FAITH HEALER and THE GOOD THIEF Set for Stark Naked Theatre's Third Season, Beg. 1/24

Following the regional premiere of All Girls, Stark Naked Theatre Company's third season continues with two critically acclaimed Irish plays-Faith Healer and The Good Thief-performed in repertory and directed by the incomparable John Tyson.

This special two-play rotation opens on January 24th with the Houston premiere of Faith Healer, a Tony award-winning play written by legendary Irish playwright Brian Friel. Faith Healer chronicles the life of Irish faith healer Francis Hardy and stars Philip Lehl as Hardy, Kim Tobin as his wife Grace, and John Tyson as manager Teddy.

First produced on Broadway in 1979, Faith Healer received four Tony nominations and one Tony award for the play's 2006 revival starring Ralph Fiennes.

The second play featured in Stark Naked's repertory program is the Houston professional premiere of the one-man play The Good Thief. Written by Olivier award-winning and Tony-nominated playwright Conor McPherson, the play features Santry Rush in an unforgettable story of one man's journey from the criminal underworld into redemption.

Continuing its innovative collaboration with Houston's talented visual arts community, Stark Naked is combining Live Theatre with an equally powerful visual arts experience. To provide audiences with the opportunity to further explore the highly relevant themes of Faith Healer and The Good Thief, Stark Naked Theatre is sponsoring a corresponding art exhibition entitled Obsession and Grace. The exhibit features a range of media and will be curated by award-winning local artist dianne k webb (Stark Naked Theatre's in-house Art Coordinator). Obsession and Grace is available for viewing one hour in advance of each performance show time, with complimentary admission for Faith Healer and The Good Thief ticket holders.

Stark Naked Theatre Company is proud to present acclaimed Irish plays Faith Healer and The Good Thief, performed in repertory at STUDIO 101 from January 23rd - February 15th, 2014.

Directed by Houston favorite John Tyson, and featuring Tyson, Philip Lehl, and Kim Tobin, Faith Healer (written by Brian Friel) previews on January 23rd at 7:30 pm opens on January 24th at 8:00 pm, and runs through February 8th, 2014.

Conor McPherson's The Good Thief, also directed by John Tyson and starring Santry Rush, previews on January 28th at 7:30 pm, opens January 29th at 8:00 pm, and runs through February 15th, 2014. Performances for both productions will be held at Stark Naked's STUDIO 101, located at Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring Street, Houston, Texas, 77007. Regular show times are as follows: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm and special "Pay What You Can" performances scheduled on February 3rd and February 10th at 7:30 pm.

Tickets (priced at $20 for general admission, $17 for seniors and $10 for students) are available for purchase at www.starknakedtheatre.com or by phone at 832.866.6514. As the plays alternate, please check the website for details on which production is scheduled for a specific day and time. And to receive more information on Stark Naked Theatre Company's season (including its upcoming bare-bones Shakespeare production directed by Philip Lehl) as well as exclusive ticket offers and advance notice of special events, please visit the theatre's website and register your email address.

Cast and Creative Team for Faith Healer and The Good Thief:

John Tyson (Director, Faith Healer & The Good Thief and Teddy in Faith Healer) moved to Houston in 1998 where he was a member of the Alley Theatre Acting Company for fourteen seasons. Roles include: Henry Carr in Travesties, both Dromios in Comedy Of Errors, AEH in Invention Of Love, Alfred Doolittle in Pygmalion, The Librarian in Underneath The Lintel, and Tupolski in The Pillowman. He has also acted at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Berkeley Rep, Playmakers, and StageWest. Tyson adapted and directed his own adaptations of Dickens' A Christmas Carol and The Mystery Of Edwin Drood.

