Olney Theatre Center Presents Witness for the Prosecution 9/28-10/23

Everything won't be as it seems when Olney Theatre Center, a 73-year-old professional, award-winning, year-round theater, announces today the opening of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution.

Witness for the Prosecution plays on the Olney Theatre Center Mainstage Wednesday, September 28 to Sunday, October 23. Tickets are $26 to $54, with discounts available to groups, seniors, military, and students. Call the Box Office at 301.924.3400 or visit olneytheatre.org for tickets and information. In addition, Olney offers several special performances that include sign interpretation, audio description, and post-show discussions. Please see the attached Fact Sheet for more details.

In this celebrated classic, Leonard Vole seems guilty of the murder of a rich widow, Emily French: after all, he helped her manage her wealth, and stood to gain financially upon her death. But when his wife testifies, not to provide an alibi on his behalf, but against him as a witness for the prosecution, nothing seems assured. Certain letters seem to discredit her testimony, and no one can be sure if she's for or against her husband. Even the plot twist at the end is followed by...another plot twist.

Witness for the Prosecution will be directed by Olney's associate art director, John Going, who has staged over 30 productions at Olney. A four-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, he received the award for Outstanding Direction for his work on The Miser at The Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger, and recently won the Kevin Kline Award for Best Director for I Am My Own Wife at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and a National Players Alumnus.

"Olney has had a long and fruitful association with the theatrical potential of Agatha Christie stories adapted for the stage. Audiences have been continually delighted by them. Several seasons ago, we celebrated that history with a revival of The Mousetrap, which turned out to be a popular and critical success." said Olney Theatre Center's Artistic Director Jim Petosa. "That made us ask the question, 'what is the best Christie available for production?' The answer we shared was Witness for the Prosecution. We are pleased to present that play in a new production for our audiences."

Widely praised by critics during its long run in London and on Broadway, Witness for the Prosecution will leave audiences wondering what to believe - or who. Olney Theatre Center's production will transport audiences to Agatha Christie's world of rich widows, failed inventors, brilliant barristers and the human drama and mystery just below the surface of English nobility.

Please call the Olney Theatre Center Box Office at (301) 924-3400 for reservations.

About Olney Theatre Center

Olney Theatre Center, located in Olney, Maryland, is a 73-year-old professional, award-winning, nonprofit, Equity theater whose mission is to inspire and nurture artists, students, technicians, administrators, and its audience members through its diverse array of theatrical and musical productions year round. Located in arts-rich Montgomery County, Olney Theatre Center is easily accessible from Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. For more information please visit www.olneytheatre.org.

About the director, John Going

John Going is an Associate Artistic Director at Olney, where he has staged over 30 productions including The Savannah Disputation, Night Must Fall,The Millionairess, The Underpants, The Mousetrap, Doubt, 13 Rue de L'Amour, I Am My Own Wife, The Constant Wife, The Heiress, Morning's at Seven, Lend Me a Tenor, Charley's Aunt, Holiday, Hay Fever, Light Up the Sky, Noises Off, Mrs. Warren's Profession, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Lucky Stiff (1990 Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Resident Musical). At The Studio Theatre, he directed highly successful productions of Gross Indecency, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Conversations With My Father, The Lisbon Traviata, The Women, and A Tale of Two Cities. A four-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, he received the award for Outstanding Direction for his work on The Miser at The Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger. He recently won the Kevin Kline Award for Best Director for I Am My Own Wife at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and a National Players Alumnus.

About the National Players

In operation since 1949, National Players is America's longest running touring company. Comprised of young professional actors, each year the company travels throughout the country (including every region of Maryland) performing two plays in repertory - one Shakespearean play and one dramatic classic. National Players reaches students and families who might otherwise have a limited opportunity to see live, classical theater. In addition, Players conducts workshops with students in such theater-related areas as Shakespeare, playwriting, acting, stage combat, scene analysis, and improvisation. Committed to the development of young theatrical talent and audiences, National Players' tours celebrate the experience of theatergoing by presenting the world's greatest dramatic literature.

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