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Sapphire Level Emerald Level

Performance Dates

• February 18, 19, 25 and 26 (all 7:30 pm)
• February 20 and 27 (both 2:00 pm)

Auditon, Rehearsal and Performance Location

J. Philip Gibbs, Jr,. Centre for the Performing Arts
(Old Town Theatre), 1023 12th St., Huntsville, TX

For tickets or more information call 936-291-7933

 

 

Synopsis

Hate Mail is an epistolary play something like “Love Letters,” with two actors reading letters and other correspondence, but it’s more of a parody of the latter.  The play tells the story of Preston, a spoiled rich kid who meets his match in Dahlia, an angst-filled artist.  Their worlds collide when Preston sends a compliant letter that gets Dahlia fired from her job, and then there’s no turning back.  The play strays with their increasingly crazed correspondence as they move from hate to love, and then right back again. – Playscripts, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=430

About the Cast and Crew

Sam Weeks (Preston Dennis, Jr.) is a Musical Theatre major at SHSU. You may remember him as Orville in Daddys Dyin’, Who's Got The Will and as Arles in Greater Tuna. He has also been in several SHSU productions. Sam would like to thank David, Agnes, and Christina for making this process so much fun. Special thanks to James and Kate for being such a strong support system and dancing with umbrellas.

 

 

Christina Casella (Dahlia Markle) is a junior at Sam Houston State University studying Theatre with an emphasis in acting and directing. Her other show credits include Ondine, Rumors, and Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends (A Final Evening with the Illuminati). This is her HCT debut! She would like to thank Sam for being an amazing inspiration and working with her again, David for giving her the opportunity to play Dahlia and Agnes for laughs and amazing support. Thanks and love you Mom, Mary Beth, Val, Kate, Alex and James!

 

Agnes Holland (Stage Manager) is a retired educator and counselor who has lived in Huntsville for over 35 years. She has participated in theatrical productions as a writer and actress and crew member at Sam Houston State University and in the community with the 1980’s comedy group Eat More Theatre, as well as with Huntsville Community Theatre since its inception. In past years she performed in HCT productions of Crimes of the Heart (Meg), Steel Magnolias (Clairee), The Odd Couple, Female Version (Florence) and Cry Havoc (Flo). She is a former HCT board member, and although she has worked “behind the scenes” in several capacities, Hate Mail is her first time to have the opportunity to work as both a stage manager and as an assistant director. Agnes would like to thank HCT, and especially David, Sam, and Christine for this great experience!

Authors

Bill Corbett - Corbett's play The Stuff of Dreams recently toured the country, produced by the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. His play The Big Slam has been produced at numerous theaters across the U.S., including Woolly Mammoth in Washington, D.C.; ACT in Seattle; and actor Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan.

For four years Mr. Corbett was a writer for Mystery Science Theater 3000 on the Sci-Fi Channel, and previously on Comedy Central. He was nominated for a Cable Ace Award in 1997 for Best Comedy Writing. He was also an actor on the show, providing the voice of the robot "Crow" and performing various other characters.

His other plays include Heckler; Ridiculous Dreaming (an adaptation of Heinrich Boll's The Clown, commissioned and produced by the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis); Hate Mail (co-written with Kira Obolensky), produced by Primary Stages in New York and numerous other theaters; Down the Pike, winner of the Actors Theater of Louisville National One-Act Contest; short plays Manifesto and Hunters, produced by the HBO Writers Project in Los Angeles; Cash Karma, first produced by the Organic Theater in Chicago; and Motorcade, produced at theaters in the U.S., Canada, and Japan.

Mr. Corbett has been a contributing writer to National Public Radio's Prairie Home Companion and All Things Considered, and was co-creator of the animated web series Poker Night on Icebox.com. He has also been a member of the acting companies at the Guthrie Theater and the Berkshire Theater Festival, and has taught playwriting at Kenyon College in Ohio, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, and numerous other universities and schools.

He is a Core Member of The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he earned an MFA in playwriting and screenwriting. Before that, he received a BA from Yale College. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Corbett currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. – Playscripts, Inc. Bio for Bill Corbett (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.playscripts.com/author.php3?authorid=299

Kira Obolensky - Obolensky's plays include Hate Mail, written with Bill Corbett; Lobster Alice (Jungle Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Stages Theater); and The Adventures of Herculina (Next Theater, Frank Theater). She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as the Kesselring Prize (for Lobster Alice). New work in progress includes Quicksilver (produced in 2003) and A Modern Home. A graduate of Williams College, Ms. Obolensky also attended Juilliard's Playwriting Program. – Playscripts. Inc. Bio Kira Obolensky (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.playscripts.com/author.php3?authorid=12

About the Director

David Keithley is originally from Littlefield, Texas near Lubbock, Texas. David and his family have lived in Huntsville for nearly 3 years. David currently works as a school psychologist for Huntsville ISD. David has acted in previous HCT productions of Bell Book and Candle, Alone Together and recently in To Kill a Mockingbird. Hate Mail is David’s directorial debut production.

David is married to the wonderful and talented Velvia Keithley and has two talented and beautiful daughters, Ashlea Nicole and Johanna Keithley. David would like to thank the amazing acting duo of Sam and Christina, artistic partner-in-crime Agnes and HCT for this wonderful opportunity.

Tickets

Ticket prices and purchase arrangements may be found on the Tickets page. Tickets may also be reserved online.

Box Office Hours

HCT’s Box Office opens one hour before the start time of each production.

• 7:30 PM Productions – Box Office opens at 6:30 PM
• 2:00 PM Matinee – Box Office opens at 1:00 PM

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