Dragon Productions Theatre Company to Present THE COLUMNIST

Joseph Alsop, America's most powerful political commentator, is the subject of The Columnist, a new play by the Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning author of Proof. Dominating Washington's political scene in the years between World War II and the Vietnam War, Joe is both feared and admired. But as America enters the turbulent 60s, his unyielding political views and dark personal secrets threaten to destroy his influence. Opened on Broadway in 2012 with John Lithgow.

Who: Written by David Auburn; directed by Brandon Jackson

David Auburn (Playwright) is a Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, screenwriter, and director best known for his 2000 play Proof, which he also adapted for the screen. His play The Columnist opened on Broadway in 2012 and featured John Lithgow in the lead role.

Mr. Auburn was born on November 30, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois, to Mark and Sandy Auburn. He grew up in Ohio and moved with his family to Arkansas in 1982, where his mother worked first for the East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging and then as the assistant deputy director of the Division of Aging and Adult Services for the Arkansas Department of Human Services in Little Rock (Pulaski County). His father was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro and then Vice President for Planning and Management Support of the University of Arkansas System.

In high school in Arkansas, he worked for local professional companies in a technical capacity. Auburn graduated high school in 1987 and attended the University of Chicago, where he wrote scripts for the performance group Off-Off Campus and began reviewing theater performances for the Maroon, the University of Chicago's student newspaper. Auburn received a BA in English literature in 1991. After graduation, Auburn won a fellowship with Amblin Entertainment, the film and television company founded by Stephen Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall, for one year. He then moved to New York City and spent two years in Juilliard's playwriting program, beginning in 1992, studying under the noted dramatists Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang. His first full-length play, Skyscraper, ran off-Broadway in 1997. His short play "What Do You Believe about the Future?" appeared in Harper's magazine and has since been adapted for the screen.

In 2000, Auburn's best-known play, Proof, was produced. It ran from October 24, 2000, to January 5, 2003. It won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play, as well as the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Auburn has adapted it into a film, which was released in 2005. Auburn has also been awarded the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Following Proof, he wrote the screenplay for the movie The Lake House, released by Warner Bros. in 2006. In 2007, he made his directorial debut with The Girl in the Park, for which he also wrote the screenplay. His play Lost Lake, starring John Hawkes and Tracie Thomas, opened at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City in 2014. He's got a screenplay in development entitled The Worst Marriage in Georgetown that will be the directorial feature debut for Oscar winning actor Christophe Waltz. Auburn currently resides in Manhattan, New York. He has two daughters, Rebecca and Nora Auburn.

Brandon Jackson (Director) most recently starred in Dragon Productions Theatre Company's production of Take Me Out (Darren), receiving a Theatre Bay Area Award nomination for Outstanding Performance. Recent theatre credits include associate directing Once On This Island and assistant directing The Mountaintop at TheatreWorks, and directing Cabaret at Broadway By The Bay. Jackson also starred in Pear Avenue Theatre's production of Superior Donuts (Franco). Jackson is a graduate of Stanford University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Drama, with honors, and Political Science.

Featuring: Randy Hurst (Joseph Alsop), Mary Moore Stewart (Susan Mary Alsop), Gary Mosher (Stewart Alsop), Casey Robbins (Andrei/Young Man), Camille Brown (Abigail), Drew Reitz (Halberstam), Gino Vellandi (Philip)

Designers & Production Team: Melissa Calopiz (Properties Design), Kimily Conkle (Dialect Coach), Ashley Taylor Frampton (Production Manager), Meredith Hagedorn (Executive Producer), Kate Halcrow (Costume Design), Lauren Howry (Stage Manager), Brandon Jackson (Director), Linda Olbourne (Company Manager), Michael St. Clair (Sound Design), Rory Strahan-Mauk (Set Design), Jeff Swan (Lighting Design), Maggie Ziomek (Graphic Designer), Kimberly Wadycki (Managing Director/Press Inquiries)

When: May 29 - June 21, 2015

Thursdays - Saturdays, 8pm, Sundays, 2pm

Pay What You Will Preview, Thursday, May 28th at 8pm

Opening Night Friday, May, 29th at 8pm

Post show discussion after Sunday, June 14th matinee

WHERE: The Dragon Theatre in downtown Redwood City?

2120 Broadway Street at the intersection of Broadway and Theatre Way

HOW MUCH:

$35 for general admission seats. $27 for students/seniors.

$10 rush tickets on Thursdays and Fridays starting 2nd week. Limited availability and cash only at the door.

Limited discount tickets available at tixbayarea.com?

Pay what you will preview on Thursday May 28th - no reservation, just walk up and pay cash at the door.

$200 for the VIP box (seats 4 people and includes champagne and chocolates.)

TIX & MORE INFO: http://dragonproductions.net/

Photo by James Kasyan

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