Tom Dugan's TELL HIM IT'S JACKIE Premieres at Mizner Park Cultural Center Next Month

Actor/Playwright Tom Dugan's new play, Tell Him It's Jackie will have its premiere South Florida run from December 15th through December 19th at the Mizner Park Cultural Center in Boca Raton. The play received rave reviews when it debuted in Los Angeles in Dugan's own 'Backyard Playhouse' in 2020.

Kait Haire will portray former First Lady Jackie Kennedy in a powerful and revealing narrative as she receives word, on June 5th, 1968, of her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy's assassination. Believing herself incapable of living through another great loss, Jackie decides on a course of action that will irrevocably change her future and that of her children. Tell Him It's Jackie is a fascinating exploration of the life of one of America's - and the world's most recognizable and beloved figures.

"The experience of working on Tell Him It's Jackie has been wonderful," Haire says. "Jackie is an American icon, and it is easy for people to forget she wasn't just the poised, stylish woman she presented to the public. She had her breaking points, like we all do, and as an actor it has been great to get to explore those moments."

Playwright Tom Dugan, well known for his award-winning performance as Simon Wiesenthal in his play Wiesenthal, dove deep into Jacqueline Kennedy's life history in order to stay true to the woman portrayed in Tell Him It's Jackie. "I discovered new information that was only recently released to the public," he says. "And I came to understand that Jackie had a powerful sexuality she used to manipulate the media, the public, and the people in her life. Kait Haire has that same alluring charisma - her Jackie is compelling, real, and seductive.

"This play is a completely pandemic inspired production," Dugan explains. "We rehearsed for a couple of months over Zoom which allowed us the time to really develop the character organically, and the play debuted in my own backyard! Everyone - our tech crew, Kait, and I were COVID tested frequently (this was before the vaccine); and aside from when Kait was performing, we were all masked, as was our socially distant audience, which was limited to only 16 people."

Tom Dugan (Playwright/ Director/Actor) has been honored with nominations for the New York Drama Desk Award, New York Outer Critics Circle Award, Los Angeles Ovation Award, and won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Wiesenthal (produced by Daryl Roth and directed by Jenny Sullivan). Wiesenthal has enjoyed productions in Israel, India, Australia, Italy, and Mexico. The script has been published by Bashert Books and is currently available on Amazon. A feature film of Wiesenthal, produced by Dan Kaplow (The Haunting of Hill House, Joe Exotic) is now in the works. During the pandemic Tom, with the help of his family, created Dugan's Backyard Playhouse, a socially distant outdoor live theatre where he premiered two of his plays Tell Him It's Jackie ("brilliant and masterful" - Curtain Up) and The Ghosts Of Mary Lincoln ("Spellbinding" LA Times). Tom's newest one-man show, Tevye in New York ("Magical" - LA Times), premiered at the Wallis Annenberg in Beverly Hills over the summer, and will begin touring next year. His newest piece, Cemetery Pub, will premiere in 2022. Mr. Dugan's Film/TV credits include Friends, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dave, Kindergarten Cop, and Naked Gun. On Facebook: www.facebook.com/TomDuganPlays.

Tell Him It's Jackie will run from December 15th through December 19th at Mizner Park Cultural Center in Boca Raton. Tickets are $49 and are available online at miznerparkculturalcenter.com/ or by calling 844-672-2849.

To post a comment, you must register and login.