Barrington Stage to Welcome David Schramm, Ed Dixon & More for Upcoming Productions

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, announces initial casting for its 2015 season schedule.

Barrington Stage opens the 2015 St. Germain Stage season with the Regional Premiere of Richard Strand's Butler, directed by Joseph Discher in his BSC debut. Butler will be presented from May 14 - June 13 at the St. Germain Stage, with a press opening on Sunday, May 17 at 3pm.

Butler stars David Schramm (Broadway Finian's Rainbow/TV Wings) as Major General Benjamin Butler, Ben Cole (BSC debut) as Lt. Kelly, Maurice Jones (BSC debut) as Shepard Mallory, and John Hickok (BSC's Pool Boy) as Major Cary.

Based on actual events that changed the lives of over 10,000 slaves, Butler is set at the beginning of the Civil War and follows Major General Benjamin Butler, who has just been given command of Fort Monroe in Virginia. The inexperienced but shrewd Butler meets his match when an equally shrewd runaway slave enters the fort and asks for asylum. Uproariously funny, witty and very moving, Butler is the recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Butler is sponsored by Jude Sabot/Cricket Creek Farms, and sponsored in part by Dr Art and Terry Wasser.

Performance dates for the previously announced Boyd-Quinson Mainstage production season opener Man of La Mancha will be June 10 through July 11. The press opening is Sunday, June 14 at 5pm.

Man of La Mancha features a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. One of the world's most popular musicals, Man of La Mancha, the 'Impossible Dream' musical, is based on Cervantes' 17th century masterpiece Don Quixote, and tells the adventures of a delusional Spanish knight who sallies forth to restore order in the world and reclaim his lady love. 2015 marks the 50th Anniversary of Man La Mancha opening on Broadway where it won 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Jeff McCarthy (BSC's Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, All My Sons, Follies) stars as Cervantes/Don Quixote, Felicia Boswell(Motown/Memphis) as Aldonza/Dulcinea and Tom Alan Robbins (The Lion King) as Sancho.

The cast features Ed Dixon (Judge Turpin in BSC's Sweeney Todd) as the Governor/Innkeeper, Tony nominee Meg Bussert as the Housekeeper, Todd Horman as the Padre/Capt of Inquisition, Sean MacLaughlin as Dr. Carrasco/Duke, Rosalie Burke as Antonia, Chris Ramirez as Pedro, Lexi Janz as Fermina/Gypsy dancer, Jonathan Spivey as the Barber, and Parker Krug,Reed Luplau, Louie Napoleon, Lyonel Reneau and Joseph Torello as the muleteers.

Artistic Director Julianne Boyd directs. Joining the creative team, Greg Graham choreographs in his BSC debut. Associate Artists Darren R. Cohen and Renee Lutz will be respectively the Musical Director/Conductor and Production Stage Manager.

Man of La Mancha is sponsored by Cynthia and Randolph Nelson, and sponsored in part by Bonnie and Terry Burman and The Feigenbaum Foundation.

Barrington Stage will present Conor McPherson's Shining City from June 18 to July 12 with a press opening Sunday, June 21 at 3pm.

Directed by BSC Associate Artist Christopher Innvar (BSC's The Other Place, The Whipping Man), the production stars Mark H. Dold (BSC's Breaking the Code) as Ian and John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, American Horror Story: Freak Show) as John,Patrick Ball (BSC Debut) as Laurence, Deanna Gibson (BSC Debut) as Neasa, A Dubliner seeks help from a counselor after claiming to have seen the ghost of his recently deceased wife. As their sessions unfold, secrets are exposed in this thriller where a simple tale turns out to be anything but. The New York Times described it as a "quiet, haunting and absolutely glorious new play... as close to perfection as contemporary playwriting gets."

Shining City is sponsored by The Claudia and Steven Perles Family Foundation, and sponsored in part by Sydelle and Lee Blatt.

For ticket and performance information, call the BSC Box Office at (413) 236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org.

Photo by Jennifer Broski

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