( Dayton, OH) – September 7, 2006 – Hollywood. 1939. David O. Selznick has just five days to salvage Gone with the Wind, or he’s ruined for life! Frankly, my dear, the results are hilarious, when Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre Company present Moonlight & Magnolias, Sept. 28 – Oct. 15, as the opening production of the 2006-2007 Loft Series.

Could producer David O. Selznick’s life possibly get any worse? Filming has barely begun on his latest magnum opus, Gone with the Wind, and “Selznick’s folly” is already a massive train wreck. He’s fired the director, the script is a disaster, and he now has only five days to save the movie and his reputation. This true-life piece of Hollywood lore sets the stage for Moonlight & Magnolias, playwright Ron Hutchinson’s hilarious take on just what might have transpired during those desperate five days that produced the final script for Gone with the Wind.

Moonlight & Magnolias takes audiences behind the closed doors of Selznick’s office, where he has corralled director Victor Fleming and screenwriter Ben Hecht, and charged them with the task of getting the train back on the tracks. Selznik locks all three of them in the office and refuses to let anyone out until they have completely overhauled the movie’s script. Armed with a typewriter and fueled by nothing more than bananas, peanuts and coffee, the three men set about the daunting task of turning a 1,000-plus-page novel into a coherent 130-page movie script!

Hecht, who loathes both the novel and the film, madly pounds the typewriter keys as Selznik and Fleming act out many of the story’s most famous scenes, in a mad dash to meet their deadline and rescue one of Hollywood’s most ballyhooed – and, ultimately, most celebrated – movies.

Playwright Ron Hutchinson skillfully combines the memoirs and recollections of those involved, along with his own personal experiences as a movie re-write man, to create an utterly hilarious portrait of the long-gone days of the Hollywood studio system. Moonlight & Magnolias premiered at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2004 and made its Off-Broadway debut at New York’s Manhattan Theatre Club in 2005.

The Loft Series production of Moonlight & Magnolias is directed by The Human Race Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Marsha Hanna, and features Christopher Sapienza as David O. Selznick, Richard Marlatt as Victor Fleming, Tim Lile as Ben Hecht, and Morgan Grahame as Ms. Poppenghul.

Sapienza makes his Loft Series debut. His diverse resume includes numerous musicals at regional theatres around the country, television appearances on “Law and Order – SVU” and film appearances in Unbreakable, Twelve Monkeys and In Her Shoes, as well as singing the National Anthem for the Philadelphia Phillies!

Marlatt and Lile left Dayton audiences in stitches as Versati and Theo, respectively, in The Loft Series 1 production of Steve Martin’s The Underpants. Chicago-based Marlatt most recently played Harold in The Full Monty and Evelyn in Anything Goes at Little Theatre on the Square, and also played Jules in the Ravinia Festival’s 2004 production of Sunday in the Park with George, starring Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald. Lile is a Resident Artist with The Human Race and has been seen in many productions, including The Odd Couple, Spinning Into Butter, Resident Alien, Trip To Bountiful and On Golden Pond. When not on stage, he is an Ohio State Bid-Calling Champion, President of Innovative Auctions, Inc., and a Real Estate Auctioneer.

Grahame makes her debut with The Human Race Theatre Company and is their Artistic Intern this season. For the past two summers she has performed nearby in the outdoor drama, Blue Jacket, as Clearwater.

Behind the scenes, Dan Gray is Scenic Designer, David Covach is Costume Designer, Charlie Parker is Sound Designer, John Rensel is Lighting Designer, and K. Jenny Jones is Fight Director.

Moonlight & Magnolias is presented with support from Leadership Sponsors National City, NCR, Sam Levin Foundation, Jim & Enid Goubeaux, Houser Asphalt & Concrete and Mousaian Oriental Rugs. Performance Sponsors for the production are Morris Home Furnishings and Robbins & Myers Foundation. Media Sponsor for The Loft Series is WYSO 91.3 FM. The Official Host for The Loft Series is DoubleTree Hotel.

Moonlight & Magnolias is on stage at The Loft Theatre, September 28 – October 15, with performances on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m.,Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

New this season for The Loft Series, the first Thursday performance, which was previously opening night, is now a paid Preview Performance ,in which audiences can get the first look at a production for a discounted price. Opening Nights are now the first Friday of the run – enjoy the excitement of opening night and mingle with the cast at the post-show Opening Night Party. 

Also new this season, on the last Tuesday of each production, “Lite Fare at The Loft” offers food, drink and music in The Loft Theatre lobby, beginning at 5:30 p.m.Citilites restaurant will provide gourmet sandwiches, desserts and other quick items at a reasonable price, with special beers and wines featured at the bar.

Tickets for Moonlight & Magnolias are priced at $28 for the preview performance, $31 for weeknight and Sunday evening performances, and $34 for Friday evening, Saturday evening and Sunday matinee performances. Discounts are available for senior citizens, students and groups. Tickets are on sale now via Ticket Center Stage, with box office locations at the Victoria Theatre and Schuster Center in downtown Dayton. To order tickets by phone, call (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Saturday, noon - 4 p.m. The Loft Theatre box office opens two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

For more information about Victoria Theatre Association, visit www.victoriatheatre.com. Be sure to click on the “Invite Friends” link to learn about Victoria Theatre Association’s online invitation service – it’s easy and FREE! To learn more about The Human Race Theatre Company, visit www.humanracetheatre.org.

***

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 219-seat Loft Theatre. In addition to the Humana Loft Series 1, produced in collaboration with 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 education outreach programs for children six to 16, guest artist and artist residencies in area schools, The Muse Machine In-School Tour, Youth Summer Stock, and The Human Race Conservatory. Human Race organizational support is provided by Culture Works, Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, Shubert Foundation 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.