THE POETRY OF PIZZA

a World Premiere by Deborah Brevoort

OCTOBER 4, 2007 – DECEMBER 22, 2007

In this new romantic comedy, Professor Sarah Middleton arrives at the University of Copenhagen as a visiting poetry scholar, only to find her life irrevocably altered when she stops by a local pizzeria one night. She falls suddenly and unexpectedly in love with Soran Saleen, who wins her heart with his unconventional pizzas. Across a huge cultural divide, their unlikely courtship arouses the passions of everyone around them, setting in motion a rash of culinary courtships and a chaotic comedy of errors.

Directed by Guy Sanville

CAST:

  • Sarah Benoit
  • Sandra Birch
  • Ruth Crawford
  • David Daoust
  • Grant R. Krause
  • Hugh Maguire
  • Qarie Marshall
  • Michelle Mountain
  • Set Designer: Bartley H. Bauer
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Meghann OMalley-Powell
  • Lighting Designer: Dana White
  • Sound Designer: Tom Whalen
  • Stage Manager: Heather A. Hummel

PRESS QUOTES

“‘Pizza’ is a great live performance to invite a wife, girlfriend or general date to see…Both Kraus and Birch were like anchovies here–delicious.”

– Sean Dalton

“Scenes briskly flow from one to the next, or overlap, so that you’re seductively swept up in the love story’s momentum. Director Guy Sanville’s staging perfectly complements this fast, floating style.”

– Jenn McKee, The Ann Arbor News

VINO VERITAS

a World Premiere by David MacGregor

JANUARY 17, 2008 – MARCH 8, 2008

On Halloween night, two couples prepare to attend an annual costume party. Though the evening begins as usual, familiar traditions unravel when the foursome shares a bottle of South American ceremonial wine made from the skin of blue dart tree frogs. Under the influence of this tribal truth serum, what follows is an unpredictable night of unbridled honesty that stretches the bounds of their friendship forever.

Directed by Guy Sanville

CAST:

  • Quetta Carpenter
  • Tommy A. Gomez
  • Suzi Regan
  • Phil Powers
  • Set Designer: Daniel C. Walker
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Christianne Myers
  • Lighting Designer: Dana White
  • Sound Designer: Quintessa Gallinat
  • Stage Manager: Michelle DiDomenico

PRESS QUOTES

“… speaks directly and profoundly about marriage, child-rearing, career choices, even the existence of God. It also made me laugh – hard.”

–Detroit Free Press

“Both funny and gut wrenching … the playwright offers wisdom and insight into many aspects of the human condition … (and) especially shines with his meticulous planning and realistic dialogue.’

–Between the Lines

“… an entertaining, thought-provoking new show… Just make sure to buckle your seatbelts. It is – in the best way possible – a bumpy night.”

–Ann Arbor News

“The bottom line, Vino Veritas is craftily put together…”

–Jackson Citizen Patriot

GROWING PRETTY

a World Premiere by Carey Crim

MARCH 27, 2008 – MAY 31, 2008

Lucy Keen is awkward. To make matters worse, her best friend is a boy, her father is a hopeless wannabe inventor, her body refuses to cooperate with her dream of becoming a supermodel … and her first love has fallen for her mother. Luckily, Lucy learns that the tortures of twelve soon give way to the painful and wonderful freedom of adulthood as she navigates the twisted and humorous path of becoming an artist.

Directed by Michelle Mountain

CAST:

  • Matthew David
  • Matthew Gwynn
  • Stacie Hadgikosti
  • Grant R. Krause
  • Hugh Macguire
  • Michael Brian Ogden
  • Rhiannon Ragland
  • Set Designer: Vincent Mountain
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Meghann OMalley-Powell
  • Lighting Designer: Dana White
  • Sound Designer: Quintessa Gallinat
  • Stage Manager: Stephanie Buck

PRESS QUOTES

“Hadgikosti makes Lucy’s shifts, in age and perspective, smoothly; Michael Brian Odgen makes Hami vulnerable and wholly real; and Crim’s script often possesses an appealing wit and sophistication.”

– Jenn McKee, MLive.com

PANHANDLE SLIM & THE OKLAHOMA KID

a World Premiere by Jeff Daniels

JUNE 19, 2008 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2008

Featuring six original songs, this “play with music” tells the fateful tale of a prairie showdown between a vagrant outlaw and a singing cowboy. Thrown together by unfortunate circumstances, Panhandle Slim and The Oklahoma Kid argue the virtues of mayhem, music and the meaning of life.

Directed by Guy Sanville

CAST:

  • Jessica Garrett
  • Phil Powers
  • John Seibert
  • Tom Whalen
  • Set Designer: Dennis G. Crawley
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Christianne Myers
  • Lighting Designer: Reid G. Johnson
  • Sound Designer: Quintessa Gallinat
  • Stage Manager: Stephanie Buck

PRESS QUOTES

“… a cowboy story with plenty of laughs, but also with moments that are touchingly tender and thoughtful.”

-Detroit Monitor

“Charm, humor, pathos: Daniels’ new play has it all.”

-Ann Arbor News

“Daniels delivers yet another smartly written comedy that will surely rustle up enthusiastic crowds …”

-Between the Lines

“… a deceptively terrific new play … it lulls us with some early goofiness … Then it adds warmth and spirituality.”

-Lansing State Journal

“… one of Daniels’ most interesting plays to date, taking his craft to a whole new level.”

-Jackson Citizen Patriot

“Working economically and with a richness of character reminiscent of short stories by Elmore Leonard, Daniels fashions a play that is at once moving and bizarrely funny.”

-Detroit Free Press