[169]MTSU ALUMNUS ALLAN BARLOW PERFORMS ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ NOV. 18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 21, 2008 EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu

MTSU ALUMNUS ALLAN BARLOW PERFORMS ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ NOV. 18
Theater Grad Returns to Campus to Guest Lecture, Present Dickens Adaptation

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Theater and Dance will present Allan Barlow’s adaptation of the classic novella, A Christmas Carol, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18, in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building’s Tucker Theater on the MTSU campus.
MTSU alumnus Barlow’s one-man show will put a new twist on the original Dickens script, observed Jeff Gibson, associate professor, speech and theatre. Regarding the upcoming show, “My inspiration came from the story itself,” said Barlow, a 1983 graduate of MTSU’s theater program. “It's a splendid story, with a message everyone should hear; I never get tired of telling it.”
Admittedly, playing so many roles in a one-man show comes with its difficulties. Says Barlow: “Although memorizing an hour and a half of dialogue was a big challenge, the hardest thing for me was visualizing the settings and blocking for over 20 different characters. I had to pay extra attention to each character's point of focus so the audience would always know which character was speaking.”
As for his favorite role in the original Dickens novel, Barlow said, “I love them all! That's part of why I developed the show: so I could play all of them!
“I guess if I had to pick a favorite scene, though, it would be the meeting between Scrooge and Marley. It's this scene that really sets the story in motion,” he added. “After all, a tortured soul given a brief respite from eternal damnation is a pretty compelling character.”
In addition to performing the one-man A Christmas Carol during his time at MTSU,
Barlow also will also work with students in several theater classes during his visit.
“I am excited about returning,” he remarked. “I haven't been an acting student myself for over 20 years. I'm very curious to talk with the current crop about how they view the prospect of a life in the theater.”
Recalling his tenure at MTSU as a student, Barlow said, “The best part of being an alumnus of the MTSU program is the people I came to know while in school. They are still the funniest, most interesting people I know. (And) even though I live 2,000 miles away, we are in constant contact. They are still my closest friends.”
• TICKET INFO: Tickets for A Christmas Carol may be purchased at the door on the evening of the Nov. 18 performance. Tickets are $5 for general admission. MTSU students will be admitted free of charge with valid ID. For more information please visit our Web site at www.mtsu.edu/theater. There also will be a school group-only matinee at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 17. Tickets for this performance are $4 for students and chaperones are admitted free. To make reservations for the school-group matinee, teachers may call 615-494-8810.

After graduating from MTSU, Barlow worked with the Nebraska Theater Caravan, where he was quite successful for three seasons. Since that time, he has worked in theaters throughout the Pacific Northwest. He has appeared in dozens of industrial videos and television commercials for companies such as Toyota and Microsoft. His movie and TV series work includes roles in the films titled Last Stand and Lost on the B Side and roles in the CBS series, Northern Exposure, and Lifetime Network's film, Better off Dead.




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• ATTENTION, MEDIA—For editorial needs, including interview requests with Barlow or to obtain review tickets, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919 or via lrollins@mtsu.edu.
NOTE: PHOTO/JPEGS of Barlow are available via his personal Web site at http://home.comcast.net/~allan_barlow/site/?/photos/