Photo Preview: BEER FOR BREAKFAST At American Heartland Theatre

American Heartland Theatre is set to start off 2012 with the World Premiere comedy Beer For Breakfast by Sean Grennan. Featuring three hilarious local talents, Cathy Barnett, Scott Cordes and Martin English, as well as the playwright himself under the direction of AHT’s Director of Production, Paul Hough. The third production of their 25th anniversary season, Beer For Breakfast, continues the AHT tradition of bringing new works to the stage and supporting the local arts community.

Performances begin January 6th, 2012 and continue through February 19th, 2012. Press night is
Wednesday, January 11th at 7:30pm. Tickets are now on sale at the American Heartland Theatre Box Office on the 3rd floor of the Crown Center Shops, online at www.ahtkc.com or by
calling 816-842-9999.

Beer For Breakfast is a peek in to a "guy's weekend” as four middle-aged buddies reunite for a
weekend away from it all - complete with retro music, cheap beer and enough cholesterol to
stop Superman's heart. These guys are out to prove they've still got it, so they are going to party like it's 1978! It's all going well until one of them doesn't show up...but his wife does. Snowed in overnight, an epic struggle ensues: Will man be judged the superior sex or will woman prevail? Will love triumph or will old grudges win? And finally, perhaps most importantly, if Doritos are made of corn, why can't they be considered a serving of vegetables?

The cast and creative team for Beer For Breakfast includes:
Cathy Barnett (Jessie) Cathy's previous appearances at AHT include No Way to Treat a Lady and The Dixie Swim Club. She was last seen at The New Theater in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Cathy has toured nationally and internationally in both Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Hollywood. She has also traveled across the nation as Louise in Always, Patsy Cline. She has entertained as a stand-up comedienne in New York, appearing with Lewis Black at the West Bank Cafe. She also portrays the Hallmark greeting card character, "Maxine," and can give you directions to anywhere you want to go as the voice of the Garmin GPS Navigation Systems.

Scott Cordes (T.J.) Scott returns to AHT where he last shared the stage with Sean Grennan in last season’s production of The Love List. A native of Nebraska, Scott has been a professional actor and director in Kansas City for more than 20 years. Scott’s next performance will be One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at MET, directed by AHT’s own Bill Christie. A member of all three acting unions, Scott also works in commercials and film.

Martin English (Richard) Martin has appeared on the AHT stage several times in A Christmas Story, Every Christmas Story Ever Told, Affluenza, The Rainmaker and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Martin is also a fight choreographer and member of the Society of American Fight Directors. Offstage, Martin is the Executive Director of Kansas City Young Audiences and an advocate for arts education.

Sean Grennan (Mark / Playwright) Sean returns to AHT after starring in last season’s hit The Love List, alongside co-star Scott Cordes. Other AHT shows include Searching for Eden-The Diaries of Adam and Eve, Affluenza, and Duck Hunter Shoots Angel. Sean is celebrating his 35th year as a professional actor with this show and is a proud member of Actors Equity Association. Sean is also a much-lauded playwright, his play LUCK! won an honorable mention from the National Writer’s Association’s Playwrighting Festival and was produced in NYC by the Epic theatre company. Working with composer Leah Okimoto he wrote Married Alive!, A Dog’s Life and Another Night Before Christmas, all of which debuted at AHT.

Photo by Shane Rowse

Martin English, Sean Grennan, Cathy Barnett and Scott Cordes