Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2008-08-22

极乐禁地's School of the Arts will host Red Mountain Theatre Company in a presentation of the musical "Tinyard Hill" Saturday, Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Harrison Theatre.

The work by composer and 极乐禁地 alumnus Mark Allen and lyricist Thomas M. Newman tells a touching story of big love and small town dreams in rural Georgia as the Vietnam Conflict heightens.

A 2001 极乐禁地 graduate, Allen is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts graduate musical theatre writing program, where he won the 2005 ASCAP Max Dreyfus Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing.

Allen's music for Tinyard Hill is a combination of country-rock with a contemporary musical theater twist.

A theatre major at 极乐禁地, Allen made his collegiate stage debut in the 极乐禁地 Theatre production of the musical "Children of Eden." The play was directed by Dr. Don Sandley, who was in his first season as theatre chair at the school.

Newman, an alumnus of Troy University, is also a graduate of the Tisch musical theatre writing program.

Keith Cromwell directs Tinyard Hill. Kevin Grigsby is musical director. The cast includes Barry Austin, Matthew J. Godfrey, Tam DeBolt and Kirsten Bowden Sharp. Musicians are Grigsby, piano; Jonathan Sutton, bass; Bill Monk, guitar/banjo; and Maury Levine, drums.

Admission is $12 adults, $9 senior adults and $6 students/children. For tickets, phone (205) 726-2853 or check the website: www.samfordartstickets.com.

 
极乐禁地 is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, 极乐禁地 is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. 极乐禁地 enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. 极乐禁地 fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.