Barbara Walsh, Stephanie D'Abruzzo and More Set for THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Colonial Dames Museum House, 10/25

Broadway stars Barbara Walsh (Company) and Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Avenue Q) join Bill Connington, the star of ZOMBIE, in performing in a benefit reading of Oscar Wilde's classic comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest ("A Trivial Comedy for Serious People"). Also in the cast are William Connell (The Coast of Utopia), Vivienne Cleary (Peace Warriors), AnnMarie Benedict (Robeson), D.H. Johnson (Dodsworth), and Oliver Houser (Spring Awakening, Virginia Rep).

The director is Dan Cordle. Assistant directing is Kelley Van Dilla. The staged reading will take place on Thursday, October 25th at 7 pm at The Colonial Dames Museum House at 215 East 71st Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), New York, NY 10021. Cocktails are at 6 pm. The evening is a benefit for historic Van Cortlandt House Museum, in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Tickets are $75 each, or two for $125. For reservations call 212-744-3572.

Barbara Walsh won the Drama Desk Award, and was nominated for a Tony Award for her highly regarded work in Falsettos on Broadway. She appeared in the celebrated John Doyle production of Company, for which she received a Drama Desk nomination. Walsh recently appeared on the series Submissions Only.

Stephanie D'Abruzzo was nominated for a Tony Award for Avenue Q, and won a Theater World Award for her double role of Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut. D'Abruzzo recently starred in Love and Real Estate in the Summer Shorts Festival at 59 East 59th Street, and is currently shooting Sesame Street. She is also known for her appearance on Scrubs in which she played a patient who thought people were singing when they were speaking.

Bill Connington starred in the multi-award-winning play ZOMBIE, which he adapted from the novella by famous author Joyce Carol Oates. It played an extended run at Theater Row on 42nd Street. He starred in the short film of the same name, which has screened at 17 film festivals, and won 5 awards. ZOMBIE is scheduled to be shot as a feature film next year, starring Connington. 

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, was first performed on February 14, 1895 at St. James Theatre in London. It is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. The play's major themes include the triviality with which it treats serious institutions such as marriage, and the resulting satire of late Victorian ways. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make it Oscar Wilde's most enduring popular play.

Van Cortlandt House Museum (http://www.vancortlandthouse.org/) is located in Van Cortlandt Park, in the Bronx. The National Society of Colonial Dames in America (http://nscda.org/museums2/ny-colonialdamesmuseumhouse.html) is a national membership society that is dedicated to educating children about life in Colonial America, and helping to preserve historically significant properties around the country. Van Cortlandt House was built in 1748, and was the headquarters of General George Washington in the Battle of White Plains.

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