Patti Murin Holbrook & Andrew Rannells Lead Dallas Theater Center's GIVE IT UP! 1/15-2/14

Dallas Theater Center presents the world premiere of acclaimed playwright Douglas Carter Beane's contemporary pop musical comedy Give It Up! in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Jan. 15 - Feb. 14.

With music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn, directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges, Give It Up! gives a 2421-year-old classic new bounce. Based on Aristophanes' ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, in which a group of women refuse to havesexual relations with their husbands until they end the Peloponnesian War. Beane and Flinn bring theclassic tale of the battle of the sexes to a contemporary American college (Athens University) whereLysistrata Jones is the head cheerleader at a school where the basketball team is content to lose everygame.

Determined to inspire them to become winners and care for something more than themselves, theladies decide to hold out on "giving it up" until their team breaks the 30-year losing curse by winning agame.

"DTC is committed to producing fresh and surprising musicals and to nurturing and developing new playsby the most talented artists in the American theater," says DTC Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty. "Douglas Carter Beane has created a script which is hilariously funny and joyfully embracing, Lewis Flinn has written a score filled with high energy, contemporary pop music and witty lyrics, and Dan Knechtges' fastpaced direction and lively choreography bring this exuberant world premiere musical to life.

"Beane's work includes Broadway's Xanadu (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical; Tony Award nomination for Best Book of Musical), The Little Dog Laughed (Tony Award nomination for BestPlay), As Bees in Honey Drown, and the screenplay To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. "I want theatergoers to have a good time and I want them to leave with something fresh," said Beane."Give It Up! poses the question, ‘If you take away sexual attraction from a relationship, would you really fall in love with that person? Who would you fall in love with?' Ultimately it's about being who you trulyare, learning to love who you truly are, and not having to pretend to be something other than that."Bringing Give It Up! to life on the Wyly Theatre stage are Katie Boren (The 25 th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee); Xavier Cano (Grease); Lindsay Nicole Chambers (Legally Blonde The Musical;Hairspray); Noemi Del Rio (In the Heights); Carla Duren (110 in the Shade; Hairspray); Curtis Holbrook (Xanadu; West Side Story); Justin Keyes (The Apple Tree); Telly Leung (Rent); Patti Murin (Xanadu)as Lysistrata Jones; Andrew Rannells (Hairspray; Jersey Boys); Preston Sadleir; and DTC ActingCompany Member Liz Mikel (Friday Night Lights) as Hetairai.The acclaimed design team includes set design by Beowulf Boritt (The 25 th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee; Rock of Ages. DTC's A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Who's Tommy); costume design by David C. Woolard (West Side Story; 33 Variations); lighting design by Ben Stanton; and sound designby Tony Meola (Wicked; Pal Joey). Christopher Jahnke (Memphis) is the music supervisor with musicdirection by Elaine Davidson.

All performances of Give It Up! will be held at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T PerformingArts Center, located at 2400 Flora St., where it runs Jan. 15 - Feb. 14. Preview performances Jan. 15-21. Opening night is Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursdayevenings at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.;and select Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Single ticket prices are $15-$85 and are available by calling the boxoffice at 214.880.0202 or by visiting www.dallastheatercenter.org.

One of the leading regional theaters in the country, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audienceof more than 90,000 North Texas residents annually. DTC is a resident company of the AT&T PerformingArts Center and presents its mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. DTC also presentsat its former residence, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. DTC engages, entertains and inspires a diverse community by creating experiencesthat stimulate new ways of thinking and living by consistently producing plays, educational programs andother initiatives that are of the highest quality and reach the broadest possible constituency.DTC gratefully acknowledges the support of our season sponsors: American Airlines, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, TACA, TCA and WFAA

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