FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training to Present THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE and THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training adds Tony and Obie Award-winning playwright Christopher Durang's absurdist comedy THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE to its 2015-16 season. Praised by Hamilton Fringe Reviews as a play with "loads of literary references, delivered with style and spirit and spark," the 30-minute one-act will run on a double bill with the Conservatory's production of Tom Stoppard's one-act, THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND, hailed as "zanily, crazily funny" by The New York Times. The night opens with THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE, includes a brief intermission and closes with THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND, providing a full evening of mayhem from two masters of absurdist comedy. Directed by Greg Leaming, the director of the Conservatory, both shows preview in the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30pm with a special "Pay What You Can Performance," and officially open on Wednesday, November 4 and run through Sunday, November 22.

In THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE, confused accountant George Spelvin wanders into a theater and finds himself thrown into the leading role in the performance of an ever-changing play. At a loss for lines, stage blocking, and any idea of how the disordered plot is supposed to end, George ad libs his way through a chaotic list of plays, from William Shakespeare to Sameul Beckett.

In THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND, theatre critics Moon and Birdboot attend a "whodunit" murder mystery. As the playfully melodramatic plot approaches its finale and the two whisper their theories back and forth, they are suddenly pulled into the action of the play. Now they must find the culprit - before they become victims themselves!

"After some thought about the upcoming class of graduate actors and the season we've put together to showcase them, we thought it would be a lot of fun to include all of the second year students in the first production of the season," said Greg Leaming. "After lots of investigating, THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE seemed like the perfect companion piece to THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND - both plays are have a wonderfully absurd, anarchic approach to the theatre, and both have a wonderful dark edge that makes them that much more thrilling. It will be a terrific workout for our students."

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory 15-16 season continues with David Ives' outrageous adaptation of the French farce The Liar by Pierre Corneille, running December 29 through January 17. William Shakespeare's dramatic masterpiece Macbeth hits the stage on February 23 and runs through March 13, and the season wraps up with Nora, Ingmar Bergman's stirring adaptation of the iconic play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, running April 12 through May 1.

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ABOUT THE CONSERVATORY

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training is a celebrated three-year graduate program culminating in a master of fine arts degree. For more than 35 years, tens of thousands of actors from across the continent have auditioned for admission. A maximum of 12 students are admitted each year. In their second year, the students perform in the Cook Theatre, a 161-seat space designed to create an intimate experience for the audience and actors. Third-year students are seen on the Mertz Stage working with the Asolo Rep's professional actors in exciting and significant roles.

For more information, visit http://www.asolorep.org/conservatory/welcome.

Subscriptions for the complete 2015-16 FSU/Asolo Conservatory season can be purchased now by calling 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, visiting www.asolorep.org, or visiting the Asolo Repertory Theatre Box Office, located at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Summer box office hours are Monday-Friday 10am-5pm. Single tickets for THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE/THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND and the entire 2015-16 season will be available for donors and subscribers starting September 8 and go on sale to the public online on September 26 and at the box office and by phone on September 28

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