B Street Theatre Presents $9.00 at 9:00 pm Performance of BECOMING DR. RUTH 1/21

Mark St. Germain's solo play about celebrity sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer received it's World Premiere at Barrington Stage Company in June 2012. The production was met with much success and went out to play at TheatreWorks Hartford before moving to New York. In October of 2013, Becoming Dr. Ruth received its Off-Broadway premiere at the Westside Theatre. Actress Debra Jo Rupp, who originated the role Off-Broadway, received both Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations for her portrayal of Dr. Ruth.

Following the Off-Broadway run, Becoming Dr. Ruth received an engagement at Penguin Rep in Stony Point, NY and then went on to be produced at acclaimed regional theatres such as Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

Becoming Dr. Ruth and B Street Theatre

B Street Theatre is thrilled to present Mark St. Germain's illuminating one-woman play Becoming Dr. Ruth as the fifth production in our 2016 - 2017 Mainstage Season.

Mark St. Germain has written many plays that capture the lives of giants such Sigmund Freud, Ernest Hemingway, and Henry Ford. Germain's play Freud's Last Session, which imagines a debate between the legendary psychoanalyst and C.S Lewis, received critical and popular success as a part of B Street's 2011 - 2012 B3 Series Season. While Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer may not carry as much historial weight as Sigmund Freud, Germain artfully shows us that her life was often surprising, eventful and humorous, making her the perfect theatrical subject.

Actress Anne O'Sullivan, who understudied the role of Dr. Ruth in the Off-Broadway production and then went on to play Dr. Ruth in Penguin Rep's production, will join us to reprise the role for our upcoming production. Anne's portrayal of the renowned sex therapist received a rave review in the New York Times and we are delighted that she will bring Dr. Ruth to life on B Street Mainstage. Our long-time patrons will remember Anne's performance in Park Your Car in Harvard Yard by Israel Horovitz which was presented on the B Street Mainstage in the 1993 - 1994 season.

Producing Artistic Director Buck Busfield is looking forward to Anne's return for B Street's Becoming Dr. Ruth: "Anne is a wonderful actress and someone who has seen much success in this business. When I read the rave review of her portrayal of Dr. Ruth in the New York Times, I knew that we needed to schedule this production into our season based on her availability to perform the role. I'm so glad that it could work out for her to share this exciting character with our audiences."

The Playwright

Mark St. Germain:

Mark St. Germain's play Freud's Last Session ran for two years Off-Broadway, closing July 24th, 2012. The play has been open in Argentina since January 2012 and in repertory in Sweden, Australia and Denmark. His play Becoming Dr. Ruth premiered in July 2012 at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires, played at Hartford Theaterworks, and was brought to NYC to the Westside Theatre. Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah co-premiered in the summer of 2013 at the Contemporary American Theater Festival and Barrington Stage Company. His play The Best of Enemies, first produced by the Barrington Stage Company, is now being produced throughout the country. The Fabulous Lipitones, a musical comedy co-written with John Markus, premiered at the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta in summer, 2013, and then at Goodspeed Playhouse. Mark's other plays include Camping with Henry and Tom (Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards), Ears on a Beatle, The God Committee, Out of Gas on Lover's Leap, and Dancing Lessons (premiered at the Barrington Stage Festival). Mark wrote the Tammy Wynette Musical Stand by Your Man, which began at the Ryman Theater in Nashville. With composer Charles Strouse, he co-wrote the book for his adaption of Dreiser's American Tragedy. With composer Randy Courts, Mark has written the perennial musical The Gifts of the Magi as well as Johnny Pye and the Foolkiller (AT&T Award Grant) and Jack's Holiday (Playwrights Horizons). Television work includes Writer/Creative Consultant for The Cosby Show and Dick Wolf's Crime and Punishment. He co-wrote director Carroll Ballard's film Duma and produced and directed the documentary My Dog, An Unconditional Love Story, with Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Edward Albee and others. Mark also wrote the award winning children's book Three Cups. Mark is an Associate Artist of the Barrington Stage Company, a recipient of the William Inge Festival's New Voices Award, and a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writer's Guild East. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists.

The Cast

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer: Anne O'Sullivan - Anne O'Sullivan celebrates more than 40 years as a professional working actor with performances in over 90 productions. She has performed on Broadway, off Broadway and regionally in plays at The McCarter Theatre, Williamstown, Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Old Globe, Bay St. Theatre, Yale Rep, Hartford Stage, and Actors Theatre of Louisville among others. Ms. O'Sullivan has had roles written for her by Jose Rivera, David Ives, James Still and Keith Alan Benjamin. She received a grant from The Spencer Cherashore Fund to research and play Mary Harris Jones, also known as Mother Jones. The commissioned play Mrs. Jones is a part of that epic story. She was featured in the 2011 film We Need to Talk About Kevin, starring Tilda Swinton. Other films include: 1937, a short film in which she co-starred with Olek Krupa; Speed; and The Mirror Has Two Faces. On TV, Ms. O'Sullivan has had many guest roles on "Law & Order" (all three), "Sex and The City," "Third Watch," "Cosby," "ER," and "Models, Inc." (featured regular)

More about B Street Theatre: B Street Theatre is a non-profit, professional theatre company producing primarily new work for adults, families and children. The two-theatre playhouse on B Street in Midtown Sacramento is home to the Mainstage Series, B3 Series and Family Series, each created to feature intimate, quality theatre for audiences year-round. Recognized as one of the nation's top professional theatres, B Street Theatre has produced more than 100 new plays, 60 of which are world, national, West Coast or regional premieres.

B Street Theatre was originally founded in 1986 for the purpose of bringing the excitement of live performance to children through the B Street Theatre School Tour. This educational outreach program serves over 200,000 students in Northern California annually.

B Street Theatre programs include the Mainstage Series, B Street Theatre Family Series and Family Series Student Matinees (for school field trips), the B3 Series, B Street School Tours, Sketch Comedy, B Street Acting Conservatory and Studio for Young People, and the B Street Theatre Internship program for pre-professional and post-college training.

In 2014, B Street brought its most popular play ever, Around the World in 80 Days, to India. The original cast performed in 3 Indian cities, furthering the organization's mission by bringing high quality theatre to an international audience, while also raising money for Indian educational enrichment and schools and partnering with an overseas performing arts center with the hope of future international collaboration.

B Street Theatre has produced over 250 professional productions since 1986. 2016 marks B Street's 30th anniversary season.

More information at www.bstreettheatre.org.

The mission of B Street Theatre is to promote education and literacy, social interaction, and cultural enrichment by engaging children and adults in the highest quality theatre arts and playwriting.

Photo Credit: Rudy Meyers Photography