Kate Mulgrew to Star in Master Class at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Artistic Director, Mark W. Jones-Executive Director) announced that Kate Mulgrew will star as "Maria Callas" in Paper Mill's upcoming production of Master Class. Terrence McNally's Tony-Award winning play will be directed by Wendy Goldberg (Artistic Director, The National Playwrights Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center) and will run at the Millburn theatre from March 4 through April 5, 2009.

Kate Mulgrew comes to Paper Mill Playhouse following her Broadway performances in Equus opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths as ‘Hesther Saloman'. Ms. Mulgrew starred as ‘Captain Kathryn Janeway' in ‘Star Trek: Voyager' from 1995 to 2001. She starred in the NBC's ‘The Black Donnellys' as ‘Helen Donnelly' in 2007. Ms. Mulgrew earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Dramatic Actress in a Series for ‘Mrs. Columbo' in 1979. She was nominated in 2003 for the Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding Solo Performance in ‘Tea at Five'. In 2008, Ms. Mulgrew won the Obie Award for her portrayal of ‘Clytemnestra' in ‘Iphigenia 2.0'.

Master Class is the story of renowned opera diva Maria Callas, while teaching a master class in front of an audience: us! She's glamorous, larger than life, and drop-dead funny! What begins as a class becomes an intimate and revealing look into her life: we learn about Callas' tumultuous affair with Aristotle Onassis; her early days as an ugly duckling, the fierce hatred of her rivals, and the unforgiving press that savaged her at first. Master Class is a tour-de-force lesson underscored by simple truths about life and art.

Master Class will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:30PM, Thursdays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 2:00PM & 8:00PM and Sundays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM. Single tickets are now on sale and range in price from $25 to $92. Student rush tickets are $20 and are available the day of performance in person with current student ID. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-376-4343, or at the Paper Mill Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.papermill.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 35% discount on tickets and should call 973-379-3636 ext. 2438.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres. Paper Mill's programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is provided by funding through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, and generous contributions from many corporations, foundations, and individuals. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Photo: Kate Mulgrew by Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.