For Immediate Release October 6 – October 21, 2018
DRIVING MISS DAISY by Alfred Uhry with Lora Lee Ecobelli*, Paul Carter, and Tony Pallone* Directed by Flo Hayle Designed by John Sowle Costumes by Michelle Rogers Production Stage Manager: Frank Dianda October 11-21, 2018 Bridge Street Theatre Mainstage 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill, NY
Press Page with hi-res photos here:
Alfred Uhry’s “Driving Miss Daisy” Pulls Into Catskill October 11
Catskill’s beloved Flo Hayle takes the wheel as director for a two-weekend run of Alfred Uhry’s heart-warming 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Driving Miss Daisy”, parking itself at Bridge Street Theatre for eight performances only, Thursdays through Sundays from October 11-21, 2018.
Lora Lee Ecobelli as Daisy, Paul Carter as Hoke
It’s Atlanta, Georgia, 1948. An elderly Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan has just totaled her new car and her insurance company has declared her a high risk. While she’s determined to maintain her independence, her son Boolie insists she get herself a driver, and he hires an African-American man named Hoke Colburn to be her chauffeur. And though their relationship gets off to a rocky start, these two very different people gradually develop a close mutual friendship, one that transcends both the racial prejudices of the time and all the societal changes that occur over the 20-plus years Hoke spends ‘driving Miss Daisy’.
Tony Pallone as Boolie, Lora Lee Ecobelli as Daisy
Featured in this production are local actors Lora Lee Ecobelli as Daisy, Paul Carter as Hoke, and Tony Pallone as Boolie. The play is directed by Flo Hayle, with sets and lighting designed by John Sowle, and costumes by Michelle Rogers. Production Stage Manager is Frank Dianda.
Paul Carter as Hoke, Lora Lee Ecobelli as Daisy, Tony Pallone as Boolie
“Driving Miss Daisy” will be presented Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm from October 11-21 at Bridge Street Theatre, 44 West Bridge Street in the Village of Catskill, NY. The Thursday October 11th preview and the Sunday October 14th matinee are both “Pay-What-You-Will” performances (“Pay-What-You-Will” tickets are available only at the door prior to the performance and are subject to availability). Advance tickets are available for $22 online at driving.BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. Tickets can also be purchased at the door prior to each performance (on a space available basis) for $25. Students ages 21 and under are always $10. Also note that the final Sunday matinee performance on October 21st is a special benefit for the Town and Country Women’s Network Scholarship Fund. All seats are $35 and include a pre-show reception at 1:00pm. Tickets for this special performance are not available online and can be purchased by contacting Joan Young at 518-943- 4992, Tammy Anderson at 518-728-4340, or Ellen De Lucia at 518-943-1836 or [email protected]. And for more details, visit Bridge Street Theatre online at BridgeSt.org.
Events and performances in Bridge Street Theatre’s 2018 Season are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and by Public Funds from the Greene County Legislature through the Greene County Cultural Fund, administered in Greene County by the Greene County Council on the Arts.
Performance Calendar: DRIVING MISS DAISY by Alfred Uhry with Lora Lee Ecobelli*, Paul Carter, and Tony Pallone* Directed by Flo Hayle Designed by John Sowle Costumes by Michelle Rogers Production Stage Manager: Frank Dianda October 11-21, 2018 Bridge Street Theatre Mainstage 44 West Bridge Street, Catskill, NY
Thursday Oct 11 @ 7:30pm (“Pay What You Will” preview) Friday Sept 7 @ 7:30pm (Opening Night) Saturday Sept 8 @ 7:30pm Sunday Sept 9 @ 2:00pm (“Pay What You Will” performance) Thursday Sept 13 @ 7:30pm Friday Sept 14 @ 7:30pm Saturday Sept 15 @ 7:30pm Sunday Sept 16 @ 2:00pm (Special Benefit Performance for the Town and Country Women’s Network Scholarship Fund)
Tickets: Advance tickets available at http://driving.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006 General Admission $22, $10 for students age 21 and under Tickets can also be purchased at the door prior to each performance (on a space available basis) for $25, $10 for Students ages 21 & under.
Tickets for the Special Benefit Performance on Sunday October 21 are $35 and include a pre-show reception at 1:00pm. Contact Joan Young at 518-943-4992, Tammy Anderson at 518-728-4340, or Ellen De Lucia at 518-943-1836 or [email protected] for reservations.
