Single Tickets For PPT's ELLA Go On Sale 8/4, $15 Tickets Avaliable For Ages 26 And Younger

Single tickets for Pittsburgh Public Theater's big season-opener, Ella, go on sale Tues., Aug. 4 at 10 am. This hit bio-musical about the life and songs of Ella Fitzgerald runs Oct. 1 through Nov. 1 at the O'Reilly Theater. Directed by Rob Ruggiero, Ella will be played by Tina Fabrique. Joining her onstage are Harold Dixon as manager Norman Granz and an ensemble of actor/musicians. Single tickets are $40 to $60.

Also available are $15 tickets for age 26 and younger and students, and group discounts. In addition, subscription packages for the 09/10 season are still available. To read a recent Variety story about the phenomenal success of Ella, click here. Single tickets for the rest of Pittsburgh Public Theater's 35th anniversary season go on sale Tues., Sept. 8. Prices range from $35 to $60 (also available are $15 tickets for age 26 and younger and students, and group discounts). For tickets and info call 412.316.1600 or visit ppt.org.

Producing Artistic Director Ted Pappas said that the previously announced Talley's Folly will not be produced during The Public's 09/10 season because the rights to the play have been pulled in anticipation of a Broadway revival. In its place will be The Price, a dynamic drama by American master playwright Arthur Miller. Pappas also announced that The Price will be directed by Tracy Brigden, well-known to local audiences as Artistic Director of City Theatre on Pittsburgh's South Side. Running March 4 through April 4, 2010, The Price is set in a Manhattan brownstone where two estranged brothers and a venerable antiques dealer meet to clean out the attic, and in the process assess the cost of a lifetime's worth of choices. Pappas said that after the success of Eugene O'Neill's essential classic A Moon for the Misbegotten this past season, he believes The Price will have wide appeal.

Pappas also announced the complete cast of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes, running Nov. 12 through Dec. 13. Joining Helena Ruoti (in the role of Regina) will be married couple and Public Theater favorites Deirdre Madigan and Ross Bickell. Madigan (Mary Stuart) will play the vulnerable Birdie and Bickell (The Gin Game) will appear as the conniving businessman Ben Hubbard. Recent Carnegie Mellon graduate Lara Hillier (Metamorphoses) will appear as Regina's daughter Alexandra and playing her father, Horace, will be New York-based actor Michael McKenzie (Oedipus the King). The wicked father and son Oscar and Leo Hubbard will be played by last year's Post-Gazette Performer of the Year John Shepard (Oscar), and Chris Landis (Leo), originally from Pittsburgh and now working in New York. Rounding out the cast are Pittsburgh-based actors Linda Haston as Addie, Wali Jamal as Cal, and Philip Winters as William Marshall.

Scenic designer James Noone (Metamorphoses) will design sets for The Little Foxes and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Jan. 21 - Feb. 21, 2010), both of which Pappas will direct. Pappas announced that Puck will be played by Harris Doran, best known to The Public's audience as Mozart in Amadeus and The Emcee in Cabaret. Also returning is Broadway actor John Ahlin (Much Ado About Nothing at The Public) in the role of Bottom. Another recent Post-Gazette Performer of the Year, David Whalen, will double as Oberon and Theseus.

Pittsburgh Public Theater is a vibrant professional theater company whose home is the O'Reilly Theater, in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District. Led by Producing Artistic Director Ted Pappas, The Public's upcoming 35th season will include eight world-class productions, unique educational programs for children and adults, and outreach initiatives designed to enrich the community.

For tickets and information call 412.316.1600 or visit www.ppt.org