Full Cast Announced for NY Premiere of Frank's Home

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced complete details for the fourth production of its 2006/2007 season, the New York premiere of FRANK'S HOME, a new play by Tony Award winner Richard Nelson (James Joyce's The Dead, Rodney's Wife, Franny's Way, Goodnight Children Everywhere, Madame Melville, Tony nomination for Two Shakespearean Actors). Tony Award winner Robert Falls (Death of a Salesman, Long Day's Journey into Night, Aida) directs in his Playwrights Horizons debut.

Previews will begin Saturday, January 13 at 2:30 PM with an official opening on Tuesday, January 30 at 7PM. Performances will continue through Sunday, February 18 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

Mr. Nelson has a long history with Playwrights Horizons, including the world premieres of the musicals James Joyce's The Dead (with Shaun Davey, Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical) and My Life with Albertine (with Ricky Ian Gordon, AT&T:OnStage® Award) and the plays Franny's Way, The Vienna Notes (Obie Award) and Jungle Coup; the New York premiere of Rodney's Wife; and the American premiere of Goodnight Children Everywhere (Olivier Award for Best Play). He is the theater company's most produced writer.

It is summer 1923, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright has recently left Chicago for California, determined to embrace Hollywood's youthful zest and mend broken relationships with his adult children. Having recently completed his latest "wonder of the world" – Tokyo's Imperial Hotel – Wright is poised to settle down and embrace his new home. But his splintered family still holds deep-seated resentments. FRANK'S HOME is a lyrical, heartbreaking story about one of our greatest, if less than perfect, visionaries – a man who created a new architectural vocabulary, but couldn't create a home for himself and his family.

Featured as Frank Lloyd Wright will be stage and screen star Peter Weller (the Robocop films, Naked Lunch, Christopher Henderson on "24," the Broadway and London premieres of David Rabe's Sticks and Bones, The Exonerated). Broadway veteran Harris Yulin (The Price, Hedda Gabler and The Diary of Anne Frank; Fran's Bed and Arts & Leisure at Playwrights Horizons) will play Wright's mentor, Louis Sullivan. The cast will also feature Chris Henry Coffey (title role in Hamlet at Williamstown), Holley Fain (Measure for Measure at Pearl Theatre), Mary Beth Fisher (Night of the Iguana at Roundabout, Drama League Honor and Lortel and Drama Desk nominations for Boy Gets Girl at MTC), Maggie Siff (Ruby Sunrise at The Public, Jefferson Award nomination for Robert Falls's production of Dollhouse at The Goodman), Jeremy Strong (Defiance at MTC) and Jay Whittaker (Rose Rage at The Duke, Henry IV with the RSC).

FRANK'S HOME is presented in association with The Goodman Theatre, where it is currently playing (now through December 24) prior to the production at Playwrights Horizons. FRANK'S HOME is a commission through the M.E.W. Fund.

The production features scenic design by two-time Tony nominee Thomas Lynch, costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Michael Philippi and original music and sound design by Richard Woodbury. Production Stage Manager is Barclay Stiff.

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Council, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and Time Warner Inc.

The performance schedule for FRANK'S HOME will be Tuesdays through Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. Tickets are $65. Tickets are now on sale to the general public.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN NIGHT for FRANK'S HOME will be the first preview on Saturday, January 13 at 2:30 PM. PAY WHAT YOU CAN tickets are offered through a lottery system. Names will be taken at the Ticket Central box office (416 West 42nd Street) in person on the day of the performance beginning at 12PM. A drawing will take place at 2PM. Participants must be present with ID at the time names are drawn in order to be eligible for the lottery. Two tickets per person, cash-only, subject to availability, $5 per ticket suggested donation.

Reflecting PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $20 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before showtime to patrons aged 30 and under. Proof of age required. One ticket per person, per purchase. STUDENT RUSH, $15 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before curtain to full-time graduate and undergraduate students. One ticket per person, per purchase. Valid student ID required.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN NIGHT, HOTtix, and STUDENT RUSH are just a few of Playwrights Horizons' popular Arts Access initiatives, which allow the theater company to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket. Playwrights Horizons is grateful to Goldman, Sachs & Co. and PepsiCo, lead sponsors of Arts Access at Playwrights Horizons.

