IT: RED HOT PATRIOT

Invisible Theatre Continues Its Landmark 51st Anniversary Season with RED HOT PATRIOT, The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel

November 1* – 13, 2022
*Low-Cost Preview

The Invisible Theatre is located at 1400 N. First Avenue (at Drachman),
Tucson, Arizona 85719

The Invisible Theatre continues its landmark 51st Anniversary Season with RED HOT PATRIOT-THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel, directed by Nancy Davis Booth and starring Betsy Kruse Craig with Trystan Garcia. This is the story of the unsinkable Molly Ivins, the famously brassy newspaper columnist and bestselling author.

A true Texas original, Molly Ivins was a sharp-tongued wit who skewered the political establishment and the “good ol’ boys” with her unforgettable humor and wisdom. Written by twin sisters, themselves longtime journalists, the play celebrates Molly Ivins’ courage and tenacity – even when a complacent
America wasn’t listening.

Absolutely WONDERFUL, entertaining and illuminating,”
–Huffington Post

Made possible in part through the generous support of
Alexandra Jupin and John Bean

Please call (520) 882-9721 for reservations and information
or go to www.invisibletheatre.com (ovationtix) for on-line ticket sales.

Reservations are required – all seats are reserved.

The running time is 75 minutes with no intermission.

RED HOT PATRIOT is appropriate for mature audiences (18 and up). Mature language.

Invisible Theatre Presents Two Special
Post Performance Discussions

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Ann Brown has been focused on facts since working on her high school newspaper and yearbook. She wrote for and edited most sections of the Arizona Daily Star. She also wrote and edited communication vehicles and magazines for Chambers of Commerce in Tucson, San Francisco, and San Antonio, Texas. Retired from the Star in 2017, she remains focused on facts as a freelance writer and editor. She keeps in mind the old newspaper adage: “If your mom says she
loves you, check it out.”

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Mark Kimble worked as a reporter, editor and columnist at the Tucson Citizen for 35 years until the newspaper closed in 2009. He then worked as Communications Director for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Congressman Ron Barber before retiring. He now is an appointed member of the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission and volunteers to teach a class for immigrants working to become U.S. citizens.

“Red Hot Patriot is an inspiring piece of theatre”
Broad Street Review

FACTS ABOUT RED HOT PATRIOT – The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins

CAST
Betsy Kruse Craig
Trystan Garcia

WHERE:
The Invisible Theatre
1400 N. First Avenue (at Drachman), Tucson, Arizona 85719

RUNNING TIME:
75 minutes with no intermission

AGE RECOMMENDATION:
Mature ages 18 and up. Mature language.

WHEN:
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
(Preview)
Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
(Opening)
Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 4, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

(Post Performance Discussion with Ann Brown)
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 11, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
(Post Performance Discussion with Mark Kimble)

PRODUCTION STAFF:
DIRECTOR: Nancy Davis Booth
PRODUCERS: Susan Claassen and Betsy Kruse Craig
SET DESIGN: James Blair and Susan Claassen
SCENIC ARTIST: Lisa Sturz
LIGHT DESIGN: James Blair
SOUND DESIGN: Rob Boone
PROP DESIGN: Lisa Sturz and Diana Knoepfle
PROJECTION DESIGN: Brian Freeland, Susan Claassen and Cynthia Barlow
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER: Diana Knoepfle

COVID PROTOCOLS:
The health and safety of our artists, audiences and staff continues to be our top priority. While masks, full vaccination and booster shots are no longer required, they are strongly recommended. Please note that these health and safety measures are subject to change, at InvisibleTheatre’s sole discretion and are based on evolving health and safety guidance and conditions.

ABOUT THE PEOPLE

Betsy Kruse Craig (Molly Ivins) is thrilled to be back at The Invisible Theatre as Associate Managing Artistic Director and IT is ecstatic to have her! After eight years in California where she was Artistic Director of The Pear Theatre in Mountain View, Betsy is now a full time Tucson resident. Betsy began her IT career in 1994 in THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND. Other IT productions include THE BLONDE, THE BRUNETTE AND THE VENGEFUL REDHEAD, GUNMETAL BLUES, BINGO, and YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY. Betsy was most recently seen as Tallulah Bankhead in the acclaimed production of LOOPED! and was also featured in IT’s Sizzling Summer Sounds Series in “You Gotta Have Hart”. Betsy has directed many productions in Tucson and in The Bay Area including MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS, VIOLET, and SEUSSICAL. She previously taught at both Pima Community College and The
University of Arizona.

