Rover Dramawerks Presents Epic Proportions, Opens 7/16 At The Cox Building Playhouse

Rover Dramawerks opens the hilarious comedy Epic Proportions by Larry Coen and David Crane on Thursday, July 16. Performances will be at the Cox Building Playhouse, 1517 H Avenue in Plano (next to the Courtyard Theater), continuing through August 8, 2009, with shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and an additional matinee performance on Saturday, July 25 at 2:00 p.m.

Gone With the Wind, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments...these masterpieces have nothing on Exeunt Omnes, a huge epic film being shot in the Arizona desert in the 1930s. Brothers Benny and Phil (played by Joe Cucinotti of Allen and Charles Bates of Dallas) are two of the 3,400 extras, both of whom fall in love with Louise (Anna McLaughlin of Dallas), the assistant director in charge of extras. Throw in ten plagues, gladiator battles, and a misfiring burning bush, and suddenly Phil is directing the movie, now starring Benny and Louise. With heroic figures, extravagant settings, lavish costumes, a sweeping musical score...and a cast of thousands portrayed by four other actors (Grisel Cambiasso of Flower Mound, Matthew J. Fisher of Murphy, Patrick Lynwood Henry of Glen Rose, and Charles Catty of Dallas), this is truly a comedy of epic proportions!

Also featuring R. Bradford Smith of Dallas as legendary film director D.W. Dewitt and Bill Mercer of Richardson as The Narrator.

Rover Dramawerks' Artistic Director Carol M. Rice of Plano directs, with Sonya Jones of Frisco as Assistant Director/Stage Manager. Dana Gloege of Richardson is set designer, with Jason Rice of Plano as sound designer. Suzi Cranford of Dallas is costume designer, Kelsey Boutte of Dallas is properties designer, and Michael Campbell of Garland is lighting designer.

Co-author David Crane is best known as a co-creator and producer for the popular TV show Friends.

Tickets for Epic Proportions are $15.00 on Thursdays and matinees and $18.00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Thursday, July 16 is Preview Night, and all seats are "pay-what-you-can." The following Thursday, July 23, Rover Dramawerks invites all patrons to join the cast at the ArtCentre of Plano (three blocks down from the theatre) after the show for a reception with the cast, director, and designers, as well as Rover board members.

Epic Proportions is the fifth show in Rover Dramawerks' 2008-09 Season and will be followed by My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra to close out the season. Tickets may be ordered online at www.roverdramawerks.com, and 2009-10 Season tickets are also available.

Season sponsors include the City of Plano, Plano Arts and Cultural Endowment, Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Richardson, and Haggard Property Group, Ltd., and Texas Nonprofit Theatres has provided an intern for this and other summer Rover projects.

For more information about Epic Proportions or Rover Dramawerks, please call 972-849-0358 or visit www.roverdramawerks.com.

Photo by Carol M. Rice.

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