Ann G. Wrightson News

Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 2008-2009 season, an exploration of the imagination, with Up by Bridget Carpenter, directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro and featuring ensemble members Ian Barford and Martha Lavey with Rachel Brosnahan, Jake Cohen, Tony Hernandez and Lauren Katz. Up plays June 18 - August 23, 2009 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. The press performance is Saturday, June 27 at 3:00 p.m.

August: Osage County, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma will launch its national tour in Denver, running July 24 through August 8 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Single tickets go on sale Sunday, May 31 at www.denvercenter.org or by phone and walk-up Monday, June 1 at 10am.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, a brand new dynamic family drama and winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and five 2008 Tony Awards, will play the Curran Theatre beginning August 11 through September 6. Tickets for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY will go on sale Sunday, May 17. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is presented as a part of the 2008-2009 Citibank Best of Broadway series under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays.

Asolo Repertory Theater celebrates the diva in each of us with the hilarious musical - Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins by Stephen Temperley. Real life Tony Award winning Broadway diva Judy Kaye (Phantom of the Opera & Mamma Mia!) makes a rare appearance in Sarasota in the lead role. Donald Corren (Torch Song Trilogy) plays her accompanist, the man who chronicles Florence's unlikely rise to cult status and unexpected success.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, a brand new dynamic family drama and winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and five 2008 Tony Awards, will play the Curran Theatre beginning August 11 through September 6. Tickets for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY will go on sale Sunday, May 17. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is presented as a part of the 2008-2009 Citibank Best of Broadway series under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 2008-2009 season, an exploration of the imagination, with Up by Bridget Carpenter, directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro and featuring ensemble member Martha Lavey with Rachel Brosnahan, Jake Cohen, Tony Hernandez and Lauren Katz (additional casting to be announced). Up plays June 18 - August 23, 2009 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. The press performance is Saturday, June 27 at 3:00 p.m.

This spring, the Denver Center Theatre Company will complete an extraordinary journey through the decades of the Twentieth Century with director Israel Hicks and August Wilson's Radio Golf, remember the story of faith in a stage adaptation of John Irving's sweeping novel in A Prayer for Owen Meany, and laugh with the Serrano family in the world premiere of Sunsets and Margaritas.

Center Theatre Group's 2009-2010 season at the Ahmanson Theatre is a yearlong celebration of big, lush Broadway hits, including four Tony Award-winning musicals, the 2008 winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, and a rare, limited engagement of two stage virtuosos.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) salutes the secret diva in all of us with Stephen Temperley's play with music, Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins directed by Vivian Matalon. This production marks the return of the remarkable Judy Kaye to A.C.T. in the daring role that earned her a 2006 Tony Award nomination. Kaye last appeared on the A.C.T. stage as Mrs. Lovett in last season's critically-acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd. A heartfelt, wickedly funny look at the limits of self-perception and the unpredictable nature of friendship, Souvenir imagines the story of real-life Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York socialite and tone-deaf diva who thought she was a great soprano.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is very proud to announce its critically-acclaimed American play August: Osage County by Steppenwolf ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, is nominated for four 2009 Laurence Olivier Awards including: Best new play - Tracy Letts Best company performance Best actress - Deanna Dunagan Best set design - Todd Rosenthal

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce the Chicago engagement of August: Osage County, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons will star as the family matriarch, Violet Weston. August: Osage County comes to Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre for a limited two-week engagement February 2 - 14, 2010. Written by 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts (Superior Donuts, Man From Nebraska, Killer Joe, Bug), this grand and gripping new play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead after the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with matriarch Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of the storm. Directed by 2008 Tony Award-winner Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County is a rare theatrical event: a large-scale work filled with 13 unforgettable characters, a powerful tragicomedy told with unflinching honesty and the unforgettable breakthrough of a major American playwright. August: Osage County premiered and was produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2007. 'Steppenwolf is delighted that August: Osage County has a new life in Chicago,' comments Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. 'Steppenwolf audiences were the first to see this exciting play written by our ensemble member Tracy Letts, under the direction of fellow ensemble member Anna Shapiro, and we're thrilled that it will be playing in Chicago again after its successful runs on Broadway and at the National Theatre of London,' Lavey said.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, is coming to Seattle on Tuesday, October 27 for eight performances only starring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons in the role of the family matriarch, Violet. Tickets for the Seattle engagement are available now as part of the four-show season package, by calling (toll-free) 888-451-4042. Tickets are also available through the National Group Sales department, with a minimum of 20 tickets purchased (toll-free) 888-214-6856. Single tickets for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY will be available in the summer. Ms. Parsons is currently appearing in the show on Broadway where The New York Times recently raved, 'Estelle Parsons gives a superb performance...sends chills down your spine. It may prove to be a crowning moment in an illustrious career.' Ms. Parsons joined the company in June, 2008. Estelle Parsons' first foray into the business began when she was hired by 'The Today Show,' first as a production assistant, then staff writer, which eventually led her to become the first female television network political news reporter. Estelle began acting and appeared in her first stage performance on Broadway in Happy Hunting. Since then, Estelle has gone on to either star in or direct more than 25 productions. Most notably, she has been nominated for the Tony Award for her performances in THE SEVEN DESCENTS OF MYRTLE, AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE, MISS MARGARIDA'S WAY and MORNINGS AT SEVEN.

