McKellen, Wasserstein, Etc. Part of Guthrie's '07-'08 Season

The Guthrie Theatre's 2007-8 season will be its busiest ever, featuring 18 productions. Among the season's highlights are performances by legendary actor Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings trilogy), a new adaptation of Ibsen's epic Peer Gynt directed by Tim Carroll and written by poet Robert Bly, and late playwright Wendy Wasserstein's first-ever play to be staged at the Guthrie.

McKellen will perform in productions of Shakespeare's King Lear and Chekhov's The Seagull with the Royal Shakepseare Company in October. Both shows will be directed by Trevor Nunn.

Pulitzer-Prize winner Wasserstein's final script, Third, follows a a prominent New England university professor in conflict with a third-generation student. The show marks the Minneapolis return of acclaimed director Caser Stangl.

Other highlights include Noel Coward's Private Lives, which will see direction by Peter Rothstein on the McGuire Proscenium stage, Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector for the Wurtele Thrust Stage, and Stacia Rice strarring in the title role of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

The complete 2007-8 season is as follows:

On the Thrust Stage:

Jane Eyre — Directed by John Miller-Stephany, Sept. 8-Nov. 10

King Lear and The Seagull running in repertory — Directed by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Oct. 5-14

A Christmas Carol — Directed by Gary Gisselman, Nov. 20-Dec. 30

Peer Gynt — Translated and adapted by Robert Bly, directed by Tim Carroll, Jan. 12-March 2, 2008

A Midsummer Night's Dream — Directed by Joe Dowling, April 12-June 22, 2008

The Government Inspector — Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by Joe Dowling, July 5-Aug. 24, 2008

On the Proscenium Stage:

Private Lives — Directed by Peter Rothstein, July 21-Sept. 2, 2007

Dancing at Lughnasa — Directed by Joe Dowling, Sept. 22-Nov. 25, 2007

Third — Directed by Casey Stangl, Feb. 16-March 30, 2008

The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde — Directed by Marcela Lorca, May 31-July 13, 2008

In the Studio:

Frank Theatre's The Pillowman — Sept. 20-Oct. 14, 2007

Happy Days — Nov. 3-25, 2007

Emigrant Theater's Blue Door — Jan. 17-27, 2008

Warm Beer, Cold Women, produced and directed by Robert Berdahl — February 2008

9 Parts of Desire — March 1-23, 2008

Flying Foot Forum, new work — May 8-17, 2008

After a Hundred Years — June 7-29, 2008, November 30 at 8 pm

Opening Night: December 1 at 8 pm

For more information, visit www.guthrietheatre.org.

Photo of Ian McKellen by Retna Ltd.