Cox, Innvar & More Join The Cast Of TWELFTH NIGHT 3/10-29

McCarter Theatre Center announces the complete cast of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Rebecca Taichman. A co-production with Washington, D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company, Twelfth Night begins performances in the Matthews Theatre on Tuesday, March 10 and runs until March 29. (Press opening Friday, March 13).

Shipwrecked in a foreign land without family, friends or possessions-what's a girl to do? Identity is under siege in the labyrinth of misconceptions that is Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's bewitching comedy of unquenchable desire, self-deception and misdirected love. This fantastical, timeless production-helmed by rising-star director Rebecca Taichman-is a real sensualist's delight: full of longing "all as hungry as the sea" and awash in ethereal charm.

Co-produced with The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Twelfth Night comes to McCarter fresh off a critically acclaimed run in Washington, D.C., where it received 7 Helen Hayes nominations, including Outstanding Director, Outstanding Resident Play, and Outstanding Ensemble.

Continuing their roles from STC are Veanne Cox (Olivia), Rick Foucheux (Sir Toby Belch), Christopher Innvar (Orsino), Nancy Robinette (Maria), J. Fred Shiffman (Fabian), Tom Story (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), and Ted Van Griethuysen (Malvolio). New to the production are Rebecca Brooksher (Viola), Stephen DeRosa (Feste), Kevin Isola (Sebastian), Brent Langdon (Captain/Priest), and JaMario Stills (Antonio).

The ensemble is comprised of Janelle Abbott, Rich Dreher, Ben Graney, JamAl Green, Meda Miller, and Valentina Fleer, who also performs as the singer. The musicians, led by musical director/pianist Barbara Irvine, include Philip Racz (bass), Peter Zimmerman (saxophone), Alex Schmauk (trumpet), and Gregory Teperman (violin).

The design team for the production includes Riccardo Hernandez (sets), Miranda Hoffman (costumes), Christopher Akerlind (lighting), and Martin Desjardins (original music and sound). The production's fight director is Rick Sordelet, and Seàn Curran provides new choreography.

Rebecca Taichman's work has been celebrated at major theaters across the country, including Yale Rep, Woolly Mammoth, and the Huntington. She has directed the premieres of works by some of the nation's best-known contemporary playwrights, including David Adjmi's The Evildoers, Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone, and Theresa Rebeck's Mauritius and The Scene. She also directed The Scene at New York's Second Stage Theatre, with Tony Shalhoub and Patricia Heaton. A graduate of The Yale School of Drama, Ms. Taichman has received a Barrymore Award and an Obie Award, as well as a recent Helen Hayes nomination for her direction of Twelfth Night.

Rebecca Brooksher recently made her off-Broadway debut in Dying City, for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Actress. Her other New York credits include The Scariest and J.T. Rogers's White People, and she has been seen in regional theaters across the country in roles such as Masha in Three Sisters, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Thomasina in Arcadia. She has also held recurring roles on the TV series One Life to Live and Canterbury's Law and appeared in the Sundance Film Festival feature Cold Souls.

Veanne Cox's extensive theater credits include Broadway's Caroline, or Change, The Dinner Party, and Company, for which she received Tony and Drama Desk nominations. Off-Broadway, she has appeared in the recent Encores production of Damn Yankees and numerous productions at Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre, MCC, and the Vineyard Theatre, in addition to receiving a 2008 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence. Also a recognizable face from TV and film, Ms. Cox has been seen on the series Boston Legal, Seinfeld, and CSI, as well as in the films Erin Brokovich, Big Eden, Two Weeks Notice, and You've Got Mail.

Stephen DeRosa has performed on Broadway as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray (as well as on the first National Tour), The Baker in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods (2002 revival), Twentieth Century, Henry IV, and The Man Who Came to Dinner. Off-Broadway, he has been seen in Walmartopia, Newyorkers, Encores' Do Re Mi, and The Mystery of Irma Vep. His screen credits include Suddenly Susan, Third Watch, Canterbury's Law, Rescue Me, and Ugly Betty.

Rick Foucheux has worked frequently with Rebecca Taichman, including the world premiere of Dead Man's Cell Phone at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, where he is a company member. He appeared last season as Willy Loman in the Arena Stage revival of Death of a Salesman and has also recently been seen as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, as George W. Bush in Stuff Happens, and as King Henry in Henry IV. Mr. Foucheux received the Helen Hayes Award in 2000 for his portrayal of the title role in David Mamet's Edmond and in 2006 for the role of Mason in Take Me Out.

