Calista Flockhart Leads L.A. Theatre Works’ A DOLL'S HOUSE, 9/22-25

L.A. Theatre Works' 2011-12 season gets started when Calista Flockhart, Gregory Itzin and JoBeth Williams record A Doll House for broadcast on public radio stations nationwide. Rosalind Ayres directs Henrik Ibsen's classic drama, translated by Rolf Fjelde, which also features Tony Abatemarco and Jeannie Elias. Six performances take place September 22-25 at LATW's new home in the James Bridges Theater on the campus of UCLA. L.A. Theatre Works' nationally syndicated radio theater series airs locally in Southern California on KPCC 89.3 every Saturday from 10 pm - midnight and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org.

Nora Helmer has a delicious secret that saved her husband's life, but if he finds out what she's done, it might destroy their marriage. Blackmail and innocence, love and hypocrisy collide in A Doll House, one of the most celebrated plays in theater history.

"The opportunity to do an audio recording of a classic play in front of a live audience is not just a unique and interesting experience for me personally," explains Flockhart. "It also pleases me that radio plays have the capacity to reach individuals who otherwise may not have the resources or convenience to experience live theater."

A Doll House was the first successful play of its era to affirm a married woman's right to her own individuality - although Ibsen insisted that he did not consider himself a campaigner for women's rights, but rather for "human rights." Groundbreaking when first published in 1879, A Doll House challenged the conventional norms of playwriting. It remains one of the most controversial plays about love and marriage ever written, and still retains the power to shock an audience a century after its lead character opened a door to freedom. A 1997 Broadway revival was the winner of four Tony Awards.

"What a way to open our debut season at UCLA," comments L.A. Theatre Works producing artistic director Susan Loewenberg. "We are thrilled to work with Calista again - we previously recorded her stunning Broadway performance as Laura in The Glass Menagerie - and it's always an honor to work with LATW company members JoBeth Williams and Gregory Itzin, whose many recordings have enriched our library over the years."

For three decades, L.A. Theatre Works has been the leading radio theater company in the United States, committed to using innovative technologies to preserve and promote significant works of dramatic literature and bringing live theater into the homes of millions. L.A. Theatre Works' radio theater series can be heard locally in Southern California on Saturday from 10pm to midnight on KPCC 89.3 FM, and can also be streamed on demand at www.latw.org. The series can also be heard on the following stations (check local listings for broadcast times): 89.7 WGBH, Boston; 91.5 FM WBEZ, Chicago; 94.9 KUOW, Seattle; 94.1 KPFA, Berkeley; 91.1 KRCB, North Bay (San Francisco); and in over 100 markets nationwide.

Performances of A Doll House take place on Thursday, September 22 @ 8 pm; Friday, September 23 @ 8 pm; Saturday, September 24 @ 3 pm & 8 pm; and Sunday, September 25 @ 2 pm & 7pm. The James Bridges Theater is located in Melnitz Hall on the campus of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television at 235 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (enter UCLA from Hilgard just south of Sunset Blvd. and park in Lot 3 on the lower level). Tickets are $49; student tickets are $15 at the door. To purchase tickets, call L.A. Theatre Works at 310-827-0889 or got to www.latw.org.