The Tuesdays With Morrie Craze Hits Seattle

Seattle Repertory Theatre presents Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie, starring Alvin Epstein as Morrie and Lorenzo Pisoni as Mitch, playing in the Bagley Wright Theatre from April 8-May 7, 2006.  Previews begin April 8, with opening night set for April 12.

We have all had mentors. Someone older and wiser, who understood you, listened to you when you were young and searching. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, a college professor he knew 16 years before. Morrie is now retired, loves life, adores his family and friends, and suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease. Mitch is now a sports writer who has an insatiable appetite for work and not much else...until he hears about his old professor's plight on "Nightline." As Morrie succumbs to his disease, Mitch spends his Tuesdays with Morrie learning about life, love, work, family, and forgiveness. Albom's autobiographical Tuesdays With Morrie has been on The New York Times best-seller list for seven years, and is now adapted for the stage.

Mitch Albom is the author of seven books, most notably Tuesdays with Morrie, which was at or near the top of The New York Times bestseller list for seven straight years following its 1997 publication. A nationally syndicated columnist for the Detroit Free Press and a nationally syndicated radio host for ABC, Albom has, for more than a decade, been named the top sports columnist in the nation by the Sports Editors of America, the highest honor in his field. A panelist on ESPN's "Sports Reporters," Albom also regularly serves as a commentator for that network. He serves on numerous charitable boards, and has founded two charities in metro Detroit: the Dream Fund, which helps underprivileged youth study the arts, and A Time to Help, a monthly volunteer program.

Jeffrey Hatcher's plays have been produced by major theatres in the U.S. and abroad. His newest plays are A Picasso; an adaptation on Kaufman and Hart's The Fabulous Invalid; and the book for the Jerome Kern musical Never Gonna Dance. Other recent plays include Hanging Lord Haw-Haw, What Corbin Knew and Sockdology, which won the 1998 New Dramatists Whitfield-Cooke Prize. He recently collaborated with Eric Simonson on the critically acclaimed Work Song and with Bill Russell and Henry Krieger on the award-winning musical Everything's Ducky. Other plays include Three Viewings, whose numerous productions include Manhattan Theatre Club and the New End Theatre in London, and Scotland Road, winner of the 1993 Lois and Richard Rosenthal New Play Prize. He is the recipient of awards and grants from American Theatre Critics Association, NEA, TCG, and others, and a member of the Dramatists Guild, Playwrights Center, and New Dramatists.

David Esbjornson is in his first season as Seattle Rep's artistic director. Earlier this season he directed the world premiere of Ariel Dorfman's Purgatorio at the Rep. Other credits include A Few Good Men starring Rob Lowe in London, the world premiere of Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? and the critically acclaimed revival of The Normal Heart. He has also directed Arthur Miller's Tony nominated The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, the world premieres of Suzan-Lori Parks' In the Blood, and Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul. Esbjornson was artistic director of New York's Classic Stage Company from 1992-1999 where he directed many award winning productions. Esbjornson has served as a resident director at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference, New Harmony Project and the Iowa Playwright's Festival. He holds an M.F.A. from New York University and a B.A. in theatre and English from Gustavus Adolphus College (2001 Distinguished Alumni Award).