Burtenshaw Replaces Farthing in Athena Theatre Company's TRUE WEST

Athena Theatre Company has announced that Sally Burtenshaw will replace Ann Farthing in the role of Mom in the production of Sam Shepard's True West currently playing thru February 14 at Theatre Row.

Sally Burtenshaw (Mother) appeared in twelve plays at the HB Playwrights Foundation-most notably in Horton Foote's Blind Date opposite Sandy Dennis-and Easter (Strindberg) opposite Herbert Berghof. She appeared Off-Broadway in producer Timothy Childs' production of Six Characters in Search of an Author. In London she played in Christopher Fry's A Phoenix Too Frequent, which Mr. Fry directed. She has also appeared in the UK in various roles on TV and commercials for Ridley Scott Productions. Having just directed Sam Shepard's The Holy Ghostly and Fourteen Hundred Thousand at the 45th Street Theatre, Sally is now delighted to be playing the role of Mom in True West for Athena Theatre Company. A UK native, she came to New York originally to study with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof and was a recipient of a Mike Nichols Scholarship Award.

The award-winning, critically acclaimed Athena Theatre is entering its seventh season, proud to present their first production for the 2010 season in NYC, Sam Shepard's True West will play Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm at Theatre Row. The production opened on Thursday, January 28th thru February 14. 

True West will also feature original music by Andrew Edwards, Chicago-based Film and Theatre composer. He has scored independent films in New York City, Chicago, and LA, including Sans Pertinence (dir. Derek Lake) and Blackout (dir. Tim Munson). Off-Broadway, his musical, Fitz & Walloughs Get It In The End! enjoyed a successful 6-week run in 2007. He has released 3 LP's with his band, Cellardoor, including Distance (2006). Most recently, his scores for the short films Nancy Picks and Chooses and Love in Chains went to Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Competition.

Since its inception in 2003, the Athena Theatre has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Its primary goal is to present theatrical experiences that "entertain, inform, enlighten, question and deepen audience awareness to vital modern issues."

Pulitzer Prize Winning playwright, Sam Shepard, Obie Award Winning and Tony Award Nominee for his classic American play, True West; centers around the confrontation of two brothers. There is a possibility that these two brothers are different aspects of one personality, or that they are not people but symbols of the American West.
True West is about the sibling rivalry between two estranged brothers who have reconnected. Austin, the younger brother, is a Hollywood screenwriter writing a screenplay while house sitting for his mother, who is vacationing in Alaska. His older brother, Lee, appears at the house after the two have not seen each other for years. Lee is a drifter and thief and has been living in the desert. The two are not on good terms, but Austin attempts to appease his older brother, who is more dominant.

True West was first performed at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, where Shepard was the resident playwright. It had its world premiere there on July 10, 1980. The production later moved to Joseph Papp's The Public Theater in New York City, where it starred Tommy Lee Jones and Peter Boyle.

It was revived by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with then fairly unknown actors Gary Sinise (who also directed the production) and John Malkovich playing the leads. With Shepard's approval, this production made a big splash when it transferred to New York, where it opened at Cherry Lane Theatre. It ran for 762 performances and, later in the run, the leads were taken over by James Belushi, Gary Cole, Erik Estrada, Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid. The production was so successful that a television recording (featuring Sinise and Malkovich) aired on PBS.
In 2000, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly played the leads on Broadway, where they switched parts every so often during the run. They solicited to share a single joint Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for the production, but were instead each nominated individually. This revival was also nominated for Best Play and Best Director (Matthew Warchus).
In 2003, Wilson Milam took a lavish and updated production (replacing the smashing of a typewriter with a modern working laptop, and using 20 working toasters) to the Bristol Old Vic The production caused the Bristol Old Vic to remove the first 3 rows of seats for fear that the audience would be harmed and installed a Perspex shield for safety reasons. It did however receive much critical acclaim from the British National Press and was cited as Pick of the Week in The Guardian newspaper (October 27, November 2, 2003).

Bruce Willis starred in another television production that aired on the Showtime cable channel.

