FOR RELEASE ON FEBRARY 5, 2006
CONTACTS:
Eric Brockman, Public Relations Manager, Victoria Theatre Association
(937) 228-7591, ext. 3078 or ebrockman@victoriatheatre.com

Steven Box, Marketing Director, The Human Race Theatre Company
937-461-3823, ext. 3112 or steven@humanracetheatre.org

2006-2007 HUMANA LOFT SERIES A SEASON OF
CELEBRATION AND CHANGE FOR VICTORIA THEATRE ASSOCIATION
AND THE HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY
 

( Dayton, OH) – February 5, 2006 – Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre Company are proud to announce the 2006-2007 season lineup for the Humana Loft Series, presenting five shows on The Loft Theatre stage in two separate series. Series 1 shows are co-presented by Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre Company. Series 2 shows are presented by The Human Race Theatre Company.

The 2006-2007 season marks a number of anniversaries – 20 years of The Human Race Theatre Company, 15 years of performances on The Loft Theatre stage, and 10 years of collaboration between Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre (first as the Next Stage/a la carte Series, then the Loft Series).

The 2006-2007 Humana Loft Series season includes: Moonlight & Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson, Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Roger Miller and William Hauptman, Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife, Harold & Maude: The Musical by Tom Jones and Joseph Thalken, and Painting Churches by Tina Howe. A special production of Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg will follow the subscription series in June 2007.

“This year, Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre Company have put together another exciting collection of new works, contemporary classics and Tony Award ® winners, all with our Loft Series audiences in mind,” said Marsha Hanna, Human Race artistic director. “Our goal is to make them laugh, to make them think and, ultimately, to enrich their lives.”

The season begins with Ron Hutchinson’s new comedy, Moonlight & Magnolias, playing September 28 – October 15, 2006. Presented on both Series 1 and Series 2, Moonlight & Magnolias is the hilarious tale of producer David O. Selznick’s 1939 race to turn the disastrous script of Gone with the Wind into a blockbuster in just five days. Locked in his Hollywood office for a marathon writing session, Selznick and director Victor Fleming frantically act out the story for ace screenwriter Ben Hecht, stopping only for a bite of banana and the occasional escape attempt.

Next up is the Series 2 production of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, playing November 30 – December 17, 2006. Written by William Hauptman and country music songwriting legend Roger Miller (“King of the Road”, “Dang Me”), and based on Mark Twain’s incredible story of Huck Finn, this family friendly, Tony Award ®-winning musical tells the epic tale of an outcast boy and the runaway slave Jim traveling down the Mississippi River, and the wondrous people they meet along the way.

Series 1 continues with Doug Wright’s powerful drama I Am My Own Wife, playing January 18 – February 4, 2007. This spellbinding true story chronicles the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a heroic man who survived both the Nazi regime and four decades of Soviet oppression in East Germany, living as a woman. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and several Tony, Drama Desk, Obie, Lucille Lortel, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards in 2004, this one-man show stars a gifted actor in 35 different roles!

Series 1 concludes with the Midwest premiere of a new work written by musical theatre talents Tom Jones (The Fantasticks) and Joseph Thalken (Was), Harold & Maude: The Musical, playing March 8 – 25, 2007. Based on the 1971 cult classic movie written by Colin Higgins, this offbeat comedy tells the story of Harold, a young man obsessed with death until he meets Maude, a vivacious 79-year-old who flagrantly disregards the rules of modern society. As their friendship deepens, Harold discovers the beauty and wonder life has to offer in one of the most unconventional love stories of our time.

Tina Howe’s charming comic drama Painting Churches wraps up Series 2, playing April 19 – May 6, 2007. Thirty-something Margaret is a painter whose star is on the rise in the New York art world as she returns to Boston to help her flaky, hat-sporting mother and renowned poet father move out of their home. As the boxes are packed, old memories are re-awakened, and Margaret discovers that her parents are not who she thought them to be in this touching account of futures lost when a brilliant mind slowly slips away.

Summer of 2007 brings a special added production to The Loft Theatre with Richard Greenberg’s critically acclaimed Take Me Out, playing June 14 – 24, 2007. In this Tony Award ®-winning drama, Darren Lemming is the star center fielder for the champion New York Empires baseball team. When he makes the matter-of-fact announcement that he’s gay, he throws his team into turmoil and enrages Shane Mungitt, the Empires’ racist and homophobic pitcher, with disastrous results. Produced and presented by The Human Race Theatre Company, Take Me Out is not part of the Humana Loft Series subscription package, but can be added at a reduced price. Take Me Out contains adult language and male nudity and is not recommended for audience members under the age of 17.

The 2006-2007 season brings a change to the Humana Loft Series. To better serve the busy lifestyles of its subscribers, the series has gone from a six-show package to five shows with a special add-on show available.

“Time is everyone’s most valuable commodity,” says Kevin Moore, The Human Race’s executive director. “ We need to be flexible and considerate of our subscribers’ limited free time.”

