THE HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, interview possibilities or media passes, please contact:
Leigh Allen, Marketing Director
leigh@humanracetheatre.org
(937) 461-3823, ext. 3112

BIG HUMAN RACE MUSICAL THEATRE WEEKEND SET

DAYTON, OH - June 26 - Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company has earned a national reputation among theatre folk for its development of musicals, and the weekend of July 11-13 will give area residents a chance to see why. Not one, not two, but three new musicals will be presented in rotation at The Loft Theatre over the three-day period – two in workshop format, the third conceived, created and produced by local teens.

The “Under Construction” weekend will begin with a reception at 7pm Friday, July 11, followed by the first performance of Tinyard Hill, a story of big love and small town dreams, set in Georgia in 1964. Mark Allen wrote the music and Thomas M. Newman the book and lyrics for Tinyard Hill, which involves blacksmiths trying to stave off becoming a theme park oddity, pie baking, and the intrusion of a world where the Vietnam War is looming larger.

Tinyard is directed by Human Race Executive Director Kevin Moore. Christine Dwyer, who just finished the national tour of Rent, joins Resident Artists Katie Pees and Scott Stoney and Wright State student J.J. Tiemeyer in the cast. Tinyard will have a second presentation Saturday at 3pm.

Saturday’s activities begin at 11am, with the mayhem of what is currently called The Black Crook Project, with music by Joseph Thalken, who wrote the music for previous Human Race hits Was and Harold & Maude, the Musical. Michael Slade wrote the book, Mark Campbell the lyrics for this show about the accidental creation of musical theatre.

America’s first contribution of an art form came in 1866, when the New York producer of a German melodrama called The Black Crook invited a contingent of touring French ballerinas whose Manhattan venue had been destroyed by fire to take part in his production. The result was a hit so big that despite initially running 5 ½ hours, the show toured into the 1930s.

The 100 scantily-clad French ballerinas of the original won’t be in the local production, but there is still a large cast. Under Moore’s direction, Pees, Stoney and Tiemeyer will be joined by Resident Artists Bruce Cromer and Patricia Linhart, along with Jamie Cordes, Marya Spring, Aaron Vega, Jake Lockwood, and Claire Kennedy.

The Black Crook Project will be reprised in the weekend finale, at 7pm Sunday.

The third presentation, at 8pm Saturday and 2pm Sunday, will be created from scratch by The Human Race Summer Stock TEENS, under the guidance of the internationally-renowned Lovewell Institute, which brings its training to Ohio for the first time. A team from Florida-based Lovewell joined Human Race instructors in guiding the teens through the process of making a musical, from concept and creation to production and performance.

Sponsors for the entire weekend include The Shen Family Foundation, The Dayton Foundation, The Jesse and Caryl Philips Foundation, The Producers’ Circle, Q Base, and Ted and Sandy Tozer.

Tickets are available through The Human Race – (937) 461-3823, at $15 per show general admission, $25 patron seating.

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Founded in 1986, The Human Race Theatre Company presents universal themes that explore the human condition and startle us all into a renewed awareness of ourselves. The company moved to the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence at The Loft, a 219-seat theatre. In addition to the Loft Series (in collaboration with the Victoria Theatre Association) The Human Race produces for the Fifth Third Broadway Series, 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 and adults, guest artists and artist residencies in area schools, The Muse Machine In-School Tour, Youth Summer Stock and The Human Race Conservatory. The new Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center of The Human Race opened in January 2006 to provide a space for extensive theatre education classes and workshops.