Nominations for Arizona Daily Star MAC Awards!
Tally's Folly: nominated for Best Drama, WRTE Production
Terry Erbe: nominated for Best Director, Talley's Folly, WRTE Production
Christopher Johnson: nominated for Best Actor, Thom Pain, Etc Production
Dorothy Parker's Last Call: nominated for Best Comedy, WRTE production
Lesley Abrams: nominated for best actress "Dorothy Parker's Last Call," WRTE production
Glen Coffman: nominated for best director "Lemon Sky," LTW production
Terry Erbe: nominated for best actor "Leaving Iowa," IT production
Amy Erbe: nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, The Great American Trailerpark Musical, AZ Onstage production.
Past Productions...
A Human Equation
The world premiere of a new play by Philadelphia playwright Peter Bonilla commemorating the 10th anniversary of the September 11 tragedy, A Human Equation explores the question, “What is life worth?" It tells the story of Kenneth Feinberg and the process of the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. Directed by Glen Coffman, the cast includes Noel Chester, Amy Erbe, Roger Owen, Eva Tessler, Brian Wees, Steve Wood, and Jeff Scotland as Kenneth Feinberg.
United
Developmental staged readings of a new play by Toni Press-Coffman honoring the 40 passengers and crew members who died on United’s Flight 93 when it crashed in Pennsylvania. The playwright has been developing the play throughout the summer with director Christopher Johnson and 16 Tucson actors.
Talley’s Folly and 5th of July
The second of three plays in what came to be known as Wilson’s “Talley Series,” Talley’s Folly is an unlikely romance. The first play in the saga, 5th of a July is a generational comedy set 30 years later, as members of the Talley family struggle with the looming threat of having to give up their family home. Among the characters is the recently widowed Aunt Sally, who values the place where she grew up more than she values money. When the actress playing Sally in the original production asked Wilson for help in understanding her character, he wrote Talley’s Folly to show how Sally and her husband, Matt, became a couple in 1944.
The Lion in Winter
It’s Christmas 1183 and Henry II’s family comes together for its annual feast of political maneuvering, sibling rivalry and family dysfunction. As alliances shift, family members attempt to manipulate each other for their own goals. A delightful collision of family, love and politics at Yuletide. Directed by Glen Coffman.
Armor by Toni Press-Coffman
Winding Road Theater Ensemble launched its second season with the premiere of Ensemble member Toni Press-Coffman’s new play, Armor.
Eva Tessler is slated to direct this family drama with a social conscience. Set in Washington, D.C., Armor is about a brilliant budding cellist trying to make sense of her father’s involvement in a political battle over body armor for our troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan. The play is interspersed with cello and piano music that punctuate its emotional ebb and flow. Developed with a grant from the Sloan Foundation, Armor is the winner of the 2010 Arizona Theatre Company Playwriting Contest.
Dorothy Parker's Last Call
Mrs. Parker goes to Washington DC
Dorothy Parker's Last Call was selected for the Capitol Fringe fest in Washington DC. From July 8 - 11, Lesley Abrams performed her one-woman play about America's first lady of wit to sold out houses (and one midnight performance for one!).
The Washington Post said: "If you need a reminder of how funny, how charming, and how sad Parker's life was, check out this play."
Reviews:
Arizona Daily Star - Lesley Abrams wrote and stars in this one-woman show. She infuses the character with the feistiness, intelligence and humor that were Parker's signature. The script is rich with Parker's words and attitude and it rolled along nicely, giving us insights into the writer and her life.
"Dorothy Parker" was charming and funny, and Abrams-as-Parker was, too. ...This was a brave choice for the new company's first production - a never-before-seen play. But Winding Road was founded by people who know and love theater. ..."Dorothy Parker's Last Call" is a solid piece from a promising company.
Tucson Weekly - Parker's life, writings and snarky remarks could enthrall an audience for much longer than this plays breezy minutes.
www.tucsonstage.com - What makes "Dorothy Parker's Last Call" work is the reality of her portrayal, Abrams has distilled Parker's writing into a crisp striving for success.
Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune
A sexy, humorous play about fearlessly — and fearfully — falling in love. With Amy Erbe and Terry Erbe. Directed by Lesley Abrams.
"We were transported. We laughed, we were sobered, we recognized the humanity of the characters as portrayed by those 2 remarkable actors."
Jesse Greenberg, the Desert Leaf