“Alley Theatre @ UH” Announces 2014-15 Season Lineup

The "Alley Theatre @ UH" season begins with Elizabeth Ashley and Hallie Foote in the southwestern premiere of Horton Foote's wonderfully entertaining The Old Friends, directed byMichael Wilson. Alley Resident Actors Jay Sullivan, James Black, and Jeffrey Bean, and returning artist Jeremy Webb lead the cast of Dracula, the Original Vampire Play, a production that will include the iconic designs by Edward Gorey, directed by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd. Boyd also directsShakespeare's romantic comedy As You Like It featuring Alley Resident Actors Elizabeth Bunch, Chris Hutchison and Todd Waite. Resident Actor James Black and Josie de Guzman lead the cast in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, directed by renowned playwright Theresa Rebeck. The Southwestern debut of Britain's innovative and exciting theatre company Kneehigh follows, with an inventive and imaginative production of Tristan & Yseult, based on the Arthurian romance. Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean returns to a favorite role in the riotous tour de force The Foreigner.

The runs dates for As You Like It and The Foreigner differ from those previously announced and are indicated below.

As the Alley Theatre undergoes the first major renovation in its history, all 2014-2015 season performances are at the University of Houston's main campus. Details about the previously announced renovation can be found at www.alleytheatre.org/renovation. Construction on the Alley Theatre building will begin in July, 2014 and continue through the summer of 2015, with the grand opening of the renovated Alley Theatre scheduled for October 2015. The Alley Theatre's 2014-2015 season includes 7 plays that can be purchased as a package, plus the traditional holiday special A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas, which is available as an add-on.

THE 2014-2015 ALLEY THEATRE @ UH SEASON INCLUDES:

A Story about a Texas Family
The Old Friends
By Horton Foote
Directed by Michael Wilson
Previews start August 15, Opens August 20, Through September 7, 2014

Elizabeth Ashley and Hallie Foote return (Alley's Dividing the Estate, 2011) in award-winning Texas playwright Horton Foote's The Old Friends, a Southwestern premiere directed by Michael Wilson. Wilson also directed the Alley's acclaimed productions of Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate, The Trip to Bountiful, and The Carpetbagger's Children. The Old Friends tells the story of Matriarch Mamie Borden and the remaining members of two longtime Texas families who await a visit from Mamie's son Hugo and his wife Sybil. When Sybil arrives with alarming news, old friends on opposing sides must confront the issues surrounding legacy, loyalty, and the meaning of happiness that have hounded them for generations. Called "transcendent" by the New York Post, named the "critic's pick" by The New York Times and given "five stars" by Bloomberg, The Old Friends is an absorbing and vital chapter in Foote's beloved, distinctly American body of work. Contains mature themes.
Supporting Sponsor: Norton Rose Fulbright

Featuring the extraordinary designs by Edward Gorey
Presented by ExxonMobil
Dracula, the Original Vampire Play
By John L. Balderston and Hamilton Deane
Directed by Gregory Boyd
Previews start October 3, Opens October 8, Through November 2, 2014

Featuring iconic costume and set designs by Edward Gorey, the Alley's production is based on the original 1927 adaptation of the classic thriller that marvelously balances the menace of the horror tale with sophisticated satire. Alley Theatre Resident Company members Jay Sullivan, Jeffrey Bean andJames Black and returning artist Jeremy Webb lead the cast. You won't want to miss this "triumphant tumult of escapist entertainment (Associated Press)" Suitable for general audiences.
Associate Producers: Mady and Ken Kades

Holiday Family Favorite
A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas
By Charles Dickens
Adapted and Originally Directed by Michael Wilson
Directed by James Black
Previews start November 21, Opens November 26, Through December 24, 2014

Houston's seasonal favorite the Houston Press described as having "Spectacular London sets ... the inimitable Dickens' tale - spiced with the usual fog and an unusual twist on the ghosts past, present and future." A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas follows Ebenezer Scrooge's journey with the three ghostly spirits that visit him on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol instills a powerful message of redemption and the spirit of the holiday season. Suitable for general audiences.
Lead Sponsor: ConocoPhillips
Supporting Sponsor: Ernst & Young LLP

Alley Resident Company in the Romantic Comedy
As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Gregory Boyd
Previews start January 30, Opens February 4, Through February 22, 2015
(Note Date Changes)

"All the world's a stage" in this masterpiece about romance and mistaken identity. Elizabeth Bunch,Chris Hutchinson and Todd Waite lead the company in one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies. As You Like It traces the separate and intertwining journeys of Rosalind and Orlando, who have each been banished from their home and family. Independently, they each set out with a faithful friend and loyal servant and make their way through the Forest of Arden. Lovers discover lovers, fathers find daughters, brothers reclaim brothers, people are transformed and evil is converted in this delightful story of love.Suitable for general audiences.
Lead Sponsor: Schlumberger
Supporting Sponsor: Baker Botts L.L.P.

Resident Company members James Black and Josie de Guzman in the Riveting American Classic
All My Sons
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Theresa Rebeck
Previews start March 27, Opens April 1, Through April 19, 2015

All My Sons, Arthur Miller's first commercial success, was inspired by the story of a successful businessman who sold the government defective airplane parts during World War II. The play takes place following the war, as the Keller family desperately hopes that their son Larry, who was missing in action three years earlier will return home. As their other son prepares to propose to the woman he loves, who was Larry's girlfriend when he went missing, the Kellers confront realities and family secrets are revealed. Contains mature themes.

