NEWS RELEASE

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

5/17/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -The musical Kiss Me Kate and the mystery Murder Rides Again will be presented by the Northwestern Summer Theatre beginning in June.

Kiss Me Kate, the popular Cole Porter musical, will be on June 15-18 and 21-24 in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Show time is 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Former NSU Artistic Director Dr. Jack Wann will be the guest director with Northwestern alumni Jena Westbrook and Eric Engelhardt playing the lead roles. Tickets are $10.

Murder Rides Again, billed as a "Wild West Murder Mystery," will run July 26-29 and August 2-5 and 9-12 at 6 p.m. in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Tickets are $20, which includes a four-course meal along with the show. Artistic Director Scott Burrell is the director.

Kiss Me Kate tells the tale of two once-married, now-divorced musical theater actors, Fred Grahame and Lilli Vannessi, who are performing opposite each other in a Broadway-bound musical version of William Shakespeare 's The Taming of the Shrew, in the roles of Petruchio and Katharina.

Already on poor terms, the pair begin an all-out emotional war midperformance when Lilli discovers Fred sent his latest fling (and the show's Bianca), Lois Lane, Lilli's wedding bouquet. The only thing keeping the show together are threats from a pair of gangsters: Lois's steady boyfriend (and the show's Lucentio), Bill Calhoun, loves to gamble, and to avoid the responsibility of paying his debts, he claimed to be Fred, and this show will provide the money Fred needs to avoid getting his fingers broken. In classic musical comedy fashion, madness ensues, and both pairs of lovers ultimately reconcile.

"Kiss Me Kate is one of the most popular Broadway musicals ever done," said Burrell. "It is known for so many standards which are part of the musical theatre repertoire. The play is one of Dr. Wann's favorites and he is excited to be returning to Natchitoches and Northwestern to work with Jena, Eric and our current students."

Burrell said Murder Rides Again is by Jim Dabb, who also wrote Death by Disco, which was performed by the Northwestern Summer Theatre last year.

"It's a cheesy comedy in a Western setting that calls for a lot of improvisation by the cast and interaction with the audience," he said. "It has a marshal, a sidekick, a gunfighter and a saloon owner named Miss Liddy. The play is tongue in cheek and very funny."

Wann spent 13 years at Northwestern, building the undergraduate theatre programs into one of the best in the South. He was honored by the university with the title of professor emeritus.

After retiring, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting and voiceover career. Wann is also on the faculty of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where he teaches Shakespeare and the classics.

Wann most recently performed in Entitled at the American Globe Theatre. Prior to that production, he joined members of the ensemble of the Metropolitan Opera Company for A Christmas Carol. He was also part of the world premiere of Ricardo Monti's Visit at the New Perspectives Theatre and portrayed Benjamin Franklin in Founding Fathers at the New York Historical Society and at Park Slope, Brooklyn. Wann has also worked on plays with Collaborations Theatre and Openworks Theatre, NYC.

In addition, Wann has been in five films including the award winning short film Seeing You in Circles. He has also been involved in engagements around the country as an actor, director and teacher.

For more information on the Northwestern Summer Theatre, call (318) 357-4483 or (318) 357-6891.

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