Photo Flash: Sneak Peek at Marsha Mason and David Leopold in Bucks County Playhouse's STRAW HAT CINDERELLA; Jubilee Set for 6/30

By: Jun. 10, 2014
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Bucks County Playhouse has announced their Founders Day Diamond Jubilee, a festive community gathering on Monday evening, June 30, 2014 at 7 pm to commemorate the first 75 years of the Playhouse.

The evening will begin with the debut of a new film: Straw Hat Cinderella: Bucks County Playhouse at 75. This original 25-minute documentary produced and directed by Susan Wallner, chronicles the history of the Playhouse's birth, players, productions, and producers, along with its triumphant rebirth through the lens of the record-breaking exhibition on the Playhouse recently on view at the James A. Michener Art Museum.

Narrated by stage and screen star Marsha Mason, the film features historic photographs, paintings and drawings and commentary by curator David Leopold, Playhouse producer Alexander Fraser, Michener Director and CEO Lisa Hanover, and painter Robert Beck. Funded in part by Visit Bucks County, the film will be shown during future tours of the Playhouse. A DVD of the film and an accompanying 40-page catalogue will be available for purchase.

Scroll down for a sneak peek at Mason, Leopold and more!

After the premiere, David Leopold will lead a lively onstage conversation about the Playhouse past, present, and future. Special guests will include those who have intimate knowledge of the Playhouse from its first performance on July 1, 1939 to present and beyond, while sharing special memories and behind-the-scenes Playhouse anecdotes.

This event is General Admission for $7.50 per seat, Monday, June 30th from 7pm - 8:30pm at the Bucks County Playhouse - 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA. Box Office: 215-862-2121 or BcpTheater.org.

Additionally in Playhouse news, it was announced that Marsha Mason would be joining the cast of the upcoming production of Ira Levin's Deathtrap, directed by Evan Cabnet. Marsha will be featured as the mysterious Helga ten Dorp. The full cast and creative team will be announced shortly for the comedy thriller that begins performances on Thursday, June 19.

The Bucks County Playhouse, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is committed to providing the finest in theatrical entertainment for visitors and residents of New Hope and the Bucks County area. The mission of the Bucks County Playhouse is to present first class professional entertainment and regain the Playhouse's historic place in the national theatrical landscape; and to stimulate, support, inspire and celebrate the performing arts in New Hope and Bucks County via our involvement with community programs, partnerships and arts education.

Located 90 minutes from New York City, the Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 on the site of a gristmill dating from the late eighteenth century. Bucks County orchestrator Don Walker and a group of community activists with playwright Moss Hart rallied to save the building and re-opened it as a theatrical venue, which quickly became one of the country's most famous regional theaters, with a veritable who's who of American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, Colleen Dewhurst, Shirley Booth, Lillian Gish, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bert Lahr, Walter Matthau, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Liza Minnelli and Audra McDonald and remained in continuous operation until December 2010.

Terrence McNally's Tony-nominated Mothers and Sons, starring Tyne Daly, received its world premiere at the Bucks County Playhouse and made its leap to Broadway in February 2014, returning the Playhouse to its roots as an incubator for Broadway, including 1951′s The Fourposter starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, Neil Simon's first play Come Blow Your Horn, and Barefoot in the Park starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley.

Thanks to the Bridge Street Foundation, the nonprofit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty, this theatrical landmark was re-opened and celebrated on July 2, 2012. The Bucks County Playhouse is located at 70 South Main Street in New Hope, PA.



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