Cortland Repertory Theatre Presents BORN YESTERDAY

For the fourth show in their 48th annual summer season, Cortland Repertory Theatre proudly presents their premiere production of the American comedy classic Born Yesterday written by Garson Kanin. Performances will run from July 31st - August 10th with evening show times at 7:30 PM. Matinees are available on August 2, 6 and 7 at 2:00 PM.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or at the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org. CRT cautions that this is the only approved online ticket service; other online sites charge significantly higher rates for tickets and are NOT approved by CRT.

This sharp and snappy screwball comedy premiered in 1946 but it's as fresh as today's headlines! Harry Brock, a junkyard businessman with a crude way of talking and a huge but fragile ego arrives in Washington, convinced he can bully and buy a senator or two. The monkey wrench in his schemes is Billie Dawn, his seemingly dim-witted ex-showgirl mistress. When Brock hires a reporter to tutor Billie to make her more acceptable to the Beltway crowd, she rapidly comes into her own as a force to be reckoned with. This delicious comedy hilariously skewers Washington corruption and praises an educated electorate!

Directing this production is Mark Reynolds, who helmed last summer's SALT Award winning musical Newsies, for which he received a nomination for Best Director. In previous years, he directed CRT's Footloose, The Kitchen Witches and the children's shows Dorothy Meets Alice, The Velveteen Rabbit, Pinocchio and this year's The House at Pooh Corner. Reynolds is also a frequent director at SUNY Cortland; his work has been seen in The Children's Hour, Top Girls, Sunday in the Park with George, The Glass Menagerie and others.

Returning to CRT to play the powerhouse role of Billie Dawn is Briana Gantsweg, seen last summer in CRT's production of Rough Crossing. As Harry Brock, Bill Coughlin returns to the CRT stage after many years away. Coughlin was last seen in I'll Be Back Before Midnight, as well as Annie Get Your Gun, Sound Pacific, and won a SALT Award for Best Actor in CRT's Over the River and Through the Woods. Continuing his summer at CRT is Ithaca College graduate Woody Minshew playing reporter Paul Verrall. Other returning CRT actors are Patrick White, seen in last summer's Our Town, portraying Ed Devery; Mamma Mia!'s Steven Bidwell as Senator Hedges; Michael Antico, seen in last summer's Newsies, as Eddie Brock, and, as Mrs. Hedges, local actress Nancy Kane, seen in Nana's Naughty Knickers, Fox on the Fairway and others. Rounding out the rest of the cast portraying the hotel staff is CRT's Performing Intern Company: Emily Britt, Cassidy Halpin, Madeline Hudelson, Shealyn Kelly, Steven Martella, Blake Maxwell, Angela Syrett, JT Tully and Alexis Yard.

Stage Manager Timothy James leads the design and production team. Jeremy Hollis makes his CRT debut as Scenic Designer, with Orli Nativ returning as Costume Designer after working last year on Women in Jeopardy! and The Rat Pack Lounge. Mary Lana Rice returns as Lighting Designer after working on Women in Jeopardy! last summer. Continuing their work this season are Props Designer Andrew Carney, Sound Designer Seth Asa Sengal and Technical Director Brock Baird.

The "Friday Night Talk Back" for this production will be held after the evening performance on August 2, at which a Q & A session with the actors, designers, director and crew takes place. Tickets are also on sale for the final two productions in the summer season; Sleuth which runs from August 14 - 24 and Million Dollar Quartet, running from August 28 - September 13.