THE SECOND CITY DOES DALLAS Kicks Off Dallas Theater Center's 2012-13 Season Tonight, 8/29

Dallas Theater Center kicks of its 2012-2013 season with the outrageous new comedy The Second City Does Dallas written specifically for Dallas by members of The Second City and directed by Matt Hovde. The worlds of Chicago and Dallas collide on DTC's stage in a satirical take on all that makes Dallas great (and not so great). It's a fully produced sketch comedy experience in a theatrical, no-holds-barred look at Big D.

The Second City Does Dallas runs at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre tonight, August 29 – Sunday, September 30. Single tickets to The Second City Does Dallas are on sale now online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org and by phone at (214) 880-0202.

"The Second City is known worldwide for its sketch and improvisational comedy shows that comment on current events, social standards and elected officials," says DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty. "Dallas Theater Center's goal is to spark a conversation within the community. The Second City Does Dallas was written about Dallas and for Dallas audiences. Amidst the hilarity and in between explosions of laughter it will spark fun conversations for our audiences about who we are and how we're perceived as a city."

Diane and Hal Brierley Acting Company member and long-time Dallas favorite Liz Mikel is joined by The Second City's Frank Caeti, Amanda Blake Davis, Martin Garcia, Scott Morehead and John Sabine. Texas roots run deep with this group – Garcia graduated from the University of Texas in Austin and Sabine is a Lake Highlands native who attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. The group takes on Dallas in a hilarious, two-act production of live music, song and scripted comedy on the Wyly stage with Dallas as the backdrop.

"This show is a combination of scenes from the The Second City archive and scenes written specifically to reflect Dallas issues - from culture to politics to social situations - with a loose theme of satirical self-reflection that permeates throughout," says The Second City Does Dallas director and TCU graduate Matt Hovde. "We've assembled a diverse and talented bunch to lead audiences from topic to topic. Three ensemble members are resident alums of The Second City, two are rising stars in the company's performing pool and one is Liz Mikel, whose skills and personality are a joy to work with."

Director Matt Hovde, an alumnus of The Second City, is making his DTC debut with The Second City Does Dallas. Original music and musical direction for the production are by Matthew Loren Cohen, another Second City veteran making his DTC debut. Creating a lounge seat and cabaret style setting so often found in comedy houses is scenic designer Bob Lavallee (DTC: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat; A Christmas Carol). DTC's Jennifer Ables (To Kill a Mockingbird; Henry IV); Aaron Johansen (A Christmas Carol); and Charles Parsley II (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat; The Wiz) will provide costume support, lighting design and sound support, respectively.

The Second City Does Dallas begins previews tonight, August 29 at 7:30pm with a Pay-What-You-Can performance. Tickets to this performance will be available for purchase online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org. Only unsold tickets to the PWYC performance will be available for purchase at the box office the night of the show. DTC's Stay Late program will alternate between facilitated dialogue with the audience and a member of the cast and a The Second City Third Act. Tickets for The Second City Does Dallas are on sale now. Ticket prices start at $15 and are available online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org or by phone at (214) 880-0202.

CAST

FRANK CAETI (Ensemble) Second City credits include: Touring Company, two resident company stages (Chicago e.t.c. & Las Vegas), and Reverie, a nonverbal sketch comedy show. He was a series regular on the FOX's long running sketch show MADtv. Other credits include: Key and Peele, Reno 911, NCIS, The Jay Leno Show, numerous commercials, iO West, and UCBLA. Frank is one half of the acclaimed duo, FrankenMatt with former Saturday Night Live writer Matt Craig.

Amanda Blake Davis (Ensemble) is a veteran of The Second City, where she wrote and performed in 5 original revues. Shows included Disposable Nation, Campaign Supernova and Studs Terkel's Not Working, for which she received a Jeff Award for Best Actress in a revue. In Chicago she improvises with Armando Diaz Experience, Virgin Daquiri, and Baby Wants Candy. She performed in the History of Chicago and Sex, Love & The Second City at the UP Comedy Club and the original musical Broads on Boards at the Annoyance Theater. Amanda is from Auburn, Massachusetts and is a graduate of Providence College in Rhode Island.

