Two new comedies of frosty passion and peculiar proposals
Dates and Locations: April 30 and May 1 (8pm) at the Live Oak UU Church, 3315 El Salido Parkway, Cedar Park. May 6, 7, 8 (8pm) and May 9 (2:30 pm) at First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover. It is the same program each location. Tickets are $10 at the door. Advance
reservations can be made at http://www.paradoxplayers.org/tickets.php.
Paradox Players presents the premiere of two new plays by award-winning, Austin-based playwright, Paullette MacDougal: Head over Heels and Hook, Line and Sinker.
In Head over Heels, Izzy easily risks life and limb snowboarding down icy vertical slopes, but resists mightily her boyfriend's proposal of marriage as alarmingly perilous. Can she trust herself enough to get married? Searching for wisdom and confidence, she revisits bad decisions, shares her hilarious (and often pathetic) encounters with men, uses risk analysis spreadsheets to rate her potential mates, and seeks answers in self-help books. Portrayed by Deneen Frazier, Izzy's experiences draw from events in the actress' own life. The play is directed by Loren E. Chadima, a critically acclaimed film and stage director from Los Angeles.
Hook, Line and Sinker, a short romantic comedy that begins the evening, tells of a young man.s idea of a unique and memorable marriage proposal, out on a frozen lake pursuing his favorite outdoor winter sport . ice fishing. However, this is not where his intended bride -- whose favorite winter sport is curling up with a book by a warm fireplace -- wants to be. The drama heats up for this incompatible couple when the fish comes into possession of the diamond ring. This play is written and directed by Paullette MacDougal and features Mark Finn and Cathy Day.
Bios - Head over Heels
Playwright: Award-winning playwright Paullette MacDougal's comedies and dramas have been produced throughout the English-speaking world. (Her much-produced drama, "Solo Flight," concludes a limited run in March 2004 in Adelaide, Australia.) A production of her acclaimed drama, Waiting for MacArthur, produced by Paradox Players in 2002, starred Deneen Frazier. Cactus Pryor of KLBJ News Radio called it "an important drama." This play has since been published by Dramatic Publishing Co. Paullette is Artistic Director of Paradox Players.
Actress: Deneen Frazier has been acting on stage for the past 20 years, always seeking the truth of every character. Recently, she appeared as Darcy Snelgrave in One Flea Spare and as Miriam in Roger & Miriam, both produced by the Vernacurious Performance Group. In her work with Paradox Players, she received a nomination in the 2003 B. Iden Payne awards for .Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. with her portrayal of Annie Lou Holsom in Waiting for MacArthur. Other Austin appearances include Sylvia (Bastrop Opera House), A Dragon.s Happy Day (Polyanna Theatre Company) and Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Gaslight Theater). She is thrilled to be collaborating with award-winning local playwright and friend, Paullette MacDougal.
Director: Loren E. Chadima is a graduate of the Trinity Rep Conservatory. She has directed over 20 plays including Juggling Scrod for which she earned 7 award nominations including "Best Director" for Los Angeles's prestigious Valley Artistic Director Awards. Her short film Surprise, a production of the AFI's Directing Workshop for Women, has been screened in over 15 film festivals including the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, and the Newport International Film Festival. She is known as a great storyteller who finds the truth in the comedy and the comedy in the truth.
Bios - Hook, Line and Sinker
Cathy Day is active in the local theatre scene, having worked with the Paradox Players before, as well as currently acting with the Violet Crown Radio Players. She frequently finds herself using her acting skills when working with her students. Cathy has worked as a speech-language pathologist with preschool through 12th grade children for ten years in both private and public schools in Maryland, California, and Texas. This is her third season with the Violet Crown Radio Players. In her spare time, she loves to read (over her husband Mark Finn.s shoulder) and walk (in Zilker Park).
Mark Finn is a native Texan and professional writer with numerous essays, comic book & radio scripts, and articles and reviews to his name. He is the author of two novels: Gods New and Used and Year of the Hare, and his articles and reviews have appeared on playboy.com and elsewhere. Finn is a founding member of the Violet Crown Radio Players and is an expert on all matters pop cultural, including the Texas author Robert E. Howard. Among other projects he plans a collection of his long running "Finn's Wake" column, currently at home at RevolutionSF.com (www.revolutionsf.com).
by Paullette MacDougal, April 2004