Joe Dowling News

Becky Shaw and Remembering 'Tin Pan Alley' featured on Theater Talk Thursday February 26th at 11:30 PM.

The Guthrie is set to present Frank Theatre's production of By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, March 12 - April 5 in the Dowling Studio. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night priced at $34. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at http://www.guthrietheater.org/. Tickets for a benefit birthday party on March 21, which will celebrate 20 years of Frank Theatre, are available by calling 612.724.3760.

Veteran Guthrie actors Sally Wingert and Richard Ooms team with director Rob Melrose for Samuel Beckett's masterful two-character drama Happy Days. The production, which serves as the Dowling Studio debut for both actors, begins previews February 14, opens February 18 and plays through March 8, 2009. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night priced at $34. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.)

Veteran Guthrie actors Sally Wingert and Richard Ooms team with director Rob Melrose for Samuel Beckett's masterful two-character drama Happy Days. The production, which serves as the Dowling Studio debut for both actors, begins previews February 14, opens February 18 and plays through March 8, 2009. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night priced at $34. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at http://www.guthrietheater.org/. This intense and strictly concentrated two-character drama features an eternally optimistic Winnie inexplicably buried waist-deep in a mound of earth, clinging to her life of arbitrary routines and rituals. Her husband, Willie, appears from time to time and replies only occasionally to her cheerful chatter, a source of comfort as she remains ever hopeful that 'this is going to be a happy day.' With its vivid sense of the bizarre and a blend of humor and compassion, Happy Days represents one of the Nobel Prize-winning writer's finest works. The play is minimalist, concentrated to the bare elements needed to make Winnie's resilience apparent in the stream of her thoughts and emotions, allowing the Irish playwright, poet and novelist an opportunity to offer a penetrating and uncompromising exploration of the human condition. As is the case with all of Beckett's work for the stage, Happy Days is an utterly spare and precise play, with every detail carrying the exact weight and degree of importance determined by the author. Co-founder and artistic director of San Francisco's The Cutting Ball Theater, Melrose previously directed Pen (2007) in the Dowling Studio, and served as assistant director for the Guthrie's 2003 production of Othello. He leads an artistic team that includes Michael Locher (Set Designer), Christine Richardson (Costume Designer), Frank Butler (Lighting Designer), Michael Lupu (Dramaturgy), Martha Kulig (Stage Manager) and Meaghan Rosenberger (Assistant Stage Manager). About the Guthrie The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie opened a new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006. The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Box Office between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit http://www.guthrietheater.org/.

The Guthrie is pleased to present Frank Theatre's production By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, March 13 - April 5 in the Dowling Studio. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night priced at $34. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org. Tickets for a benefit birthday party on March 21, which will celebrate 20 years of Frank Theatre, are available by calling 612.724.3760.

The Acting Company and Guthrie Theater production of Shakespeare's Henry V ended its hugely successful run in the Dowling Studio this past Sunday, having played to a stunning 95% of capacity during the 26 performance engagement. Henry V marks another triumph in the long line of successful Guthrie presentations and collaborations in both the Dowling Studio and on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. The Guthrie began presenting the work of smaller theater companies in 2006 as part of the first season in its three-stage complex. The presentations proved so successful for both the Guthrie and the producing companies that many of these productions have become highlights of the Twin Cities theater season and insure future artistic collaborations at the Guthrie.

Now in its 10th year, the Guthrie's annual Shakespeare Classic returns on Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m., offering young people (ages 8 to 15) an opportunity to share in the entertainingly retro world of Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This special event, tailored specifically for young audiences, features a specially prepared play program, subsidized $10 tickets to the performance and a post-play reception where costumed actors from the show engage with the audience to answer questions and sign autographs.

Lights! Camera! Acting! Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona receives a retro rendition by director Joe Dowling, as the story is 'taped' on the set of a '50s television studio in front of a live Guthrie audience. It's the same familiar story, an oldie but goddie, where four young lovers hit the road to romance and find their bonds of friendship are tested along the way. Don't miss the director's cut: a no holds 'bard' pop culture explosion of comedy, song and dance, showcasing the triumphs of young love, an adorable sidekick dog named Crab, and everything in between. Opening Night: January 30, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Closing: March 29, 2009 at 1 p.m. TICKETS: Single tickets priced at $24 - $60 opening night $49 - 70 Guthrie Box Office: 612.377.2224 Greater Minnesota: TOLL FREE 877.44.STAGE Box Office hours: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily Tickets may be purchased online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The Guthrie Theater brings Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona to the stage January 24 ? March 29, 2009 in a retro rendition directed by Joe Dowling, as the story is 'taped' on the set of a '50s television studio in front of a live audience. It's the same familiar story, an oldie but goodie, where four young lovers hit the road to romance and find their bonds of friendship tested along the way. The director's cut offers a no holds 'bard' pop culture explosion of comedy, song and dance, showcasing the triumphs of young love, an adorable sidekick dog named Crab, and everything in between.

Director Joe Dowling today announced complete casting for his upcoming Guthrie production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the theater's first-ever staging of this Shakespeare comedy. A cast of recent University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program graduates team with Guthrie veterans for Dowling's 1950s-style retelling of this Shakespearean comedy celebrating the triumph of young love.

