SONGS FROM MRS. MANNERLY and More Join Alley All New Festival 2016 Lineup

Alley Theatre announces the full line-up for the inaugural Alley All New Festival, featuring recent additions - Songs from Mrs. Mannerly, a musical in progress, music by Michael Moricz, lyrics by Jack Murphy, based on the play by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Alley Artistic Director Gregory Boyd; The Harassment of Iris Malloy by Zak Berkman, directed by Alley Resident Assistant Director Brandon Weinbrenner and a special Early Draft Preview, featuring works in progress by Kenneth Lin and Janine Nabers. The Alley Theatre will host the festival, January 28 - February 7 2016, in the newly renovated theatre. Reservations are open now and all presentations are free and open to the public.

"The line-up of our inaugural festival includes a range of work from a hip-hop play to a musical adaptation and a present day political drama to a historical backstage romance. We look forward to using our renovated theatre in its entirety as artists and audiences take over the building during the festival," said Boyd.

The Harassment of Iris Malloy by Zak Berkman begins one night in Atlantic City when a single mother places a bet on a new life after an intimate encounter with a decorated Senator. This suspenseful political drama explores the different ways women and men try to win in today's jackpot culture.

Artistic Director Gregory Boyd will direct Songs from Mrs. Mannerly, a musical in progress, which features music by Michael Moricz, lyrics by Jack Murphy, and is based on the play by Jeffrey Hatcher. Mrs. Mannerly is a demanding teacher, and no student has ever achieved a perfect score in her etiquette class. But when young Jeffrey discovers her secret past, he is determined to be the first. Mrs. Mannerly is inspired by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's hilarious childhood memory play produced at the Alley in 2010.

The special preview event, Early Draft Preview, is a first look at Alley Theatre commissions by Kenneth Lin and Janine Nabers. The event includes a conversation with the writers moderated by Elizabeth Frankel, Director of New Work at the Alley Theatre.

Previously announced festival titles include: Roz and Ray by Karen Hartman, directed by Chay Yew; Miller, Mississippi by Boo Killebrew, directed by Lee Sunday Evans; Syncing Ink by NSangou Njikam, directed by Niegel Smith and Cleo by Lawrence Wright, directed by Bob Balaban.

The annual Alley All New Festival is the first program of Alley All New, a major new work initiative at the Alley Theatre. Alley All New is comprised of a variety of public and in-house programs tailored to the needs of each new project and designed to support playwrights at different stages in their careers. The Alley plans to produce more world premieres, commission new plays, and engage and support playwrights year round in addition to producing the annual Alley All New Festival.

The first annual Alley All New Festival will feature a combination of readings and workshop performances of six new plays. Playwrights will be in residence to develop their work in collaboration with actors and directors, with designers creating essential elements for the workshop performances. Over the course of two weekends, Houston audiences and industry professionals from around the country will get a first look at the work and insight into the play development process.

All presentations are free and open to the public and recommended for mature audiences. Each performance will be followed by a post-show conversation lead by a member of the artistic staff.

The festival casting, which includes Alley Resident Company members, will be announced in January. Click to view full play descriptions. Follow this link for the full festival calendar.

Alley All New Festival presentations, workshops and readings are free and open to the public. Advance reservations are required and are available now online at alleytheatre.org/plays/alley-all-new, by phone at 713-220-5700 or in person at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue.

A Weekend Package is available for $115, February 5-7, and includes reserved seating, parties, exclusive artist access and meal service between performances. Reserve Industry Weekend Packages. Reserved package prices reflect the cost of the meals.

The Alley Theatre, one of America's leading not-for-profit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company lead by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. Home to a Resident Company of actors, the Alley creates a wide-ranging repertoire and innovative productions of classics, neglected modern plays, and premieres. Alley All New, the initiative to commission and develop new work year round, features the Alley All New Festival each season presenting workshops and readings of new plays and musicals in process. Additionally the Alley serves 65,000 students annually with award-winning education and community programs including in-school arts integration residencies, school tours and student matinees. A recipient of the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Alley has brought productions to Broadway, 40 American cities including New York's Lincoln Center and internationally to London, Berlin, Paris, and St. Petersburg throughout its 69 year history.

The Alley Theatre began a $46.5 million building renovation in 2014-2015 season, the first major improvements since the building opened in 1968. With over 500 events in 2015-2016, the Alley will offer more performances than all other arts organizations in the Houston Theater District combined.

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