RICHARDSON, Texas (March 31, 2003) - The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) will present Fuddy Meers by David Lindsay-Abaire, winner of the 2001 Kesselring Prize for playwriting, Friday, April 4, through Sunday, April 13, in the University Theatre on campus. The production will be directed by faculty member Robin Armstrong. Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

Premiered at Julliard in 1998 and performed in theaters across the U.S., Fuddy Meers is a wild ride with Claire, a memory-challenged woman, and her family. Claire will be played by UTD graduate student Brandi Andrade, who last spring presented a one-woman adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper at UTD. The UTD production of Fuddy Meers includes Shawn Parikh as Claire's too-good-to-be-true husband, Richard; Matt DeVinney as a mysterious, limping stranger; Sean Dick as Kenny, Claire's troubled teenaged son; Meredith Wilson as Heidi, the tough lady cop; Bobby Selah as Millet, a ventriloquist with a trash-talking dummy; and Margaret Chaplin as Claire's mother, Gertie, who lost the ability to speak coherently due to a stroke ("funny mirrors" in her mouth becomes "fuddy meers"). Lindsay-Abaire's play is a puzzle that is funny, mysterious and, ultimately, empowering.

The UTD production of Fuddy Meers contains adult language and mature subject matter and is inappropriate for children.

Tickets for Fuddy Meers are $15 general admission and $10 for students. Tickets will be on sale Mondays to Fridays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Art & Performance Office in the Visual Arts Building on the UTD campus and will be available at the door one hour prior to showtime. Tickets also are available for purchase by phone during ticket office hours by calling 972-883-2982 and charging with Visa or MasterCard.

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UTD, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu or visit the School of Arts and Humanities' web site at http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator 1-800-RELAYVV

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.

About the Director…
Robin Armstrong is an internationally trained director and violence designer. She received her MFA in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. Robin has received critical acclaim for violence design, costume design and acting in cities around the country including San Francisco, Washington D.C., Richmond and Dallas. Robin is an associate member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.