“PEG O’ MY HEART” MAKES RETURN TO LYRIC STAGE TO KICK OFF 35TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

LOGAN — Peg, a poor, young Irish girl from New York learned today that she is heiress to a fortune. The catch? She needs to leave for London where she will be introduced into society by her aunt. Peg’s life is about to be turned upside down, but in a good way. Peg takes us on an enjoyable journey through her new life as she learns what means most to her in the season opener by the Old Lyric Repertory Company (OLRC) in Logan. J. Hartley Manners’s “Peg O’ My Heart” is directed by Old Lyric Repertory Company founder W. Vosco Call. It opens June 7 at the Lyric Theatre, 28 W. Center Street, Logan. Curtain is at 8 p.m. “‘Peg O’ My Heart’ is a fitting anniversary event,” says Producing Artistic Director Colin Johnson, “because it was written in 1913, the year the Lyric Theatre first opened.” Tickets for OLRC performances are available at the Utah State University Spectrum Ticket Office (797-0305) during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) or at the Customer Service Center of the USU Taggart Student Center, room 212 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Tickets may also be purchased at the Lyric box office one hour before curtain on performance nights for that evening’s production only. The Lyric box office also opens at 4 p.m. on Saturdays for Saturday performance tickets. Filling Peg’s shoes is Vanessa Ballam Brenchley. Brenchley is best known as a former Miss Utah (1999-2000) and as anchorwoman on KUTN Channel 12 in Cache Valley. Her stage experience is impressive, with seven seasons at the Utah Festival Opera Company and productions for Utah State Theatre. Her stage credits include Gwen in “The Royal Family,” Isabelle in “Ring Round the Moon” and, most recently, Elizabeth in “Pride and Prejudice.” Making her OLRC debut as Mrs. Chichester (Peg’s aunt) is Joan Mullaney. Her extensive credits include Lady Capulet in “Romeo and Juliet” at the Salt Lake Shakespeare Company, Denise in “Winter of the Deer” at the Salt Lake Acting Company and Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Mullaney is a member of the board of the Utah Screen Actors Guild and will be seen soon in the features “Dumb Luck” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” Also making his OLRC debut in the role of Montgomery Hawkes is Lee Grober, who spent a number of years acting in New York where his stage credits included “Hamlet,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Misanthrope” and “As You Like It.” In addition to his New York credits, Grober has worked on stage in Los Angeles where he has been seen in “The Matchmaker,” “City of Angels” and “The Mousetrap.” His resume also shows extensive work in television and film. Making a return to the Lyric stage is Christopher Glade as Christian Brent. He was seen previously in the OLRC productions of “Lost in Yonkers,” “The Cardigans” and “Monky Business.” Glade graduated from Utah State University where his credits included “The Threepenny Opera” and “Wonderful Life!: The Musical.” He has also been seen recently in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” and “King Lear” at the Pioneer Theatre Company. Returning for her fourth season with OLRC is Arika Schockmel as Ethel. Also a graduate of Utah State, she has been seen in the UST productions of “The Little Shop of Horrors,” “Richard III,” “Little Mary Sunshine” and “Guys and Dolls.” Another returning member, Eric J. VanTielen, will play the part of Jerry, Peg’s love interest. Many remember VanTielen for his performance last summer at the Lyric in “Blood Brothers.” He has also been seen in numerous UST productions, including “Pride and Prejudice,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” and “Our Town.” OLRC newcomer Jason Purdie will play the part of Alaric. Purdie’s previous stage experience includes “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Abridged,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Servant of Two Masters.” Another newcomer to the Lyric stage, Cassandra E. Orr, will fill the role of the maid. Orr’s UST credits include “Pride and Prejudice,” “Our Town” and the UST Conservatory productions “The Grasshopper and the Ant,” “Poets” and “Date With a Stranger.” Rounding out the cast is returning member Steven Fehr, seen last summer in “Blood Brothers,” “Wait Until Dark” and “The Sunshine Boys.” He will play the Footman, as well as a member of the quartet that also includes John Mauldin, Jon Savage and Eric J. VanTielen. Premium seating for single tickets at the Lyric are $15 for adults, $13 for USU faculty/staff/senior citizens/youth under age 18 and $10 for USU students. Further information regarding ticket prices may be obtained at any of the box office locations. Children under age 6 are not admitted. Flex-Pass season subscriptions are also available and offer a 25 percent savings off premium seating single ticket prices. Flex-Pass season subscriptions are $45 for adults, $39 for USU faculty/staff/senior citizens and $30 for USU students. The Flex-Pass contains four coupons to any 2001 OLRC production of choice, thus eliminating the pressure of choosing dates in advance, according to Johnson. A matinee Flex-Pass subscription is also available for any Saturday matinee for only $36. “Peg O’ My Heart” opens Wednesday, June 7, with additional performances June 8, 9, 21, 22, July 6, 18, and 28. Evening performances begin at 8 p.m. and each play in the summer season includes a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee performance. The “Peg O’ My Heart” matinee is July 28. Opening soon at the Lyric is the touching “The Boys Next Door” by Tom Griffin, the musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” by Jack Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann and “The Lion in Winter” by James Goldman. The Old Lyric Repertory Company is a production program in the Department of Theatre Arts at Utah State University and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and is supported by grants from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Balleine Supporting Organization, Utah Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, City of Logan, Anne Kennedy Roskelley Memorial Endowment, Dr. Ezekial R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Endowment and Utah Arts Council-Old Lyric Repertory Company Matching Endowment Fund.