Marc Kudisch to Lead Westport Country Playhouse’s TARTUFFE This July

Three-time Tony Award-nominated actor Marc Kudisch will play the title role in Westport Country Playhouse's July staging of Molière's "Tartuffe," directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director.  Mark Nelson will play Orgon, Nadia Bowers is cast as Elmire, and Patricia Conolly will portray Madame Pernelle. Others in the cast are Justin Adams, Chrissy Albanese,Matthew Amendt, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, Jeremy Lawrence, William Peden, Jeanine Serralles, and Charise Castro Smith. 

"I can't wait to get in a room with this extraordinary cast and this play, one of my favorites and one of the greatest, most perceptive comedies in the canon," said Kennedy.  "Molière was a student of human nature and crafted from his observations some of our most enduring social satires. That's why we keep coming back to his plays again and again-because not only are they wildly funny, but they're deeply, even painfully true."  

Marc Kudisch's Broadway credits are "9 to 5" (Tony, Drama Desk Awards nominations), "The Apple Tree," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (Tony, Outer Critic Circle Awards nominations),  "Assassins" (Drama Desk Award nomination), "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle Award nominations), "Bells Are Ringing," "The Wild Party," "The Scarlet Pimpernel (3.0)," "High Society," "Beauty and the Beast," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and most recently, "A Minister's Wife" at Lincoln Center Theater, and television's "Smash."

Mark Nelson's recent credits include "My Name Is Asher Lev" at Long Wharf Theatre.  He appeared on Broadway in "The Invention of Love," "After the Fall," "Three Sisters" and "A Few Good Men," and played Einstein in Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"(Obie Award).

Nadia Bowers' Broadway credits include "The Farnsworth Invention," "Doubt," and "Metamorphosis." She has appeared Off-Broadway in "Julius Caesar" at The Public Theater. Regionally, she was in "Tartuffe" at San Diego's LaJolla Playhouse.

Patricia Conolly previously appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in "Outward Bound," directed by Doug Hughes.  Her Broadway credits include "Is He Dead?," "Enchanted April," "Waiting in the Wings," "The Sound of Music," "The Circle," "Judgment at Nuremberg," and "A Small Family Business."

Justin Adams (Damis) appeared in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" with The Acting Company.  Regional theater credits include the title roles in "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts 1 and 2," "The Rainmaker," "Amadeus," and "Hamlet."

Charise Castro Smith (Mariane) appeared off-Broadway at The Flea Theater, New Georges, Ars Nova, and The Public Theater. Also a playwright, she is currently a Van Lier Playwriting Fellow at New Dramatists.

Matthew Amendt (Valère) appeared Off-Broadway in "Henry V" in the title role, "The Subject Was Roses," and "The Misanthrope."  He appeared at the Guthrie Theater in 12 productions since 2003, including "The Great Gatsby." He is a 2000 Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (Cléante) was in New York productions of "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk"; "King Lear"; and "The Tempest." On television, he was in "Boardwalk Empire." He won Dallas Theatre Critics, Connecticut Critics Circle and Leon Rabin awards.

Jeanine Serralles (Dorine) appeared Off-Broadway in "The Misanthrope" and "The Black Eyed," for which she received Drama League Award nominations.  For "Hold Please," she earned a Drama Desk Award nomination as Featured Actress.

Jeremy Lawrence (Monsieur Loyal) recently appeared in Westport Country Playhouse's "Into the Woods." He won a Bravo Award for "Lavender Songs Cabaret" at The Duplex. He is internationally acclaimed for his one-man Tennessee Williams shows.

William Peden (Officer) was in "The Great Gatsby" as Tom Buchannan (Arizona Theatre Company) and "Take Me Out" as Kippy (Capital Repertory Theatre).

Chrissy Albanese (Flipote) will be completing her training at NYU/ Tisch CAP21 in the coming year. She has appeared at Ogunquit Playhouse and Arundel Barn Playhouse.

Playing from July 17 – August 4, the performance schedule for "Tartuffe" is Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.  Special series feature Taste of Tuesday, Previews, LGBT Night OUT, Opening Night, Thursday TalkBack, Sunday Symposium, and Backstage Pass.  "Books Worth Talking About," a pre-show discussion with a prominent author, will be presented on Wednesday, July 18, 6:30 p.m.  In addition, The Playhouse will offer an open-captioned performance on Sunday, July 29, 3 p.m., for the hearing impaired.

Subscriptions are available (Pick 3 Plans and FlexTix) offering up to 40% off single tickets.  Single ticket prices, starting at $30, are subject to change based on availability.  Buy early for the best prices. 

"Tartuffe" Production Partners are Judy and Scott Phares; Corporate Production Sponsor is Fidelity Investments; Corporate Production Partner is Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P., Attorneys at Law. 

For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).