Regan Adair and Bryan T. Donovan to Star in WaterTower Theatre's THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, 9/28-10/21

WaterTower Theatre Producing Artistic Director Terry Martin today announced casting details for The Mystery of Irma Vep which will open the 2012-2013 season. The show stars WaterTower Theatre veterans Regan Adair and Bryan T. Donovan.

Terry Martin directs. His creative staff includes Clare Floyd DeVries (Set Designer), Michael Robinson (Costume Designer), Georgana Jinks (Props Designer) and Jason S. Foster (Lighting Designer).

The Mystery of Irma Vep is a send-up of theatre (specifically Victorian melodramas and farce) and cinema that's filled with literary references (particularly to William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and the Bronte? sisters) and classic films like Wuthering Heights, Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, The Mummy's Curse and more are satirized in this hysterical romp. The Mystery of Irma Vep is revealed in this quick-change marathon of two actors portraying eight characters – many of them women – whose mad dashes to dozens of backstage costume changes provide much of the comedy. In 1991, The Mystery Irma Vep was the most produced play in the United States; and in 2003, it became the longest-running play ever produced in Brazil.

Subscriptions to WaterTower Theatre’s 2012-2013 season are now sale. Single tickets for The
Mystery of Irma Vep go on sale Tuesday, September 18th.

Charles Ludlum was an American actor, playwright, and director of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company of New York, Ludlum made his first New York stage appearance in 1966 at the Play- House of the Ridiculous. After appearing in two productions there, Ludlum formed his own troupe, the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, which at first performed in Greenwich Village bars and other venues, and began writing his own plays. His work employed camp representations of traditional works such as Stage Blood (1975), a revision of Hamlet; Bluebeard (1970), based on H. G. Wells' Island of Dr. Moreau; and Deer Ring Gott Farblonjet (1977), inspired by Finnegan's Wake. His most popular play was The Mystery of Irma Vep which became part of the standard repertory of many regional theatres across the country. Ludlam died of complications arising from AIDS on May 28, 1987.

Terry Martin is WaterTower Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, a position he has held for 14 years. Terry has directed 55 productions for WaterTower Theatre. Some of his directing credits at WTT include Smokey Joe’s Cafe?, Spring Awakening, Rockin’ Christmas Party, Our Town, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Man of La Mancha, Humble Boy, The Crucible, Take Me Out, A Country Life (which he adapted from Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and which won the 2005 Rabin Award – Best New Play), Cabaret, It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, Company, An Inspector Calls, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Laramie Project, You Can't Take It With You, Book of Days, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2002 Rabin Award – Director of a Play), Sweeney Todd, Desire Under the Elms, Ravenscroft, Enter the Guardsman, Lady Day at Emerson’ s Bar and Grill and Little Shop of Horrors, among others. For Plano Repertory Theatre, he has directed Journey’ s End (2000 Rabin Award – Director of a Play), Dracula, La Be?te, Little Shop of Horrors and Pump Boys and Dinettes. Most recently, D magazine namEd Martin’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank as the Best Theatrical Production in Dallas.

Regan Adair returns to WaterTower Theatre following his acclaimed performance as Father Flynn in Doubt. Before moving to New York City earlier this year, Adair had been a frequent performer at Dallas Theater Center (The Misanthrope, Hamlet, Fat Pig, Reasons to Be Pretty, A Christmas Carol, Henry IV), WaterTower Theatre (Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Unnecessary Farce, Enchanted April, Indoor/Outdoor) as well as at Stage West, Circle Theatre and Theatre Three. Recently in NYC, Adair played Collin in Theatre for the New City’s production of Nine/Twelve Tapes.

Bravo Channel fans know Bryan T. Donovan from the reality television series, Thintervention
with Jackie Warner. In Dallas, he has performed in WaterTower Theatre’s An Inspector
Calls and Uptown Players’ Love! Valour! Compassion! Broadway credits include Wrong
Mountain, On A Clear Day, L'il Abner and Strike Up The Band (Encores! City Center). Off
Broadway: Dream True (Vineyard Theatre), No Solace in Goodbyes (Playwrights Horizons)
TipToes (Carnegie Hall) Streep Tease (Joe's Pub). Regionally: High Society (World Premiere
A.C.T.), Fanny Hill (World Premiere Goodspeed Opera House), Boeing Boeing, Another
Midsummer Night, It’ s Just Sex and Everything Will Be Different. In addition to acting Bryan
has produced two independent feature films 6 Month Rule and Weather Girl as well as many
short films that have traversed the world playing at numerous film festivals including SXSW,
Slamdance,Vail, Outfest and deadCenter. His film credits as an actor include Alpha Male, Half Truth, Sunset Stories, I Love You Like Crazy and Steeling Magnolias. On television, he has acted in All My Children, Law and Order, Medium and Nite Tales: The Series. In his off time, Bryan writes a humorous blog on the world of food and service called Wholly Gastromony.

WaterTower Theatre is celebrating its 16th anniversary. The Company is one of the leading regional theatres in North Dallas and Texas. It is consistently recognized for its artistic excellence by the Dallas Theatre League, Dallas/Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Observer, D Magazine and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, among others. WaterTower Theatre has a subscription base of more than 2,000 subscribers and serves an audience of over 31,000 patrons annually.

The Mystery of Irma Vep runs Sept. 28 – Oct. 21, with previews set for Sept. 28 & 29 at 8 p.m. Sun., Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night will be on Mon., Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run plays Sept. 28, 29, 30, Oct. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 7:30 p.m. according to the following schedule: Mon., Wed., Thurs. 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 2 p.m. Sat. (Oct. 13 and 20 only) and Sun.

Tickets: $20 – $40. Single tickets for The Mystery of Irma Vep go on sale Tuesday, September 18th at 12 noon. Subscriptions to the 2012-2013 which include The Mystery of Irma Vep are on sale now. To purchase, visit www.watertowertheatre.org, call 972.450.6232 or stop by the box office at WaterTower Theatre at the Addison Theatre Centre, 15650 Addison Road in Addison, Texas.

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