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce the Chicago engagement of August: Osage County, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons will star as the family matriarch, Violet Weston. August: Osage County comes to Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre for a limited two-week engagement February 2 - 14, 2010. Written by 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts (Superior Donuts, Man From Nebraska, Killer Joe, Bug), this grand and gripping new play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead after the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with matriarch Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of the storm. Directed by 2008 Tony Award-winner Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County is a rare theatrical event: a large-scale work filled with 13 unforgettable characters, a powerful tragicomedy told with unflinching honesty and the unforgettable breakthrough of a major American playwright. August: Osage County premiered and was produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2007. 'Steppenwolf is delighted that August: Osage County has a new life in Chicago,' comments Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. 'Steppenwolf audiences were the first to see this exciting play written by our ensemble member Tracy Letts, under the direction of fellow ensemble member Anna Shapiro, and we're thrilled that it will be playing in Chicago again after its successful runs on Broadway and at the National Theatre of London,' Lavey said.

August: Osage County, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that tells the bitingly funny and sensationally entertaining tale of the Weston family of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, starring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons in the role of the family matriarch, Violet, will launch its national tour, in Denver, CO on July 24th, 2009. Following two weeks at Denver's Ellie Caukins Opera House (7/24-8/8), the show will play San Francisco's Curran Theatre from August 11 - September 6, 2009. Subsequent engagements will be announced shortly. Ms. Parsons is currently appearing in the show on Broadway where The New York Times recently raved, 'Estelle Parsons gives a superb performance...sends chills down your spine. It may prove to be a crowning moment in an illustrious career.' Ms. Parsons joined the company in June, 2008. Estelle Parsons first foray into the business began when she was hired by 'The Today Show,' first as a production assistant, then staff writer, which eventually led her to become the first female television network political news reporter. Estelle began acting and appeared in her first stage performance on Broadway in Happy Hunting. Since then, Estelle has gone on to either star in or direct over 25 productions. Most notably, she has been nominated for the Tony Award for her performances in The Seven Descents of Myrtle, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Miss Margarida's Way and Mornings at Seven.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) salutes the secret diva in all of us with Stephen Temperley's play with music, Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins directed by Vivian Matalon. This production marks the return of the remarkable Judy Kaye to A.C.T. in the daring role that earned her a 2006 Tony Award nomination. Kaye last appeared on the A.C.T. stage as Mrs. Lovett in last season's critically-acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd. A heartfelt, wickedly funny look at the limits of self-perception and the unpredictable nature of friendship, Souvenir imagines the story of real-life Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York socialite and tone-deaf diva who thought she was a great soprano.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning American play August: Osage County by ensemble member Tracy Letts directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, will begin an eight-week engagement this week at London's National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre), playing November 21, 2008, January 21, 2009.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce the complete casting for the London engagement of its Pulitzer and Tony Award®-winning American play August: Osage County by ensemble member Tracy Letts (Tony® Award - Best Play), directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro (Tony® Award - Best Director), playing an eight-week engagement at the National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre) November 21, 2008 - January 21, 2009.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce casting for the London engagement of its Pulitzer and Tony Award®-winning American play August: Osage County by ensemble member Tracy Letts (Tony® Award - Best Play), directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro (Tony® Award - Best Director), playing an eight-week engagement at the National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre) November 21, 2008 - January 21, 2009.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced casting for the London engagement of its Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning American play August: Osage County by ensemble member Tracy Letts (Tony Award - Best Play), directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro (Tony Award - Best Director), playing an eight-week engagement at the National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre) November 21, 2008 - January 21, 2009.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is proud to announce its Pulitzer and Tony Award®-winning American play August: Osage County by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, will play an eight-week engagement at London's National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre) November 21, 2008 - January 21, 2009. For ticket information and performance times, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Casting will be announced shortly.