Matt McGrath Makes Directorial Debut With 'CALL ME ANNE'

Broadway's Matt McGrath makes his NY directing debut with writer/performer Phillip Taratula's bravura solo piece 'CALL ME ANNE,' the biting and riotous story of actress Anne Heche and her singular journey, a cautionary tale of finding stardom while losing your mind.

Access Theater, in association with Blue Coyote Theater Group, is proud to announce the NY premiere of CALL ME ANNE, written and performed by Phillip Taratula and directed by Matt McGrath.  CALL ME ANNE begins previews on Tuesday, December 2 for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 21.  Opening Night is Friday, December 5 at 8 PM.  The performance schedule is Wednesday – Sunday at 8:00 PM, with an added performance on Tuesday, December 2.  Performances are at the Access Theater (380 Broadway, just north of White Street).  Tickets are $18 ($10 during previews) and are available by calling SmartTix at 212-868-4444 or online at www.smarttix.com.

Actress Anne Heche rocketed to super-stardom, starring in Hollywood blockbusters like Donnie Brasco, Wag the Dog and Six Days Seven Nights.  As the explosive controversy over a widely publicized love affair with Ellen Degeneres turned her into tabloid fodder, Heche heard the voice of God ringing in her ears.  He said that she was His daughter Celestia, and He told her of the earthly tasks she must perform before her ascension into Heaven.  Writer/performer Phillip Taratula (a performer whose "impeccable comic timing" was noted in the New York Times) takes the audience on Anne's spiritual journey, set against a showbiz backdrop where only the strongest egos survive. A dizzy and hilarious trip, 'CALL ME ANNE' is a brutally funny look at identity and ambition.

The production team includes: set design by Kenneth Grady Barker (Pippin at Mark Taper Forum); sound design by Palmer Hefferan (Boy's Life with Second Stage and Fifty Words for MCC); video design by Ned Stressen Reuter (The Big Art Group).  The choreography is by Laura Sheehy (underneathmybed at the Public Theater).

Phillip Taratula (writer/performer). 'CALL ME ANNE' is Phillip's debut as a playwright.  As an actor, his New York credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona (Poor Tom); IXOMIA (Crown Point Festival); White Noise (NYMF); A Lightening of Fireflies (AndHow! Theatre Co.); In Search of Stanley Hammer (FringeNYC); Blue Coyote's Happy Endings (Blue Coyote Theater Group); and 6969 (IT Award); The Deepest Play Ever; and They're Just Like Us with Collaboration Town. Regionally, credits include The George Place (world premiere; Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre); The Rose Tattoo; A Month in the Country (Huntington); Casey: Play Ball (Boston Center for the Arts); All in the Timing; Romance/Romance (Opera House at Boothbay Harbor); and several productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Matt McGrath (director) was the recipient of the Bienecke Fellowship from the Yale School of Drama in 2007. Matt also received an Honorary Masters Degree from The American Conservatory Theatre in 2006.  His work in The Black Rider in London, San Francisco and Sydney earned him a Helpmann Award nomination. His Broadway credits include Cabaret (Emcee) and A Streetcar Named Desire.  Off  B'way: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, A Fair  Country (Lincoln Center), Minutes from the Blue Route, Dadshuttle, Escape from Happiness, Fat Men in Skirts, The Old  Boy, Life During Wartime and Amulets Against the Dragon Forces.   Regional:  Japes (Bay Street), Mother of Invention (Williamstown), Loot (Williamstown and La Jolla Playhouse), Raised in Captivity  (South Coast Repertory), Distant Fires (L.A. Weekly Award), and Snakebit.  Film:  Full Grown Men (Tribeca Film Festival '06), The Notorious Bettie Page, The Anniversary Party, The Broken Hearts Club, Boys Don't Cry, The Impostors, Story of a Bad Boy, 1999, Colin Fitz, The Substance of Fire, Bob Roberts, The Dadshuttle and Desperate Hours.  Television:  "Gender Gap," "Frasier," "Now and Again," "Chicago Hope," "New York Undercover," "Winnetka Road," "Andersonville," "Member of the Wedding" and "Cruel Doubt."