FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: John Edward Kinzer, Director of Audience Development

(812) 855-0514 or jkinzer@indiana.edu

  THE LEE NORVELLE THEATRE AND DRAMA CENTER PRESENTS

SLOW DANCE WITH A HOT PICKUP

Book by John Pielmeier, Music and Lyrics by Matty Selman

Bloomington , IN – “Put your hand on a hot pickup – Don't let go and, baby, you can get it!” John Pielmeier (award-winning author of Agnes of God ) and Matty Selman's musical Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup has been selected as the inaugural workshop production of the Department of Theatre and Drama's new program “Premiere Musicals: Developing Musical Theatre at Indiana University.” Slow Dance has an A Chorus Line -like feel with a handful of diverse characters who reveal personal issues and histories at a local mall contest to an omniscient God-like announcer (who at times almost seems diabolical)…while keeping their hands on a beautiful, brand new pickup truck. There is only one rule: Don't let go, or you may lose the chance to win the vehicle of your dreams! This four-week program culminates in three workshop performances on August 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th at 7:30 p.m. in the Wells-Metz Theatre of the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center.

Not only does this workshop process benefit creators Pielmeier and Selman, but it also is a perfect opportunity for members of the cast, crew, and audience to interact with them and provide feedback throughout the weeks of rehearsal and following each performance. A stimulating script that tackles topics like racism and stereotyping, the elusive American Dream, finding one's identity, and love, Slow Dance should “hit home” with anyone who experiences this work. With memorable characters like Vietnam veteran Ralph, God-fearing Sheba, and Shine the sugar fiend along with catchy tunes like “Keep Your Eye On The Prize,” “Gotta Let Go,” “Down The Road,” and “It's A Great, Great Country,” this musical will definitely delight and redefine how one thinks about what is important in life. Not to mention the fact that you get to drool over a 2006 Nissan pickup from Royal on the East Side throughout the entire performance!

The talented cast joins four IU students, three professional actors, and guest artists Carmen Rae Meyers and James E. Mumford, former director of the IU African American Choral Ensemble. All bring a wealth of knowledge and performance experience to the Wells-Metz stage. Equity actors Stephanie Bast, Michael J. Farina, and IU alumna Robyn Payne come directly to us from New York where they have played opposite the likes of Reba McIntyre, Marin Mazzie, and Brian Stokes Mitchell and performed on several Broadway theatre stages and national Broadway tours.

Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup is directed by George Pinney, a professor of theatre and drama at Indiana University. He has directed and/or choreographed over 150 productions for national tours, regional, and university theatres, including IU and the Brown County Playhouse. He was part of the creative team of Blast! for which he won an Emmy Award for his choreography. His recent productions at IU include Sweet Charity, Sweeney Todd (the Demon Barber of Fleet Street) , Parade , A Chorus Line , and the IU Broadway Cabaret. At the Playhouse, George directed the recent hit productions of Smoke on the Mountain and Forever Plaid. George also teaches musical theatre and stage movement and mentors numerous Individualized Major Program in Musical Theatre students. Of the Slow Dance process, he says, “We're an interim step… an incubator of sorts. We're giving the composer and playwright an opportunity to work and put a musical on its feet in four weeks, which is a wonderful amount of time. Slow Dance is a slice of a reality show … with the depth and staying power of any one of the great American musicals.”

The creative team for Slow Dance consists of musical director J. Adam Burnette ( A Chorus Line ), scenic/technical designer Robert Bovard ( Art ), costume coordinator Robbie Stanton (Falsettos), and lighting designer Robert Shakespeare (Macbeth).

Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup opens August 10 th and continues on Friday August 11 th and Saturday August 12 th at the Wells-Metz Theatre in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama . Curtain time for each performance is 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $12 per person and are available in person at the IU Auditorium box office, by phone through Ticketmaster at 812-333-9955, at Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.ticketmaster.com .

Visit www.theatre.indiana.edu or contact the Audience Development Department at

(812) 855-0514 for more detailed information. For ticket information, please contact the IU Auditorium at (812) 855-1103.

How to Find Us

The Cast

The Creative Team

Slow Dance Homepage