The Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater will present the Twin Cities Premiere of the critically acclaimed one-man show, The Play About The Coach, written by Paden Fallis, performed by Thomas Ward, and directed by Sherry Jo Ward. Just in time for March Madness, The Play About The Coach is a tense look into the pressure packed world of college basketball through the eyes of a beleaguered head coach. It will run from March 14 to March 29, 2014 in a limited engagement at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, located at 810 West Lake Street in Minneapolis.
In the final three minutes of the defining game of his career, a coach's world comes crashing down around him. As the clock ticks away the coach comes head-to-head with a backstabbing assistant, a gifted adversary, a God-like referee and a mysterious stranger who repeatedly phones down to the bench - all the while trying to pull his team through to victory. The Play About The Coach is a thrilling one-man show that takes the audience into the final, crucial minutes of a high stakes game through the eyes of a desperate man.
Friends for many years, Ward approached Fallis about performing "the coach" last year. "I've always been a fan of Paden and of the play. Unlike many solo pieces, it is very theatrical and not merely a personal story dependent on the writer's presentation of it. The Coach is a character I wanted to play the minute I saw it on stage." From New York Fallis added, "I remember thinking it was bold and maybe "too soon" to pass the baton, but at the same time, it was bold. I like bold. This play is bold. You can't turn down opportunities like this. You never know what might open doors and create new possibilities. It'll be fun to see this role in someone else's hands. Thomas has been a friend for many years and used that friendship to get himself a great showcase role. He'll bring a different quality, different point of view, different physicality and different humor to the role. I'm excited to learn from this."
Paden Fallis (Writer) has performed The Play About The Coach at the 2008 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the 2009 Out of the Loop Festival in Dallas (awarded Top Touring Production for the 2008-2009 season by the Dallas-Fort Worth Theatre Critics Association) and the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington DC. His second one-man show, Dark at the End of the Tunnel, played at the Out of the Loop Festival in Dallas and NY's United Solo Festival on Theatre Row. His New York credits include The Phantom Lady (Pearl Theatre) and The Master Builder (The Century Theatre), and performances at The Players Club, The Kitchen, Stand Up New York and the PIT.
Thomas Ward (Actor) has worked in the Twin Cities with the Ivey Award Winning Theatre Coup d'Etat as well as presenting his critically acclaimed play International Falls under the direction of Bain Boehlke. Recently he produced 31 Plays at the Bryant-Lake Bowl as well as having the New York Premiere of International Falls by the Greyman Theatre Company. As an actor he has worked regionally all over the country and is a produced playwright and screenwriter.
Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:00pm, March 14-29. Tickets are $14 at the door or $12 in advance, with a Minneapolis Fringe button, or student ID. Tickets are available online at www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater or by calling 612-825-8949. Fore more information visit thomaswardonline.com.
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