The Doctor’s Dilemma

Presented by Main Street Theater at Main Street Theater - Rice Village

September 4-October 3, 2010

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Main Street Theater will open its 2010-2011 MainStage season with George Bernard Shaw’s riff on death panels, The Doctor’s Dilemma, September 9 – October 3, 2010. (Previews September 4, 5, and 8), at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. (There is a performance on September 10 – and it’s $5 Friday!) Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays...

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Main Street Theater will open its 2010-2011 MainStage season with George Bernard Shaw’s riff on death panels, The Doctor’s Dilemma, September 9 – October 3, 2010. (Previews September 4, 5, and 8), at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. (There is a performance on September 10 – and it’s $5 Friday!) Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

About The Doctor’s Dilemma
A doctor who has developed a cure for tuberculosis can take only one more patient. He must decide between a kindly, poor, medical colleague and a charming young artist who is a genius but a scoundrel with a young and vivacious wife (with whom the doctor is somewhat in love).

Throughout history and certainly in the present day, there are medical treatments so scarce or costly that some people can have them while others cannot. Who is to decide, and on what grounds is the decision to be made? 100 years ago, Shaw saw the potential for “death panels” and examined the dilemma with his customary wit and charm.

Inspired by a London surgeon who made a fortune convincing people to let him remove their uvula, this play premiered in 1906 at the Royal Court Theatre in London with Harley Granville-Barker as the artist.

About Playwright George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw wrote over 60 plays in addition to music and literary criticism, journalistic works, novels and short stories. He is the only person ever to have won the Nobel Prize (1925) and an Academy Award (1938). His list of great works is lengthy and would certainly include Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Major Barbara, Candida, Arms and the Man, Heartbreak House, You Never Can Tell, among others.

Discussion Series
Main Street is pleased to offer a Post-Show Discussion Series in connection with the production.

Following the performance on Sunday, September 12, William Monroe, Professor of English and Dean of the Honors College at the University of Houston will lead a discussion on some of the themes and issues of the play with the audience, the cast, and director Mark Adams.

Following the Sunday, October 3 performance, Dr. Thomas R. Cole, the McGovern Chair in Medical Humanities & Director of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston will be leading the discussion.

About the Production
Mark Adams returns to MST to direct The Doctor’s Dilemma after directing last season’s hit production of Master Class. Houston favorite Joel Sandel plays Sir Colenson Ridgeon, the doctor facing the decision of which patient to save. David Wald (A Number, Wondergirl) is Dr. Blenkinsop, and Kregg Alan Dailey (But Not Goodbye) is Louis Dubedat, the patients in need of aid. Beth Hopp plays Jennifer Dubedat, the loving wife pleading her artist husband’s case to Ridgeon.

The rest of the cast includes Steve Garfinkel (Awake and Sing!), Sean Patrick Judge (The House of the Spirits), Lisa Williams, Jack Dunlop, and Alan Hall (Master Class).

The design team includes Meghan C. Hakes (set design), Rebecca Greene Udden (costume design), Eric L. Marsh (lighting design), Janel J. Badrina (sound design), and Richard Solis (properties design). Lauren Smith is the production stage manager.

Parent Play Date
Saturday, September 25, for an additional fee, parents may take their 6 – 11 year olds to MST - Chelsea Market while they attend that evening’s performance of The Doctor’s Dilemma. Call 713-524-6706 for more information.

Tickets range from $26 - $40 (Previews are $10), depending on date and section, and are on sale in person at the Main Street Theater Box Office, 2540 Times Blvd., via phone at 713.524.6706, or online at MainStreetTheater.com.

Since 1975, Main Street Theater has produced high quality professional theater for audiences of all ages through its MainStage productions and Main Street Youth Theater. The Main Street Theater Kids On Stage program offers performing arts classes and camps for children 5 years to 14 years of age. The organization produces plays at two locations, 2540 Times Boulevard in Rice Village and 4617 Montrose Boulevard at Chelsea Market.

