Todd M. Kryger, Alexis Rogers to Star in Court's PORGY & BESS

Chicago's Court Theatre has announced casting for Porgy and Bess which is set to run May 12 - June 19. The cast will include: Todd M. Kryger (Porgy), Alexis Rogers (Bess), Karla Beard (Serena), Bear Bellinger (Peter), Sean Blake (Sportin' Life), James Earl Jones II (Crown), Brian-Alwyn Newland (Robbins), Harriet Nzinga Plumpp (Clara), Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Jim), Bethany Thomas (Maria), Travis Turner (Mingo), Adrienne Walker (Annie), and Byron Glenn Willis (Jake).

Porgy and Bess remains George Gershwin's magnum opus, with an unforgettable score that includes songs ("Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So") later recorded by popular musicians from Billie Holiday to Ella Fitzgerald. Coming off their 2008 Jeff Award-winning production of Caroline, or Change, Charles Newell and Doug Peck come face-to-face with one of the greatest-and most controversial-pieces of American music theater ever created. Often denounced as a racially insensitive portrayal of black southerners, Newell and Peck, in collaboration with Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson and an outstanding, will present a thoughtful, never-before-seen retelling of Gershwin and Heyward's"folk opera" Porgy and Bess, a classic but contested piece of American theater history.

Established in 1955, Court Theatre is the professional theatre on campus at the University of Chicago. Court works to fulfill this mission first through the rigorous exploration of dramatic texts, including the African-American canon and Musical Theatre Works; second by expanding the canon of classic theatre through initiatives such as the Barbara E. Franke Commissioning Program for New Classics; and third, by ongoing institutional strategic planning, which currently includes the possibility of an expanded, state-of-the-art facility. In all of its work, Court strives to sustain an artistic environment conducive to deeply creative work.

Named "the most consistently excellent theater company in America" by The Wall Street Journal, Court has a national reputation for excellence and innovation. Through five adventurous and compelling main stage productions per season, as well as a wealth of free symposia, post-performance discussions and education programs, it endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by thoroughly examining and imaginatively re-envisioning classic works to illuminate timeless themes and uncover immediately relevant messages.

For additional information, visit: http://www.courttheatre.org/