The Cast:
LORA LEE ECOBELLI* (Daisy) is an actress, writer, director and teacher. She has performed on Broadway, Off Broadway, in Regional Theatre and in films and television. She was the recipient of the Harold Clurman award for best leading actress for her performance in “The Vise”. Some of her favorite roles include Gertrude in “Hamlet” at The West End Theatre, Madame Ranevskaya at Walking the Dog Theatre in Chatham and Emily in “Lark Eden” at Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill. Lora Lee is also the Artistic Director for The Blue Horse Repertory Company and teaches Theatre at The Theatre Institute at Sage College. AEA,SAG/AFTRA
PAUL CARTER (Hoke), a Hudson, NY native and Bard College alumnus, has enjoyed working in the NY theater scene in various productions at such venues as: The Metropolitan Opera, La Mama,e.t.c., Theater for the New City, Riverside Shakespeare, Soho Rep, and Westbeth Theatre Center to name a few. Paul has also enjoyed playing several supporting roles on daytime television including “One Life to Live”, “All My Children”, “Another World”, and “Loving”. National and International tour credits include: McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (European Tour), Jesse Owens in “Olympic Spirit” (US), Hud in the 20th Anniversary Tour of “Hair, The Musical (US & Canada), and The Fox in “Pinocchio” (US). Other favorite roles include: Joe in “Big River” (Yorktown Performing Arts), Private Megs in “Strange Snow” (Shadowland Playhouse), Mohammed in “Omnium Gatherum” (Stageworks/Hudson), Solomon Northup in “Friend of a Friend” (Capital Repertory Theatre), and Macheath in “Three Penny Opera” (Rhinebeck Performing Arts Center). Paul’s performing experience also includes a stint as a featured vocalist for Regency Cruise Line’s Broadway Spectacular and Manhattan Latin revues (Caribbean, South America, and Vancouver, B.C./Alaska Cruises).
TONY PALLONE* (Boolie) first shared a stage with Bridge Street Theatre co-founder Steven Patterson in Capital Repertory Theatre’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and he’s wanted to work with him again ever since! He’s thrilled to be making his Bridge Street debut alongside such a wonderful cast and crew. Previous credits include “The Enemy of the People” (Barrington Stage); “The Trip to Bountiful”, “Gypsy”, “To Kill a Mockingbird” (Capital Rep); “Urinetown: The Musical”, “Equus” (Ghent Playhouse); “The Seagull”, “The Little Foxes” (Northeast Theatre Ensemble); “Half and Half”, “The Addams Family” (Theater Barn); and “Blithe Spirit”, “Arms and the Man”, “The Weir” (Theater Voices). He also serves on the boards of Northeast Theatre Ensemble and Theater Voices, both based in Albany. He has taught acting to young theatre enthusiasts at Drama Kids International, NYSTI and Proctors; has an abiding love of Shakespeare; and jumps at the chance to do graphic design for theatrical productions. Love to Colleen, his favorite partner both on stage and off. Proud member of Actors’ Equity.
The Production Team:
FLO HAYLE (Director) has been a participant in all aspects of the theater. She was producing Off-Broadway long before there was anything known as Off-Broadway. She has appeared in dozens of plays and musicals including the Broadway musical Sophie by Steve Allen. Flo has been seen in TV commercials for Total Cereal, Volkswagen and Show Boat Casino, and was casting director for Muriel Cigars, Coppertone, and Maybelline, to name only a few. She has directed plays at the Ghent Playhouse and has appeared at the Fort Salem Playhouse in Salem, NY. At Bridge Street Theatre, she directed productions of Souvenir and The Property Known as Garland. Flo has appeared in the NY cabaret clubs Don’t Tell Mama, The Five, Freddie’s, The Ballroom, and On Stage, and of course on stage here at Bridge Street Theatre. Favorite roles include Mama Rose in Gypsy and Lola in Come Back, Little Sheba. She has her own radio interview show “Arts Alive” on iHeart Radio.
JOHN SOWLE (Set and Lighting Design) is Artistic and Managing Director of Bridge Street Theatre. He founded Kaliyuga Arts in 1986 with his partner Steven Patterson and has received multiple awards for his directing and design work on their Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York productions. He has directed and designed BST’s productions of There Is a Happiness That Morning Is, Leni, Redwood Curtain, How to Pray, The Official Adventures of Kieron and Jade, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, Holiday Memories, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Killing & The Love Death (late plays of William Inge), and Grinder’s Stand by Oakley Hall III, and designed their productions of The Tavern, Souvenir, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the- Moon Marigolds, and Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune. John has an undergraduate degree in mathematics from M.I.T and a PhD in Dramatic Art from UC Berkeley.
MICHELLE ROGERS (Costumes) began costuming plays while in college and continued working on high school productions throughout her teaching career. She’s designed costumes for Marat/Sade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oliver!, and Pride and Prejudice, among others. Now retired from education, Michelle is delighted to be working with Bridge Street Theatre. She has been the costume designer for The Tavern, Frankenstein, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in- the-Moon Marigolds, How to Pray, Redwood Curtain, Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Leni.
FRANK DIANDA (Stage Manager) has studied Meisner technique with Maggie Flannigan in NYC and as well broadcast journalism at the New School in Albany, NY. While singing, acting, and dancing are his passion, he started out working in film and television production as everything from a Grip to a Production Assistant. In his youth, Frank was also spent time on the radio as one of the youngest disc jockeys in New York. He continues to pursue work in all aspects of film, television, and theater. His most recent project was portraying a waiter on “The Real Housewives of New York”.
*Denotes membership in Actors’ Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
To contact Bridge Street Theatre directly, email [email protected] or call their offices at 518- 943-3894. For more information, visit the theatre’s website at BridgeSt.org or call their offices at 518-943-3818.
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