Greenberg’s Broadway sensation Take Me Out throws a curveball at America’s favorite pastime. Darren Lemming, a young, iconic baseball star, is at the top of his game both personally and professionally. When he calls a press conference that results in a shocking admission to the media, Lemming sends a ripple of effects through the team, the fans and the nation. Both hilarious and hard-hitting, Take Me Out strips baseball bare. Playwright Richard Greenberg examines the dynamics of homophobia, isolation, racial tension and the cult of celebrity in this funny, moving love letter to America’s favorite pastime.

The 12-member all-male cast features Lloyd Harvey, Kevin Moore, Art Kedzierski, Andrews W. Cope, Chester Maple, Travis Ponikiewski, Anthony A. Gonzalez, Antonio Garcia, Ryan Manalansan, Darius Warren, Tony Martin and Bronze Hill. The production is under the direction of Michael Serrecchia.  The Uptown Players all-star design team includes lighting design by Jason Foster, costume design by Suzi Cranford, sound design by Virgil Justice, set design by Andy Redmon, stage management by Cathy O’Neal, and hair and make up by Coy Covington.

Take Me Out runs February 3 through February 19, 2012, with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (no performance February 5). A special Thursday night performance will take place on February 16 at 8 p.m. Performances will take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd at Blackburn, Dallas TX 75219.  Tickets are $25-$35 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

About this Production
Take Me Out
By: Richard Greenberg
Content Advisory: Mature Themes/Full Nudity – Ages 17 and up
Directed by: Michael Serrecchia
Dates: February 3, 4, 10, 11, 16, 17, & 18 @ 8 p.m.
February 12 & 19 @ 2 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$35
Box Office info:
Online: www.uptownplayers.org
Phone: 214-219-2718

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About Uptown Players
Now its eleventh season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1,000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first ten seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players has recently been featured on Good Morning Texas and Daybreak on WFAA. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

DALLAS

Jon Marans’ The Temperamentals tells the story of two men, the communist Harry Hay and the Viennese refugee and designer Rudi Gernreich, as they fall in love while building the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization in the United States pre Stonewall. It is an intimate portrayal of the men who created history and the epic struggles they overcame.

The characters consist of the actual men who founded the Mattachine Society, as well as other prominent figures of the time in Hollywood and the film industry, as well as the world of fashion. The story weaves together the personal and political to tell a relatively unknown chapter in gay history. It explores the love between two complex men, as their impossible dream of forming such an unheard of organization becomes a reality in this perilous, unpredictable world.

Described as “Mad Men meets Milk,” Marans’ play was a sold-out sensation off-Broadway last year and earned a GLAAD nomination for Outstanding New York Theater. This production features Gregory Lush as Harry Hay and Montgomery Sutton as Rudi Geinrich; Paul J. Williams, Kevin Moore and Daylon Walton round out the cast, with Bruce R. Coleman directing.

The Temperamentals runs October 7 through October 23, 2011, with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (no performance October 9). A special Thursday night performance will take place on October 20 at 8 p.m.. Performances will take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd. at Blackburn, Dallas TX 75219.  Tickets are $25 – $35 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

About Uptown Players:

Now in its tenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players has recently been featured on Good Morning Texas and Daybreak on WFAA. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

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 Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS, August 5, 2011

2012 SEASON OVERVIEW
Take Me Out: February 3-19, 2012
Uptown Players kicks off its 11th season with the 2003 Tony Award winning play by Richard Greenberg, entitled Take Me Out. The show will run from February 3 – 19, 2012 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. In Take Me Out, Darren Lemming, the star center fielder of the world champion New York Empires, is young, rich, famous, talented and handsome. He is so convinced of his popularity that when he casually announces he’s gay, he assumes the news will be readily accepted by everyone. It isn’t. Friends, fans and teammates react with ambivalence, and when the slipping Empires call up the young phenom Shane Mungitt to close their games, the ambivalence turns to violence. Angry, lonely, guilt-ridden and confused, Darren finds some unlikely solace in the form of friendship with his new business manager, Mason Marzac—a brilliant but repressed guy, who, as everyone around him copes with disenchantment, blooms in the ecstatic discovery of baseball.