A special open captioned performance of FRANK'S HOME for theatergoers who are deaf and hard of hearing will be held on Saturday, January 20 at 2:30PM. Funding for this program is provided, in part, by the Theodore H. Barth Foundation, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation and the Theatre Development Fund's TAP Plus program in cooperation with the New York State Council on the Arts.

How to order tickets for the open captioned performance:

● Online: log on to www.playwrightshorizons.org

● Phone: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 421-1220

● TTY: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 662-1220

● By fax: a printable order form may be found online at www.playwrightshorizons.org/tickets.htm

For subscription and ticket information to all PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS productions, call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8 pm daily, or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at www.playwrightshorizons.org

BIOGRAPHIES

RICHARD NELSON (Playwright) has a long history with Playwrights Horizons, including the world premieres of My Life with Albertine (with Ricky Ian Gordon), Franny's Way (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), James Joyce's The Dead (with Shaun Davey, Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical), The Vienna Notes (Obie Award) and Jungle Coup, the American premiere of Goodnight Children Everywhere (Olivier Award for Best Play) and the New York premiere of Rodney's Wife. He is the company's most-produced writer. Other plays include Madame Melville, The General From America, New England, Misha's Party (co-written with Alexander Gelman), Columbus and the Discovery of Japan, Two Shakespearean Actors (Tony nomination for Best Play), Some Americans Abroad (Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy), Left, Principia Scriptoriae (London Time Out Award), Between East and West, Life Sentences, The Return of Pinocchio and Rip Van Winkle or The Works.

Robert Falls (Director) directed Long Day's Journey Into Night (three 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Revival) as well as the 1999 Tony Award-winning Death of a Salesman, for which he was honored as Best Director. His other Broadway credits include the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man From Atlanta, Aida, The Speed of Darkness, The Rose Tattoo and The Night of the Iguana. Mr. Falls received an Obie Award for his direction of Eric Bogosian's subUrbia at Lincoln Center. His work has also been seen at Manhattan Theatre Club and The Public. As artistic director of Chicago's Goodman Theatre, he has directed many productions, including Book of the Night, Riverview, a major revival of Pal Joey (for which he wrote a new book) and the recent World Premiere of Richard Nelson's Frank's Home. His opera credits include productions for Chicago's Lyric Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Houston Grand Opera and the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Frank's Home marks his Playwrights Horizons debut.

CHRIS HENRY COFFEY (Kenneth) played the title role in The P.R. Man at The Ohio Theatre. Regional credits include Frank's Home at The Goodman; The Front Page at Long Wharf; The Violet Hour and Hedda Gabler at Dallas Theater Center; A View from the Bridge and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Alley Theatre; Measure for Measure at Yale Repertory; and the title role in Hamlet in Williamstown. At The Old Globe, he worked with Arthur Miller in his penultimate play Resurrection Blues.

HOLLEY FAIN (Helen Girvin) appeared Off-Broadway as Juliet in Measure for Measure at Pearl Theatre. Regional credits include Frank's Home at The Goodman; The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; As You Like It and Julius Caesar at North Carolina Shakespeare Festival; and The Glass Menagerie, The Rivals and The Merchant of Venice at Texas Shakespeare Festival.

Mary Beth Fisher (Miriam Noel). New York credits include The Night of the Iguana (Roundabout); Boy Gets Girl (Drama League Honor, Lortel and Drama Desk nominations); The Radical Mystique and By the Sea… (MTC); Extremities (Westside Arts). Regional credits includes Frank's Home, The Clean House, Heartbreak House, Dinner with Friends, The Rose Tattoo, The Guys, Design for Living, Light up the Sky, Marvin's Room, Spinning into Butter and Boy Gets Girl (all at The Goodman); The Dresser, The Memory of Water (Steppenwolf); and Theatre District (About Face Theatre).