Trystan Garcia (Helper) is absolutely thrilled to be making his Invisible Theatre debut! Trystan is a 2021 University of Arizona graduate of the BA Theatre Arts program. He has been performing since he was 14 and is just getting started. Some favorite roles include Jace in FREMONT JUNIOR HIGH IS NOT DOING OKLAHOMA! (Live Theatre Workshop),

Bart in INSPECTING CAROL (Roadrunner Theatre) and ensemble of SINKERS: AN ORIGINAL WORK OF PHYSICAL THEATRE (UofA Studio Series). Other productions include ALMOST MAINE and PETER PAN. Trystan is passionate about writing and directing, and co-produced the short film Skylark, 1972, which previewed at UofA Magic Hour 2022. He is the recipient of the 2022 Scoundrel and Scamp Artist’s Award. Special thanks to Mom, Dad and Sage for their endless support. I couldn’t do any of it without you.

Nancy Davis Booth (Director) is a nationally acclaimed soprano, teacher and director with a career that spans 45 years. She has served on the faculties of Butler University in Indianapolis and Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and returned to Tucson, directing and teaching at Pima Community College. Most recently she is a resident director at Arts Express Theatre. She is proud to be a returning director at IT, recently directing SECRETS OF A SOCCER MOM. Nancy has a 40 plus year artistic association with Suz. She loves being part of the IT family and the IT loves her! Nancy earned a Master
of Fine Arts degree in Acting/Directing, A Master of Science in Child Development and Family Relations and a BA in Vocal Performance, all from the University of Arizona.

Allison Engel (Playwright) has been a reporter for the Des Moines Tribune, San Jose Mercury and Pacific News Service, and was a Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. She and her twin Margaret wrote the play RED HOT PATRIOT: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. She also has been a speechwriter and aide for former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack and lieutenant governor Sally Pederson. In Iowa, she was active in the Des Moines Playhouse, serving as president and head of play selection. She recently spent five years as director of communications at the University of Southern California before becoming the associate director of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities at the university. She received an MA in screenwriting from USC in 2009. She is married to Scott Kirkpatrick, and they have two children, Miles and Nora.

Margaret Engel (Playwright) directs the Alicia Patterson Journalism Foundation and was managing editor of the Newseum. She was a reporter for the Washington Post, Des Moines Register and Lorain Journal and was a Nieman
fellow at Harvard. She and Allison wrote Food Finds: America’s Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them, and helped turn the book into a show for Food Network, where it ran for seven years. She serves on the Helen Hayes Awards board, the Fund for Investigative Journalism and chairs the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism awards board. She and her husband, Bruce Adams, wrote three editions of a travel guide to America’s baseball parks, with the help of their children, Emily and Hugh

MOLLY IVANS

Mary Tyler Ivins was born in Monterey, California and grew up in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Smith College in 1966, from the Columbia School of Journalism and studied for one year at the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris. She began her newspaper career with the Houston Chronicle and then moved to the Minneapolis Tribune where she became the city’s first female police reporter. Returning to her home state as co-editor of the Texas Observer, she concentrated on politics and social justice issues. In 1976 Ivins became a political reporter for the New York Times, working first in New York then in Albany and, for three years, covering nine mountain states as Rocky Mountain Bureau Chief. She returned to Texas in 1982 as a columnist for the now-defunct Dallas Times-Herald and then, for nine years, with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In 2001, Molly Ivins became an independent journalist.

Her awards include the William Allen White Award from the University of Kansas, the Smith Medal from her alma mater, the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Progress and Service and the Pringle Prize for Washington Journalism from Columbia University. She was elected to membership in the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her freelance work appeared in many national magazines, and she contributed essays to both the Lehrer News Hour and National Public Radio. She wrote several books, including, Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush.She was an active participant in the journalism network of Amnesty International and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. To honor a journalist as a truth teller is implicitly to comment on the scarcity of courage and candor in a profession ostensibly dedicated to writing and speaking the truth. Molly Ivins is singular in her profession not only for her willingness to speak truth to power but for her use of humor to lampoon the self-seeking, the corrupt and the incompetent in positions of public trust. Her wit and insight place her squarely in the tradition of America’s great political humorists like Mark Twain.

FOR INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS:

Call our Box Office at (520) 882-9721.
Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.
Tickets are also available 24/7 through ovationtix at www.invisibletheatre.com.

General Admission: $40
Low Cost Preview and Students: $20

THE INVISIBLE THEATRE:
The Invisible Theatre (IT) of Tucson, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, is dedicated to producing quality theatre and arts education experiences for all facets of the community, in an intimate setting that showcases local professional talent and guest artists. Started in 1971 as an arena for local playwrights, the theatre has expanded its programs to include adaptations of classics and recent Off-Broadway plays and musicals, while continuing to encourage new playwrights through both full productions and stage readings. Our award winning arts education program for special needs children focuses on ability rather than dwelling on disability. Our commitment to artistic excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion and quality has made the Invisible Theatre a very visible force in the local, national, and international arts scene.