Broadway Our Way: March 16-25, 2012

Now in its 10th year, Uptown Players’ fundraiser, Broadway Our Way, light-heartedly pits the men against the women to determine who the true Divas of the Dallas stage really are. The evening features selections from your favorite Broadway shows both past and present, done with an Uptown Players twist! It is sure to be a hot ticket for its seven performances in March 2012. The show’s dates are March 16-25, 2012.

Silence of the Clams: April 27-May 20, 2012

Uptown Players 2012 bonus show at the Rose Room Theater is another parody from Jamie Morris, the creator of the smash hits The Facts Of Life and Mommie Queerest entitled Silence of the Clams. In this parody of the 1990 Oscar-winning Jodie Foster/Anthony Hopkins thriller, butch FBI agent Clarice Startling is assigned to help find Nancy Pelosi’s missing daughter and save her from “Beaver Bob,” a serial killer who skins his victims “down there.” Clarice attempts to gain better insight into the mind of the killer by interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lichter, a convicted psychopath who “eats” his female victims before he kills them. The twisted relationship forces Clarice not only to confront her own psychological demons, but leads her face-to-face with a demented killer so evil that even she may not have the courage – or strength – to stop him! The show will run from April 27 – May 20, 2012 at the Rose Room Theatre inside the S4 nightclub on Cedar Springs.

The Divine Sister: July 13-29, 2012

Uptown Players returns to the Kalita Humphreys Theater in July for the regional premiere of the holy outrageous off-broadway hit, The Divine Sister, by Charles Busch. Running from July 13 – 29, 2012, The Divine Sister is a comic celebration of such Hollywood films as The Song of Bernadette, The Bells of St. Mary’s and The Singing Nun! St. Veronica’s indomitable Mother Superior, played by drag diva Coy Covington, leads us on this madcap trip through Tinseltown’s religiosity…it’s miraculous, zany fun!

The Producers: August 24-September 16, 2012

Uptown Players presents the regional premiere of the musical comedy, The Producers from August 24 – September 16, 2012. With a truly hysterical book co-written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Mr. Brooks, The Producers won a record 12 Tony Awards in 2001. In The Producers, a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! The antics of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they maneuver their way fecklessly through finding a show, hiring a director, raising the money and finally going to prison for their misdeeds is a lesson in broad comic construction. At the core of the insanely funny adventure is a poignant emotional journey of two very different men who become friends.

Hello Again: October 5-21, 2012

Uptown Players will close its 2012 season with the regional premiere of the musical Hello Again. The joys of sex are here for the asking in this adult musical fantasy suggested by Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde. As though seen through the lens of a combination time machine and bawdy, old-time kinescope, Hello Again crisscrosses beds and jumps from decade to decade, intimately examining the painful secrets that drive characters into each other’s arms and towards the bruising effects of reckless passion. With a score that saturates the mind, Hello Again has an unforgettable, dreamlike quality—and all the luxuriance of an insistent seduction. With music, lyrics and book by Michael John LaChuisa, Hello Again will run October 5 – 21, 2012 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Ticket prices for all shows, except Silence of the Clams range from $25 to $50. Performances at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd at Blackburn, will run at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings and 2 p.m. on Sundays with an added Thursday performance at 8 p.m. during the run of each show. Tickets for The Silence of the Clams at the Rose Room Theater at S4, located at 3911 Cedar Springs Road, are $20-25 with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. Four, five or six show season ticket flex packages are also available and include great discounts on premium seating. Individual and season tickets can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

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Now beginning its eleventh season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 23 Theater Critics Forum Awards in its first ten seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers and by the Dallas Observer in 2004, 2005, and 2009. Uptown Players was also featured in D Magazine in 2009 and on the WFAA A-list of theaters.

Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

Uptown Players 2012 Season:

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopermsithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS, July 15, 2011 – Uptown Players, a professional theater group located in the Uptown area of Dallas, has announced its programming for the Dallas Pride Performing Arts Festival. From September 9 – 17, 2011, Uptown Players will present a nine-day festival of plays, musicals and cabaret acts celebrating Dallas Gay Pride.

