The Glendale Centre Theatre continues its 2012 season with the heartwarming and poignant Tony Award-nominated On Golden Pond starring stage and screen veterans Andrew Prine and Salome Jens, July 12 through August 11, 2012 at the Glendale Centre Theatre in Glendale, Calif.
With direction by distinguished TV, film and theatre actress/director/acting coach
Gloria Gifford,
Ernest Thompson's Academy Award winning family comedy drama explores the triumphs and difficulties faced by a couple helping each other into the advancing chill of their last years and the daughter who is desperately trying to establish a deeper relationship with her hard-to-please father before time runs out. Yes, the loons are back on Golden Pond, and so are Norman Thayer (
Andrew Prine) and Ethel Thayer (
Salome Jens)... as the retired professor and his feisty wife. Returning to their annual lakeside cottage in Maine, their summer is unexpectedly transformed by a visit from their middle-aged daughter Chelsea Thayer (portrayed by Brenda Dietlein), her fiance Bill Ray (portrayed by Blake Boyd), and his 13 year old son Billly Ray, Jr. (portrayed by
Adam Simon Krist). Bill Stevenson (Charlie) and Varda Appleton (u/s Chelsea Thayer) complete the cast of seven.
Andrew Prine (Norman Thayer) - Well-known for military/western dramas, Prine was first seen in Kiss Her Goodbye (1959). He has since starred in over 30 films and made over 80 guest starring appearances. Appearing on Broadway, he soared to recognition in the leading role of the Pulitzer Prize winning play, Look Homeward Angel, and in his film role in the Academy award winning The Miracle Worker (1962). When Westerns were king on television, he was one of Hollywood's most sought after stars, appearing almost every week on television, including a number of appearances on the long running hit series Gunsmoke. Other series appearances included The Wide Country (1962) with Earl Holliman, The Road West (1966) with
Barry Sullivan, and W.E.B. (1978), in which he portrayed television network executive Dan Costello. Adept at comedy, he co-starred in the series Room For Two (1992), and was featured in the cast of, Wierd Science (1994). Additional television shows on which he has appeared include
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Alcoa Theatre, U.S. Steel Hour, and Profiles In Courage, to popular weekly shows; The Fugitive, Hawaii Five O, Dr. Kildare, Barnaby Jones, Quincy, Murder She Wrote, In The Heat Of The Night and the SCI FI genre, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Next Generation and V. He has also worked with such Hollywood legends as
John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart,
Dean Martin,
Raquel Welch,
Henry Fonda,
Anne Bancroft,
Glenn Ford,
Carl Reiner, and
Ben Johnson, in Western theatrical feature films such as The Devil's Brigade (1968 with
William Holden,
Cliff Robertson, Richard Jaeckel and Claude Atkins; Chisum (1970), Bandelero! (1968), Texas Across The River (1966), and Gettysburg (1993). A member of the prestigious Actor's Studio, Andrew's work in theatre includes Long Day's Journey Into Night with
Charlton Heston and
Deborah Kerr, The Caine Mutiny directed by
Henry Fonda, and
Sam Shepard's Buried Child where he received his second Dramalogue Critics Award for Best Actor in A Leading role. Andrew's most recent television work includes: Saving Grace, with
Holly Hunter, CSI (Directed by
Quentin Tarantino - Emmy Award), Boston Legal, Six Feet Under, plus the television pilot Hollis And Rae and Conversations With
Andrew Prine shown on The Western Channel. Displaying his acting range by portraying a variety of characters in his long career, Mr. Prine is considered one of Hollywood's consummate actors.
Salome Jens (Ethel Thayer) - Ms. Jens began studies with
Herbert Berghof and dance work with
Martha Graham. She later managed to switch to acting classes with teacher
Lee Strasberg. After several unsuccessful attempts, she won a place in the Actor's Studio training workshop. Her stage debut was in 1956, and, after a couple of years, she began landing off-Broadway roles. Jens also made some performances at her hometown's Swan Theatre (later known as the Milwaukee Rep). was a founding member of Lincoln Center's early repertory company. Whilst there, she appeared in
Elia Kazan's premiere of
Arthur Miller's After The Fall, his Tartuffe and But For Whom Charlie. Her first film appearance was in 1961's Angel Baby, also Burt Reynold's first movie. In 1966, Jens had her most famous screen appearance, as Norma Marcus in Seconds, the
Rock Hudson sci-fi movie. Jens has appeared in a range of films and TV shows since then including Me. Natalie in 1969, Savages (1972), Medical Center between 1970 and 1975 and
Mary Hartman,
Mary Hartman between 1976 and 1977. She then appeared in the TV show From Here to Eternity in 1980, TV film
Grace Kelly in 1983 and Cagney and Lacey in 1986. Amongst her many awards, Jens has picked up several L.A. Dramalogue Awards and San Francisco Bay Area's Critics' Awards, the latter for About Anne. She has won the Clarence Award for The Balcony and the Straw Hat award for And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little and a Chicago Critics Award for A Moon for the Misbegotten. Jens was the narrator of the acclaimed eight-hour 1996 mini-series The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century, now known as 1914-1918.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Gloria Gill serves as Director. Costumes:
Angela Wood. Set Design and Lighting Design is by Tim Dietlein. Nathan J. Milisavljevich: Sound Design. Paul Reid: Stage Manager. Tim Dietlein oversees Stage Management; serves as the GCT's Artistic Director. Tim Dietlein and Brenda Dietlein also serve as Producers. Publicity and Public Relations:
Michael Sterling & Associates.
Performances are July 12 through August 11 and will be presented Thursday – Saturday Evenings at 8:00 pm with Saturday matinees at 3:00 pm. Additional matinees will be presented Sunday, July 22 and Sunday, July 29 at 3:00 pm.
Tickets range between $20 - $25, pending the date and time of the performance. Children 14 and under are $12. Discount rates are available for groups of 15 or more. The Glendale Centre Theatre is located at 324 N. Orange St., Glendale, CA 91203. Reservations and/or ticket purchases may be made by calling (818) 244-8481, or online at
www.glendalecentretheatre.com. Box Office hours are Monday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.
