FOR RELEASE ON JANUARY 30, 2005
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

VICTORIA THEATRE ASSOCIATION AND
THE HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCE
HUMANA LOFT SERIES 2005-2006 SEASON
 

(Dayton, OH) – January 30, 2005 – Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race Theatre Company are proud to announce the 2005-2006 season lineup for the Humana Loft Series. Now in its ninth year, the Humana Loft Series presents six 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 Humana Loft Series 2005-2006 season includes: The Nerd by Larry Shue, Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, Seussical by Lynn Ahern and Stephen Flaherty, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee, and the world tour of the cutting-edge musical ensemble Toxic Audio.

“The 2005-2006 season is another example of the great theatre that can be produced in the flexible space offered by The Loft,” commented Victoria Theatre Association Interim President Dione Kennedy. “Months of meetings have finally culminated in another fantastic lineup. We enjoy the collaborative process and the excitement that comes from working with our colleagues at The Human Race.”

“And the diversity of chosen productions creates a six-show spectrum that will keep audiences buzzing all season long,” adds Human Race Artistic Director Marsha Hanna.

The season begins with the Series 1 show, The Nerd, playing September 15 – October 2, 2005. Written by Larry Shue, author of the current Broadway hit, The Foreigner, The Nerd is the hilarious story of the dreaded “houseguest from hell.” An aspiring young architect, Willum Cubbert, has it all - a promising career, devoted friends, even, maybe, a serious girlfriend. Willum is delighted when Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI who saved his life, shows up unexpectedly at his 34th birthday party. However, his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent Rick is a hopelessly annoying “nerd” who has no intention of leaving! Rick’s prolonged presence leads to one uproarious incident after another, until Willum is forced to out-nerd the king of the nerds.

The Series 2 lineup gets underway with Michael Frayn’s Tony Award-winning drama, Copenhagen, playing October 20 – November 6, 2005. In 1941, Werner Heisenberg, the leading scientist in Nazi Germany’s nuclear fission program, made a clandestine trip to visit his long-time friend, the brilliant Danish physicist, Niels Bohr. The reason for Heisenberg’s visit and what the two men discussed have been a matter of intrigue and speculation for decades. Frayn brilliantly proposes one possible scenario that asks, “Just because you can do something, does that mean you should?” Time pushes the discussion and the future becomes history.

Series 2 continues with the “lose-your-bluesical, loosey-gooseical lollapaloozical” musical, Seussical, playing December 1 – 18, 2005. A family-friendly alternative to traditional holiday shows, Seussical is guaranteed fun and adventure for kids ages 8 to 108! Welcome to a world where anything’s possible – an elephant in a tree, a person too tiny to see, a heroic child and dreams running wild. Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the team behind such hits as Ragtime, My Favorite Year and Schoolhouse Rock, bring Dr. Seuss’s most beloved characters to life in this whimsical delight for the whole family. When chaos erupts in the Jungle of Nool, it will take the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, the Whos of Whoville, Gertrude McFuzz and a gaggle of characters to bring harmony back to their world.

William Shakespeare’s enchanting comedy, The Tempest, rounds out Series 2, playing February 2 – 19, 2006. For years, Prospero, sorcerer and former Duke of Milan, has remained stranded on a remote island with his young daughter, Miranda, after being exiled by his treacherous brother, Antonio. Prospero sees his chance for revenge when a storm shipwrecks his brother, along with the king of Naples, on the island. As Miranda and the king’s son fall madly in love, Prospero uses his wizardry to create the perfect mixture of comedy, romance and politics. Considered to be the most poetic and magical of Shakespeare’s comedies, it is also his last known play – his farewell to theatre!

The arrival of spring delivers the Series 1 production of A Delicate Balance, playing March 23 – April 9, 2006. Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize winner is a caustically funny and moving exploration of the bonds of friendship and family in a threatening world. Agnes and Tobias, a comfortable middle-aged couple, are engaged in a battle of wits with sister Claire, a self-professed drunk, and daughter Julia, home after her fourth failed marriage. Their equilibrium is further jeopardized by the sudden arrival of their best friends, Edna and Harry, seeking refuge. A two-time Tony Award winner, in 1966 and for the revival in 1996, A Delicate Balance speaks to our most intimate hopes and fears.

The Loft stage will be rocking next summer as Series 1 wraps up with the vocal-acrobatic extravaganza that is Toxic Audio, performing June 6 – 25, 2006, in a theatrical event like no other. The Drama Desk Award-winning group Toxic Audio is an explosion of vocal pyrotechnics, rhythm and comedy, where the human voice is every instrument in the band. It’s 90 minutes of mind-blowing harmonies, and the audience is along for the ride. This musical amalgam of five gifted, single-minded performers collectively form a living juke box that spins out – by hairpin turns – the greatest hits of rock, jazz, disco, oldies and even television. Sing along with your favorites from The Beatles, Ben E. King, Paul Simon and Michael Jackson. Victoria Theatre Association and The Human Race snapped them up to perform here in Dayton, just as they’re about to launch their world tour. If you’re a fan of Stomp, Bobbie McFerrin or Manhattan Transfer, you’re going to love Toxic Audio.

Season subscriptions are available for either the Humana Loft Series 1 (The Nerd, A Delicate Balance and Toxic Audio), the Humana Loft Series 2 (Copenhagen, Seussical and The Tempest) or both series combined. 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, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday, noon-4:00 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Individual tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

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.