The festival will feature the world premiere of a new musical, Crazy Just Like Me, by Drew Gasparini and the book by Drew Gasparini and Louis Sacco.  In Crazy Just Like Me, Simon, Mike and Lauren, are dealing with life, love, change and discovery and learn that sometimes, you don’t get to pick who you love. Sometimes it picks you, and when it does it brings out the crazy in all of us.

Also on the main stage at the Kalita Humphreys Theater is the heartwarming urban fairy tale, Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey. At turns tough and tender, the play combines fantasy and reality to truly capture what it is to be 16, in the first flush of love and full of optimism. This production will support Youth First Texas, whose mission is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ youth and their allied friends to strengthen opportunities for life skills, leadership development, peer support and educational advancement.

For just one night only, From Chopin to Show-tunes shines the spotlight on Uptown’s marvelous Maestros Kevin Gunter and Adam C. Wright in a program from pop to classical to Broadway’s best.

Presented in Franks Place upstairs at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, will be a series of plays and staged readings and the return of an Uptown favorite for just three performances.

The Last Sunday in June, by Jonathan Tolins, takes a look at a seemingly ideal gay couple and their extended family on a fateful Gay Pride Day. The show is often hilarious and at times very moving.

The New Century is another new creation by the always hysterical Paul Rudnick. The NY Post says “The evening contains so many gut-busting one-liners that those with heart conditions are warned.” The cast includes Uptown favorites, Paul J. Williams and Marisa Diotalevi.

Asher, TX ’82 is a new one-act play by local playwright, Bruce R. Coleman. In this world premiere, four teens from a small Texas town, confronted by a violent act of bullying, must choose to stay as they are or change forever.

Presented in an evening with Asher TX ’82, are two short plays by Austin playwright, Allen Baker. Originally presented at the Austin Pride Festival, Click discovers two gay guys online on a Saturday night trying to hook up, each for a somewhat different reason. Jason sees easy sex as a way to avoid intimacy. Michael sees it as a way to get to intimacy more quickly. In A Midsummer Night’s Conversation, a gay couple must face a critical moment just four months into their relationship. It’s a time for honesty, intimacy and total self-exposure. And one of the two is an actor…a very good actor.

Back by popular demand is The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode written by Jamie Morris. Join Mrs. G. and the girls for the revival of Uptown’s 2008 smash hit. Paul J. Williams, Chad Peterson, Kevin Moore, Chris Robinson and Darius Anthony Robinson return for just three performances.

Also being presented as part of the Festival are two staged readings.
The first staged reading is a ground breaking play, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, by Jane Chambers. This piece is a world-renowned milestone in lesbian theater history as it was the first mainstream quality literary piece of its kind. The second staged reading is a workshop of a new musical by Jeff Kinman, Adam C. Wright and John de los Santos, entitled A Taste Of Beauty. Be the first to get “a taste of beauty” and get a chance to provide some feedback on a new musical to these local playwrights.

Closing out the festival will be a performance by music and comedy legends Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen. Best known for their performances on RSVP cruises, Amy and Freddy have graced the stages coast-to-coast and in more than 20 countries with their one-of-a-kind wit and musical prowess.  This is a performance you won’t want to miss!

Tickets for all shows range from $10 – $20. Festival passes allow you to see every production, for just $50. Festival Pass holders can guarantee their seat to see Amy and Freddy for an additional $20. Performances will take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd at Blackburn. Beginning Monday, July 18, tickets and festival passes can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

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Uptown Players Festival Lineup: Kalita Humphreys Theater

Crazy Just Like Me September 9, 11, 14, 16  @ 7:30 p.m.

Beautiful Thing September 10, 15 @ 7:30 p.m., September 17 @ 2 p.m.

From Chopin to Show Tunes September 13 @ 7:30 p.m.

Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen            September 17 @ 8:30 p.m.

Franks Place (upstairs at the Kalita Humphreys Theater)

The Facts Of Life: The Lost Episode September 9, 14 @ 8 p.m., September 10 @ 9:30 p.m.

The New Century September 10 @ 3 p.m., September 11 @ 5:30 p.m., September 17 @ 4 p.m.

A Taste of Beauty Stage Reading            September 10 @ 6 p.m., September 11 @ 8 p.m.

Asher TX ’82 September 11 @ 2 p.m., September 17 @ 6 p.m.
Click/A Midsummer Nights Conversation September 11 @ 2 p.m., September 17 @ 6 p.m.

