N.Y. Theatre, Founded by EIU Alumni, to Debut 'Road Trips' at Doudna

March 12, 2009

The founders of Tree Theatre of New York, both Eastern Illinois University alumni, will debut their latest show at their alma mater's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

“Road Trips," an original one-act play, will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in The Theatre. Due to language and subject matter, "Road Trips" is intended for an adult audience only. Admission is $5.

The production is part of the Coming Home Artists Series of the Doudna Fine Arts Center’s New and Emerging Artists program. It is co-sponsored by Department of Theatre Arts.

Tree Theatre of New York was created by Mike Papaleo and Bryan Grossbauer, who met as theatre students at EIU in the fall of 1996. Their first collaboration was a benefit for Eastern’s theatre arts department. Tree Theatre's lighting coordinator and sound designer, Christopher M. Ham, is also an EIU graduate.

Grossbauer's previous New York theatre credits include Moonwork's "Romeo and Juliet" and "Misalliance" at the Pulse Ensemble Theatre. Internationally, Grossbauer has performed in the Montreal and Toronto Fringe Festivals. He has also been seen in Jagermeister and Time Warner commercials. He currently teaches performing arts at a private Manhattan school, and is the Summer Shakespeare artistic director at Calhoun School.

Papaleo toured in Windy City Players' production of "Cinderella" before moving to New York in the spring of 2002. He has performed at the New York Comedy Club and studied at Upright Citizens Brigade. He has starred in several off-off-Broadway productions, including "Hello Out There" at Steinberg Theatre and "Gutter Rat" at Theatre Studio Inc.

Ham, who went on to complete his master's in fine arts from Southern Methodist University in 2005, is also a lighting designer for Illumination Production Services.

For more information on Tree Theatre, see http://www.treetheatre.com.

To purchase tickets or arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services at 217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu. The Doudna Box Office is closed through March 22, but Patron Services staff will accept and process reservation requests submitted by e-mail and voicemail. Tickets reserved during this period can be picked up starting March 23.

The Doudna is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue on the EIU campus. Free parking is available in any of the university lots at the corner of Ninth and Garfield and immediately south of the center. The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.