Tyne Daly, John Glover & More to Star in A BRIEF CRACK OF LIGHT Industry Readings

Walking Path Entertainment, LLC will present two private industry readings (by invitation only) of A Brief Crack of Light, a play written by William Semans and Roy M. Close. Directed by Tony Award nominated director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (Agnes of God) and starring Tony Award winners Tyne Daly (Gypsy, Mothers and Sons) and John Glover (Love! Valour! Compassion!, Waiting For Godot) and Billy Eugene Jones (Fat Ham), the readings will be held on Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5.

A Brief Crack of Light is the inspirational story of Mae and James, the last two residents of a shabby rooming house about to be demolished. They live day-to-day on social security and faded dreams. But suddenly they're faced with eviction. Then Alex, a mysterious and charismatic stranger, enters and wants their help with a caper. They're tempted but have deep misgivings. What if they get caught? Meanwhile, the loss of the Penley is a reminder that James's and Mae's options are shrinking in number and time is running out.

Mae is the live-in caretaker and James a former actor and professor who resigned amid scandal. These two characters know how to push one another's buttons and do so repeatedly. Though James is gay and Mae straight, the connection between the two shows how important the relationship is in both their lives.

More than a caper play, A Brief Crack of Light is awash with memorable lines-funny, bawdry, wistful, philosophical. Its universal themes of courage and living life to its fullest will resonate with all who have had life-changing experiences. Theatergoers of all ages can enjoy the twist of fate for Mae and James.

The play's messages resonated with audiences of the two previous A Brief Crack of Light productions. The play ran at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. Then Garry Marshall and Michael Laskin produced it in Los Angeles. Both productions drew rave reviews and full houses. "The great thing about [this play] is that it strikes such an entertaining balance between tragedy and comedy," wrote a Minneapolis critic. A Los Angeles reviewer called it "a real treat, a delightful story, an inspiring drama, highly enjoyable."

Casting by Pat McCorkle Casting and General Management by Perry Street Theatricals.

Bios

William Semans

(Co-Playwright/Producer) Most recently he wrote and produced the play A Brief Crack of Light (previous title Exit Strategy) to critical acclaim in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Bill founded the Cricket Theater in Minneapolis and was its producing director for 13 years. He has produced and staged over 100 productions. Under his tenure the theater was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Regional Theater. He also co-produced, directed and wrote the feature film, Herman USA. Bill co-produced the award-winning World War II documentary series, The American Hero. He also produced Fighter Aces of World War II, the 1988 Military Video of the Year, as well as Ladies Sing the Blues, nominated in 1989 as Best Long Form Music Video of the Year. His World War II documentaries are being streamed on several channels in the U.S. and internationally.

Roy M. Close

(Co-Playwright) A native Minneapolitan, Roy holds a BA in English from the University of Minnesota. His teachers included Allen Tate, John Berryman, and Charles Nolte. From 1971 to 1992 he worked as a performing arts critic (theater, classical music, and dance) and editor for The Minneapolis Star and Saint Paul Pioneer Press. He is the author of Critical Conditions, a study of criticism in Minnesota, and more than a dozen plays, including the musical Lies, Lies, Lies and the short plays Zambezi Blue, A Postcard from the Corn Palace, Killing Mother, After Goldilocks, and Your Call Is Very Important to Us. He co-wrote A Brief Crack of Light with William Semans. Roy worked as a grant writer for Artspace Projects, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer for the arts starting in 1999. He's a retired director of Artspace and former president of the board of directors of the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg

(Director) His first play on Broadway was the Tony Award nominated Whose Life Is It Anyway? with Mary Tyler Moore later taking over from the Tony Award winning Tom Conti, an early example of a woman taking over a 'man's' part. His production of Agnes of God ran for two years on Broadway, with Amanda Plummer winning the Tony Award over her fellow nominee Geraldine Page. He directed the original production of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's hand grenade of a play about AIDS, at Joe Papp's Public Theatre. In his early 20's in London, Michael directed videos for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. He did The Rolling Stones' videos for 15 years and also The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. His documentary of The Beatles, Let It Be, is scheduled to be re-released later this year. It was his footage from Let It Be that Peter Jackson used to make Get Back, his "documentary about making a documentary." It was Michael whose idea it was for The Beatles to go up on the roof for their final concert. For his dramatic work on British Television, he was nominated for 4 BAFTAs, winning for Brideshead Revisited. Michael wrote and directed The Object of Beauty with John Malcovich and Andie MacDowell. His first memoir, Luck and Circumstance, was published by Knopf in 2011. He's at work on another. Also a painter, Michael has had exhibitions in Los Angeles, Austin, London, and most recently, Paris.

Walking Path Theatrical (Producers)

Chris Spencer - In addition to her work to produce A Brief Crack of Light, Chris is an executive producer of the Department of One TV pilot. She's also an investor in the Museum of Broadway and recently Ohio State Murders. Previously, Chris ran Art Workshop International for 9 years and worked alongside award-winning artists and writers during a summer workshop in Assisi, Italy. She's also an oil painter, primarily of landscapes. Chris retired from Morgan Stanley as a Vice-President, Investments, and Certified Financial Planner. During her 27 years there, she also taught continuing education classes and wrote investment columns for local newspapers. Chris is a partner in Trigance Press, which won Franklin and Midwest Book Awards, and is compiling a collection of short stories. The University of Minnesota recently recognized Chris as a notable alumnus for her achievements in the investment and artistic communities. She lives in Minneapolis and Bainbridge Island, WA.

Jeff Hohman - He was co-producer of the feature film, Herman USA, which was released theatrically and had a successful run on domestic television as well being distributed worldwide in more than 30 countries. Jeff is also the co-producer of the World War II documentary series, The American Hero, recipient of eleven major national documentary film awards, including two Telly Awards as Best Documentary Film of the Year. Prior to producing films, Jeff was a consultant to numerous video and publishing companies as well as being a literary agent and book packager. Previous to that, he worked for B. Dalton Bookseller in numerous management capacities. Recently, in addition to working on the Civil War film project, No More Gallant a Deed, Jeff has been consultant to several publishers and writers. He's also writing a novel.

Perry Street Theatricals (General Management) is an award winning, independent theatrical producing and general management company in New York City. PST offers a full breadth of general management and consulting services for plays and musicals and/or act as executive producers for other producers. Perry Street provides targeted strategies to help you decide how, when, and if to go forward with your projects. We have solid relationships with marketing and advertising agencies, press reps, production and company management, casting directors and theatre owners both here in NYC and in London.

For more information visit: www.ABriefCrackOfLight.com

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