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove Reading            September 12 @ 7:30 p.m., September 16 @ 8 p.m.

The Last Sunday in June September 13 @ 8 p.m., September 15 @ 8 p.m.

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS, TX – July 14, 2011

With a book by Blake Edwards, music by Henry Mancini, and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, Victor/Victoria is an appealing, sophisticated musical, based on the movie of the same name. It is the story of a penniless soprano, named Victoria (Ashley Puckett Gonzales), who colludes with a struggling gay impresario (Paul Taylor) to disguise herself as a man named Victor, who entertains as a female impersonator known as “Victoria” – and as a result becomes the toast of Paris. We know we’re in Paris, but is this person a man or a woman? The confusion gets more complicated when a Chicago mobster (Shane Peterman) sees the act and finds himself attracted to the star. Life’s complications are both hilarious and touching.

The cast also features Mikey Abrams, Michael Albee, Maribeth Ayers, J Mathew Butler,
Clair Cuny, John de los Santos, Emily Ford, Sergio Antonio Garcia, Carlos Gomez, Tom Grugle, Whitney Hennen, Greg Hullett, Summer Kenny, Kelly McCain, Jon Morehouse,
Mark Oristano, Thomas Renner, Christine Smith and Jordan Willis. The production is under the direction of Cheryl Denson, with music direction by Adam C. Wright and choreography by Vicki Squires.

Victor/Victoria runs July 29 through August 21, 2011, with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (no performance July 31). A special Thursday night performance will take place on August 18 at 8 p.m. Performances will take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd at Blackburn, Dallas TX 75219.  Tickets are $30-40 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

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About Uptown Players

Now in its tenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

DALLAS, TX – May 24, 2011

Next To Normal was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley). It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. With provocative lyrics and a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. It explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and just how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family’s world intact.

Next To Normal was chosen as “one of the year’s ten best” by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, New York Daily News, The Bergen Record and NY1 – more than any other musical from the 2009 Broadway season.

Uptown Players’ production will be under the direction of Michael Serrecchia, with music direction by Scott A. Eckert. The cast includes Jonathan Bragg, Patty Breckenridge, Anthony Carrillo, Gary Floyd, Jonathan Gilland and Erica Harte.

The production runs June 10 through July 3, 2011, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays (no performances June 12 or 16). Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (entrance off Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219. Individual tickets are $30-50 and can be purchased at www.uptownplayers.org or by calling 214-219-2718.

About Uptown Players

Now in its tenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

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Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS, TEXAS – April 14, 2011

This year’s cast includes Michael Albee, Beth Albright, Lon Barrera, Kayla Carlyle, Coy Covington, Sergio Garcia, Carlos Gomez, Whitney Hennen, Drew Kelly, Summer Kenny, Natalie King, Jeff Kinman, Denise Lee, Linda Leonard, Kelly McCain, Chad Peterson, Darius Robinson, Thomas Renner, Sara Shelby-Martin, Amy Stevenson, Rick Starkweather, Angel Velasco and Wendy Welch.  Broadway Our Way is written and directed by Andi Allen with music direction by Kevin Gunter and Adam Wright and choreography by Kelly McCain and Michael Albee.

The evening also features nearly 100 terrific auction prizes, including theatre tickets, restaurant gift certificates, hotel stays, artwork and much more.  A reception follows each performance.

The production runs May 6 through May 15, 2011, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays.  Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (entrance off Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219.  Tickets are $40, including the post-performance reception, and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

About Uptown Players

Now in its tenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

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Facebook.com/uptownplayers

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS – January 26, 2011

In Thank You For Being A Friend, four women (Blanchette, the varicose-veined vixen; Dorothea, the brainy ball-buster; Roz, the lovable airhead; and Sophie, the wisecracking spitfire) are spending their golden years together in a bungalow in Miami. But when gay pop superstar Lance Bass moves next door, his loud parties keep the quartet of cheesecake-loving retirees awake. The battle between the girls and Lance heats up at the annual Shady Oaks Retirement Home Talent Show. Singing, dancing and hilarity ensues!

