Date: May 17, 2007

HOFSTRA'S GRAY WIG THEATER PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF "TESS"

June 1 to 17, 2007 at the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Theater

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … The Gray Wig, Hofstra University’s alumni theater group will present the world premiere production of Tess, a new musical based on Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles.  The production will run June 1 through June 17 at the Spiegel Theater on Hofstra’s South Campus.

Show times are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets for Tess are $20, $18 for senior citizens, $15 for non-Hofstra students. Members of the Hofstra community may purchase up to two tickets for $10 each upon presentation of a current HofstraCard.

For tickets and more information call the Hofstra Box Office at (516) 463-6644, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. 
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About Tess:

Described as “a cross between Les Mis and a Jason Robert Brown musical,” Tess is a story of lust, greed, betrayal and murder in 1880s England.  With a score by Annie Pasqua and book by Ed Huether, Tess follows the eponymous main character from innocent maiden to vengeful murderess, and her ultimate final justice.

The musical has garnered much attention since an initial public presentation of its music in June of 2006 and is looking forward to upcoming workshops in Manhattan. 

The world premiere production will be directed by Ed Huether with musical direction by Karen Yelaney.Both writers hail from Long Island. Great Neck resident Annie Pasqua had the initial inspiration for Tess back in 1996, and in the ensuing years wrote several songs for the show while studying at New York University and then the prestigious BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. As the project grew, she began seeking the right person to come onboard to write the book. Pasqua finally began discussing the project with writer/director Ed Huether of East Islip.  Pasqua had previously performed onstage with Huether, as well as having acted under his direction. Huether had maintained a keen interest in Tess since performing one of the original songs at a Broadway Cares-Equity Fights AIDS benefit in 2002.  The two began exchanging ideas and quickly decided to team up on the project, and began collaborating on the book in 2005.