Poster for New Age Vaudeville's The TV Dinner Hour produced by O'Donnell/McKenzie
The producing team of O'Donnell and McKenzie, best known for New Age Vaudeville, the New Variety, and The Third Avenue Playhouse have joined talents once again to produce Port Townsend, Washington's first and only professional year-round theatre company.
R. O'Donnell and Amy McKenzie are facilitating a year-round professional theatre company in the historic Port Townsend area, theatre location to be determined from a host of prospects. The theatre season would be marketed for the existing peninsula demographic as well as the tourist trade says the pair. Their format would be primarily musical comedy and comedies from Broadway, off-Broadway to pre-Broadway fare. They plan to cast out of Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles with an intern program attached.
Richard O'Donnell is a playwright, producer, and actor. He has worked and lived in New York City and Chicago where he has written and performed for the stage, film, and television. O'Donnell wrote the award-winning off-Broadway musical comedy One & One , Radio City Music Hall's A Manhattan Showboat, and co-founded the New Age Vaudeville theatre company, the New Variety cabaret, and the R. Rated television show on Fox Chicago. As an actor, Mr. O'Donnell has performed for film, television, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and in regional and summer stock theatres all across America. His favorite roles include Elmore in An Evening with Elmore & Gwendolyn Putts and title roles in Larry Shue's The Nerd and The Foreigner (both extended runs at the Peninsula Players).
Amy McKenzie is a producer, director, and actress. She has worked and lived in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago where she has produced and performed for the stage and television. Ms. McKenzie co-founded the New Age Vaudeville theatre company as well as directing their biggest cult hits An Evening with Elmore and Gwendolyn Putts and the TV Dinner Hour starring Del Close, Richard O’Donnell and Megan Cavanagh. She directed and starred in numerous productions at The Peninsula Players, America's oldest residential summer theatre, as well as founding and producing their fall season. Ms. Mckenzie was on the board of directors for the Peninsula Players (before, during, and after its restoration) for over a decade, and founded and produced The Third Avenue Playhouse in Sturgeon Bay, WI whereby she successfully converted an old movie house into a state-of-the-art performing arts theatre. Being an accomplished actress, Amy has crossed the boards in national, regional, touring, and summer stock theatre's all across America. Favorite roles include Dr. Vivian Bearing in Wit, Babe in Crimes of the Heart, and Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire - directed by A.C.T.'s William Ball.
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