Contact:
Nathan Driskell
(325) 673-4587
marketing@thegracemuseum.org

Hardin-Simmons Theatre to perform at The Grace Museum

ABILENE, Texas (October 12, 2009) – It’s the last day of a major exhibition, and museum guards are readying themselves for the worst—or so says the script.

Museum, a play in two acts by Tina Howe, is set inside an art museum. And October 29–31, it will actually be performed in one. The Grace Museum, as part of its centennial celebration, partnered with the Hardin-Simmons University Department of Theatre to stage the aptly titled play inside the museum’s Main Gallery. Dr. Francine Carraro, executive director of The Grace, said it’s something that has never been done before at the museum.

“It’s really a great idea, but it’s also a very unusual one. The Grace was willing to do what few other museums have probably ever done,” Carraro said. “It falls in an already groundbreaking year for the museum, with our centennial celebration and several world-class exhibitions, and we’re all stretching our ideas of what a museum can and should be.”

The production is directed by Melissa Green, instructor of theatre at Hardin-Simmons University, and will be performed Thursday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. Thursday night’s performance is a special night hosted by The Grace Museum and will include a dessert reception following the performance. Tickets are available for the Thursday, Oct. 29 performance by calling The Grace Museum at (325) 673-4587. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday performances are available by calling the Hardin-Simmons Box Office at (325) 670-1405. Because of the unique nature of the production, seating is very limited, with approximately 60 seats per show.

The Grace Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and houses a children’s museum, history museum, photography gallery and art museum. At 55,000 square feet, The Grace Museum is the tenth largest general museum in Texas, and is the cornerstone of cultural arts and education in West Texas. The museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Grace Museum is a non-profit organization, and the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs are supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Abilene, Taylor County, and the Downtown Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment Finance District.

The Grace Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is free Thursday evening after 5 p.m.

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