“ We found that many of our patrons wanted to subscribe to the entire series, but were often unable to attend all six productions,” says Dione Kennedy, president of Victoria Theatre Association. “It’s a nationwide trend in the industry. The new structure should make the series as a whole more attractive to subscribers, both in the number of shows and in the overall savings compared to single ticket prices.”

Moore continues, “We will still produce the same number of shows that we’ve produced in past seasons; but now we are giving season ticket buyers more choices – they can purchase three, four, five or six shows by using the option of adding our special production of Take Me Out.”

To enhance the Humana Loft Series experience, Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre are expanding current offerings and adding a few new ones. Opening Nights have moved. The first Thursday, which was previously Opening Night, is now a paid Preview Performance in which audiences can get the first look at the productions, before they officially open and are seen by the press, and can do so at a discounted ticket price. Starting with the 2006-2007 season, Opening Nights are the first Friday of the run. Patrons can enjoy the excitement of attending an official opening and stay out late to mingle with the cast at the post-show Opening Night Party. Subscribers who wish to continue being part of Opening Night will want to switch their tickets from Thursday to Friday night.

On the last Tuesday of the run of each production, audiences may come and enjoy food, drink and music in the Loft lobby before the show with “Lite Fare at the Loft.” Citilites restaurant will provide gourmet sandwiches, desserts and other quick items at a reasonable price, with special beers and wines featured at the bar. Service starts at 5:30 p.m. to accommodate the 7 p.m. curtain.

The second Sunday matinee of each production presents the “While We’re on the Subject” Talk-Back for theatre lovers who want to see beyond the footlights. Audiences may attend the performance, then stick around for the free post-show discussion with guests from the production and local experts on the play’s subject matter.

Along with the changes and additions to the Humana Loft Series comes a new ticket pricing structure with options for all audiences. Subscribers looking for a value can sign up for the Thursday evening Preview Performance. Subscriptions are just $120 for the five-show series, or $72 for either Series 1 or Series 2 separately. Subscribers may add Take Me Out to their package for $24. Single tickets for these evening performances are $28 each.

Subscriptions for the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday eveningperformances are $135 for the five-show series, or $81 for either Series 1 or Series 2 separately. Subscribers may add Take Me Out to their package for $27. Single tickets for these evening performances are $31 each.

And patrons who enjoy their theatre on the weekends can subscribe to the Friday and Saturday evening or Sunday matinee performances at $150 for the five-show series, or $90 for either Series 1 or Series 2 separately. They may add Take Me Out to their package for $30. Single tickets for these performances are $34 each.

Season subscriptions are available for either the Humana Loft Series 1 (Moonlight & Magnolias, I Am My Own Wife and Harold & Maude: The Musical), the Humana Loft Series 2 (Moonlight & Magnolias, Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Painting Churches)or both series combined. Subscribers may purchase tickets for the special added production of Take Me Out at a reduced price when they renew or purchase their subscription.

Season subscriptions for the Humana Loft Series are available through Ticket Center Stage, with box office locations at the Victoria Theatre and Schuster Center in downtown Dayton.  To order by phone, call 937-228-3630 or toll free 1-888-228-3630.  Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Individual tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

The subscription renewal deadline for the 2006-2007 Humana Loft Series is Friday, March 17. However, current subscribers who wish to make changes in their scheduled performances or seating assignments must do so by Friday, March 3. New subscriptions go on sale Monday, February 13. Single tickets for all Humana Loft Series shows and Take Me Out go on sale Monday, August 7.

For more information about the Humana Loft Series visit www.victoriatheatre.com or www.humanracetheatre.org.

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Victoria Theatre Association is one of Dayton’s premier arts organizations, presenting a variety of life-celebrating performances. In addition to the immensely popular Fifth Third Bank Broadway Series, Victoria Theatre Association offers the Bank One Young at Heart Family Series; the Michelob Ultra Cool Films series; Star Attractions; and the Discovery series, curriculum-enhanced live theatre productions for school children. Victoria Theatre Association is proud of its alliances with the Dayton Opera Association and the Arts Center Foundation and its collaboration on the Humana Loft Series 1 with The Human Race Theatre Company. Victoria Theatre Association receives funding from a variety of diverse public, corporate, individual and private sources, including the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District and the Ohio Arts Council. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program or organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Founded in 1986, The Human Race Theatre Company moved to the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence at The Loft, a 219-seat theatre. In addition to the Humana Loft Series 1, produced in collaboration with the Victoria Theatre Association, The Human Race produces the Humana Loft Series 2, the Musical Theatre Workshop series and special event programming. The Human Race, under the direction of Artistic Director Marsha Hanna and Executive Director Kevin Moore, also maintains educational outreach programs for children six to eighteen, guest artists and artist residencies in area schools, The Muse Machine In-School Tour, Youth Summer Stock and The Human Race Conservatory. The Human Race Theatre Company receives organizational support from Culture Works, Montgomery County and The Shubert Foundation. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund The Human Race Theatre Company with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.