THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE Begins Performances Tomorrow 11/5 At Signature Theater Co

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, the world premiere of a three part theatrical event by the Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning playwright Horton Foote, begins performances on Thursday, November 5 at Signature Theatre Company at the Peter Norton Space, 555 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE was recently extended by popular demand for an additional three weeks through Sunday, March 28. Tickets are on sale now through www.signaturetheatre.org and at the Signature box office.

The world premiere production of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE is being co-produced by Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) and Hartford Stage (Michael Wilson, Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Managing Director). Wilson directs a 22-member company in the historic, sweeping work.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE will play from November 5, 2009 through March 28, 2010 at Signature Theatre Company.

Set in Foote's fictitious town of Harrison, Texas and based partly on the childhood of Foote's father and the courtship and marriage of his parents, THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE is a wide-ranging, intricate work that spans the lives of three families over three decades. All actors in the production will be playing multiple roles and several will track their characters through time in the various plays which comprise the Cycle.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE begins with a father's death in a small Texas town at the turn of the century, a loss that sends his son, Horace Robedaux, on an odyssey through the darkest corners of the heart as he learns to become a husband, father and patriarch. Bill Heck ("The Closer," "Medium," "Without a Trace," "CSI: New York") will play the central role of the adult Horace Robedaux, with Maggie Lacey (Dividing the Estate, Inherit the Wind, Our Town) as his wife, Elizabeth Vaughn Robedaux.

The playwright's daughter, Hallie Foote (2009 Tony Award nominee, Dividing the Estate), will play Elizabeth's mother, Mary Vaughn and James DeMarse (Dividing the Estate, The Trip to Bountiful) will play Henry Vaughn.

The ensemble is rounded out by Devon Abner, Mike Boland, Pat Bowie, Leon Addison Brown, Justin Fuller, Jasmine Harrison, Henry Hodges, Georgi James, Annalee Jefferies, Virginia Kull, Gilbert Owour, Jenny Dare Paulin, Pamela Payton-Wright, Bryce Pinkham, Stephen Plunkett, Lucas Caleb Rooney, Dylan Riley Snider and Charles Turner.

The design team for THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE includes Jeff Cowie and David Barber (Set Design), David Woolard (Costume Design), Rui Rita (Lighting Design), John Gromada (Original Music and Sound Design), Peter Pucci (Choreography), Ralph Zito (Voice/Dialect Coach) and Mark Olson (Fight Director).

Each part of the three part cycle will be staged individually as well as in repertory and one-day marathons. Audiences may choose to see the individual parts or the entire trilogy.

Foote completed work on THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE prior to his death on March 4, 2009 at the age of 92. The cycle features nine plays that were originally written as full-length pieces. Hartford Stage commissioned Foote in 2007 to adapt the plays in this new three-part form.

Part I ("The Story of a Childhood") begins at the turn of the 20th century and follows Horace Robedaux in his formative years. Part I begins with the plays Roots in a Parched Ground, Convicts and Lily Dale.

Part II ("The Story of a Marriage") focuses on the courtship years of Horace Robedaux and his search for a wife. Part II consists of the plays The Widow Claire, Courtship and Valentine's Day.

Part III ("The Story of a Family") begins with the turmoil of World War I and ends with the characters looking to the future of their family and land. Part III is made up of the plays 1918, Cousins and The Death of Papa.

Four of the individual plays, Roots in a Parched Ground, Convicts, Cousins and Valentine's Day, will be staged for the first time as part of the cycle.

In addition to the world premiere of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, Foote is the subject of a biography, Horton Foote: America's Storyteller by Wilborn Hampton, from Simon and Schuster and his final screenplay, Main Street, starring Orlando Bloom, Colin Firth, Amber Tamblyn and Ellen Burstyn, is also scheduled for release this year.

Signature Theatre Company devoted its 1994-1995 season to Horton Foote, including the world premieres of The Young Man from Atlanta (for which Foote won the Pulitzer Prize) and Laura Dennis and the New York premieres of Night Seasons and Talking Pictures. Signature also produced the world premiere of his The Last of the Thorntons in its 2000-2001 Season, as well as the award-winning production of The Trip to Bountiful in 2005 during the company's 15th anniversary season.

Signature Theatre COMPANY, founded in 1991 by James Houghton, exists to honor and celebrate the playwright. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright's body of work and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process. For the past 18 years, the Company has devoted an entire season to the work of a single playwright, including re-examinations of past writings as well as New York and world premieres. By championing in-depth explorations of a living playwright's body of work, the Company delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright's singular vision.

Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, the historic Negro Ensemble Company, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, August Wilson and Lanford Wilson. Signature remains deeply committed to these season-long residencies and during the company's tenth and fifteenth anniversaries, Signature introduced the Legacy Program. The Legacy Program invites past Playwrights-in-Residence back to Signature through two series: the Signature Series, which presents "signature," or more well-known works; and the Premiere Series, which presents New York and world premieres. Signature's twentieth anniversary season (2010-2011) will feature the work of Tony Kushner, including the first New York revival of Angels in America.

Signature, its productions and its resident writers have been recognized with a Pulitzer Prize, 11 Lucille Lortel Awards, 14 OBIE Awards, five Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and 19 AUDELCO Awards, among many other distinctions. The National Theatre Conference recognized the company as the 2003 Outstanding National Theatre of the Year.

TICKETS

Through The Signature Ticket Initiative, which seeks to make great theatre accessible to the broadest possible audience, all regularly-priced single tickets ($65) during the initial announced run are underwritten and will be available for $20 for the individual performances of all three parts. The Signature Ticket Initiative continues through Signature's 20th Anniversary Season (2010-2011).

The Signature Ticket Initiative is made possible by the lead sponsorship of Time Warner Inc. Generous support for The Signature Ticket Initiative is provided by Margot Adams, in memory of Mason Adams. Support for Signature Theatre Company's Horton Foote Legacy Season is provided by American Express, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and the Laura Pels Foundation.

Tickets for all performances beginning March 9, 2010 are $65.

Part I begins performances November 5, Part II begins performances December 3, and Part III begins performances January 7. Marathons are scheduled for February 6 and 20 and March 6, 2010. Please visit signaturetheatre.org for the full performance calendar.

Tickets for the extension weeks (March 9th - 28th) will be $65 per part.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE will play:

Tuesday-Friday at 7PM

Saturday at 8PM

Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2PM

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE will play at The Peter Norton Space located at 555 West 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues). For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit signaturetheatre.org or call (212) 244-PLAY (7529).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride