Court Theatre Presents Tony Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA 3/30-6/3

Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert present Tony Kushner's Tony Award-winning Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. Angels in America will run March 30 – June 3, 2012 at Court Theatre.

"The Great Work Begins." The year is 1985: Ronald Reagan has just been reelected to a second term, and the deadly AIDS epidemic is at its height in New York City. Tony Kushner's two-part historical drama captures the lives of the HIV-positive Prior; Louis, his lover who abandons him; Joe, a closeted gay Mormon; his Valium-addicted wife Harper; Roy Cohn, a notorious lawyer from the McCarthy hearings, dying of AIDS; Belize, his African-American nurse; Hannah, Joe's mother from Utah; and the Angel, a terrifyingly beautiful herald of the apocalypse. As these characters discover, confront, and seduce each other during a time of death, hypocrisy, and tumultuous change, Kushner summons a restless pastiche of the historical and the supernatural, the theological and the political-all told by a company of eight actors.

Having directEd Kushner's Caroline, or Change and The Illusion, Court's Artistic Director Charles Newell will direct Millennium Approaches and a newly-revised Perestroika in repertory performance.

"Mr. Kushner and I were chatting about what our next collaboration might be, and as we were mulling over a few smaller ideas, he stopped and said that what he really wanted me to direct was Angels in America," says Artistic Director Charles Newell. "It's a significant honor and a thrilling challenge to take on this work, which I consider to be a true classic, one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century. Moreover, as we move into another presidential election season, the play's themes of progress and community--politically and emotionally speaking--couldn't be timelier. While Court will be offering the chance to see either part separately, I personally encourage our audiences to see both parts in one day to experience the full power of this play's emotional journey."

Angels in America features Eddie Bennett (Louis Ironson), Mary Beth Fisher (The Angel), Heidi Kettenring (Harper Amaty Pitt), Rob Lindley (Prior Walter), Geoff Packard (Joseph Porter Pitt), Michael Pogue (Belize), Hollis Resnik (Hannah Porter Pitt) and Larry Yando (Roy M. Cohn).

The creative team includes John Culbert (scenic design), Mike Tutaj (projection design), Keith Parham (lighting design), Nan Cibula-Jenkins (costume design), and Josh Horvath (sound design). Amber Johnson is the Stage Manager and William Collins is the Production Stage Manager. Drew Dir is the Production Dramaturg.

Tony Kushner's (Playwright) plays include A Bright Room Called Day; Angels in America, Parts One and Two; Slavs!; Homebody/Kabul; Caroline, or Change, a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori; and The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism And Socialism With A Key To The Scriptures. He wrote the libretto for the opera A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck, also with Ms. Tesori. He has adapted and translated Pierre Corneille's The Illusion, S.Y. Ansky's The Dybbuk, Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Sezuan and Mother Courage and Her Children; and the English-language libretto for the opera Brundibár by Hans Krasa. He wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols' film of Angels In America, and Steven Spielberg's Munich. His books include Brundibar, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; The Art of Maurice Sendak, 1980 to the Present; and Wrestling With Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, co-edited with Alisa Solomon. Kushner is the recipient of a Pultizer Prize, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, an Olivier Award, an Emmy Award and an Oscar nomination, among other honors. In 2008, he was the first recipient of the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. He lives in Manhattan with his husband, Mark Harris.

Charles Newell (Director/Artistic Director) has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 30 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directorial highlights at Court include An Iliad, Porgy and Bess, Three Tall Women, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Wild Duck, Caroline, Or Change, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Man of La Mancha, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hamlet, and The Invention of Love. Charlie has also directed at the Goodman Theatre (Rock 'n' Roll), the Guthrie Theater (Resident Director: The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman's The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award. He has served on the Board of Theatre Communications Group, as well as on several panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein's Regina at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Rigoletto at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Charlie is a multiple Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago's highest theatrical honor) nominee and recipient. Recently, his production of Caroline, Or Change at Court was the recipient of four Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Production–Musical and Best Director–Musical.

Eddie Bennett (Louis Ironson, et al.) has appeared at Court Theatre in The Wild Duck, Titus Andronicus, and Arcadia. Chicago credits include: Mary (Goodman Theatre), War with the Newts (Next Theatre), Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Speech and Debate (American Theatre Company), and several productions in collaboration with The Building Stage. Regional credits include work at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. Education: BA, Bard College; NTI/Moscow Art Theater. Eddie is also an instructor at Black Box Acting.

