HOUSTON, May 11, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Taking the stage next on The Ensemble Theatre's Mainstage is The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) generously underwritten by BP America. Under the direction of Ed Muth, this play is zany but smart, linguistically funny and brazenly incorrect! Proving that slapstick comedy is universal, three of Houston's finest actors will literally "trip into the light fantastic" to play all the roles male and female, in all 37 plays performed in 97 minutes. Ed Muth describes Complete Works this way, "It's as if TV's Martin meets Benny Hill and George Lopez drops in!"
Complete Works multi-ethnic case is made up of Keith Caldwell, Alvaro Saar Rios making their first appearance with The Ensemble and returning for his seventh season, Henry Edwards. Caldwell, with extensive credits in cabaret and music theatre, last worked with Muth in a critically acclaimed production of The Last Five Years at Theatre Lab. Alavara Rios, a writer with Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Have Their Say, recently performed with The Royal Mexican Players in The Crazy Mexican Show. Edwards, who appeared in this season's holiday production, also won Kudos for his work in Distant Voices and Fences.
Veteran director, Ed Muth is a resident faculty member at the Houston Community College Central Campus. Muth's arts and theatre affiliations includes HCC's Theatre One, Stages, Main Street, Express Children's, Theatre Lab, and the University of St. Thomas. He enjoyed a close professional relationship with the late Ensemble founder George Hawkins, former artistic director Eileen Morris and now producing artistic director Marsha Jackson-Randolph.
Imagine... Hamlet broken up over the death of his favorite character on "General Hospital"! Shakespeare's first tragedy played as a tasteless cooking show; the history plays as the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Complete Works previews May 29 to June 2; and begins its run June 3 through June 27, 2003. Muth and his 'troika of mayhem' promise audiences a delightfully brazen parody of all 37 plays designed for lovers of comedy and improvisation. This play has a PG-13 rating. Come, look, laugh and PLAY! For infoormation regarding tickets and group sales, call The Ensemble Theatre Box Office at 713-520-0055 x 306.
Founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins, The Ensemble Theatre has brought several generations of African Americans and other theatre patrons into the performance art form. The mission of The Ensemble Theatre is to preserve African American artistic expression, enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community. The Ensemble is a 501(c)(3) theatre that holds the distinction as the nation's largest African American theatre that owns and operates its own facility and produces a Mainstage Season of 5-6 contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience a Tour Education Program provides performances for young audiences including schools, community outreach, and training for young artists through The Young Performers Program.
The Ensemble Theatre's $4.5 million facility includes the George Hawkins main stage with seating for 200 patrons, the Audrey Lawson Arena seating up to 125, and a performance centre accommodating up to 500 people. The Theatre's most recent accomplishment occurred on January 1 when the theatre celebrated two major milestones: the retirement of its $360,000 debt remaining from its $4.5 million capital campaign, and the dedication of METRO commuter rail stop named in the theatre's honor.