Christopher Innvar previously appeared at McCarter in The Bells. His Broadway credits include 110 in the Shade, The Threepenny Opera, Les Misérables, and Victor/Victoria, and he has performed extensively off-Broadway and at regional theaters across the country. Onscreen, he has been seen in the films Prime, Rock the Paint, and You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Also a director, he will soon be directing productions of The Collyer Brothers at Home and Period Piece, both for Barrington Stage.

Kevin Isola was recently seen on the New Jersey stage in King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. He has also been seen on Broadway in Brooklyn Boy and off-Broadway at a variety of venues, including 59E59, The Women's Project, Lincoln Center, Cherry Lane Theatre, and numerous productions at Playwrights Horizons and New York Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Isola also appears frequently in film and television, appearing on such shows as Fringe, Damages, and Boston Legal, as well as in the films Frank The Rat, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Uninvited.

Brent Langdon made his New York theater debut in Midtown International Theatre Festival's Couldn't Say. He has also appeared at regional theaters such as Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Yale Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Playmakers Rep, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, B Street Theatre, and Kentucky Shakespeare Festival.

D.C.-based actress Nancy Robinette has appeared in numerous productions at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, and Arena Stage, where she is an Associate Artist. She was last seen on the New Jersey stage as Mrs. Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank at Paper Mill Playhouse. Ms. Robinette is the winner of five Helen Hayes Awards and was recently nominated for a sixth for her performance in Twelfth Night. She is also a Fox Fellow and the winner of a Shakespeare Theatre Will Award.

An Affiliate Artist at Arena Stage, J. Fred Shiffman has appeared there in numerous productions since 1982, including The Mystery of Irma Vep, Death of a Salesman, A View from a Bridge, She Loves Me, and Cabaret. His most notable regional credits include playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Old Globe and appearing in Barefoot in the Park with Laura Linney and Eric Stoltz at L.A. Theatre Works. He has been nominated for 13 Helen Hayes Awards and has won 3, most recently in 2008 for Outstanding Lead Actor in Studio Theatre's production of Souvenir.

A recent graduate of The Juilliard School, JaMario Stills has appeared in such roles as Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun, Helicanus in Pericles, George Armstrong in Intimate Apparel, and Golutvin in Diary of a Scoundrel.

Tom Story returns to McCarter after appearing in last season's Tartuffe, as well as Loot in 2002. A prolific theater actor, he has been seen in New York in Rutherford and Son, Fresh Faces, Measure for Measure, and The Singing, as well as at regional theaters such as Berkshire Theatre Company, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Seattle Rep, Studio Theatre, and the O'Neill Theatre. He has been nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards, most recently for his performance in Twelfth Night.

Ted Van Griethuysen has been a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Company since 1987, appearing in Henry IV, Don Carlos, Timon of Athens, the title role in King Lear, The Tempest, Love's Labour's Lost, Major Barbara, and Romeo and Juliet. He received a Drama Critics' Circle Award for his role in Broadway's Inadmissible Evidence, and he also appeared in the first American production of Pinter's The Basement. He has received four Helen Hayes Awards, most recently for The Life of Galileo at Studio Theatre.

Tickets for Twelfth Night at McCarter Theatre Center (91 University Place, Princeton, NJ) range from $15 to $55. To order tickets by phone, call the McCarter Box Office at (609) 258-ARTS (2787) or order online at www.mccarter.org.

McCarter Theatre's 2008-2009 Theater Season will conclude with Tarell Alvin McCraney's acclaimed The Brother/Sister Plays, directed by Tina Landau (Part 1: In the Red and Brown Water) and Robert O'Hara (Part 2: The Brothers Size/Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet), running from April 17-June 14. For more information, visit www.mccarter.org.

McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
Under the leadership of artistic director Emily Mann and recently appointed managing director Timothy J. Shields, McCarter Theatre Center, home to the Matthews and Berlind Theatres, is recognized as one of the nation's premier theatre companies and performing arts centers. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres have included Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I; Emily Mann's Mrs. Packard; Beth Henley's Ridiculous Fraud; Christopher Durang's Miss Witherspoon; Steven Dietz's Last of the Boys; ReGina Taylor's Crowns; Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman; Emily Mann's Having Our Say; Athol Fugard's Valley Song; and Stephen Wadsworth's Marivaux trilogy. McCarter has also produced major new productions of Brian Friel's Translations, directed by Garry Hynes; Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics; August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson; Edward Albee's All Over (2 Obie Awards), directed by Emily Mann; and Electra, directed David Leveaux. McCarter is supported by Princeton University, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and over 3,000 individuals, corporations and foundations.

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