NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

11/06/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -Sanity is in short supply in Arsenic and Old Lace, which will be performed by the Northwestern Theatre Nov. 8-11 and 14-17 at 7:30 p.m. in Theatre West. Tickets are $10. NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with I.D.

Arsenic and Old Lace is the story of two kind, thoughtful, sweet old ladies who have developed the bad habit of murdering lonely old men, which they consider a charity. The women then leave it to a nephew, who thinks he is President Roosevelt, to bury the victims in the cellar. Another nephew, Mortimer, finds a body in the window seat by mistake while trying to stay sane with the woman he loves, Elaine Harper. The play by Joseph Kesselring was written in 1939 and was adapted for a 1944 film starring Cary Grant.

"The family is full of nuts," said Mark Gomez, a senior theatre major from Baton Rouge who plays Mortimer Brewster. "Mortimer has asked his girlfriend to marry him and has returned home. He finds out his brother is crazy and thinks he is president Theodore Roosevelt charging up San Juan Hill. His aunts are mercy killing traveling old men without families and think they are helping these men. And Mortimer is trying to keep this all away from his girlfriend."

Gomez said the cast manages to strike the right balance with the dark comedy

"We have an amazing cast full of people who want to try as much as they can," said Gomez. "We are not afraid to push the limits, but (director) Pia (Wyatt) keeps us in line.

Gomez is a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High where he began to pursue acting.

"They have an amazing theatre program there. It was there that I learned that this is what I wanted to do," said Gomez. "The program helped push me forward to the next level."

Gomez came to Northwestern, then moved to Los Angeles for two and a half years to study film acting. While in Los Angeles, he worked in production on reality television shows and award shows including the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Golden Globes and the Partridge Family reality show on VH-1.

"The production work was important in helping me make connections," he said. "I was able to pursue acting, but if acting jobs weren't available, I could make money doing production work. Production work can do everything for you. It's a whole other side of the business and something that will always be there."

Gomez said the opportunity to be in Arsenic and Old Lace was too good to pass up.

"I came back to finish my degree here and didn't plan to do any shows, but when I found out we were doing Arsenic and Old Lace, I decided to audition," he said. "It is one of my favorite older films. Cary Grant is hilarious as Mortimer."

Gomez said Grant's shadow looms over anyone else who plays Mortimer.

"It's hard to play the role because of the way Cary Grant did it," said Gomez. "I almost see his scenes in my head as I go through it. But in the play, the scenes are set up differently and the characters are not the same, so you relate to them differently. I also find mannerisms in the character that I can make my own."

For ticket information on Arsenic and Old Lace, call (318) 357-4483.

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