Company of Fools Stages AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Beginning Tonight

Company of Fools (COF) will present the critically acclaimed and award-winning play, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts for the second show of their 20th Season. Letts's jaw-dropping masterpiece opens tonight, September 30, and runs through October 17, 2015 at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey, Idaho.

Critics have hailed this winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play as a play that "... leaves us laughing and wondering, shuddering and smiling, long after the house lights come back on." (NY Newsday). Variety proclaimed that in "Tracy Letts' ferociously entertaining play, the American dysfunctional family drama comes roaring into the twenty-first century with eyes blazing, nostrils flaring and fangs bared, laced with corrosive humor so darkly delicious and ghastly that you're squirming in your seat even as you're doubled-over laughing."

Brutal and hilarious, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY shook audiences to their core when it exploded onto the American stage. A vanished father. A pill-popping mother. Three sister's harboring shady little secrets. When the large Weston family unexpectedly reunites after Dad disappears, their Oklahoman family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unsettling secrets. Mix in Violet, the drugged-up, scathingly acidic matriarch, and you've got play that unflinchingly - and uproariously - exposes the dark underbelly of the modern American family.

Directed by guest director, John Moon (Richmond, Virginia), the standout 13-member cast features local Company members Andrew Alburger, Jana Arnold, Scott Creighton, David Janeski, Courtney Loving, Denise Simone, Joel Vilinsky and Aly Wepplo as well as guest actors Tim Blough (Portland, Oregon), Suzanne Gray (New York City), Keegan Keith (a Boise-based actor making her COF debut), Danielle Kennedy (Los Angeles) and Adrian Rieder (New York City).

Rounding out the creative team for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY are Joe Lavigne (Set Design), John Glenn (Light and Costume Design), Ann Price (Dialect Coach) and K.O. Ogilvie (Stage Manager).

Tracy Letts has been an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre since 2002 and performed at Steppenwolf in Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf? (Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play), Betrayal, The Pillowman, Last of the Boys, The Pain and the Itch, The Dresser, Homebody/Kabul, The Dazzle, Glengarry Glen Ross (also in Dublin and Toronto), Three Days of Rain, Road to Nirvana, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Glass Menagerie (1988). He was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY which premiered at Steppenwolf in 2007, played on Broadway and London's National Theatre. Other writing credits include Man from Nebraska, which was produced at Steppenwolf in 2003 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize; Killer Joe, which has been produced in Chicago, London and New York; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago and London.

Tickets are $35 for full price, $30 for seniors and Center members and $15 for students (18 and under). These ticket prices do not include the "Pay What You Feel" preview (September 30), 10 for $10, and Educator Night (October1 ). There is also a SPECIAL GROUP RATE - groups of eight or more receive $30 tickets!

Tickets may be purchased online at sunvalleycenter.org, by phone at 208.578.9122 or at the Liberty Theatre box office starting one hour prior to curtain. Company of Fools' box office is located at the Liberty Theatre, 110 N. Main Street in Hailey, with hours from 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday. All seats are reserved - except for our "Pay What You Feel" preview (see description below).

Performance Schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 30 7PM Pay What You Feel Night

Thursday, Oct. 1 7PM Educators Night

Friday, Oct. 2 7PM

Saturday, Oct. 3 7PM Girls Night Out

Wednesday, Oct. 7 7PM

Thursday, Oct. 8 7PM

Friday, Oct. 9 7PM

Saturday, Oct. 10 7PM

Sunday, Oct. 11 3PM Backstage Tour/ Chat Back

Wednesday, Oct. 14 7PM

Thursday, Oct. 15 7PM

Friday, Oct. 16 7PM

Saturday, Oct. 17 7PM

TICKET INCENTIVES:

Pay What You Feel Night - Wednesday, September 30 (7PM)

Join us for the first performance of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY and literally pay whatever you'd like! Tickets go on sale at the Liberty Theatre box office one hour prior to the performance. Simply buy your ticket, find a seat and enjoy the show. There are reserved seats available at full price and they may be purchased in advance.

Educator Night - Saturday, October 1 (7PM)

$15 tickets are available to currently employed educators and school administrators for this designated night. These tickets may be purchased in advance. Limit two per person.

Girl's Night Out - Saturday, October 3 (7PM)

Girls' Night Out! Includes:

· Chance to win a Fabulously Foolish Goodie Bag

· Discount on wine & beer at the Liberty Theatre

· 40% Discount on wine at CKs

· Post Show Chat Back - Sunday, October 11 (immediately following show)

Immediately following the performance stay, for a thought-provoking and fun discussion with the artists of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.

