Fountain House, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness, released news today that the cast is now complete for a staged reading of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, with the addition of theatre, film and television actor David AaRon Baker. He will join previously announced headliners Joan Allen, Lauren Ambrose and Dan Futterman for the one-night-only performance based upon the acclaimed memoir by Jacki Lyden that recounts her experience growing up with a colorful and dramatic mother living with manic depression. The event will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011, from 6:30 to 10:00 pm, at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, located at 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues in New York City. Proceeds will benefit Fountain House, with support from NPR.
"We are thrilled to have
Joan Allen and
Lauren Ambrose contributing their talents to bring ‘Daughter of the Queen of Sheba', a story of triumph, to the stage for Fountain House, and now that
David AaRon Baker joins
Dan Futterman to play the male roles, this special performance will be complete," said Lyden, a host and correspondent for NPR and an award-winning journalist. "Over and over, stories of mental illness are framed in pain and despair, isolation and suffering. What we have learned as a family is that prevailing with mental illness is about embracing our energies, even when they wane. We are proud of our mother, who has endured so much, and we have learned from her mania and creativity," continued Lyden. "We don't want people with mental illness to exist in isolation. Fountain House also challenges the stigma that hobbles the human spirit before the fight for mental health is even engaged. It's a community of people who give each other dignity and strength each day-and that's a community we want to be part of. How excited we are that such gifted performers will help us tell the world this story-and that our mother can be part of it," concluded Lyden.
The most recently added cast member,
David AaRon Baker, has appeared on Broadway and in film and television. His Broadway appearances include "The Merchant of Venice," "A Raisin In The Sun," "Once Upon A Mattress," "The Rainmaker," "Abe Lincoln In Illinois." Film credits include Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness, Lasse Hallström's The Hoax,
Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda, Kissing Jessica Stein, The Tao of Steve. Television: "The Music Man," "Molly: An American Girl," "Law & Order," "Third Watch," "Sex and the City," "Without A Trace," "Numb3rs," and "Boardwalk Empire." He is a graduate of Juilliard.
Over the course of her distinguished career,
Joan Allen has worked in theatre, television and film. She has received three Academy Award nominations; she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Nixon and The Crucible, and for Best Actress for The Contender. Her other films include The Ice Storm , Face/Off , Pleasantville , The Notebook, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Allen is also one of the New York theatre world's most honored actresses and winner of every major prize for her work on and off-Broadway, including the Best Actress Tony Award for her performance opposite
John Malkovich in
Lanford Wilson's "Burn This." She recently starred opposite
Jeremy Irons in the
Jack O'Brien play "Impressionism," marking her first time back on Broadway in 19 years.
Lauren Ambrose received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her role as Claire Fisher in HBO's critically acclaimed and award-winning series "Six Feet Under." She was most recently seen in television on the Starz show "Torchwood: Miracle Day." In film, Ambrose most recently lent her voice to the adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are with
Catherine Keener,
James Gandolfini and
Mark Ruffalo and appeared in The Other Woman with
Natalie Portman. She has wrapped Wanderlust directed by
David Wain and Think of Me directed by Bryan Wizemann. On stage, Ambrose starred in the Broadway revival of
Eugene Ionesco's tragicomedy "Exit the King" opposite
Susan Sarandon and
Geoffrey Rush. She also appeared in
Clifford Odets's "Awake and Sing" opposite
Mark Ruffalo and directed by
Bartlett Sher and in the
Matthew Warchus-directed play "Buried Children" at
The National Theatre in London. She will next be seen in the revival of the Broadway hit "Funny Girl," which will reteam her with award-winning director
Bartlett Sher. Ambrose will play
Fanny Brice, a role originated by
Barbra Streisand.
As an actor
Dan Futterman has appeared on Broadway ("Angels in America"), and Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center and Manhattan Theatre Club ("The Lights," "A Fair Country," "Dealer's Choice"). His films include A Mighty Heart, The Birdcage, and Urbania, for which he was named Best Actor at the Seattle Film Festival. Dan was nominated for a 2005 Academy Award for his screenplay for the film Capote. He and his wife and writing partner, Anya Epstein, were showrunners for the third season of the HBO series "In Treatment." Dan and Anya are developing a new series for HBO,"T", and he is working with director
Bennett Miller on a forthcoming film, Foxcatcher.
The director, producer, and writers of this staged reading are also collaborating to bring Daughter of the Queen of Sheba to the big screen:
After working for many years as a screenwriter, director Daniel Barnz was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2007 and one of Variety's Top Ten Directors to Watch 2008. Barnz's feature directorial debut, Phoebe in Wonderland, premiered in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was released nationally in 2009. 2011 saw the release of Beastly, which Barnz directed after adapting the novel. Barnz's next film, Still I Rise, will appear in theaters in 2012, and stars
Viola Davis,
Maggie Gyllenhaal,
Holly Hunter,
Rosie Perez and
Ving Rhames.
The producer, Susan Cartsonis, is the president of Storefront Pictures. Her producing credits include What Women Want (the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time at the time of its release), Where the Heart Is, Aquamarine, No Reservations and Beastly. Susan spent the first 10 years of her career at
20th Century Fox where she developed and supervised over 25 movies including Nell and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, among many other iconic female audience-driven films. She is Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees of Women in Film.
Karen Croner and Jacki Lyden have created the script for this performance. Lyden has been an award-winning host and correspondent for NPR for nearly three decades, reporting signature stories from throughout the Middle East and American homefront. Karen Croner is an award-winning screenwriter known for such movies as One True Thing and Scattered Dreams. Current movies written by Croner include Admission for
Tina Fey directed by
Paul Weitz, Hello Ghost to be directed by
Chris Columbus, and Tribes of Palos Verdes starring Soarise Ronin.
Tickets and Packages: $125, $300, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000. For further information, contact: Robyn Marks, 212-582-0341, ext 1288 or
rmarks@fountainhouse.org.
Fountain House is one of the world's leading mental health models, providing employment, education, and housing opportunities to people living with serious mental illness. This successful model has been replicated in more than 400 locations in 30 countries and 32 states and currently serves more than 55,000 people with mental illness worldwide. For more information, please visit:
www.fountainhouse.org.
