T. Schreiber Studio Company's FIFTH OF JULY Runs Through 6/21 At Gloria Maddox

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, The T. Schreiber Studio Company, headed by Artistic Director Terry Schreiber, will present Lanford Wilson's moving and often humorous play, Fifth of July, from May 14th through June 21st, Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The play will be open to the press beginning on Friday May 22nd. The play will be presented in The Gloria Maddox Theatre at T. Schreiber Studio at 151 West 26th Street, 7th Floor.

Peter Jensen, Associate Artistic Director of T. Schreiber Studio, who previously directed Hurlyburly, Taste of Honey, and the award winning You Can't Take It With You for T. Schreiber's Company, is directing the production. Tickets are a suggested contribution of $25 and can be obtained by visiting www.tschreiber.org <http://www.tschreiber.org/> or calling 212-352-3101.

First produced by Circle Repertory Company in New York City in 1978, Fifth of July is part of the Talley Trilogy, a series of Wilson's plays revolving around the Talley family of Lebanon, Missouri. During a subsequent production, Ben Brantley of The New York Times called the play a "masterpiece" and said that a "...beckoning warmth radiates from Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July."

T. Schreiber's production will feature original music by guitarist, composer, and conceptual artist Grant Peterson. Discovering and defining life's values are at the heart of this uplifting comedic drama, and Jensen feels that the music contributed by Peterson will reinforce the compassionate, touching nature of the story.

Kenneth Talley, Jr (David Villalobos) is a gay paraplegic Vietnam veteran living in his childhood home in rural Missouri with his lover, Jed Jenkins (Edward Campbell). Having formerly made plans to teach
English at his old high school, he is now rebelling against the decision. Adding to the chaos is a house full of visitors, including Ken's sister, June Talley (Ellen Reilly), and her daughter, Shirley (Lily DePaula) along with longtime friends, John Landis (Michael W. Murray) and his wife, Gwen (Jamie Neumann), the inheritor of a large industriAl Cooper conglomerate.

John wants to purchase the Talley home for Gwen to convert to a recording studio, so she can have a career as a country singer. However, unbeknownst to many, Shirley - June's daughter - is also John's daughter and his visit has as much to do with a desire to gain joint custody of Shirley as it does with purchasing the house. Other visitors include Ken's aunt, Sally Talley (Lucy Avery Brooke), who still has her husband's ashes in a candy box a year after his death, as well as Weston Hurley (Jonathan Orsini), Gwen's guitarist.

The creative team for the production includes Matthew Brogan (set design), Eric Cope (lighting design), Anne Wingate (costume design), Chris Rummel (sound design) Grant Peterson (composer), Liz Richards (stage manager), Patrick Finn (technical director), Olivia Killingsworth (properties) and Chad Rogers (assistant director). Cat Parker is producing director and Barb Kielhofer is the production coordinator.