Renowned playwright Theresa Rebeck returns to the Alley to direct All My Sons. She is a Pulitzer Prize nominee and the Alley Theatre has produced five of her plays including the world premiere of Fool in 2014, What We're Up Against in 2012, Mauritius in 2009, The Scene in 2007 and Bad Dates in 2005. Rebeck's awards include the Mystery Writer's of America's Edgar Award, the Writer's Guild of America award for Episodic Drama, the Hispanic Images Imagen Award, and the Peabody, all for her work onNYPD Blue. She has won the National Theatre Conference Award for The Family of Mann, and was awarded the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award in 2003 for The Bells. Mauritius was originally produced at Boston's Huntington Theatre, where it received the 2007 IRNE Award for Best New Play as well as the Eliot Norton Award. Other awards include the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award, the Athena Film Festival Award, an Alex Award, a Lilly Award and in 2011 she was named one of the 150 Fearless Women in the World by Newsweek.

Funny, moving, sexy and spectacular
Kneehigh's
Tristan & Yseult
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice
Writers: Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy
Previews start April 24, Opens April 29, Through May 24, 2015

Britain's innovative and exciting theatre company Kneehigh makes their Texas debut with a wonderfully inventive, utterly timeless, delightful tale of love. Cornish King Mark rules with his head, until he falls head over heels for his enemy's sister. Based on the ancient tale, Tristan & Yseult revels in forbidden desires, broken hearts and grand passions. Seen through the eyes of the 'Unloved,' Tristan & Yseultblends comedy, live music and tender truths in an irresistible night of love! For mature audiences, adult language and sexual situations.

Gershwin Celebration
George Gershwin Alone
Music by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Book by Hershey Felder
With Hershey Felder as George Gershwin
Directed by Joel Zwick
Previews start May 29, Opens June 3, Through June 21, 2015

George Gershwin's genius and his fascinating, too short life are celebrated in this remarkable performance by Hershey Felder. George Gershwin Alone is a delightful, touching and comic evening of sheer joy. Brimming with irresistible music, the show includes songs by the creator of An American in Paris such as, "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Summertime," and "I Got Rhythm" - it's a tribute to the American song book and to an extraordinary American character. Rave reviews include: "Furiously dramatic" (The New York Times), "dazzling...sheer genius" (NY Daily News) and "glorious and fascinating" (USA Today). Suitable for general audiences.

Alley Resident Company Member Jeffrey Bean in the Marvelously Funny Comedy
The Foreigner
By Larry Shue
Directed by James Black
Previews start July 3, Opens July 8, Through August 9, 2015
(Note Date Changes)

The Foreigner is one of the most popular comedies in the Alley's history. In the marvelously funny comedy, Alley Resident Company member Jeffrey Bean leads the cast of this comic gem, set in a remote fishing lodge, where socially awkward Charlie discovers intriguing and dangerous secrets under the guise of a foreigner who speaks no English. Suitable for general audiences.
Lead Sponsor: Chevron, Enbridge Energy Company. Inc.
Supporting Sponsor: PwC

ALLEY THEATRE @ UH
The Wortham Theatre is located just off Cullen Boulevard on UH's main campus inside the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts building (also called building 507 on a UH campus map), which also houses the UH School of Theatre & Dance. Free designated parking for Alley patrons will be actively monitored and patrolled by campus security for all performances and is located at campus entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard, just across the street from the theatre building.

ABOUT THE ALLEY THEATRE
With its 177 employees, the Alley Theatre produces 393 performances annually, more than all other performing arts organizations in the Theater District combined. The Alley has attracted over 8 million people to Houston's Theater District since 1968 and has a $34.5 million annual economic impact on the City of Houston ("Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts & Culture Organizations and their Audiences in the City of Houston," Americans for the Arts, 2005.)

The Alley Theatre, one of America's leading not-for-profit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company focused on collaborating with resident actors, visiting artists, directors, designers, dramaturgs, and authors to cultivate the new voices, new work, and new artists of the American theatre. Under the direction of Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden, the Alley has also brought its productions to 40 American cities, and to Berlin, Paris, St. Petersburg and New York's Lincoln Center, as well as to major European festivals (including two in one season at the Venice Biennale) and Broadway. As a recipient of the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Alley creates a wide-ranging repertoire and innovative productions of classics, neglected modern plays, and premieres, as well as new works that will become classics for the future developed through the Alley's New Play Initiative. During the 2014 - 2015 season the Alley Theatre will be performing at the University of Houston's Wortham Theatre as the Alley's downtown home is being renovated. For more information go to alleytheatre.org/uh.

TICKET AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Part of the Alley's mission is to produce thought-provoking and diverse works that should be experienced by all. Theatre lovers can experience these plays for as little as $26 each! Season tickets may be purchased at alleytheatre.org or by calling 713.220.5700. Subscribers can purchase a 5 play package containing The Old Friends, Dracula, All My Sons, Tristan & Yseult and The Foreigner. A 7 play package is also available containing all the plays in the 5 play package plus As You Like It and George Gershwin Alone. A Christmas Carol is available to all subscribers as an add-on.

Individual tickets will be available for purchase in July 2014, at alleytheatre.org or by calling713.220.5700. Groups of 10 or more can receive special concierge services and select discounts by calling 713.220.5700 and asking for the group sales department.

Projects at the Alley Theatre are funded in part by a grant from the City of Houston and the Texas Commission on the Arts. The Alley Theatre is supported by the 2014-2015 season sponsor United Airlines, the official airline of the Alley Theatre.

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