MARTIN GARCIA (Ensemble) is a proud graduate of The University of Texas in Austin, Martin moved to Chicago in 1994 to study improv and sketch comedy. He traveled with The Second City Touring Company before going on to write and perform in six revues with The Second City, receiving Best Actor nominations for his first two revues. He also performed with The Second City in Las Vegas and in 2010 directed an all Latino Second City revue. TV credits include Early Edition and ER. He recently filmed an independent film entitled Los Scavengers and was proud to write and perform his first one-man show: Martin Garcia: It's a One-Man Show ... for a Reason. See Martin on the web in a short he wrote called BANG! @ http://youtu.be/9ks5yzR_vgI.

Liz Mikel (Ensemble) is a member of the Brierley Resident Acting Company. DTC roles include: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat; The Wiz; Dividing the Estate; A Christmas Carol; Death of a Salesman; Give It Up!; A Midsummer Night's Dream (2009 & 1991); In the Beginning; The Who's Tommy; Crowns; Ain't Misbehavin'. Broadway and Off-Broadway: Lysistrata Jones. Regional: Cape Playhouse, A Contemporary Theater, Arkansas Repertory Theater. Local: Casa Mañana, Dallas Children's Theater, Jubilee Theater, Theatre Three, WaterTower Theatre. Tours: Ain't I a Woman; Blind Lemon Blues (Geneva and Paris); Blues in the Night. TV/Film: Past Life, Friday Night Lights, Sordid Lives The Series, It's in the Water, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Awards: Leon Rabin Award, DFW Theater Critics Forum Award, D Magazine, Dallas Observer, Dallas Voice, Column Award.

SCOTT MOREHEAD (Ensemble) If you happen to find yourself in Chicago, get a slice of deep dish pizza then go see Scott perform at The Second City's UP Comedy Club, iO Chicago with The Late 90s, or The Apollo Theatre with Baby Wants Candy: The Completely Improvised Musical!

JOHN SABINE (Ensemble) grew up in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas and attended Dallas Jesuit. After graduating from Santa Clara University with a BA in Theatre and Dance, he moved to Chicago to attend Second City's Comedy Studies Program. He has studied at the Second City Training Center and iO. He can be seen around Chicago performing with The Late 90s and Second City's Improv Extravaganza Explosion. He recently performed in The Second City 2: Less Pride... More Pork in Cincinnati.

BROOKE BREIT (Co-writer) has written and performed with The Second City in the Touring Company, One Nation Under 1% and several revues at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, DC and CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore. She also performs at iO Chicago and the Annoyance. Originally from North Carolina, Brooke graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

Ed Furman (Co-writer) is a co-author of the wildly popular Rush Limbaugh! The Musical and Rod Balgojevich: Superstar with Mr. TJ Shanoff and Chicago's longest running musical Co-ed Prison Sluts (Annoyance Theatre). He has co-written shows in conjunction with theatres in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Arizona, Baltimore, and more. He also wrote and performed in three Mainstage Second City revues. Since leaving the Mainstage he has co-written two children's plays, a very adult play (Doublewide Lust), a best-selling book (Cube Monkeys, Harper- Collins), and numerous scenes, short films and commercials for corporate America.

MATT HOVDE (Director) Directing credits include: The Second City's 100th Revue: Who Do We Think We Are?; Sky's The Limit (Weather Permitting); Studs Terkel's Not Working (Jeff Award Winner, Best Director); Chicago Live!; America: All Better!; Rod Blagojevich: Superstar; Campaign Supernova; Between Barack and a Hard Place; How I Lost My Denverginity; and The Best of The Second City. He is the artistic director of The Second City Training Center, and is a founder of the Galileo Players sketch group. Matt was born in Chicago, grew up in Omaha, and graduated from TCU.

