The Catastrophic Theatre and the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance Presents WAKEY, WAKEY

In an unprecedented partnership, The Catastrophic Theatre and the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance will co-present a visiting production of WAKEY, WAKEY, created by Hyde Park Theatre (HPT) in Austin, TX. HPT Artistic Director Ken Webster directs the show and stars as Guy alongside co-star Rebecca Robinson. Playwright Will Eno will be in residence in Houston during the first weekend of performances. WAKEY, WAKEY is presented in a very limited run at the Jos Quintero Theatre at the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance. The play opens January 24th and runs through February 3rd. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at catastrophictheatre.com or by calling 713-522-2723. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

"It's funny how sometimes you think you know what you're looking at and then, surprise surprise, you turn out to be right."

From the mind of Will Eno once dubbed a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation comes WAKEY, WAKEY, a play that calls to mind a stand-up routine performed at the edge of death. The New York Times has called the play glowingly dark, profoundly moving. Through its lead character, a dying man named Guy, the play grapples inventively and honestly with the human impulse to keep expressing ourselves, even as we near our inevitable end. The result is joyous, surprising, frequently funny, and ultimately rapturous. WAKEY, WAKEY offers a kind of spiritual bookend to Eno's Pulitzer Prize-nominated one-man show THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING), staged by Catastrophic in a 2016 production that the Houston Press called a searing lesson in how life is messy and wonderful and sucks from time to time.

Of the original HPT production, the Austin Chronicle raved: "Webster's performance radiates charm . . . Captivating, superbly funny . . . Eno's rapturous love affair with the full potential of the English language continues." The Austin American Statesman added: "The appeal of WAKEY, WAKEY [is] the warm, witty, charming, resigned performance that Webster provides to an intimate audience. Through his choices as both an actor and a director, he turns the play into an outright celebration of what it means to live a worthwhile life that leaves an impact on other people. . . . In such divided times, the ultimate message of WAKEY, WAKEY feels radical rather than trite share yourself with others, and take care of them, and they'll do the same for you."

Will Eno was a Pulitzer-prize finalist in 2004 for his one-man play THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING). He has been commissioned by the Royal National Theatre, is a Helen Merrill Playwriting Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, an Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellow, and was awarded the first-ever Marian Seldes/Garson Kanin Fellowship by the Theater Hall of Fame, as well as the Alfred Hodder Fellowship at Princeton. Will is now 47-years old and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Ken Webster has been actively involved in the Austin theatre scene as an actor, director, producer, and playwright for nearly four decades. He has served as the producing artistic director of Hyde Park Theatre since 2001. From 1988 2001 he was the artistic director of The Subterranean Theatre Company, and from 1986 1991 he was a resident director at Zachary Scott Theatre.

Join us for a very special conversation with playwright Will Eno following the matinee performance on Sunday, January 27th. More information at catastrophictheatre.com

Formed in 2007 by Jason Nodler and Tamarie Cooper, The Catastrophic Theatre is Houston's premier creator and producer of new work for the theatre. The nationally acclaimed organization is dedicated to developing productions that foster a meaningful exchange between artists and audiences. A recipient of two prestigious MAP Fund commissioning grants, the theatre has gained an international reputation for its original pieces, which have attracted audiences from across the United States, Europe, and Australia. Artistic director Jason Nodler is the recipient of a NEA/MacDowell Colony fellowship, a Houston Press Mastermind award, and an unsolicited and unrestricted creative grant from Creative Capital. Awarded Best Season, Best Actor, and Best Artistic Director by the Houston Press Theatre Awards in 2017, The Catastrophic Theatre offers Houston audiences a repertoire of challenging, innovative work that can't be seen anywhere else in the country.

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