WST Independence Studio 2012-2013 Season Kicks Off with PLAID TIDINGS Tonight, 11/20

Walnut Street Theatre's Independence Studio on 3 is an incredible way to experience Philadelphia's best theatrical talent up-close and personal. With only 80 seats, this intimate space is the city's premier small theatre for new plays, international favorites and dynamic musicals.

The 2012-2013 Studio 3 season includes two World Premieres, an Olivier Award-winning Best Play, a classic adventure-turned-comedy and a charming holiday musical. Audiences will enjoy PLAID TIDINGS (TONIGHT, November 20 – December 30), AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (January 15 – February 3), VINCENT IN BRIXTON (February 19 – March 10), THE PRESCOTT METHOD: Easy Steps to Perfect Bread Breaking, Every Time (March 26 – April 14) and DINO! An Evening with Dean Martin at the Latin Casino (April 30 – June 23).

THE SEASON

The heavenly boy group, Forever Plaid, kicks off the 2012-2013 season with PLAID TIDINGS, just in time for the holidays. Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge return to the Walnut where they once wove the magic of the 50s and 60s into the hearts of everyone. Rosemary Clooney has encouraged the boys to return to Earth this year to make things right in the world. Audiences will enjoy 1950s tunes and Holiday gems like "Let It Snow" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in Stuart Ross' PLAID TIDINGS from tonight, November 20 – December 30.

Next up is a limited engagement of Jules Verne's masterpiece AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS. It's 1872 in London, and Phileas Fogg is out to prove that, with modern transportation, it's now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. This whirlwind journey filled with exotic locales, daring adventures, narrow escapes and great fun will play from January 15 – February 3. Philadelphia audiences can see the Walnut's production here first, before its National Tour!

Up next is Nicholas Wright's Olivier Award-winning Best Play VINCENT IN BRIXTON, based on actual events of Vincent Van Gogh's life. A young Vincent arrives in Brixton, England and falls in love with a beautiful young woman carrying a cup of tea. Her mother has a room for rent. Vincent's journey of self discovery begins as the artist finds inspiration from his landlady, her daughter and a fellow boarder. The house is full of secrets and as Vincent begins to see things in new ways, his destructive nature takes hold. This 'art'ful study of the nurturing of genius and insanity is on stage from February 19 – March 10.

The World Premiere of Michael Whistler's THE PRESCOTT METHOD: Easy Steps to Perfect Bread Baking, Every Time celebrates the baking of bread and building of friendships. It's 1966, and Veronica DiGregorio wants Peg Merwood to teach her how to bake bread, using writer Elizabeth Prescott's flair. Peg, the wife of a college professor, is working hard to fit into her new university setting. Veronica, a mother of six, longs for a little quiet time. As they bake bread using THE PRESCOTT METHOD, they discover the best ingredients for coping with the lives that they have chosen are friendship, conversation and trust. This World Premiere will be in the Walnut's Independence Studio on 3 from March 26 – April 14.

The finale to the 2012 – 2013 Studio 3 season is a World Premiere of a musical written by Armen Pandola, DINO! An Evening With Dean Martin in the Latin Casino. Dean Martin is scheduled to perform live on stage at Latin Casino in 1978, when a severe blizzard blankets the East Coast. Dino's band gets stuck out of town. Rather than disappoint his fans, Dean Martin brings us an intimate evening filled personal stories and classic songs including, "Ain't That A Kick In The Head," "Everybody Loves Somebody," "That's Amore" and more. The Walnut's Studio 3 theatre will be filled with "amore" from April 30 – June 23.

For information call the Walnut at 215-574-3550 ext. 6 (10AM – 10PM) or visit the website at www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.