Guthrie's 'TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA' Begins Previews 1/24

Director Joe Dowling today announced complete casting for his upcoming Guthrie production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the theater's first-ever staging of this Shakespeare comedy. A cast of recent University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program graduates team with Guthrie veterans for Dowling's 1950s-style retelling of this Shakespearean comedy celebrating the triumph of young love.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona begins previews January 24, opens January 30 and plays through March 29, 2009. Single tickets are priced from $24 to $60, with opening night prices ranging from $54 to $70. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6240 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The storyline, with its multiple comic complications, follows a pair of young gentlemen from Verona - Valentine (Sam Bardwell) and Proteus (Jonas Goslow) - as they journey to Milan. One is eager to experience the world in order to acquire proper manners and learn the sophistication of high society, while the other's father has forced him to separate from the beloved Julia (Sun Mee Chomet) and leave home. Once in the new city, however, both men fall for the duke's daughter Silvia (Valerie Mudek), leading to one's banishment. Heartbreak and hilarity ensue, as sensational plot twists, inescapable identity mix-ups and two clownish servants (Jim Lichtscheidl as Launce and Randy Reyes as Speed) bring happy conclusion to both young couples' love.

Keith Thomas, composer of the highly-lauded 1997 and 2008 Guthrie incarnations of A Midsummer Night's Dream, will again bring melody to Shakespeare's lyrical and witty text in this 1950s-style retelling featuring Sasha Andreev (Singer), Michael Booth (Panthino / Outlaw), Laura Esping (Lucetta), Nathaniel Fuller (Antonio / Outlaw), Hugh Kennedy (Outlaw), Kris L. Nelson (Sir Eglamour), Lee Mark Nelson (Duke of Milan), Isabell Monk O'Connor (Host of the Inn), John Skelley (Tuiro) and pooch Wyatt (Crab).

Two Gentlemen marks the 47th Shakespeare production at the Guthrie, which has produced 25 of the Bard's plays since its founding in 1963. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Shakespeare Classic (Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m.), a unique Shakespeare playgoing program created for young audience members through generous contributions to the Sheila and Kenneth Livingston Fund. The highlight of the Shakespeare Classic day is a matinee performance where attendees receive a specially-prepared play program and an invitation to the post-play party with members of the cast.

The artistic team for The Two Gentlemen of Verona also includes Riccardo Hernandez (Set Designer), Ann Hould-Ward (Costume Designer), Christopher Akerlind (Lighting Designer), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Michael Lupu (Dramaturgy), Andrew Wade (Voice and Dialect Coach), Chris A. Code (Stage Manager), Brian Balcom (Assistant Director) and Michele Harms (Assistant Stage Manager).

About the Guthrie
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie opened a new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006.

The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Box Office between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.guthrietheater.org.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
BY William Shakespeare
DIRECTED BY Joe Dowling

First preview: January 24, 2009  at 7:30 p.m.
Opening Night: January 30, :30 p.m.
Closing:  March 29, 2009 at 1 p.m.

Location:     Guthrie Theater
818 South 2nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415

TICKETS:  Single tickets priced at $24 - $60, opening night $49 - $70                                                                                                           

Guthrie Box Office:
612.377.2224 or 877.44.STAGE                                                              
Group Sales: 612.225.6240 or 866.80.GROUP  
Box Office hours: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.                                                   

Tickets may also be purchased online at www.guthrietheater.org.

Performance Schedule: Tuesday through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Special Events:                                   
Shakespeare Classic
The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m.
The Shakespeare Classic provides young people ages 8-15 with an opportunity to experience the powerful stories, poetry and imagination of William Shakespeare. Through the Shakespeare Classic, the Guthrie hopes to encourage young people to make play-going and enjoyment of the works of Shakespeare a lifelong activity. All tickets $10 (limit 4 tickets per order). Call the Box Office at 612.377.2224. The Shakespeare Classic is made possible by generous contributions to the Sheila and Kenneth Livingston Fund.

The Guthrie's production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is sponsored by the GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services