Two Muses Theatre Announces HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE

In April, Two Muses Theatre will continue its fifth season at its new space, shared with the Monster Box Theatre, in Waterford. Two Muses Theatre had to relocate in December 2015, following the closing of its original home inside the West Bloomfield Barnes & Noble. Two Muses is opening in the new location with Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, How I Learned to Drive, April 1-17.

Set in the 1960s, How I Learned to Drive is a memory play in which Li'l Bit (Dani Cochrane of Detroit) is the ambivalent and wry narrator of her own memories. In flashbacks of her teenage years, she recounts her inappropriate relationship with her Uncle Peck (Dennis North of Grosse Pointe Farms) that includes taking driving lessons from him. Her stories are told with a remarkable lightness and humor given the subject matter and are illustrated with the help of the ancient convention of the Greek chorus, with Melissa Beckwith (Ferndale), Sarah Burcon (Ann Arbor) and Amy Morrisey (Northville) playing various members of her dysfunctional family and circle of friends. Ultimately, it's an uplifting story of survival and healing although this play is for mature audiences only.

How I Learned to Drive opened in New York in February 1997 and ran off-Broadway for 14 months. In addition to winning the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Paula Vogel's play also won an Obie, a Drama Desk Award and a New York Drama Critics' Award.

Two Muses Theatre Artistic Director, Diane Hill, chose the play because of its humorous and playful handling of a complex and very taboo relationship. "How I Learned to Drive is as funny as it is disturbing," says Hill. "It's the kind of theatre experience that our audiences have embraced and enjoyed in the past, including our well-received productions of Next to Normal and last season's Clybourne Park, both of which also examined controversial subjects and won Pulitzer Prizes for Drama."

Performances run for three weekends, April 1 through April 17, with evening performances beginning at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees at 2 pm on Sundays. General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for students and senior citizens (62+) in advance. All tickets are $2 more at the door. Discounted advance tickets are available up to four hours before the performance and may be purchased online at www.TwoMusesTheatre.org or by phone at (248) 850-9919 during box office hours, Monday through Saturday from 10 am-5 pm. Tickets may also be purchased in person one hour prior to each performance. Seating in the theatre will begin 30 minutes prior to each performance. Patrons who arrive early can grab a snack or dinner at the Monster Box Bistro and enjoy their signature coffee drinks inside the theatre. There is ample free parking and handicap accessibility. For more information, visit www.twomusestheatre.org.

Two Muses Theatre is NOW LOCATED at 2529 Elizabeth Lake Road in Waterford, where it shares the space with Monster Box Theatre. Two Muses Theatre's mission is to provide opportunities for women in theatre. It is the proud recipient, for the third year, of an operational grant from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and the National Endowment of the Arts. For more information, go to www.twomusestheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Diane Hill

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