MST New/Now Series: Or, (limited engagement)

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

March 10-March 20, 2011

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MST New/Now Series: Or, (limited engagement)

Main Street Theater continues its inaugural New/Now Series with the regional premiere of Or, by Liz Duffy Adams. With a preview on March 10, Or, opens March 11 and runs through March 20 at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

"A sexy, witty and irreverent...

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Main Street Theater continues its inaugural New/Now Series with the regional premiere of Or, by Liz Duffy Adams. With a preview on March 10, Or, opens March 11 and runs through March 20 at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

"A sexy, witty and irreverent comedy, and a playful take on history"
- Curtainup.com

About Or,
In this saucy farce, Adams weaves a tale around Aphra Behn, 17th century spy-turned-playwright, King Charles II, her erstwhile employer, and Nell Gwynne, the most accomplished and notorious actress of her day. While war rages, Aphra and her friends celebrate free love, cross-dressing and pastoral lyricism.

A passionate, joyful look at all kinds of freedom: sexual, spiritual, artistic, and political.

Or, had its world premiere in New York at the Women’s Project in 2009. The Magic Theatre in San Francisco just gave the play its West Coast premiere at the end of 2010. MST is proud to present the Southwest regional premiere.

Liz Duffy Adams won the Lillian Hellman Award for Playwriting for Or, in 2010.

About Playwright Liz Duffy Adams
Liz Duffy Adams is a recipient of a New York Fellowship of the Arts Award (2006–2007), the Weston Playhouse Music Theatre Award (2008), the Frederick Loewe Award for Music-Theater (2006), and the Will Glickman Award (2004). An MFA graduate of Yale School of Drama, she got her BFA at NYU’s Experimental Theater Wing. Plays include Neon Mirage (2006 Humana Festival anthology play with six other playwrights); A Wrinkle in Time (commissioned/produced by Syracuse Stage); and A Fabulous Beast (One Dream Theater, starring Edie Falco).

Her work has been written, produced, or developed at the Humana Festival, SPF, Portland Center Stage’s JAW/West, Portland Stage Company’s Little Festival of the Unexpected, Syracuse Stage, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, MacDowell Colony, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Millay Colony for the Arts, Shotgun Players, Clubbed Thumb, and Crowded Fire among other organizations.

Publications include Poodle with Guitar and Dark Glasses in Applause’s Best American Short Plays 2000-2001, numerous short plays and monologues in anthologies from Heinemann and Smith & Kraus, and several plays published by Playscripts, Inc. Adams is a New Georges Affiliated Artist, an alumna of the Women’s Project’s Playwrights Lab, and a recipient of a Children’s Theater Company/New Dramatists “Playground” commission.

As profiled in American Theatre magazine by Jean Schiffman, “To Adams, we’re all endangered and slightly mad; the world’s a quasi-menacing, topsy-turvy place; and the mysteries of the future—and the past—beckon. Her plays unfold in expansive, often post-apocalyptic settings. They’re vibrantly theatrical, textually thick, compact and comical…. Adams’ language is an assured and often hilarious blend of the formal, the lyrical and the colloquial. Hers is an utterly unique and captivating voice.”

Discussion Series
Main Street is pleased to continue its Post-Show Discussion Series. Following the performance on Saturday, March 19, playwright Liz Duffy Adams, director Troy Scheid, and the cast will engage in a talkback with the audience. There is no extra charge to attend.

About the Production
Troy Scheid directs Or, after directing last season’s Machinal. Stephanie Holland Earl plays Aphra Behn; Jessica Boone plays Nell Gwynne; Patrick Earl plays Charles II. (All three actors were recently seen in MST’s production of The Heidi Chronicles).

The design team includes Art Ornela (set and properties design), Macy Perrone (costume design), Daniel Polk (lighting design), and Janel J. Badrina (sound design). Debs Ramser is the production stage manager.

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: L-R are Charles II (Patrick D. Earl) and Aphra Behn (Stephanie Holladay Earl). (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 $24 - $35, depending on date and section. The preview performance is $10.

Tickets 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.

Times:

Preview: Thursday, March 10
Opening: Friday, March 11 (through March 20)

Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

Discussion Series
Main Street is pleased to continue its Post-Show Discussion Series. Following the performance on Saturday, March 19, playwright Liz Duffy Adams, director Troy Scheid, and the cast will engage in a talkback with the audience. There is no extra charge to attend.

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).