The cast features Philip Andrew (Cubby), Lon Barrera (Dorothea), Drew Kelly (Lance) Michael Moore (Blanchette), Chris Robinson (Roz), and John de Los Santos (Sophie). The production is under the direction of B. J. Cleveland, with music direction by Vonda Bowling.

The production runs February 11 through March 6, 2011, with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. There is an added Thursday night performance on March 3 at 8 p.m. Performances take place at the Rose Room Theatre inside the S4 nightclub at 3911 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, TX 75219.  Tickets are $20-25 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718. This production is rated R for adult language and situations and all ticket holders must be at least 21 years old to enter the theater.

# # #

About Uptown Players:

Now beginning its tenth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including 1,000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including more than 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 21 Theater Critics Forum Awards in its first nine seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers from 2006 to 2009 and by the Dallas Observer in 2004, 2005 and 2009.

Media Contact: Nina Koch
(214) 329-9191, nina@coopersmithagency.com

DALLAS

Set amid the hedonistic gay culture of London, Closer to Heaven tells the story of Dave – young, sexy and fresh from Ireland and seeking the big time in London. Meanwhile, the outrageous Bob Saunders, pop manager extraordinaire, has his own plans for Dave. As fame and fortune beckon, Dave quickly learns that things aren’t always as straightforward as they seem. Closer to Heaven opened in London on May 15, 2001 and a second production opened in Brisbane, Australia on June 9, 2005. This production is the U.S. premiere.

The cast features Morgana Shaw as Billie Trix, Evan Fuller as Dave, Jason Kane as Vic, Lee Jamison Wadley as Shell, Clayton Younkin as Mile End Lee, Coy Covington as Bob Saunders and Mikey Abrams as Flynn, along with an ensemble that includes Michael Albee, Wes Cantrell, Andrew Chard, Stephanie Felton, Maija Johnson, Drew Kelly, Summer Kenny, Kelly McCain, Chris Reynolds, Alexandra Valle, Jason Villarreal and Jeff Walters. The production is under the direction of Bruce R. Coleman, with choreography by John de Los Santos and musical direction by Adam C. Wright.

The production runs October 1 through October 24, 2010, with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays (no matinee October 3), but a special Thursday night performance at 8 p.m. Thursday, October 21. Performances will take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Boulevard (entrance off Blackburn) in Dallas. Tickets are $30-40 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

Uptown Players made the move to the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater, former home of the Dallas Theater Center, in January and will now be presenting its entire 2010 season in this larger venue. Uptown Players recently announced its 2011 season will also take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. For more information, visit www.uptownplayers.org.

About Uptown Players:

Now ending its ninth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 14,000 patrons, including almost 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 20 Theater Critics Forum Awards in its first eight seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers from 2006 to 2009 and by the Dallas Observer in 2004, 2005 and 2009. 

# # #

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS

Created and written by Gerard Alessandrini, the production offers amazingly funny takes on some of your favorite shows. Annie, West Side Story, Les Misérables, Rent, Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof and Mamma Mia! are just a few of the shows hilariously skewered in this tongue-in-cheek tribute to some of the biggest shows to ever grace the Great White Way. No show is safe, and there’s nothing standard about this Broadway revue!

Since its first performance in 1982, Forbidden Broadway has played thousands of shows and has become nothing short of an Off-Broadway institution. Even if you’ve never been within 1,000 miles of Broadway, you’ll still love Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits!

The production stars Beth Albright, Melissa Farmer, Tyce Green, Jim Johnson, Drew Kelly, Sara Shelby-Martin, Shane Strawbridge and Wendy Welch and is under the direction of B.J. Cleveland, with music direction by Kevin Gunter.

The production runs August 6 through August 29, 2010, with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. There is no matinee August 8, but there is an added performance at 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 26. Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Boulevard (entrance off Blackburn) in Dallas.  Tickets are $30-40 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at (214) 219-2718.

Uptown Players made the move to the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater, former home of the Dallas Theater Center, in January and will now be presenting its entire 2010 season in this larger venue. For more information, visit www.uptownplayers.org.

About Uptown Players:

Now entering its ninth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of more than 12,000 patrons, including nearly 1,000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including more than 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards for the past three years and by the Dallas Observer in 2004 and 2005. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

# # #

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191