Tony Award-Winning Producer Normand Kurtz
Partners with Stage Door Theatre for
Pre-New York Engagement of
January 22 through March 16, 2014

For Immediate Release: December 5, 2013
(Coral Springs, FL) – Executive Producers Dee Wilson-Bunn of the Stage Door Theatre in South Florida today announced an addition to the company’s 2013-2014 Season – the award-winning pre-New York engagement of WIESENTHAL, written by and starring Tom Dugan. Produced by Tony Award-winner Normand Kurtz, who brought Broward audiences the record-breaking hit Too Jewish, WIESENTHAL tells the remarkable story of the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sometimes referred to as “The Jewish James Bond.” Told with hope, humanity and humor, the play follows Wiesenthal as he addresses a group of visitors on his last day at the Jewish Documentation Center in Vienna. As he reflects on his life and work, Wiesenthal recounts how he faced Hitler’s SS; how he endured the loss of family and friends; how he escaped a concentration camp only to be recaptured; and how, after liberation day, he began a remarkable journey for justice.

Directed by Jenny Sullivan, WIESENTHAL opens Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at the Broward Stage Door, 8036 W. Sample Road in Coral Springs. For tickets, call (954) 344-7765 or visit the company website at www.stagedoortheatre.com.

From the Producer of Too Jewish
WIESENTHAL marks Stage Door’s second collaboration with Kurtz, whose production of Too Jewish ran for 14-months. Kurtz won the Tony Award for the original production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and his production of Solitary Confinement with Stacy Keach broke the house record at the Kennedy Center and the Pasadena Playhouse. Also a highly respected music producer, Kurtz has been associated with recording superstars Billy Joel, David Bowie, Jethro Tull, The Jets, Lena Horne, Rupert Holmes, and Christina Aguilera, whom he discovered and co-managed. Kurtz produced Accomplice with Jason Alexander and The Best is Yet to Come Off-Broadway with fellow WIESENTHAL producer Karyl Lynn Burns (Drama Desk Award). WIESENTHAL is also produced in association with Rubicon Theatre in California and The Phoenix Theatre in Arizona.

Says Wilson-Bunn, “When Normand first approached us and we read the script and watched the video, we were struck by how absolutely engaging and entertaining this piece is! It conveys events of historical importance, but it also transcends biography and is truly a play with an incredible dramatic arc. The universality makes it possible for audiences to hear and understand the significance. Dave [Torres] and I were completely drawn into the story. We knew we had to share this with our audiences.”

“WIESENTHAL is an uplifting testament to the future,” says Kurtz, “a triumphant story of hope. Simon Wiesenthal went through a dark night of the soul – he had every reason imaginable to mistrust his fellow man. But as we travel with him on his journey, we experience an intelligent, flawed, funny and noble man who chooses action over self-pity, justice over revenge and who make perhaps the most difficult choice of all…to place his trust in us and in the future.”

Inspiration and History
Dugan, who was raised Irish Catholic, was inspired to write WIESENTHAL by his father, a war hero and liberator who received the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service in World War II.

WIESENTHAL has receiving standing ovations and cheers at performances across the United States, with long runs at Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, California and Theatre 40 in Los Angeles, where the production won the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle Award and was nominated for three Ovation Awards (“Best Actor”, “Best Director” and “Best Play”). The show was a Critic’s Choice in the L.A. Times and was praised for the “righteous stories here that you will not forget.” The Times described Dugan as “authoritative and engaging.” The Ventura County Star reviewer called Dugan’s performance “remarkable…drawn in unforgettable strokes,” and wrote that the play “gives equal weight to the heroic wisdom and wit with which Wiesenthal lived his long and purposeful life.”  The show was also a Critic’s Pick in Backstage, where Dugan’s work was called “masterful” and the writing “superlative”.

Tom Dugan
Tom Dugan (Playwright/Actor) first appeared on television in the classic 1984 MTV video “Legs.” TV and film credits include “Bones,” “Friends,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Practice,” “Chicago Hope,” “Just Shoot Me,” “Kindergarten Cop,” “Dave,” “Marked For Death,” “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “The Naked Gun,” “Hellraiser IV,” “Leprechaun III,” “Stuart Smalley Saves The Family,” “Beethoven II and “The Trial of Old Drum.” On the Los Angeles stage, Dugan appeared in The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Voice of The Prairie (Colony Theatre), Dublin Carol (Ensemble Theatre), Black Comedy (International City Theatre) and Black Coffee (Theatre 40). Regional and touring credits include Friends Like These (with Donna Mills), Misery (with Susan Rattan) and On Golden Pond (with Jack Klugman). Dugan recently recreated his award-winning portrayal of Antonio Salieri in Amadeus at The California Theatre (San Bernardino). He is also an accomplished playwright whose critically acclaimed one-man shows Oscar to Oscar, Robert E. Lee – Shades of Gray, and Frederick Douglass – In the Shadow of Slavery (starring Mel Johnson Jr.) have been produced in over two dozen cities across the United States. Dugan’s newest work The Ghosts of Mary Lincoln recently premiered at The Townsend Center for Performing Arts at Georgia West University. He lives in Woodland Hills with his wife Amy and two boys Eli and Miles.

About the Director
WIESENTHAL Director Jenny Sullivan is an Artistic Associate at Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, where her directing credits include The Mystery of Irma Vep (2012 Ovation Nomination for Direction), Tea at Five with Stephanie Zimbalist, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Indy Award) with Joe Spano, Hamlet (Indy Award) with Joseph Fuqua, Tuesdays with Morrie with Harold Gould, Defying Gravity and Dancing at Lughnasa (Indy Award) with Susan Clark and Bonnie Franklin. Other credits include The Dresser with Len Cariou and Granville Van Dusen at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre; The Elephant Man for San Jose Rep, and six seasons with Williamstown Theatre Festival. She directed multiple casts of Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore at The Geffen Playhouse and The Vagina Monologues for the Canon and Coronet theatres. She directed the World Premiere of Jane Anderson’s The Baby Dance at The Pasadena Playhouse, which then moved to Williamstown Theatre Festival, Long Wharf Theatre (CT Critics’ Directing Award) and the Lucille Lortel Off-Broadway. Jenny’s film credits include “Access All Areas” and “The Next Best Thing” (in which she had the good fortune to direct her father Barry). Jenny is most proud of the World Premiere of her play J for J with Jeff Kober and the late, great John Ritter.

Performance Schedule and Tickets
WIESENTHAL opens on Wednesday, January 22 and continues through Sunday, March 16. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through Sunday, March 16, 2014.

Tickets may be purchased at the theatre, by phone or online. Box Office hours are Monday through Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. To charge by phone, call (954) 344-7765. Or go to www.stagedoortheatre.com.

WIESENTHAL Social Network
For additional information, visit the production website at www.wiesenthaltheplay.com. On Facebook: www.facebook.com/wiesenthaltheplay.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Mr. Dugan and Producer Kurtz will be in town and available for previews or live interviews Monday through Wednesday December 9 – 11. Additional photos of Mr. Dugan with his father (World War II decorated hero) and in the role are available. To attend a short 30-minute preview of the show and join us for a reception of Viennese pastries on Monday or Tuesday, please contact Carol Kassie at the number above or via e-mail.

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