Art Attack had never heard of Houston-raised playwright Michael Swift until this morning, when we received a press release about his Texas Law Men, a play opening this Thursday and running for four performances only at Obsidian Arts Space in the Heights. According to the release, the play tackles the "courtroom battles of a group of hard living and hard working attorneys in the Houston law scene." The big-deal case at stake involves a teenage mother who gives birth to a brain-damaged baby. The show is produced by Brooklyn, NY-based Family Tree Collective and brought to Houston by Kingwood theater company Centre Stage, whose website lacks any real significant info about who they are and what they do.

The show's promotional materials contain touts from actor Keith Nobbs (HBO's The Pacific), Jeffrey Glaser of the Classical Theatre of Harlem, and none other than Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, who says Swift's plays are "well-written and expertly structured." Calls to Swift's people weren't immediately returned, so Art Attack asked around to find out the story on Swift. Nobody seemed to know. One theater artist speculated that Swift might have taken Albee's playwriting workshop, where such a quote might have been obtained. At any rate, Art Attack plans to attend a performance and find out what the buzz is all about--The show's Facebook page already has a ton of comments and attendence pledges.

And we'll also find out why a play needs a "line producer."