Dana Ivey, Cynthia Harris and More Set for TACT's KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE Talk Back Series

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre, the critically-acclaimed company that "reveals, reclaims and reimagines great plays of literary merit," and named "2012 Company of the Year" by Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal, has announced a series of post performance discussions to follow select performances of its production of The Killing of Sister George by Frank Marcus.

Directed by TACT Company Member Drew Barr, performances began at Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street - between 9th & 10th Avenues) on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014. Opening night is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7th. Performances will continue through Saturday, November 1.

In The Killing of Sister George, gin-swilling, cigar-chomping June Buckridge plays the beloved Sister George on the popular BBC Radio drama, Applehurst. When it looks like BBC executives might kill off Sister George to raise ratings, June's precarious personal world heads into a tailspin.

In addition to regularly scheduled talk-backs with the director and cast following every Sunday 2pm matinee performance of The Killing of Sister George, the company will present a special talk-back series focused on women in the theatre and their important contribution to the fields of performance, direction, production and management.

The series is as follows:

Friday, October 10 (immediately following the 8:00pm performance)
A CONVERSATION WITH DANA IVEY
In conversation with Billy DiMichele
Tony Award-winning actress Dana Ivey is one of our most versatile and admired actresses. Known for her many stage roles, including Sunday in the Park With George and The Last Night in Ballyhoo, and originating the title role in the stage version ofDriving Miss Daisy, Ms. Ivey has also appeared in such notable films as The Color Purple, Sleepless in Seattle, Legally Blonde, and most recently, The Help. We are thrilled to have Ms. Ivey (a friend and supporter of TACT for many years, and a member of the Advisory Council) share her thoughts and experiences as a working actress.
TACT Advisory Council member Billy DiMichele is Vice President, Creative Development at Scholastic, Inc.

Friday, October 17 (immediately following the 8:00pm performance)
A CONVERSATION WITH CYNTHIA HARRIS
In conversation with William E. Grau
With a distinguished acting career in film, television, and theater, TACT Founding member Cynthia Harris's work includes the acclaimed "Edward and Mrs. Simpson" (BAFTA nomination - Best Actress), Isadora, opposite Vanessa Redgrave, and Reuben, Reuben opposite Tom Conti. Television audiences will know her as Sylvia Buchman from the NBC series "Mad About You" (five seasons) and for her recurring roles on "L.A. Law" (three seasons) and "Rescue Me." She has appeared in dozens of TACTproductions including her critically acclaimed performance as Grandma Kurnitz in the Drama Desk nominated production of Lost in Yonkers.
TACT Advisory Council member William E. Grau is a marketing consultant and theatre enthusiast.

Friday, October 24 (immediately following the 8:00 pm performance)
WOMEN IN THEATRE: A CONVERSATION WITH SUSAN BERNFIELD, LISA MCNULTY, REBECCA PATTERSON AND JENN THOMPSON
Moderated by Lauren Miller (Producer, newTACTics New Play Festival)
Throughout history, women have played an important role in the theatre, but it's not until recently that their equality has begun to reach appropriate parity in leadership and management positions. Four visionary women who are shaping the New York theatre scene today - Susan Bernfield (Founder & Producing Artistic Director, New Georges), Lisa McNulty (Producing Director, The Women's Project), Rebecca Patterson (Artistic Director, The Queen's Company) and Jenn Thompson (Co-Artistic Director, TACT) will share their collective experiences on their personal journeys and the progress to come.

Lauren Miller recently joined TACT's staff as Development Associate and Outreach Coordinator.

The talk-backs are free with the purchase of a ticket to The Killing of Sister George. For those who have already seen the show but would like to attend one of these events, please call the TACT office at (212) 645-8228 to make a reservation. Seating is limited and subject to availability.

The Killing of Sister George plays the following performance schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.,Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 & 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 - $59.25 and are available by visiting www.telecharge.com or calling (212) 239-6200. Tickets are also available at the Theatre Row box office (410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues) between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily. To learn about the benefits of TACT membership, visit www.tactnyc.org or call (212) 645-8228.

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre (Scott Alan Evans & Jenn Thompson, Co-Artistic Directors) reveals, reclaims and reimagines great plays of literary merit. TACT's celebrated company of actors was drawn together in 1992 by a love of the literature of the theatre. Since that time, they have grown to become a true ensemble: a group that has developed a common vocabulary and a technique based on their specific artistic vision and collective body of work. TACT Company Members, whose cumulative experience includes scores of significant roles on and off Broadway, in the country's finest regional theatres, and in many films and television shows, have received Emmy, Obie, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards, in addition to several Tony nominations.

Heralded by the Wall Street Journal as "The 2012 Company of the Year," TACT has enjoyed a run of successful productions since it first made its move from its "in-concert" style performances to fully-staged productions in the 2006/07 season. Since that timeTACT has become a celebrated presence Off-Broadway with their presentations of such diverse and critically-acclaimed works as Tennessee Williams' The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, (included in The New York Times "Top 10 Theatre Picks for 2008"), David Storey's Home, The Sea by Edward Bond, Sir Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy, Sidney Howard'sThe Late Christopher Bean, John Cecil Holm and George Abbott's Three Men on a Horse, T.S Eliot's The Cocktail Party (included in the Wall Street Journal's "Best of 2010" list), the 2012 Drama Desk-nominated production of Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers,Anita Loos' Happy Birthday and Brian Friel's Lovers. Last season, the company presented productions of William Inge's Natural Affection and Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy.

Photo Credit: Mareille Solan Photography