FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Jacque Vance, Marketing Director
(937) 461-3823, ext. 3112

THE HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES
THE HUMANA LOFT SERIES 2 LINEUP FOR 2004-2005

DAYTON, OH – January 19, 2004 –Recognized for quality productions with acclaimed performances from their company of resident artists, as well as actors from across the country, The Human Race Theatre Company has been producing theatre in Dayton since 1986.  The home of The Human Race, The Loft Theatre, is becoming more and more popular with theatregoers due to its intimate size and casual atmosphere. In addition, Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre Company are pleased to welcome Humana of Ohio as series sponsor for The Humana Loft Series, which returns with a critically acclaimed lineup of shows.

Opening The Humana Loft Series 2 is the world premiere production of WAS October 14 – 31, 2004.  Two worlds, set one hundred years apart, collide in this breathtaking new musical by the award-winning team of Barry Kleinbort & Joseph Thalken. Based on the celebrated cult novel by Geoff Ryman, WAS begins in the 1870s when a newly orphaned young girl named Dorothy Gael is sent to live with her aunt and uncle in the desolate region of Manhattan, Kansas.   Jump to the 1980s where Jonathan, a successful actor obsessed with The Wizard of Oz, journeys to Kansas desperately searching for some proof of Dorothy Gael’s existence.  WAS offers a compelling and richly tuneful footnote to L. Frank Baum’s timeless story, as well as a uniquely memorable evening in the theater. This production is not intended or recommended for children.

Time Magazine included the next production, THE DRAWER BOY, in its “Ten Best of 2001.” Sparked by true-life events, this award-winning Canadian play is filled with warmth, humor and unconditional friendship.  The simple farm life of two longtime friends is comically disrupted when a young urban actor arrives at their home, eager to learn about farming for research for a new play.  He unearths long-hidden secrets and opens the door to life-altering realizations. THE DRAWER BOY plays at The Loft Theatre January 27 – February 13, 2005.

EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR is a rarely produced Tom Stoppard play that requires not only actors on stage, but a full symphony orchestra as well!  Join The Human Race Theatre Company and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra for this very special collaboration at the Mead Theatre in the Schuster Center.  This production is available for Human Race Subscribers Friday, February 25, 2005. EGBDF contrasts the circumstances of a mental patient who believes he has an orchestra, and a political prisoner - both committed to a Soviet insane asylum. André Previn’s brilliant score will be conducted by Neal Gittleman, and will feature three of the region’s most respected actors, Bruce Cromer, Michael Kenwood Lippert and Scott Stoney.

The Human Race Theatre Company and Victoria Theatre Association are in their eighth season of collaboration in producing three plays known as The Humana Loft Series 1.  The first show in this series is CRIMES OF THE HEART, by Marsha Norman, December 2 – 19, 2004. Reminiscent of Steel Magnolias, this Pulitzer Prize winner is a joyous family comedy-drama overflowing with love. Babe faces scandal after shooting her inattentive husband.  Her sisters rally to her defense, but they have their own burdens.  Meg must confront the lies she told her family about her Hollywood career, and Lenny must cope with the ultimate reality of turning 30.  Their reunion brings much joy - and much chaos - to their small Southern hometown. 

THE RETREAT FROM MOSCOW, William Nicholson’s powerful new Broadway drama, will be presented at The Loft Theatre, March 24 – April 10, 2005.  Called “subtle and powerful” by The New Yorker THE RETREAT FROM MOSCOW is the play most likely to win the Tony Award® this spring for Best Drama. After 33 years of marriage, a gulf yawns between Edward and Alice. Edward is a mild and distant history teacher obsessed with Napoleon, who likes nothing better than to do his daily crossword and dream that his wife would stop pestering him. Alice wants “a real marriage,” but her desperate pursuit only pushes him away. Their grown son, caught in the middle, discovers that although his parents are flawed, there is something still to be learned -- and loved -- in their failure.

The Humana Loft Series 1 concludes with Steve Martin’s zany comedy, THE UNDERPANTS, June 9 – 26, 2005. Martin’s latest play is brimming with rapid-fire wit, farcical situations, fabulous costumes and double entendres - all set amazingly in turn-of-the-century Europe! Theobald Maske has an unusual problem: His wife’s underpants fall to the ground in the middle of town, causing a public scandal! Theo swears to keep her at home until she can find some less unruly undies. Comedian and actor Steve Martin, who won numerous awards for his play Picasso at the Lapin Agile (presented on the 1998-99 Loft Series), brings his comic genius and sophisticated literary style to this “wild and crazy” adaptation of Carl Sternheim’s classic 1910 farce.

In addition, for the 2004-2005 theatre season, The Human Race will bring the charming new musical GREEN GABLES to the Fifth Third Bank Broadway Series at the Victoria Theatre, May 3 – 15, 2005.  Produced as a musical theatre workshop at The Loft Theatre in 2003 and then moving to New York, GREEN GABLES is based on Lucy Maude Montgomery’s beloved book, Anne of Green Gables. Brought to life in this new musical by the Cincinnati-based writing team of Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman, audiences will travel back to Avonlea and relive the adventures of the precocious, high-spirited orphan Ann Shirley.  Mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who are expecting a boy, Anne’s undeniable spirit captures the hearts of everyone.

The education component of the company continues to grow with such programs as Youth Summer Stock and Adventures in Theatre as well as Theatre in Context, a new collaboration with The Muse Machine.  The current In-School tour of John Steinbeck: America’s Noble Knight will tour junior and senior high schools in the area January 21 – February 27, 2004.

Tickets for The Humana Loft Series are sold through Ticket Center Stage, with locations at the Victoria Theatre, Schuster Center and Loft (2 hours prior to show only) box offices in downtown Dayton.  To order by phone, call 937/228-3630 or 1-888/228-3630.  Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday Noon-4pm, and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

For additional information regarding current offerings by The Human Race Theatre Company, call (937) 461-3823 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org.

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 education outreach programs for children six to sixteen, 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 the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District and the Shubert Foundation.

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