[title of show]'s Bell & Bowen To Take Part In Free Discussion At Signature Theatre 6/22

On Tuesday, June 22, Signature Theatre will host the writers and original Broadway stars of its current musical [title of show] in a free "Talk Back" discussion with the audience following the 7:30 pm performance. Writer/actors Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell will have the mind-bending opportunity to watch themselves played by Washington actors, Sam Ludwig and James Gardiner, at the performance then discuss the show afterwards in Signature's remarkably intimate 110-seat ARK Theatre. [title of show], winner of three Obie Awards and a Tony nomination, is a zany take on two friends' decision to write a musical, running through June 27.

A limited number of seats are available for the 7:30 pm, June 22 performance. For the "Talk Back" discussion, patrons without performance tickets are invited to come to Signature at 9:00 pm. No tickets are necessary for the discussion, however, seating is not guaranteed. Signature reserves the right to limit the number of attendees.

When two struggling writers, Jeff and Hunter, decide to submit their own musical to a festival, they find the process of writing a musical itself more interesting than any play or movie they could adapt. So assisted by actress friends Susan and Heidi (and Larry on the piano), they chose their subject - two friends writing about what to write about. [title of show] puts the audience right in the middle of the creative process-dizzy, unpredictable, and uproarious. Helen Hayes Award-winner Matthew Gardiner directs this love letter to musical theater - a uniquely American art form - and to the joys of collaboration.

TICKETS
Tickets for [title of show] range from $52 - $76 and are available by calling Ticketmaster at (703) 573-SEAT (7328) or visiting www.signature-theatre.org. Group discounts are available for parties of ten or more by contacting carlj@signature-theatre.org.

PERFORMANCE DATES
Performances of [title of show] run through June 27, 2010. Show times are Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 pm, Thursday and Friday at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

AMENITIES - ALI'S BAR
Starting one hour before and extending for one hour after performances, patrons can visit Ali's Bar for outstanding wine, beer, mixed drinks, and chef-prepared light fare. The theater's much praised source of refreshment overlooking a tree-lined boulevard has been masterminded by wine expert Suzanne McGrath, the proprietor of Shirlington's acclaimed wine store, "The Curious Grape." Ticket purchase is not required to eat or drink at Ali's Bar.

BIOS
Jeff Bowen wrote the music and lyrics and co-starred in the Broadway musical [title of show]. He was awarded an OBIE for his work on [title of show], and has composed music for several shows at PS 122, including Avant Garde-a-Rama In Sparklevision and Hello, My Name Is Avant Garde-a-Rama. Also, Sparklefest 2000 at Dixon Place, The A Train Plays and the film Boat Mime. His onstage credits include The Who's Tommy, The Diviners, The Doctor In Spite Of Himself, Of Thee I Sing, The Sandbox and On The Twentieth Century, among others. Jeff is a proud member of the National Audubon Society and the American Birding Association.

Hunter Bell wrote the book and co-starred in the Broadway musical [title of show]. He received an OBIE Award and Tony Award and Drama League nominations for [title of show]. Writing credits include, Silence! The Musical (book writer/Overall Excellence Award-Outstanding Musical 2005 Fringe NYC). Stuck By Epcot (playwright/Manhattan Theatre Source), A Train Plays (lyricist/Neighborhood Playhouse), Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (writer 2007 Circus). He contributed material for Counts Media Inc.'s interactive billboard project, was a 2003 finalist in Warner Bros. Television Comedy Writers Workshop, and has developed new works at the Dramatist Guild, Irish Rep, PS 122, Goodspeed/Chester, CanStage, MTC, Ars Nova, and the O'Neill Center. As an actor, Hunter made his Broadway debut in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. He appeared in Taming Of The Shrew, ...Forum, Gypsy (St. Louis Rep), She Loves Me, The Most Happy Fella (Cincinnati Playhouse), Anything Goes (Great Lakes Theatre Festival), Godspell (MUNY), Little Me (North Shore), The Tempest (Dallas Shakespeare Festival), Side Show (Cleveland Playhouse), Romeo And Juliet, The Boys From Syracuse (ALLIANCE THEATRE), Jumbo, Oh, Boy! (York), South Pacific (Carnegie Hall), The Last Night Of Ballyhoo (Coconut Grove), Rags (Paper Mill), Promises, Promises (Stages), Me And My Girl (Goodspeed Opera House, CT: Outer Critics Award- Best Actor in a Musical). TV: Out of the Box (Disney Channel), Guiding Light. BFA Webster University.

ABOUT SIGNATURE
Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award(r), Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 26 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces. In addition to the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been a home to such theater luminaries as John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has been nominated for 276 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the professional theater and has been honored with 70 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Musical in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009, and Outstanding Play in 1999.

Signature is partially supported by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and by a gift from Arlington County through the Arlington Commission for the Arts and the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources.

Directions
Located in Arlington, VA Signature Theatre is just nine minutes from the Washington Monument. The theater complex is located at 4200 Campbell Avenue (22206) off I-395 at the Shirlington exit. After the exit, blue Signature signs mark the way to the theater. Free parking is available in two adjacent public garages. Please note that Campbell Avenue is a new street and some GPS online mapping systems do not yet recognize Signature Theatre's address. For directions visit http://signature-theatre.org/map.htm.

Contact Information
Subscriptions: (703) 820-9771
Single Tickets: Ticketmaster (703) 573-SEAT (7328)
Signature Administration (571) 527-1860
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue
Arlington, VA 22206
http://www.signature-theatre.org

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