Simon, Uhry, Stoppard to Make Conversation at the Guthrie

The Guthrie has announced that legendary dramatists Neil Simon, Alfred Uhry and Tom Stoppard, whose groundbreaking plays are part of the Guthrie's 2006-07 season, will each visit the theater for speaking engagements this year. This season's "In Conversation series" will feature Neil Simon on Sunday, October 8, followed by Alfred Uhry on Monday, November 6. Tom Stoppard will appear at the Guthrie for the first time as this year's Global Voices speaker on Monday, December 18.

"From the inaugural season in 1963, when Arthur Miller first came to Minneapolis see his work on the Guthrie stage, we've been proud to welcome great playwrights to the Twin Cities," Guthrie Director Joe Dowling said. "We're thrilled to continue that tradition with three remarkable writers whose work is a part of this historic season."

"The Guthrie's In Conversation series offers an opportunity to hear from playwrights, artists and cultural leaders. In Conversation topics are directly tied to current or upcoming work on the Guthrie stage. The Global Voices annual forum brings world renowned artists to the Guthrie stage for dialogue and inspiration. Past Global Voices speakers have included Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, Stephen Sondheim and Mikhail Baryshnikov," according to press notes.

On Sunday, October 8 at 2:00 p.m., Neil Simon will join Director Joe Dowling for an "In Conversation" on the Wurtele Thrust Stage, where Simon's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Lost in Yonkers, directed by Gary Gisselman, will play from September 23 through November 12. Simon has had dozens of plays and nearly as many major motion pictures produced. He has garnered more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer and is the only playwright to have four Broadway productions running simultaneously.

"Rich in the comedy for which its author is famous, Lost in Yonkers tells the touching Story of an eccentric New York family in crisis in the summer of 1942. As only he can, Simon grapples with a most painful reality — what happens to children in the absence of love — in his droll yet heartfelt way."

On Monday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m., Pulitzer Prize-winner Alfred Uhry will join director Mark Lamos and Father Michael O'Connell of the Basilica of St. Mary for an "In Conversation" on the McGuire Proscenium Stage, where his much anticipated play Edgardo Mine will run from November 4 through December 17. Uhry has the distinguishing honor of being the first American writer to win a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award and a Tony Award.  He is the author of Driving Miss Daisy – both the Pulitzer Prize-winning play and the Academy Award-winning film adaptation – as well as the play The Last Night of Ballyhoo and the book for the musical Parade. His new play Edgardo Mine is based on the book The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara by David I. Kertzer and will be directed by Mark Lamos.

"Based on a compelling true story, Uhry's play is set in 1850s Italy where under Papal law a Christian cannot be raised by Jews. After being secretly baptized by a housemaid, the young Edgardo is taken from his Jewish parents and raised as a Catholic. As the ensuing battle for Edgardo's custody rages, his mother suffers her own crisis of faith as she clashes with the church, her husband and eventually Edgardo himself in a fight for his soul."

On Monday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m., Tom Stoppard will appear at the Guthrie for the first time, as this year's Global Voices speaker. This annual forum brings world renowned artists to the Guthrie stage for dialogue and inspiration. "From the overnight sensation of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to the success of his screenplay (with Marc Norman) for Shakespeare in Love, Stoppard has been acclaimed as one of the most important dramatic writers working today. Audiences in the 1960s and 1970s delighted in his wit and cleverness, although they occasionally questioned whether the playwright could apply his genius to real life problems such as love and passion. The Real Thing ended such speculation while confirming his reputation for stylistic experimentation and innovation. The Guthrie has been committed to Stoppard's work for many years, having presented productions of The Invention of Love (2000-01) and On the Razzle (1985-86) as well as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1976-77)." The Real Thing, under the direction of Joe Dowling, is currently running on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.

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 recently moved to their new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Tickets will be available through the Guthrie Theater Box Office at 612-377-2224, toll-free 1-877-44-STAGE and online at www.guthrietheater.org.  The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptionsm, visit online, call the Guthrie Theater Box Office between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at (612) 377-2224 or toll-free (877) 44 STAGE.
 

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