MAGGIE SIFF (Catherine). New York credits include The Ruby Sunrise at The Public Theater, Girl at the Cherry Lane and Meanwhile on the Other Side of Mount Vesuvius with Adobe Theater. Regional: Frank's Home and Dollhouse (Jefferson Award nomination) at The Goodman, Arcadia at Wilma Theater, Oleanna at Walnut Street Theatre, The Laramie Project at Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ghosts with InterAct Theatre (Barrymore Award). She's a series regular on the new AMC series "Mad Men."

Jeremy Strong (William). Off-Broadway: Defiance (MTC). Regional: Frank's Home (The Goodman); The Coming World (Underwood Series); Mistakes Madeline Made (New York Stage & Film); Rum and Vodka (The Belt); The Dwarfs, White People, Our Country's Good, On the Razzle, A Clockwork Orange (Williamstown); Fuddy Meers (Steppenwolf School).

JAY WHITTAKER (Lloyd) appeared in Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 with The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, England. Chicago credits include the world premiere of Frank's Home at The Goodman; Rose Rage (Jefferson Award, Best Ensemble; also on Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street), Measure for Measure and The Tempest at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; The Glass Menagerie at Court Theatre; and David Copperfield at Steppenwolf.

Peter Weller (Frank Lloyd Wright) made his New York debut in the Broadway premiere of David Rabe's Sticks and Bones, a role he also played in London. Other Broadway credits include Summer Brave (William Inge's own rewrite of Picnic), The Merchant of Venice and Otto Preminger's production of Full Circle. Off-Broadway he's appeared in Mr. Rabe's Streamers, David Mamet's The Woods, Lanford Wilson's Serenading Louie and, most recently, The Exonerated. His more than 50 films include the title role in the Robocop films, Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite, Sidney Lumet's Just Tell Me What You Want, Alan Parker's Shoot the Moon, David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch (Canadian Oscar), Ivan's XTC (2003 Independent Spirit Award nomination) and Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. As a director, he earned a 1994 Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short for his directorial debut, Partners. Last season, he joined the hit series "24" as terrorist collaborator Christopher Henderson.

Harris Yulin (Louis Sullivan) has previously appeared at Playwrights Horizons in James Lapine's Fran's Bed and Steve Tesich's Arts & Leisure. Broadway: Hedda Gabler, The Price, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Visit, A Lesson From Aloes, Watch on the Rhine. Other Off-Broadway: Raindance (Signature); Don Juan in Hell (Symphony Space); Approaching Zanzibar (Second Stage); Hamlet, King John, Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream (NY Shakespeare Festival); Mrs. Warren's Profession, Hedda Gabler (Roundabout). Regional: King Lear (New Jersey Shakespeare Festival); Tartuffe (Guthrie, Arena Stage); Henry V (Hartford); The Tempest (Shakespeare & Co.). As director: The Prisoner's Song (Ensemble Studio Theatre); This Lime Tree Bower (Primary Stages); Don Juan in Hell (London, NY); Baba Goya; Winter Play (Second Stage); Candida (Shaw Festival); The Front Page, The Guardsman (Long Wharf). Extensive film and television credits.

PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, is a writer's theater dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. In its 36 years, Playwrights Horizons has presented the work of more than 375 writers and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Notable productions include four Pulitzer Prize winners: Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife (2004 Tony Award, Best Play), Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George, as well as Bruce Norris's The Pain and the Itch, Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie's Grey Gardens (2006 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, now on Broadway at The Walter Kerr Theatre), Lynn Nottage's Fabulation (2005 Obie Award for Playwriting), Craig Lucas's Small Tragedy (2004 Obie Award, Best American Play), Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero, Kirsten Childs's The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey's James Joyce's The Dead, William Finn's March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, Christopher Durang's Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and Betty's Summer Vacation, Richard Nelson's Goodnight Children Everywhere and Franny's Way, Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire, Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room, A.R. Gurney's Later Life, Adam Guettel and Tina Landau's Floyd Collins and Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's Violet.