Main Street Theater is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition, a collaboration of 25 arts organizations that work collectively to raise awareness of the size and diversity of the arts in Houston, and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theaters. Main Street Theater offers a lively year-round repertory of classic and contemporary plays for audiences of all ages and provides a much-needed showcase for Houston theater professionals. Main Street Theater is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association and of ASSITEJ, the world theatre network of theatre for children and young people. Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Pictured above: Joel Sandel as Sir Colenso Ridgeon. (All photos by www.RicOrnelProductions.com)

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Main Street Theater - Rice Village

2540 Times Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005

Full map and directions

Tickets:

Tickets range from $26 - $40; previews - $10.

Discounts available for students, seniors, and groups, and Advance Rush Tickets (ART Discount).

Also: $5 Friday, September 10.

Times:

September 9 – October 3, 2010
(Previews September 4, 5, and 8)

Thursdays at 7:30pm
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 3:00pm

Phone: (713) 524-6706

Parking: Parking in the Village can be difficult, especially for Sunday Matinees. MST recommends that you arrive at least 20 minutes early to allow time to park and get to the theater. Remember, there is no late seating once the show starts.

Limited off street parking is available directly in front of the Rice Village Theater, and there is street parking all through out the village. Parallel parking can also be found on the east side of Kirby.

When the weather is nice, you might chose to park in the Village parking garage. The closest entrance can be found at Kelvin and Amherst, one block east and one block south of the Theater. There may be a nominal fee, but parking is free should you choose to dine at one of the Village Arcade eateries before the show.

We do ask that you be respectful of our neighbors and not park in any off street parking that is in front of open businesses. What's more, because of the nature of Village parking, many businesses will enforce towing.

The best way to beat the parking blues is to come early, find a convenient place near the theater and walk to a Village eatery for dinner or brunch!

From Southwest Houston (Sugar Land Area)
Take 59 North, pass the 610 Loop, and exit Kirby (just after The Compaq Center). Turn right onto Kirby. Cross Bissonnet and Sunset. When you reach Rice Blvd., go one more block to Times Blvd. (there's no traffic light). Turn left onto Times. MST is the third business on the left (next to Ovations).

From North Houston (The Woodlands/Downtown)
Take 45 South to 59 South and exit Kirby (if you see The Compaq Center, you've gone too far). Turn left onto Kirby. Cross Bissonnet and Sunset. When you reach Rice Blvd., go one more block to Times Blvd. (there's no traffic light). Turn left onto Times. MST is the third business on the left (next to Ovations).

From Southeast Houston (Clear Lake/Galveston)
Take 45 North to 59 South and exit Kirby (if you see The Compaq Center, you've gone too far). Turn left onto Kirby. Cross Bissonnet and Sunset. When you reach Rice Blvd., go one more block to Times Blvd. (there's no traffic light). Turn left onto Times. MST is the third business on the left (next to Ovations).

From I-10 coming from the West (Katy)
Take 610 Loop South to 59 North and exit Kirby (just after The Compaq Center). Turn right onto Kirby. Cross Bissonnet and Sunset. When you reach Rice Blvd., go one more block to Times Blvd. (there's no traffic light). Turn left onto Times. MST is the third business on the left (next to Ovations).

From I-10 coming from the East (Beaumont)
Take 59 South and exit Kirby (if you see The Compaq Center, you've gone too far). Turn left onto Kirby. Cross Bissonnet and Sunset. When you reach Rice Blvd., go one more block to Times Blvd. (there's no traffic light). Turn left onto Times. MST is the third business on the left (next to Ovations).

From Main Street Theater at Chelsea Market
Turn left onto Montrose. Make a right on Bissonnet. Pass Shepard and Greenbriar. Turn left onto Kirby. Pass Sunset Blvd. When you reach Rice Blvd., go one more block to Times Blvd. (there's no traffic light). Turn left onto Times. MST is the third business on the left (next to Ovations).