Matthew Loren Cohen (Music Director and Original Music) is a classically trained pianist. Past credits with The Second City: Less Pride... More Pork at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Charmed and Dangerous at Centerstage; It Takes a 'Ville at Actors Theatre of Louisville; The Second City Does Arizona, or Close but No Saguaro at Arizona Theatre Company (music direction, original music); and Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; Miracle at 1280 Peachtree Street at the ALLIANCE THEATRE (music direction). Off-Broadway: The Nuclear Family (music director); New York City: Jason & Ben (music, lyrics, book),The Next Big Broadway Musical! (co-creator and music director); Chicago: Best Musical! (creator, music director),Broads on Boards (music director; music, lyrics).

BOB LAVALLEE (Scenic Designer) DTC: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat; Cabaret; A Christmas Carol (2005-2011); Production Designer, PBS, Barney and Friends; Senior Designer, Peter Wolfs, Dallas; Resident Designer, Casa Mañana, Fort Worth, 65 productions, children's theater/musicals: Dreamgirls (Dir. David Thome); Lettuce and Lovage (Dir. Kent Paul); Chess (Dir. Rob Marshall); My Way (Dir. Joel Ferrell); Fort Worth Opera; Three Decembers, Amphibian Stage; Three Days of Rain, (Dir. Adrienne Campbell-Holt). Set Design: The Verizon Academic All American Hall of Fame Awards, Waldorf Astoria. Film Production Design: Searching for Sonny (Dir. Andrew Disney).

JENNIFER ABLES (Costume Support) DTC:To Kill A Mockingbird; Henry IV. Alabama Shakespeare Festival: Charlotte's Web. Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival: Macbeth; The Winter's Tale. University of Texas at Dallas: Dr. Calagari's Cabinet; The Comedy of Errors; Monkey: The Quest to the West; Alpha Male; R.U.R.; The Way They Shine. WaterTower Theater: As You Like It. Risk Theater Initiative: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Florida Repertory Theater: All My Sons; The Underpants; Absurd Person Singular; Sly Fox; Amy's View. Jennifer has been the costume shop manager at DTC since December 2008 and holds an MFA in costume design from Florida State University.

AARON JOHANSEN (Lighting Designer) DTC: A Christmas Carol. Before moving to Dallas six years ago, Aaron received his B.S. in theatre design and technology with an emphasis in lighting design from Ball State University. By day Aaron is Master Electrician for Dallas Theater Center. Lighting credits include: Ruth, Turn of the Screw and Macbeth (Kitchen Dog); Pluck the Day (Second Thought Theatre); Baby, the Musical (PFamily Arts); 2010-2011 Gala and numerous parties and dinners (DTC); Hair; J.B.; Coppelia; Cabaret; Erratica; The Colored Museum and numerous dance pieces (Ball State).

CHARLES PARSLEY II (Sound Support) is happy to be back for round three after having a great time designing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat and The Wiz. He has worked for DTC as Mixer, Master Electrician and Sound Supervisor dating as far back as A Christmas Carol '97. Chad has also spent ten years touring as Mixer, A2, or Assistant Designer for shows such as: Jersey Boys; Spamalot; Avenue Q; Hairspray; The Producers; Rent; The Full Monty; Kiss Me, Kate; Cinderella; Cabaret; Contact.

One of the leading regional theaters in the country, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audience of more than 90,000 North Texas residents annually. Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its Mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus and Rem Koolhaas and at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Managing Director Heather M. Kitchen, DTC produces a seven-play subscription series of classics, musicals and new plays and an annual production of A Christmas Carol; extensive education programs, including Project Discovery, SummerStage and partnerships with Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; and community outreach efforts including leading the DFW Foote Festival and recent collaborations with the Dallas Public Library, Dallas Holocaust Museum, North Texas Food Bank, Dallas Opera, and Dallas Black Dance Theater. Throughout its history, DTC has produced many new works, including The Texas Trilogy by Preston Jones in 1978, Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men (directed by Adrian Hall) in 1986, and recent premieres of Giant by Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson, The Trinity River Plays by ReGina Taylor, the revised It's a Bird… It's a Plane… It's Superman by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, Give It Up! (now titled Lysistrata Jones and recently on Broadway) by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn, Sarah, Plain and Tall by Julia Jordan, Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson.

Pictured: Scott Morehead, Liz Mikel, Frank Caeti, Martin Garcia, John Sabine and Amanda Blake Davis.

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