have to do to get there?

Approximate running time for the show, including intermission, is 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Circle Theatre
230 W. Fourth Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Sundance Square Entertainment District
October 21 - November 20
Previews: October 21, 22, & 23 (matinee)
Opening: Saturday, October 23, 8:00pm
Shows: Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm

Tickets:

Previews Thursday Evening & Saturday matinee: $10
Preview Friday evening: $15
Opening Saturday Night: $30
Thursday evenings: $20 - $25
Saturday matinees: $20 - $25
Friday/Saturday evenings: $25 - $30
Friday, November 5, is "University Night" at Circle Theatre. Student tickets will be available for $5 - faculty and staff tickets for $10. This offer is good on a first-come first-served basis. Advance reservations are strongly suggested. Use the code UNIV to qualify for this offer when buying tickets online.

Students and Seniors (65+) receive a $5 discount on any full-priced ticket. Student Rush tickets are available for half price, at half hour before show time (on standby). Groups of 10 (or more) receive a $5 discount on each full-priced ticket. Circle Theatre accepts Bell Helicopter coupons, the KERA Member Rewards Card, Sundance Square Insider coupons and the Star-Telegram Press Pass.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Call 817.877.3040 or stop by Circle's box office, Tuesday through Friday, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm and one hour before show times. Circle Theatre now offers "24/7" online ticketing at www.CircleTheatre.com.

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Author
Eric Coble was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and bred on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico and Colorado. His plays include Bright Ideas, The Dead Guy, Natural Selection, For Better, and The Giver. They have been produced Off-Broadway, throughout the U.S., and on several continents, including productions at Manhattan Class Company, The Kennedy Center, Playwrights
Horizons, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival, New York and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, ALLIANCE THEATRE, The Cleveland Play House, South Coast Repertory, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Stages Repertory Theatre, and The
Contemporary American Theater Festival. Awards include an Emmy nomination, the AT&T Onstage Award, National Theatre Conference Playwriting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Playwright in Residence Grant, and three Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Grants.

Director/Costume Designer

Robin Armstrong is excited to be back at Circle Theatre, having just directed our critically acclaimed production of Bach at Leipzig, which garnered three DFW Theater Critics Forum Awards for herself and Circle Theatre. Bach at Leipzig received awards for Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Creative Contribution (for fight choreography and costume design), and for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast. Previously, Robin directed the Theatre's productions of Snake in the Grass, Unnecessary Farce, and Incorruptible. Robin directed productions of Vincent River, Macbeth, Betrayal, Hay Fever, The Day After the Fair, and No Sex,
Please, We're British! for Theatre Britain. Her production of Snake in the Grass was cited in Fort Worth Weekly's Best of 2007. Robin garnered two awards for Best Direction 2009 by the DFW Theater Critics Forum for Incorruptible and Vincent River. Incorruptible also made Theater Jones Best of 2009 list and Vincent River made the Dallas Voice Best of 2009 list. Robin earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science
degree in Theatre from Louisiana State University.

Circle Theatre

Circle Theatre's mission is to present contemporary and innovative productions in its intimate 125-seat setting. The Theatre is partially supported by the City of Fort Worth, the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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