Theatreworx are proud to announce that Broadway Author and Lyricist Bill Russell has agreed to become our first Honorary Patron. Bill wrote the book and Lyrics for our second production "Side Show" and members of the cast and crew met up with Bill on his recent visit to the UK.

Bill was presented with a photo album and programme of our 2005 production. Words cannot express what a extremely nice man Bill Russell is and he was delighted to meet up being the first company to preview Side Show in the UK. As Bill states the show is getting a lot of attention at grass roots level in the UK and one can only hope that this will grow to an eventual west end production.

Theatreworx would like to thank Jay Coleman and his company WAWWA, based in Newport, South Wales for inviting us along to their production of Side Show and for arranging a special reception with Bill. Jay and his company have been big supporters of theatreworx bringing large bookings to our last two productions, we look forward to a great friendship between our two companies. Our congratulations go to them for a wonderful reception and show.

Bill Russell was born in Deadwood. In 1980, Bill made his off-Broadway writing debut, penning book and lyrics for Fourtune (music by Ronald Melrose). In 1989 he wrote an AIDS piece titled Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens which premiered at the Ohio Theatre in Soho with Bill directing. Subsequently, he directed other productions around the country and three in London including the West End production at the Criterion. 'Elegies' has been produced all over the U.K. and in Germany, Sweden, Israel and Australia, among many other countries. An all-star benefit performance in New York in April, 2001 with a cast of 52 was recorded by Fynsworth Alley.

In 1991, Pageant, opened off-Broadway at the Blue Angel where it ran for over a year. Side Show, with music by Henry Krieger, marked Bill's Broadway debut as a writer. The musical opened in October of 1997. Side Show continues to be produced around the country and Bill directed a production at the Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota in January of 2002. Bill and Henry's second collaboration -- a wacky version of the ugly duckling idea has had five major productions under the title Everything's Ducky. Bill wrote the lyrics and co-authored the book with Jeffrey Hatcher. The musical comedy premiered with TheatreWorks of Palo Alto in January of 2000. A majorly revised version under the title Lucky Duck premiered at the Old Globe in San Diego in July, 2004, directed by John Rando, the Tony-winning director of Urinetown

(from the left) Jay Coleman of WAWWA, Bill Russell and Stevie Blackmoore