Sam Shepard (Playwright) is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play, Buried Child. As a film actor, Shepard is perhaps best known for his Academy Award nominated portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983). His screenplay for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas garnered him a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 1986, Shepard was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy in 1992. In 1994 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. Of his more than forty-five plays, eleven of them have won Obie Awards. He was nominated for two Tony Awards for Buried Child in 1996, and for True West in 2000. For his performance as Dashiell Hammett in the 1999 TV movie Dash and Lilly he received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for "Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie". He has also won a Drama Desk Award for his play A Lie of the Mind. His most recent accolade was a 2008 SAG nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries" for his performance as Frank Whiteley in Ruffian.

Jen Forcino (Director) Roger Williams University started her career at St. Croix Festival Theatre in Wisconsin. Jen has been an actor in many projects including Maggie from "Dancing at Lughnasa" + Petunia in "Happiest of the Three" (St. Croix Festival Theatre). She has directed Tennessee Williams' "Hello, From Bertha", Chekhov's "The Bear" and Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler". She has been involved in the New York theater scene for over eight years and in that time she has been privately coaching actors in scene study and monologue preparations. Jen was the sole theatre critic for the paper "Brookkynville."

Set design: Stefan Depner; Lighting Design: Ross Graham; Costume Design: Susan Voelker; Set Dressing/Propmaster: Carolyn Bonanni; Sound Engineer: Colin Whitely; Composer: Andrew Edwards

Brionne Davis* (Lee) has starred or had principle roles in over 25 independent films including the role of the serial hick killer in the Warner Brother's film "REST STOP II", Hallmark's "PANDEMIC", the festival award winning "SYSTOLIC" and "AGENT FIVE". His theatrical credits include his very own "A NOBLE EXILE" a one man show produced in Los Angeles and New York inspired by the characters of Tennessee Williams. "SHAME" another one man show, and many more original productions across the country. Other, more familiar, roles include; Happy in "DEATH OF A SALESMAN", Edmond in "LONG DAYS JOURNEY...", Harry in "LUV", Constantine in "BIG LOVE", and Action in "WEST SIDE STORY". He has performed with the LA Comedy Connection in sketch and improvisation productions. His education: Harding University, HB Actors Studio in NY, and the Aaron Speiser Master Student Program in Los Angeles. He is currently shooting another feature film "WITCHES OF OZ" (www.blackthornpictures.com). More information at www.brionnedavis.com
Ryan Spahn* (Austin) Lila Cante (At Hand Theatre Company), Sick (Berkshire Theatre Festival), BogWog (O'Neill Playwrights Festival), End Days (Vineyard Playhouse), A Christmas Carol (Meadowbrook Theatre), LA Premiere of Stupid Kids (LA Weekly Award, LADCC Nomination, Celebration Theatre), LA Premiere of Act A Lady (Stage Scene LA Award, Sacred Fools), Romeo and Juliet (Theatre @ Boston Court and Shakespeare/LA), This is Not What I Ordered (Zephyr Theatre), Good Thing (Ojai Playwrights Festival). Film/TV: Scream of the Bikini, Shelf Life, Polish Wedding, Lovers, Liars, and Lunatics, Star Trek: Voyager, Ugly Betty, As the World Turns, General Hospital, Tanner on Tanner (recurring). Graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. Thanks to everybody involved!

Sally Burtenshaw (Mother) appeared in twelve plays at the HB Playwrights Foundation-most notably in Horton Foote's Blind Date opposite Sandy Dennis-and Easter (Strindberg) opposite Herbert Berghof. She appeared Off-Broadway in producer Timothy Childs' production of Six Characters in Search of an Author. In London she played in Christopher Fry's A Phoenix Too Frequent, which Mr. Fry directed. She has also appeared in the UK in various roles on TV and commercials for Ridley Scott Productions. Having just directed Sam Shepard's The Holy Ghostly and Fourteen Hundred Thousand at the 45th Street Theatre, Sally is now delighted to be playing the role of Mom in True West for Athena Theatre Company. A UK native, she came to New York originally to study with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof and was a recipient of a Mike Nichols Scholarship Award.

With Shawn Shafner.

Tickets priced at $18 General Admission. Complimentary tickets are available for Industry Guests and AEA Members with current ID. www.TicketCentral.com 212.279.4200