Human Race Theatre's 26th Season Opens with MANAGING MAXINE Tonight, 9/6

The Human Race Theatre Company kicks off its 2012-2013 Season with Janece Shaffer's Managing Maxine, an unlikely love story with an unconventional heroine featuring Broadway actress Jana Robbins as Maxine and television veteran Steve Vinovich as Arthur. She's bold, yet tender. She's brash, but sincere. And at the age of 70, Maxine Levine may have just found real love for the first time in her life. When this lively widow finds a retired, reserved judge to her liking, they each discover that when it comes to romance, everything old is new again. But the memories of past loves and current heartbreaks of their children could derail any hope of happiness these late-in-life lovebirds may have.

This production is only Managing Maxine's third after being commissioned by Atlanta's ALLIANCE THEATRE for a 2009 run and another in 2010 at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. It won the 2009 Gene Gabriel Moore Playwright Award and the 2008 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Awards. The Human Race's production is directed by Marya Spring Cordes with set design by Tamara L. Honesty, costume design by David M. Covach, lighting design by John Rensel and sound design by Rich Dionne. Kay Carver is the production stage manager. Managing Maxine runs tonight, September 6 through 23, 2012. Opening night is Friday, September 7.

Jana Robbins is a Tony Award-nominated actress, producer and director, playing lead roles in the Broadway productions of Good News, I Love My Wife, Romance/Romance, Crimes of the Heart, Gypsy and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. As a producer, her work includes Little Women – The Musical, the 2009 production of Ragtime and the current production of War Horse. Dayton-area audiences will remember her as the title character in The Human Race Theatre's 2011 production of The Drowsy Chaperone on the Victoria Theatre's Broadway Series. It was during her time in Dayton that she brought the script for Managing Maxine to Producing Artistic Director Kevin Moore's attention. Ms. Robbins has been working in her capacity as a producer to shepherd the script through development with the intention of a New York City run.

Steve Vinovich has appeared on Broadway in Loose Ends, Lost in Yonkers, The Magic Show, The Robber Bridegroom, The Grand Tour and The Secret Rapture, in addition to scores of productions at regional theatres across the country. His face is well-recognized thanks to his work in hundreds of commercials and television shows, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Everybody Loves Raymond, Cheers, Home Improvement, Cold Case, Malcolm in the Middle, Law and Order LA and Hannah Montana.

In addition to Robbins and Vinovich, the cast includes: Human Race Resident Artists Kay Bosse, Tim Lile and Scott Stoney; New York City-based actress Debra Whitfield, a Columbus native; and Michelle Zimmerman, returning to The Human Race stage after nearly decade-long absence.

Production sponsors for Managing Maxine are Lifestages-Samaritan Centers for Women, Patti Giering, Susan Kettering, Marcia Muller, Barbara N. O'Hara and Barbara Schenck.

Tickets for the preview performance of Managing Maxine tonight, September 6 are $31 for adults, $29 for seniors and $15.50 for students. For all performances September 7 – 23, single ticket prices are $36 and $40 for adults, $34 and $38 for seniors and $17.50 and $19.50 for students. Prices vary depending on the day of the week desired. Group discounts are available. The Human Race Theatre is offering a pair of discount ticket opportunities. Twenty-five special $25 tickets are available at each performance, on sale two weeks prior to that performance. The Sunday, September 9 7:00 p.m. performance is "Sawbuck Sunday", when a limited number of available seats can be purchased in person for just $10 at The Loft Theatre box office two hours prior to the show. Discounts are subject to availability and some restrictions apply.

All performances are at the Metropolitan Art Center's Loft Theatre, located at 126 North Main Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio.

Show times for Managing Maxine are 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday evenings and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday and Tuesday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. There is no evening performance on Tuesday, September 18. The Pay-What-You-CAN performance is Wednesday, September 5 at 8:00 p.m. The "Inside Track" pre-show discussion begins at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, prior to the 8:00 p.m. performance. "Lite Fare at The Loft" with food and drink provided by Citilites begins in The Loft Theatre lobby at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 11. The "While We're on the Subject" post-show talkback in on Sunday, September 16, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. performance.

Tickets and performance information on Managing Maxine are available online at www.humanracetheatre.org or by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630, and at the Schuster Center box office.

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