Backstage Tour - Sunday, October 11 (immediately following show)

Immediately following the performance, enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the design elements that went into creating the show with COF's resident set designer Joe Lavigne.

"10 for $10"

Ten seats are sold for $10 each on each night at the box office starting one hour prior to the performance. Limit two tickets per person.

ABOUT THE CAST/CREATIVES:

Andrew Alburger (Charlie Aiken) has appeared in over 30 productions with Company of Fools since 2001. He worked with Danielle Kennedy, Denise Simone and Joel Vilinsky in his first show, Side Man, and has since appeared with many of his fellow AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY cast mates in True West, The Tempest, Sight Unseen, Bus Stop, Violet, Noises Off, It's a Wonderful Life: a live radio play, 110 in the Shade, The 39 Steps, Circle Mirror Transformation, Distracted, Jack and the Beanstalk, Shipwrecked!, Enchanted April and Peter and the Starcatcher. He can be seen next in his favorite role of Toad this December in Company of Fools' A Year With Frog and Toad.

Jana Arnold (Mattie Fae Aiken) had more than 40 guest-starring television roles to her credit before relocating to the Wood River Valley. She is the recipient of two Los Angeles DramaLogue Awards for Outstanding Performance in theater, and, locally, Jana has worked with nexStage, Laughing Stock, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival and St. Thomas Players. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY marks her 24th production with Company of Fools.

Tim Blough (Bill Fordham) is a member of SAG/AFTRA as well as Actors' Equity and has been acting professionally for over 30 years. He has more than 60 plays to his credit as well as numerous independent films, commercials and TV appearances, including TNT's Leverage and NBC's Grimm. He has appeared on stages in California, Florida, Idaho, Texas and Virginia. Roles include Lear in King Lear, Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard, Bolingbroke in Richard II, Starbuck in The Rainmaker, George in Of Mice And Men and Finbar in The Weir. He has also written several plays and directed short videos.

Scott Creighton (Beverly Weston) marks his 12th main stage appearance at Company of Fools with this production. Previous roles include H.C. Curry in 110 in the Shade, Selsdon Mobray in Noises Off, The Preacher in Violet, Henry Potter in It's a Wonderful Life: a live radio play, George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Ben Hecht in Moonlight and Magnolias, Schultz in Circle Mirror Transformation, Father in The Velveteen Rabbit, The Old Actor in Woman in Black and Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher. Scott began his acting career in Seattle in 1976. He was invited to the Wood River Valley in 1994 to play the title role in The Nerd and moved here permanently the following year.

Suzanne Gray (Johnna Monevata) is thrilled to be returning to Company of Fools after recently playing Molly Aster in Peter and the Starcatcher. She also appeared as Lady Caroline in Enchanted April and the characters of Bruno and Yamba in Shipwrecked! with Company of Fools, as well as Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird at Virginia Repertory Theatre. Suzanne lives in New York City, where she trains at HB Studio.

David Janeski (Little Charles Aiken) is a Company Artist with Company of Fools. His previous work with the Company includes Peter and the Starcatcher, Enchanted April, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Glass Menagerie, 110 in the Shade, and Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter. Other credits include The Pillowman, Is He Dead?, Shrek, Tartuffe, Stuart Little and Romeo and Juliet. David holds an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Keegan Keith (Jean Fordham) is so excited to be making her debut with Company of Fools. She is currently a sophomore at Boise State University working towards her bachelor's degree in theatre arts with an emphasis in stage management. She is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada and studied theatre at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.

Danielle Kennedy (Violet Weston) appears as Ambassador Noonan in the original Netflix series Narcos in Fall 2015. Her recent television appearances include How To Get Away With Murder, Parks and Recreation, The Fosters, 2 Broke Girls, The Exes, Girl Meets World, The Middle, American Horror Story, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, Grey's Anatomy and CSI: Las Vegas. She has also appeared in feature films including You're Not You, Christmas Mail, True West, Bad Blood and Lizzie. Theatre credits include AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Penobscot Theatre-Maine), Ivanov, Day Drinkers, Procreation, The Vagina Monologues, Always... Patsy Cline, Side Man, The Dead, You Can't Take It With You, Eleemosynary, Three Viewings, Seduced, Big Baby, Paradise Street and Texmas. Danielle won a Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Ensemble in Family Planning and was an Ovation Award nominee for Day Drinkers. She was also named Best Featured Actress by Broadway World for her performance in Day Drinkers. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Michael Craig.