The Guthrie is proud to present Penumbra Theatre's production of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Lou Bellamy. A co-production with Arizona Theatre Company and The Cleveland Play House, this presentation marks the 50th anniversary of the show's groundbreaking Broadway opening, and arrives at the Guthrie on the heels of two highly-lauded regional runs in Ohio and Arizona. A Raisin in the Sun previews March 12, opens March 13 and plays through April 11, 2009 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. Single tickets are priced from $24 to $60, with opening night prices ranging from $49 to $70. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org. A recent widow, Lena Younger (Franchelle Stewart Dorn) wants to use her husband's insurance money to buy a home for her family, freeing them from the cramped tenement in which she, her two children, daughter-in-law and grandson live. Her son, Walter Lee (David Alan Anderson), is determined to invest the money in a business - an opportunity for him to be his own man and not just the driver for his white boss. Lena refuses; in her eyes a house is a sturdy thing to build a dream on, one that can relieve the strains that poverty has put on the family. But when a white representative of the neighborhood 'welcoming committee' presents the Youngers with an offer to buy them out of their home to prevent integration in their community, the dream of the house quickly becomes a nightmare. The title comes from the opening lines of 'Harlem,' a poem by Langston Hughes ('What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?'). Throughout the play, the idea of deferred dreams is a prominent theme, as each member of the Younger family attempts to find his or her place amidst a number of difficult situations. While their future neighbors resist the Youngers' move, Walter Lee for the first time begins to value what money can't buy, and in the process achieves a new level of self respect and pride.

Tickets for Guthrie Girls Night, a new Wednesday 3-play subscription package, are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office. Gather the girls and pick three upcoming performances for $90 ($30 per show), earning full subscriber benefits for the remaining 2008-09 season. This mid-week series includes an exclusive pre-show party in the Target Lounge, featuring a delicious complimentary cocktail, spa services from Aveda Institute and music from DJ Eric Lovold. Give reality the night off and continue the girl bonding in the theater, as the drama takes to the stage. Guthrie Girls Nights packages are only available in-person or by phone at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE.

The Guthrie is pleased to present Frank Theatre's production of By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, March 12 - April 5 in the Dowling Studio. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night priced at $34. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org. Tickets for a benefit birthday party on March 21, which will celebrate 20 years of Frank Theatre, are available by calling 612.724.3760. Set in rural Ireland, By the Bog of Cats mixes the trademark dark humor of the Irish with an uncompromising tale of abandonment and shocking self-sacrifice. Hester Swane (Virginia Burke) is an Irish 'tinker,' a woman born of gypsies, and tied to the bleak landscape of the bog where she has lived her whole life. Her younger lover, Carthage Kilbride (John Catron), with whom she has a daughter, is on the verge of a marriage to another woman that will bring him land, wealth and respect. Refusing to acknowledge that Carthage could ever leave her, Hester grips more tightly and tragically to the life she believes is rightfully hers. In this loose retelling of Euripides' Medea, Marina Carr blends the mythic with the modern, populating the Bog of Cats with misfits, witches, and ghosts. Following the highly successful run of their Ivey Award-winning production of The Pillowman during the Guthrie's 2007-2008 season, Frank returns to the Dowling Studio to bring its fearless, take-no-prisoners style to this bold and uproarious play.

Tickets for Guthrie Girls Night, a new Wednesday 3-play subscription package, are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office. Gather the girls and pick three upcoming performances for $90 ($30 per show), earning full subscriber benefits for the remaining 2008-09 season. This mid-week series includes an exclusive pre-show party in the Target Lounge, featuring a delicious complimentary cocktail, spa services from Aveda Institute and music from DJ Eric Lovold. Give reality the night off and continue the girl bonding in the theater, as the drama takes to the stage. Guthrie Girls Nights packages are only available in-person or by phone at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE.

Tickets for the final six Target Play Dates of the 2008-09 season will go on sale Wednesday, January 7 through the Guthrie Box Office. Presented in partnership with Target, this wildly popular event lets kids take part in an afternoon of classes taught by Guthrie teaching artists, while the rest of the family gets $15 reduced-price tickets to that afternoon's matinee performance. Target Play Date tickets are only available in-person or by phone at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE.

The Guthrie announced today that actor Tom Tammi has left its production of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance for personal reasons. The role of Tobias will be played by Guthrie veteran Raye Birk, who recently concluded his fourth consecutive year as Scrooge in the theater's perennial holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol.

Tickets for the final six Target Play Dates of the 2008-09 season will go on sale Wednesday, January 7 through the Guthrie Box Office. Presented in partnership with Target, this wildly popular event lets kids take part in an afternoon of classes taught by Guthrie teaching artists, while the rest of the family gets $15 reduced-price tickets to that afternoon's matinee performance. Target Play Date tickets are only available in-person or by phone at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE.

In 2008, the Guthrie was abuzz with new works and classic favorites in a busy 12-month lineup that included 19 productions across three stages. From starry world premieres to intimate studio engagements, we welcomed artists and audiences from around the globe to our world-class facility boldly nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River. In addition to the 13 Guthrie productions in 2008, we're proud to have presented the work of six other local theater companies. As the year comes to a close, we look back on the remarkable accomplishments of our cast, crew, staff and volunteers.

Veteran Guthrie actors Sally Wingert and Richard Ooms team with director Rob Melrose for Samuel Beckett's masterful two-character drama Happy Days. The production, which serves as the Dowling Studio debut for both actors, begins previews February 14, opens February 18 and plays through March 8, 2009. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night priced at $34. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.)