For Immediate Release

Onstage at Theatre Three: House and Garden

(Dallas, Texas) Theatre Three’s 2008-2009 Season begins with the comic adventure, House and Garden by Sir Alan Ayckbourn. Theatre Three’s forty-eighth season is a world tour of theater. Beginning with the comic mayhem of a garden festival at an English manor house, the season concludes with the harrowing drama of a South African courtroom. The shows between include a homegrown military drama, a romantic musical set in Florence, a witty Spanish Golden Age comedy, a modern French flirtatious farce, and a classic mystery set on the Nile River. House and Garden begins previews on Thursday, July 10, 2008 and will close on Sunday, August 10, 2008. “The important thing is they are separate plays, it would be a shame if you didn't see both - you may wonder what happened on the other side for the rest of your life! You can see them in different orders. There is no right order. It just alters your perceptions of events.” – Alan Ayckbourn in an interview with Simon Murgatroyd about House and Garden. Teddy Platt’s historic home is very busy. A large garden fair is planned and it looks like it might rain. Teddy is expecting an important guest who may bring news about an intriguing political position. Unfortunately, his wife, Trish, is not speaking to him and his teenage daughter, Sally, has ambitions and an unexpected love life of her own. An exotic French actress is expected to appear at the festivities, but she and the other guests can’t seem to find their way to the front door of the house because the servants keep moving the helpful directional signs. Teddy’s best friend and his wife have their own marital problem: Teddy. House will be performed in Theatre Three, with Garden running simultaneously in Theatre Too. The same cast appears in both shows. About The Playwright: Sir Alan Ayckbourn Alan Ayckbourn was born in London in 1939 and has worked in theatre all his life. Before establishing himself as a writer and director, Alan worked in roles as various as stage manager, sound technician, lighting technician, scene painter, prop maker and actor. He always claims that most of these talents he developed with the help of Stephen Joseph, his mentor and founder of the Theatre in Scarborough who first encouraged him to write. One of Alan’s greatest achievements has been the establishment of a permanent home for the company of which he has been artistic director since 1972 – the Stephen Joseph Theatre. This splendid two-auditoria arts complex opened in 1996. Probably one of the nation’s most performed living playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn has written 72 plays, almost all receiving their first performance in Scarborough. Among his successes are plays such as: How The Other Half Loves, Absurd Person Singular, The Norman Conquests, Bedroom Farce, Just Between Ourselves, A Chorus of Disapproval, Woman in Mind, A Small Family Business and Comic Potential. More than 25 have been produced in the West End or at the National Theatre since his first hit, Relatively Speaking, opened at the Duke of York’s Theatre in 1967. His plays have been translated into 35 languages, have won numerous national and international awards and are performed on stage and television throughout the world. They have been filmed in English and French, the most recent, Coeurs, Alain Resnais’ adaptation of Private Fears in Public Places winning that great film director the Silver Lion Award at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Alan’s book, The Crafty Art of Playmaking, published by Faber in 2002 has, to date, been published in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the US. The holder of a number of honorary degrees, he is also the recipient of a Montblanc de la Culture Award for Europe and a Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. A Fellow of the RSA, he was appointed a CBE in 1987 and in 1997, was knighted for services to the theatre. Biography supplied by Alan Ayckbourn’s official website www.alanayckbourn.net.

For Further Information Contact: By post: 2800 Routh Street, Suite 168, Dallas, Texas 75201 By phone: 214-871-3300 By fax: 214-871-3139 By email: admin@theatre3dallas.com By web: www.theatre3dallas.com