McDonald, Esparza, Pittu & More Join Hathaway In Shakespeare In The Park's TWELFTH NIGHT

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced initial casting today for the Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Daniel Sullivan and featuring the previously announced Anne Hathaway as Viola.

TWELFTH NIGHT will run June 10-July 12 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park with an official press opening on Thursday, June 25 at 8 p.m. Bank of America will return as lead sponsor of Shakespeare in the Park 2009.

Joining Hathaway in the production will be OBIE winner Michael Cumpsty (Hamlet at Classic Stage) as Malvolio; three-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza (Speed-the-Plow on Broadway) as Orsino; Hamish Linklater ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") as Sir Andrew Aguecheek; four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (110 in the Shade on Broadway) as Olivia; two-time Tony Award nominee David Pittu (What's That Smell at the Atlantic) as Feste; and Jay O. Sanders (Daniel Sullivan's A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare in the Park) as Sir Toby Belch.

Complete casting to be announced at a later date.

The 2009 Shakespeare in the Park summer season kicks off with a powerhouse production of TWELFTH NIGHT, one of Shakespeare's most beloved romantic comedies. Directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan, this time-honored story of cross-dressing and mistaken identity follows the romantic adventures of Viola and her identical twin Sebastian, both shipwrecked in the enchanted dukedom of Illyria.

TWELFTH NIGHT has been produced by The Public Theater in Central Park six times since 1958. The first production was directed by Joseph Papp with a cast that included Maria Tucci, William Windom and Peter Bogdanovich.

Michael Cumpsty (Malvolio) has appeared at The Public in productions of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens, All's Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, King John, and Romeo and Juliet. He recently starred in the Classic Stage Company productions of Hamlet and Richard II, winning an OBIE for his performance in the title role in the former. He recently appeared on Broadway in the Roundabout Theater Company revival of Sunday in the Park With George.

RAÚL ESPARZA (Orsino) recently starred in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. He earned Tony nominations for his performances in The Homecoming, Company, and Taboo and won Drama Desk awards for the latter two roles. He appeared at The Public in the critically acclaimed revival of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart and won an OBIE Award for his performance in Jonathan Larson's tick, tick...BOOM!

Anne Hathaway (Viola) was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, an Independent Spirit Award, and a SAG Award for her performance in Jonathan Demme's film Rachel Getting Married. Her stage credits include the lead role in the critically acclaimed 2002 City Center Encores production of Carnival! and Paper Mill Playhouse productions of Jane Eyre and Gigi. She is best-known for playing leading roles in the films Bride Wars, Brokeback Mountain (SAG Outstanding Ensemble nomination), The Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart, Ella Enchanted, Passengers, The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Becoming Jane.

Hamish Linklater (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) has appeared for four seasons as Matthew in the hit CBS comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine," starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. His numerous theater credits include Andrei Serban's Hamlet (opposite Liev Schreiber) and Love's Fire at The Public; the title role in Daniel Sullivan's production of Hamlet at San Diego's Old Globe; The Busy World Is Hushed and Recent Tragic Events at Playwrights Horizons; Good Thing at The New Group; and The Chemistry of Change at The Women's Project.

Audra McDonald (Olivia) won Tony Awards for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, and A Raisin in the Sun and earned nominations for Marie Christine and 110 in the Shade. She played Lady Percy in Lincoln Center's star-studded revival of Henry IV and Jenny in the L.A. Opera's production of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. She received Emmy nominations for her work in two televised stage adaptations, "Wit" and "A Raisin in the Sun," and currently stars as Dr. Naomi Bennett in the popular "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice." Twelfth Night is her Public Theater debut.

David Pittu (Feste) recently co-wrote and starred in the hit Atlantic Theater Company production What's That Smell? The Music of Jacob Sterling. He appeared at The Public in David Hare's Stuff Happens (2006), sharing a special Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble. On Broadway, he has received Tony nominations for his performances in Is He Dead? and LoveMusik and played memorable roles in all three parts of Tom Stoppard's ambitious trilogy The Coast of Utopia (Lincoln Center Theater).

Jay O. Sanders (Sir Toby Belch) first appeared at Shakespeare in the Park in the 1976 production of Henry V and went on to appear in Measure for Measure, King John, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. At The Public, he played George W. Bush in David Hare's Stuff Happens. His Broadway credits include Pygmalion, Saint Joan, and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

Daniel Sullivan (Director) has directed A Midsummer Night's Dream (2007), Stuff Happens (2006), and The Merry Wives of Windsor (1994) for The Public Theater. His Broadway credits include The Homecoming; Prelude to a Kiss; Rabbit Hole; After the Night and the Music; Julius Caesar; Brooklyn Boy; Sight Unseen; The Retreat >From Moscow; Morning's at Seven; Proof; Major Barbara; A Moon for the Misbegotten; Ah, Wilderness!; An American Daughter; The Sisters Rosensweig; Conversations With My Father; The Heidi Chronicles; and I'm Not Rappaport. Off-Broadway credits include Intimate Apparel, In Real Life, Dinner With Friends, Proof, Ten Unknowns, Ancestral Voices and Spinning Into Butter. Most recent regional credits include Julius Caesar, Cymbeline and Romeo and Juliet at the Old Globe. From 1981 to 1997, Sullivan served as Artistic Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre, where he directed more than 60 productions. His film and television credits include The Substance of Fire and "Far East."

The second Shakespeare in the Park production will be Euripides's THE BACCHAE, translated by Nicholas Rudall, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, and featuring original music by Philip Glass. THE BACCHAE, running August 11-30, will be presented as it was always meant to be seen - in the open air of the city. Akalaitis' visionary interpretation, featuring a lush choral score by Glass, re-imagines the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire.

Summer Supporter tickets for TWELFTH NIGHT and THE BACCHAE will be available for a tax-deductible contribution of $170. These reserved seats are only available for a limited time to ensure that the highest number of free seats will be available to distribute to the general public on the day of the show. Summer Supporter tickets help to underwrite production expenses. Supporter tickets will go on-sale on Friday, April 24 at the Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street; online at publictheater.org; or by calling (212) 967-7555.

For additional information about Shakespeare in the Park, visit The Public Theater website at www.publictheater.org

THE PUBLIC THEATER (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, productions of Shakespeare, and other classics at its headquarters on Lafayette Street and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 41 Tony Awards, 145 Obies, 39 Drama Desk Awards, 24 Lucille Lortel Awards and 4 Pulitzer Prizes.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.