Christine Lahti to Lead Signature Theatre's PRIDE IN THE FALLS OF AUTREY MILL; Limited Engagement Set for 10/15-12/8

Signature Theatre is pleased to announce the casting of award winner Christine Lahti (Running on Empty, Swing Shift,Chicago Hope) in this fall's world-premiere drama Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill, written by Paul Downs Colaizzo (Really Really). Lahti, whose acclaimed 30-year career in theatre, television and film places her in the highest echelon of American actresses, joins this fall's production under the direction of Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Michael Kahn, who returns to Signature for the first time in nearly twenty years. Casting for the remaining three roles will be announced shortly.

Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill invites audiences into the well-groomed, meticulously peaceful world of the American suburbs. The Falls of Autrey Mill is the most desired zipcode in town. From the outside, the flawless neighborhood glitters with elegant roman column porches and exquisitely manicuRed Lawns. However, demons lurk behind the designer window treatments when one seemingly-perfect family disintegrates from the inside out. In this vicious and gripping play, Colaizzo rips the façade off of America's privileged suburbia with his trademark brutal honesty.

"This is the story of a family that looks normal on the surface but suffers huge complications underneath, many of which I think we all have and can relate to," Kahn explained. "There are secrets in this family, as in all great family plays. And these secrets bring plenty of surprise."

The production, scheduled to run October 15 through December 8, 2013, in Signature's intimate, 120-seat ARK Theatre, marks the Theatre's second collaboration with 27-year-old playwright Colaizzo, whose play Really Really became a smash hit at Signature last winter. Really Really ran off-Broadway at MCC Theater in March following an extended run and rave reviews at Signature.

Single tickets on sale September 6, 2013

Christine earned her first Oscar nomination for 1985's "Swing Shift" (as well as Best Supporting Actress by the NY Film Critics) then took the statue home 10 years later as a first-time director for her short film "Lieberman in Love." In 1998, after multiple nominations, Lahti won both the Emmy and her second Golden Globe Award - the TV movie "No Place Like Home" was the first - for her portrayal of Dr. Kathryn Austin on "Chicago Hope." Three years later her feature film directorial debut "My First Mister" opened the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.

Additional film credits include Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," for which she received the 1998 LA Film Critics Award as well as a Golden Globe nomination, "Leaving Normal" directed by Ed Zwick," "Gross Anatomy," "Just Between Friends" with Mary Tyler Moore, "The Doctor" with William Hurt, Bill Forsyth's "Housekeeping" (voted runner-up for Best Actress by the NY Film Critics), "Whose Life is it Anyway?" and "...and Justice for All" with Al Pacino. Other films include "Yonkers Joe" opposite Chazz Palminteri, "Obsessed" co-starring Idris Elba and Beyonce, "Petunia" co-starring Thora Birch, "Flying Lessons" co-starring HAl Holbrook, "Touchback" co-starring Kurt Russell, the upcoming "Truckstop" with Juno Temple, "Hateship Loveship" with Kristen Wiig and Nick Nolte, and "Mania Days" with Katie Holmes.

Television credits include a starring role on the critically acclaimed series "Jack & Bobby," for which she received both SAG and Golden Globe nominations, and numerous television movies including "Amerika," (Emmy & Golden Globe nomination), Showtime's "Out of the Ashes," "The Pilot's Wife," "Open House," and "The Book of Ruth" among others. More recently, Lahti had recurring roles on "Studio 60", "Law & Order: SVU" and "Hawaii 5-0."

A highly esteemed stage actress, Ms. Lahti most recently starred on Broadway in "God of Carnage," off-Broadway in "Body of Water" at Primary Stages and Adam in Rapp's "Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling" at the Atlantic Theatre, for which she received a Drama League nomination. In addition, Lahti starred in "Three Hotels" co-starring Richard Dreyfuss at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. This presentation was a reprisal of her successful run in the play, which premiered at New York's Circle Rep Theater. She also received a Drama Desk nomination for her role. She also starred in the West Coast premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wendy Wasserstein's final play "Third" at the Geffen Playhouse. The play also marked her third collaboration with the late playwright - the first being "The Heidi Chronicles" on Broadway in 1989 and "An American Daughter" for Lifetime in 2000. In 2010 she completed a month long stage run at the Geffen Playhouse in Nora and Delia Ephron's critically acclaimed "Love, Loss, and What I Wore."

Additional theatre credits include Jules Feiffer's "Little Murders," for which she received an Obie Award, Michael Weller's "Loose Ends," Noel Coward's "Present Laughter" with George C. Scott, both at the Circle in the Square, the off-Broadway revivals of John Guare's "Landscape of the Body" and Clifford Odets's "The Country Girl" with HAl Holbrook, David Mamet's "The Woods" at The Public Theater, for which she received a Theater World Award, Ted Tally's "Hooters" at Playwrights Horizons, and Steve Tisch's "Division Street" on Broadway.

Christine serves on the Board of The Sundance Institute, The Traverse City Film Festival and Equality Now. She and her husband, filmmaker Thomas Schlamme, live in Los Angeles and NYC.

Photo by Walter McBride