William H. Macy to Lead SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS Reading for HERO Theatre This Summer

HERO Theatre has just announced that William H. Macy, star of Showtime's Shameless and Academy Award-nominated for Fargo, will star in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings," directed by John Levey. The presentation will take place in Los Angeles, Summer 2012. This will mark HERO Theatre's west coast premiere.

HERO Theatre is a bicoastal theatre company which began in August 2011. The company consists of some of today's most prominent and emerging artists from diverse backgrounds and training in stage, television and film. HERO Theatre's mission is to build bridges between cultures by way of the classics. The company will present classical plays and modern plays inspired by classics.

Olympia Dukakis is Chair of HERO Theatre's Advisory Board. On May 21st in New York City, Dukakis will star in HERO's benefit staged reading of Shakespeare's "King Lear", directed by Austin Pendleton.

HERO's Advisory Board includes theatre notables Michael Ritchie (Artistic Director of the Center Theatre Group), Jenny Gersten (Artistic Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival), Bill Rauch (Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival), esteemed director Michael Wilson and 2012 Tony-nominate actor Michael Cumpsty.

Both "Small Craft Warnings" and "King Lear" are part of HERO's fundraising efforts to present its first full-scale production, a world-premiere of a new translation of Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters", translated by distinguished Russian writer Tatyana Tolstaya and playwright Migdalia Cruz.

For more information about HERO Theatre and ticket information, visit www.HEROtheatre.org.