Philip Lehl (Francis Hardy in Faith Healer) is a Houston-based actor, director, and teacher. Co-Founder and co-Executive Director of Stark Naked Theatre Company, Philip has appeared in the company's productions of MacBeth, Dinner With Friends and Debt Collectors. As a director, Philip's productions include: Body Awareness (at Stark Naked Theatre), Almost, Maine and Reckless (with Brave Dog Theatre), Art (at Generations), Ferdinand the Bull (at Stages Repertory Theatre), On the Town (co-director, Bayou City Concert Musicals) and Debt Collectors (co-director, Stark Naked Theatre Company). On Broadway, Philip's acting credits include roles in Blood Brothers and The Kentucky Cycle, the Off-Broadway production of Hundreds of Hats as well as the first National Tour of Titanic, the Musical. Since arriving in Texas in 2001, Philip has been a mainstay of the Houston theatre scene, and his extensive list of credits includes: Oh, the Humanity, Yankee Tavern, I Am My Own Wife, Mr. Marmalade, Lady, Souvenir, Amy's View, The Pavilion, and Dirty Blonde with Stages Repertory Theatre; over thirty productions (and former resident company member) with the Alley Theatre, including: Clybourne Park, The Pillowman, The Farnsworth Invention, Eurydice, The Crucible, The Exonerated, Our Lady of 121st Street, The Mousetrap, Hamlet and The Invention of Love; Main Street Theatre's Arcadia; as well as King John, Romeo and Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost, Julius Caesar, and Cymbeline with the Houston Shakespeare Festival. As a current member of the Classical Theatre Company's resident Acting Company, Philip has appeared in productions of Ghosts, The Tempest, Uncle Vanya, and The Merchant of Venice. With Theatre-Under-The-Stars (TUTS), Philip has appeared in A Wonderful Life, The Sound of Music, and one memorable performance as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. Other productions include: Our Town, Bat Boy, and Spring Awakening with Generations; Turn of the Screw at Unity Theatre, as well as several productions with the Bayou City Concert Musicals (BCCM), including: On the Town, Fiorello, Assassins, and She Loves Me. Philip has worked with numerous regional theatres throughout the country, including: St. Louis Repertory, Cleveland Play House, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Missouri Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Portland Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The New Harmony Theatre and Weston Playhouse. Film and Television credits include Tripwire, The Nanny, Martial Law and Hollywood Off-Ramp. Philip graduated from the Drama Division of the Juilliard School and Drake University, and trained with the National Theatre Institute as well as the Moscow Art Theatre School.

Kim Tobin (Grace Hardy in Faith Healer) is co-Founder and co-Executive Director of Stark Naked Theatre Company, and has appeared in the company's productions of All Girls, MacBeth, God of Carnage, Body Awareness, Dinner with Friends, and Debt Collectors. A Houston native, Kim studied acting and directing at the University of Houston and, in addition to appearing in numerous regional productions, she won the "Actress Excellence" award at the Texas College Play Festival for her portrayal of Sarah in Children of a Lesser God. After relocating to New York, Kim became an officer with the New Mercury Theatre Company, where (among other roles), she produced and starred (as Sally) in the 1995 revival of Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind. Kim later became the Artistic Director of the Blue Sphere East theatre company (the New York sister company to the acclaimed Blue Sphere ALLIANCE THEATRE company based in Los Angeles). Her favorite Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway credits include: Talk to Me Like the Rain..., A Streetcar Named Desire, The Fifth of July, Fool for Love, Savage in Limbo, The Smell of the Crowd, Bed, Bawd & Beyond, Impassioned Embraces (Emotional Recall), Ctrl, Alt, Delete and Trust and most recently, the Barrow Group's production Short Stuff Two and their production of her original One Woman Show, Inside Out. Kim spent over three years in Los Angeles studying with SAndy Marshall and Larry Moss, and highlights of her LA theatre productions include: the world premiere of Children of Shame, The Interrogation, Masseur, Baby with the Bathwater, Check to Check, and The Foreigner. Kim's film credits include roles in The Big Lebowski, The Alarmist, and Sex Maniac, as well as the television series Sunset Beach. In addition to her extensive body of work, Kim is a highly sought-after acting teacher, and her studio (based on the teaching principles of Stanislavski, Adler, Meisner and Strasberg) offers an array of courses (from beginner to advanced levels) in acting technique, improvisation, script analysis and scene study. More details about Kim's background and her current class offerings can be found at her studio website: www.kimtobinactingstudio.com.

Santry Rush (The Man in The Good Thief) is making his Stark Naked Theatre debut. Other productions include: The Good Thief (at the Mosaic Theatre), Amadeus (Alley Theatre), Hamlet (Phoenix Inc.), Witness for the Prosecution (Alley Theatre), The Miser (Theatre Jeune Lune/Alley Theatre), Last Night of Ballyhoo (Main Street Theater), Theophilus North (Main Street Theater), A Christmas Carol (Alley Theatre), Our Town (Alley Theatre), and Among the Thugs (Horsehead Theatre Co.). Education: B.A. from the University of Houston School of Theatre. Mr. Rush currently serves as Associate Artistic Director of HITS Theatre.

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