Main Street Theater Sets 40th Anniversary Summer Season

Main Street Theater (MST) will wrap up its 40th Anniversary Season with 3 summer offerings: 2 one-person plays that will run in repertory and a 2-night fundraiser featuring the works of Noël Coward.

MST is bringing back its 2012 hit production of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-A** Wit of Molly Ivins starring Sara Gaston as Ms. Ivins. Houston favorite Joel Sandel will star in RFK: A Portrait of Robert F. Kennedy. The productions will trade off performance nights between July 10 and August 14 at MST's Rice Village location, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are Thursdays - Sundays. Check MainStreetTheater.com for exact dates and times of each show. Tickets for both are $39 - $36 (previews are $15 - $10), depending on date and section, and are on sale via phone at 713.524.6706 or online at MainStreetTheater.com.

After a long hiatus, MST is bringing back its popular fundraiser Cocktails and Coward, featuring the sparkling wit of Noël Coward through his sketches, plays, and songs, and featuring the Main Street company. There are 2 performances, August 12 and 13 at 7:30pm at 2540 Times Blvd. Tickets are $100 ($60 of which is tax deductible) and are on sale via phone at 713.524.6706 or online at MainStreetTheater.com.

About Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-A** Wit of Molly Ivins

"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' a** and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was." --Molly Ivins

RHP is a funny, down-to-earth, truly kick-ass story of the unsinkable Molly Ivins, the famously brassy newspaper columnist and best-selling author. A true Texas original, Ivins was a sharp-tongued wit who skewered the political establishment and the "good ol' boys" with her unforgettable humor and wisdom. "What moves me about Molly is that she doesn't take sides," says actress Sara Gaston who plays the role. "She demands that everyone who has the freedom to do so must embrace their right to have a voice, to take action, to create change." Written by twin sisters Margaret Engel and Allison Engel, themselves longtime journalists, the play celebrates Ivins' courage and tenacity.

About RFK: A Portrait of Robert F. Kennedy

By late summer, 1964, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy was a deeply wounded man. Still in shock and consumed with grief and guilt over the assassination of his older brother, he was at a critical juncture in his life. The 1964 presidential election was approaching, and President Johnson, who had been dangling the possibility of the vice-presidency to RFK, finally called Kennedy over to the White House to inform him of his decision. The result of that meeting and the subsequent direction for the next, and last, four years of his life are the focus of RFK: A Portrait of Robert Kennedy. "Robert F Kennedy has always been a political hero of mine," says actor Joel Sandel who plays the role. "However, it wasn't until I started digging into his personal history, in preparation for this play, that I was struck by what a profoundly good man he was. His very personal rhetoric spoke to the average citizen in a way that touched the very soul of the nation. He was also one of the rare political figures who had the ability to experience genuine 'heart changes' in the way he saw the world and viewed his responsibility as a citizen of the U.S. and of the world."

About Cocktails and Coward

Cocktails & Coward is back! Sip a Main Street Martini as you enjoy the wit and sophistication of the plays, sketches, and songs of Noël Coward, performed by the Main Street company. A fundraiser for Main Street Theater. August 12 & 13 at 7:30pm. Attire is cocktail casual. All tickets: $100 ($60 of which is tax deductible).

About Main Street Theater

Now in its 40th Anniversary Season, Main Street Theater provides theater experiences for all ages. Founded in 1975, our MainStage produces professional, intimate, literary plays for adults and operates under an Actors' Equity Association union contract; our Theater for Youth produces professional, engaging productions based on children's literature for families and school groups, both in-house and on tour around Texas; and we offer Education and Outreach programs on-site and at satellite locations around the Greater Houston area for youth aged 4 - high school. We work out of 2 brand new facilities: our Rice Village home on Times. Blvd., and as part of the MATCH (Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston) on Main Street.

Main Street Theater is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theaters, of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA (formerly ASSITEJ), the world theatre network of theatre for children and young people, and a founding member of Houston Arts Partners. Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

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