Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams to Star in Staged Reading of FEAR AND MISERY IN THE THIRD REICH at CSC

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Founding Artistic Director Steve Maler is pleased to welcome the return of Brooke Adams and Tony Shalhoub to the Sorenson stage for the staged reading of Bertolt Brecht's drama Fear and Misery in the Third Reich, in a translation by Eric Bentley and directed by Steve Maler, on Monday, November 13 at 7:00PM at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College, 19 Babson College Drive, Wellesley, MA.

Bertolt Brecht's series of eighteen interconnected playlets describe what life was like in German households in the 1930s as the Nazis came to power. Written while Brecht was in exile in Denmark and first performed in Paris in 1938, these poignant stories dramatize the suspicion and anxiety experienced by ordinary people, particularly Jewish citizens, as the power of Hitler grew.

Theatre in the Rough is a script-in-hand reading series presented without common theatrical elements like sets or costumes. These pared-down readings uniquely engage the audience by immersing them in the immediacy of the text and the actors' performances, allowing one's own imagination to take creative flight.

Ms. Adams and Mr. Shalhoub will share the stage with local Equity actors Joel Colodner, Johnny Lee Davenport, Obehi Janice, Karen MacDonald, Deb Martin, and BranDon Whitehead, as well as Seamus Doyle, Nash Hightower, Sarah Mass, Michael Underhill, and Lily Ramras.

Brooke Adams was last seen at CSC in Happy Days directed by Andrei Belgrader (also in New York and Los Angeles). Her stage credits include The Heidi Chronicles on Broadway, Key Exchange at the Orpheum, Split at The Second Stage, The Old Neighborhood at A.R.T., If Memory Serves at the Pasadena Playhouse, The Philanderer at Yale Rep, The Cherry Orchard at The Atlantic Theatre Co., and Lend Me a Tenor on Broadway directed by Stanley Tucci. Film credits include Days of Heaven; Gas, Food Lodging; Invasion of the Body Snatchers; The Dead Zone; Cuba; Tell Me a Riddle; Babysitters Club; Key Exchange; and Made-Up (co-produced and starred). On television Thirtysomething, Moonlighting, Family, The Lion of Africa, Special People, the miniseries Lace and Lace II, Monk (4 episodes), and most recently the CBS series BrainDead. She co-created, produced, directed, and starred with her sister Lynne Adams in 2 seasons of the original web-series All Downhill From Here.

Tony Shalhoub last appeared in the CSC production of Happy Days with Brooke Adams three seasons ago. He is a film, television, and stage actor; has received Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards for his lead role in the TV series Monk; has appeared in a range of TV series and films from Barton Fink, Big Night, Men in Black and A Civil Action to "Nurse Jackie," "Brain Dead," and the upcoming series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." more. His multiple theatre credits include several years as a company member at the A.R.T. where he appeared in As You Like It, The Marriage of Figaro, School for Scandal, Rameau's Nephew, and David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood. His numerous New York credits include The Mystery of Love and Sex with Diane Lane at Lincoln Center; Golden Boy, Act One, Lend Me a Tenor, The Heidi Chronicles, Conversations with My Father, and The Price on Broadway, where he is currently appearing in the acclaimed musical The Band's Visit.

Steve Maler is Founding Artistic Director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) and Director of the Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College. At CSC he has been producing and directing Free Shakespeare on the Boston Common productions since 1996. Other local work include last season's world premiere of Our American Hamlet at the Sorenson Center, Peter Eötvös's operatic treatment of Tony Kushner's Angels in America (U.S. Premiere), and productions at New Repertory Theatre and SpeakEasy Stage Company. His New York City credits include the New York Musical Theatre Festival production of Without You, for which he was recognized with an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Directing by The NYMF 2010 Awards for Excellence. The production has toured to Edinburgh, London, Toronto and Seoul, South Korea. He has received multiple awards including the Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence.

General Admission tickets are $40 (Orchestra) and $20 (Balcony). A limited number of tickets are available for a post-show reception with the cast. Tickets are $125 each and include priority seating for the performance. All proceeds to benefit CSC's education and outreach programs.

For additional information and to purchase tickets visit csc.org/Fear and Misery.

Season Sponsors: WGBH, The Boston Globe, The Improper Bostonian

* Fear and Misery in the Third Reich is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.