Musical Adaptation of Baseball Movie Bull Durham to Premiere in Atlanta in 2014

A stage adaptation of the classic 1988 film Bull Durham will premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in September 2014. Directed by Kip Fagan, the musical will feature a book by Ron Shelton and music and lyrics by Susan Werner. Shelton received an Oscar nomination for the Bull Durham screenplay and also directed the film. Casting will be announced at a later date.

Bull Durham is inspired by Shelton’s time on and off the Minor League Baseball field. The musical tells the story of veteran catcher “Crash” Davis who is brought to the Durham Bulls to prepare rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh for the majors. Annie Savoy, the muse of the Bulls, has a tough choice to make - each season she converts one player from an also-ran to an all-star by sharing her wisdom and her bed. The love triangle heats up, as each character fights with their own wants and hopes for what the future holds.

Shelton’s additional film writing and directing credits include Blaze, White Men Can’t Jump and Tin Cup. Other writing credits include The Best of Times, Blue Chips, The Great White Hype and Bad Boys II. Shelton was a minor league baseball player in the Baltimore Orioles' organization from 1967 to 1971.

Werner is a singer-songwriter. Her albums include Midwestern Saturday Night, Live at Tin Angel, Last of the Good Straight Girls, I Can't Be New and Hayseed.

Fagan directed Jesse Eisenberg’s The Revisionist with Vanessa Redgrave for Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Other Rattlestick credits include Asuncion, There Are No More Big Secrets and That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play. Additional New York credits include A Thick Description of Harry Smith, Jack’s Precious Moment, Roadkill Confidential and Quail. He is a co-founder of Printer's Devil in Seattle.

The Bull Durham creative team also features choreography by Emmy winner Joshua Bergasse, scenic design by Tony winner Derek McLane, costume design by Tony nominee Toni Leslie James and music direction by Jason DeBord.