Berresse, Jonigkeit, and Turner Lead HIGH At TheaterWorks in Hartford, 7/2

Two-time Golden Globe winner, Academy Award and Tony Award nominee Kathleen Turner will be joined by Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse, and rising newcomer Evan Jonigkeit, in the world premiere of Matthew Lombardo's new play, High.

The world premiere of High is the result of the collaboration of three noteworthy American regional theaters.

The play will be seen at TheaterWorks in Hartford, Connecticut in a run July 2 through August 15, 2010.

High opens the 2010-2011 Season at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, running September 4 through October 2, 2010.

The Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis presents the play October 13 through November 7, 2010.

In High, when Sister Jamison Connelly, played by Kathleen Turner, agrees to sponsor a 19 year-old drug-user in an effort to help him combat his addiction, her own faith is ultimately tested. Struggling between the knowledge she possesses as a rehabilitation counselor and her own moral convictions, she begins to question the belief in miracles and whether people can find the courage to change. High explores the universal themes of truth, forgiveness, redemption and human fallibility.

Kathleen Turner's indelible portrayals have made her part of the iconography of American cinema and stage. The character of Sister Jamison Connelly in High offers Ms. Turner, one of the most powerful and engaging theater artists of our time, a role that perhaps only she can fully command. Her own struggle with rheumatoid arthritis, addiction and recovery is eloquently articulated in her bestselling autobiography, "Send Yourself Roses".

Sister Jamison Connelly's colleague and occasional adversary in High, Father Michael Delpapp, is portrayed by Michael Berresse. Mr. Berresse received both Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for his starring work in Bartlett Sher's acclaimed Broadway production of "The Light in the Piazza". He was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Bill Calhoun in "Kiss Me, Kate". Other major Broadway credits include "A Chorus Line", "Chicago", and "Damn Yankees". His coast-to-coast regional appearances include L.A.'s Mark Taper Forum, the Old Globe Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, and Paper Mill Playhouse.

Evan Jonigkeit plays hustler and addict Cody Randall. A Philadelphia based artist, he has worked in many of that city's theaters, including Arden Theatre, Mauckingbird Theatre, Walnut St. Theatre, Montgomery Theatre, and People's Light & Theatre. He has been seen in the films "Calendar Girl', "The Gift", and on Fox TV's Amazing Sport Stories. He serves on the New Play Development Committee, as Director of Development for Mauckingbird Theatre, and as a teacher. He is a graduate of Temple University.

The opportunity for audiences to experience this exceptional trio of actors in the World Premiere of High comes by way of playwright Matthew Lombardo. Born in Hartford, CT and raised in nearby Wethersfield, High represents the second world premiere he brings back to his hometown. In 2002, his Katharine Hepburn bio-play Tea at Five (with Kate Mulgrew) debuted at Hartford Stage, instantly becoming an audience favorite and breaking all box office records. The play later debuted Off-Broadway prior to a successful national tour. Mr. Lombardo most recently made his Broadway debut at The Lyceum Theatre with the hilarious and poignant look at Tallulah Bankhead, Looped, starring Valerie Harper, in a Tony Award-nominated portrayal. The production established a working partnership with Hartford-based director and TheaterWorks' Senior Artistic Associate, Rob Ruggiero, who will direct High in Hartford, as well as in Cincinnati and St. Louis.

Rob Ruggiero has directed over forty productions at TheaterWorks including Shakespeare's R&J, No Child, Rabbit Hole, and The Little Dog Laughed. He staged the world premiere of Looped, by Matthew Lombardo at Pasadena Playhouse, and subsequent productions in West Palm Beach, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and on Broadway. Regionally, he has earned recognition for his work on both plays and musicals, having received numerous awards including a Joseph Jefferson Award in Chicago, and currently has the distinction of being the only director to have received four Kevin Kline Awards in St. Louis. For Goodspeed Musicals, Mr. Ruggiero directed 1776, Big River, Camelot and Annie Get Your Gun. He conceived and directed the popular Ella (starring Tina Fabrique), which continues to play major regional theaters nationwide.

The design team for High includes set designer David Gallo, winner of the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, American Theatre Wing Award, Lucille Lortel Award, LA Critics Circle Award, and the Obie Award; one of the most acclaimed and diversified costume designers in American theater, Tony Award winner Jess Goldstein; as well as TheaterWorks veterans John Lasiter (Lights); and, Vincent Oliveri (Sound).

http://files.e2ma.net/1403927/assets/docs/scheduleticketinfo.pdf

http://www.cincyplay.com/newseason/

http://www.repstl.org/season/show/high/

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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