Joe Lavigne (Set Design) has been a resident of the Wood River Valley since 1995. He holds a degree in theatre with an emphasis in scenic design from Boise State University. While at BSU, Joe's first realized set design, Dante, earned a regional KCACTF scenic design award. Since 2002, Joe has built every set and designed numerous plays for each season at Company of Fools. Highlights include K2, Doubt, God of Carnage, Other Desert Cities, Enchanted April and Proof.

Courtney Loving (Karen Weston) is happy to be making her debut with Company of Fools in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. Her career in theatre began in Dallas, Texas and developed as she moved around the globe from Europe to New York to Georgia to Idaho. Some of her favorite roles include The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, Rizzo in Grease, Jesus in Godspell and an award-nominated turn as Catherine in Pippin.

John Moon (Direction) is making his Company of Fools directing debut with AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY and feels particularly fortunate to be working with such an incredible cast and design team. John lives in Richmond, Virginia where he works extensively with Virginia Repertory Theatre. Recent directing projects there include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Treasure Island, The Music Man, Is He Dead?, Nunsense, This Wonderful Life, Mousetrap, War Story, Deathtrap, Shirley Valentine, Romeo and Juliet, Stand-Up Tragedy, The All-Night Strut, Wait Until Dark and more than 40 tour productions for young audiences. His regional credits include Loot, Julius Caesar, Botticelli, A Doll's House, Spiders Web, Hopscotch, The Day of the Races, You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running, Ruthie, Big Criminals and Heaven Can Wait. John received his master's in directing from Columbia University and lived and worked in New York for 10 years before moving back to his native Richmond. He was Dramaturg for TheatreVirginia and later became Associate Artistic Director of Theatre IV. He now runs LifeJourney Films, producing family history documentaries.

K.O. Ogilvie (Stage Management) is thrilled that as Company of Fools celebrates its 20th season in the Wood River Valley, she celebrates a few special milestones as well. This will mark her 10th season as Stage Manager with the Fools and she will manage her 50th Foolish production within the year.

Ann Price (Dialect Coach) is always excited to make the drive from Boise to work with Company of Fools! She has worked as voice and dialect coach for shows including Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Shirley Valentine, Good People, and Shipwrecked! Ann has worked with Boise Contemporary Theater and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival on shows spanning back over 15 years. She directed the Boise State University productions of The Cure at Troy, The Misunderstanding and Metamorphoses. Ann teaches voice and dialects in the Department of Theatre Arts at Boise State University.

Adrian Rieder (Steve Heidebrecht) returns to Company of Fools after appearing in Shipwrecked! as Louis de Rougemont and as Trip in Other Desert Cities. Other favorite roles include Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Biff in Death of a Salesman, Leo in In the Next Room and Edmund in King Lear. His television credits include Unforgettable, Law & Order, Sex and the City, and the recurring role of Kenny Adler on All My Children. He has trained with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company, Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, and is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Denise Simone (Barbara Fordham) is a founding member and Core Company Artist of Company of Fools as well an accomplished actor, director, teacher, and playwright with over 30 years' experience in the world of professional theatre. Favorite roles with the Company include Masha in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Margaret in Good People, Polly in Other Desert Cities, Veronica in God of Carnage, The Syringa Tree, Lou in Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, Becca in Rabbit Hole, Shirley in Shirley Valentine, Karen in Dinner With Friends, Gretta in James Joyce's The Dead, Terry in Side Man, May in Fool for Love and Roberta in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. In 2014 she received the Idaho Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Joel Vilinsky (Sheriff Deon Gibeau) is an original Company of Fools member since its 1992 inception in Richmond, Virginia and is thrilled to help celebrate the Company's 20th season. Favorite COF roles include Mike in Good People, Gordon in Dead Man's Cell Phone, Hannay in The 39 Steps, Howie in Rabbit Hole, Harold in K2, Jonathan in Sight Unseen, Gabe in Dinner with Friends, Gabriel in James Joyce's The Dead, Al in Side Man and Danny in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Joel has served as a mentor for Company of Fools' New Voices program and directed Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter.

Aly Wepplo (Ivy Weston) recently relocated to the Wood River Valley From Richmond, Virginia. A Company Artist, Aly's COF credits include The Spitfire Grill, Doubt, Jack and the Beanstalk, 100 in the Shade, Steel Magnolias, The Glass Menagerie and Enchanted April. Credits in her former hometown of Richmond, Virginia include Shrek, The Tempest, The Furies, Wait Until Dark, The 25th Annual Punam County Spelling Bee, A Thousand Clowns, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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