The Theatre School Showcase, DePaul University, presents MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, as the final production of the 1996-97 season. The play is directed by Betsy Hamilton with musical direction by Mark Elliott and runs May 15 - 25, 1997 (previews 5/13 & 5/14), at DePaul University's Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, Chicago. For tickets, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

In Merrily We Roll Along, three friends -- a composer, a lyricist, and a writer -- trace the milestones of their personal and professional lives from the present to the past. Their friendship is tested by the demands of success as they ask "how did we get here from there?" The score includes such musical highlights as "Old Friends," "Growing Up" and the hit song and audience favorite "Not a Day Goes By." "We all make compromises every day, but do we realize how they affect our lives over time?" director Betsy Hamilton says. "Perhaps one of the cruelest attributes given to man is hindsight."

Director BETSY HAMILTON is a professor of Movement and chair of the Performance Program at The Theatre School. She directed The Roar of the Greasepaint -- The Smell of the Crowd, The Trojan Women, Into the Woods, Lock Up Your Daughters, Working, Terminal and The Threepenny Opera for The Theatre School Showcase and The Nightingale and The Dragon Who Lived Downstairs for Chicago Playworks. She also directed The Butterfly at Chicago Children's Theatre. Prior to joining the school, she served as Associate Professor and head of the Movement Program for Actors at California State University at Long Beach. Ms. Hamilton has studied mime and circus techniques with Marcel Marceau and Decroux in Paris, researched dance and drama in Africa and studied in Berlin. Other directing and choreography credits include the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, Summer Theatre Festival in State College, Pa., Laguna Playhouse and nine seasons with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Musical director MARK ELLIOTT is Composer-in-Residence and teaches Musical Theatre Performance at The Theatre School. He composed music for The Good Woman of Setzuan, Cinderella and The Bourgeois Gentleman and has served as musical director for The Roar of the Greasepaint -- The Smell of the Crowd, Into the Woods, Lock Up Your Daughters, Twelfth Night, Our Town, The Dragon Who Lived Downstairs, Scrapbooks and Chicago, all produced at The Theatre School. Mr. Elliott has been the Resident Music Director at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, where he provided musical direction for productions of The Will Rogers Follies, Singin' in the Rain, South Pacific and others. He holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University and has provided musical direction for more than 50 productions and written scores for more than 20 shows.

Scenic Designer DAVID SWAYZE is an advanced student in the Scenic Design Program at The Theatre School, where his recent credits include scenery for The Yellow Boat and Misalliance. Costume Designer JEANNE CWIKLIK is an advanced student in the school's Costume Design Program. Her Theatre School credits include costume design for the Showcase productions of Sisterly Feelings and A Bright Room Called Day and assistant costume design for Our Country's Good, The Women, The Trojan Women and The Time of Your Life. Lighting Designer HEIDI WINKLE is an advanced student in the Lighting Design Program. She designed lights for the Chicago Playworks production of Charlotte's Web. Sound Designer JEFFREY WEBB is the Resident Sound Designer and Technical Director at DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre. He teaches Introduction to Sound Design at The Theatre School.

Performances of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG are May 15 - 25 (previews 5/13 & 5/14). The performance schedule is: Tuesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 17 and Wednesday, May 21 through Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, May 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. A student/senior matinee is at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 22. The morning matinee and evening performances on Thursday, May 22 feature a post-show discussion.

SPECIAL EVENT: A Pre-show Talk with director Betsy Hamilton will take place on Sunday, May 18 from 1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Merle Reskin Theatre. Admission to the Pre-show Talk is free. For details, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

Tickets prices are $5 - $10. Wednesday, May 21 is DePaul Night: two tickets for the price of one for current high school and college students with I.D. Student, senior and group rates are available. Performances are held at the DePaul University Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, Chicago. Discount parking is available with coupons available from the Box Office. Dinner/theatre packages are available with the Chicago Hilton and Towers. For tickets, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

The Theatre School, DePaul University, was founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925 and is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, the Illinois Arts Alliance, the League of Historic American Theatres and the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education.