Betty Buckley, Hallie Foote and More Set for Signature Theatre's Premiere of Horton Foote's THE OLD FRIENDS

Signature Theatre has announced a change to the theatre's Legacy Program for the 2013-14 All-Premiere Season: the theatre will produce the World Premiere of Horton Foote's THE OLD FRIENDS, directed by Michael Wilson and featuring Betty Buckley, HAllie Foote and Lois Smith. THE OLD FRIENDS replaces the previously announced Edward Albee'S LAYING AN EGG, which Signature remains committed to premiering in a future season.

In THE OLD FRIENDS, matriarch Mamie Borden and the remaining members of two longtime Texas farming families await a visit from Mamie's son Hugo and his wife Sybil. When Sybil arrives with alarming news, old friends on opposing sides must confront the issues surrounding legacy, loyalty, and the meaning of happiness that have hounded them for generations.

Signature has a long history with Horton Foote, who was the theatre's fourth Playwright-in-Residence during its 1994-95 Season. Signature also produced the world premiere of The Last of the Thorntons in its 2000-01 Season and The Trip to Bountiful, featuring Lois Smith in an award-winning performance, in the 2005-06 Season. During the 2009-10 Season, Signature co-produced the world premiere of the three-part The Orphans' Home Cycle with Hartford Stage, directed by Michael Wilson. The current Broadway production of The Trip to Bountiful, directed by Michael Wilson and starring Cicely Tyson, was recently nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play.

Performances of The Old Friends will begin on August 20, 2013, with a September 12 opening in The Irene Diamond Stage. Tickets go on sale July 16, 2013. Future casting will be announced at a later date.

Signature has also announced that the 2013-14 Season will include the New York premiere of APPROPRIATE by Residency Five playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. In APPROPRIATE, the estranged members of the Lafayette clan have returned to Arkansas and their crumbling old plantation home to settle the accounts of their recently deceased patriarch. As they sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, the discovery of a gruesome relic and a surprise visitor send the family into a spiral of crackling confrontations, repressed histories, and regret. The co-world premiere of APPROPRIATE was presented in the 2013 Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville and Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, IL (fall 2013). Performances at Signature will begin in early 2014.

To subscribe to Signature 2013-14 All-Premiere Season and to purchase tickets for all Signature Productions, call the Signature Theatre Box Office (212-244-7529) or visit signaturetheatre.org.