Mary Beth Fisher (The Angel, et al.) has appeared at Court Theatre in Three Tall Women, The Year of Magical Thinking (Jeff Award), The Wild Duck, What the Butler Saw, Arcadia, Travesties, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Other Chicago credits include: God of Carnage, The Seagull, Rock 'n' Roll, The Clean House, Dinner with Friends, Heartbreak House, Spinning into Butter, Boy Gets Girl (Goodman Theatre); Dead Man's Cell Phone, The Dresser, The Memory of Water (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Laramie Project: Epilogue, Little Dog Laughed, Theatre District (About Face Theatre); The Marriage of Figaro (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company). She has worked in regional theatres all over the country, most recently in Superior Donuts (Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles). NY credits include: Frank's Home (Playwright's Horizons); Boy Gets Girl (Drama League Honoree, Drama Desk and Lucile Lortel nominations), The Radical Mystique, By the Sea … (Manhattan Theatre Club); The Night of the Iguana (Roundabout Theatre Company); Extremities (Westside Arts Theatre). TV/Film: Chicago Code, State of Romance, Without a Trace, Numb3rs, Prison Break, NYPD Blue, Profiler, Early Edition, Formosa Betrayed, Dragonfly, and Trauma. Ms. Fisher received the 2010 Chicago's Leading Lady Award from the Sarah Siddons Society. She is a Lunt-Fontanne Fellow.

Heidi Kettenring (Harper Amaty Pitt, et al.) has appeared at Court Theatre in Travesties, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Guys and Dolls (After Dark Award.) Chicagoland credits: the Broadway in Chicago production of Wicked and work with Northlight Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Writers' Theatre, Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, Theatre at the Center, and American Theatre Company. Regional: Goodspeed Opera House, Theatre Works in Palo Alto, Peninsula Players, and Bar Harbor Theatre. Tour: Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Heidi has also sung concerts with The Three Divas, the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Pensacola Symphony, and can be heard singing on a Disney Princess children's book. She is a five-time Jeff Award nominee, the recipient of the Sarah Siddons Chicago Leading Lady Award, and a proud graduate of Northwestern University.

Rob Lindley (Prior Walter, et al.) returns to Court Theatre having been seen in The Wild Duck, Caroline, or Change, and Carousel (Jeff nomination). Rob has also been seen in Candide (Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC); Urinetown (Mercury Theatre); Wings (Apple Tree Theatre); A New Brain, Children of Eden, Closer Than Ever (Porchlight Music Theatre); Bach at Liepzig, Oh Coward! (Writers' Theatre). Rob won a Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Revue for Oh Coward! and can be heard on the company's CD "Bright Young People". Rob also produces/directs/hosts many gala concerts for organizations such as Court Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, and The Chicago Humanities Festival. Rob is also an improviser, improv instructor, and cabaret performer. His vocal trio Foiled Again has won an After Dark award and their debut CD Foiled Again: Live is available on iTunes and CDbaby.com. Rob is married to Chicago musical director Doug Peck.

Geoff Packard (Joseph Porter Pitt, et al.) is making his Court Theatre debut. Credits include: Broadway – Rock of Ages, Phantom of the Opera; Chicago – Candide (Goodman Theatre – Jeff Award Best Actor); National tours – Wicked, Phantom of the Opera; Regional – Candide (Huntington Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre, DC – 2011 Helen Hayes Award Best Actor), LiberTy Smith, Shenandoah (Ford's Theatre), Winesburg, Ohio (Kansas City Repertory Theatre), Where's Charley? (Goodspeed Opera House.)

Michael Pogue (Belize, et al.) is proud to return to Court Theatre. He debuted earlier this season in Spunk. His other credits include VENUS and Carter's Way at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Radio Golf at Raven Theatre; Lobby Hero at Redtwist Theatre; Night and Day at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company; and Six Degrees of Separation at Eclipse Theatre Company.

Hollis Resnick (Hannah Porter Pitt, et al.) has appeared in over fifteen productions at Court Theatre including The Little Foxes, Titus Andronicus, Man of La Mancha, James Joyce's "The Dead," The Chairs, An Ideal Husband, and The Cherry Orchard. Recently she was seen in Follies (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Candide (Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre, DC). Other credits include Light in the Piazza (Arena Stage, DC), A Streetcar Named Desire (Cleveland Play House), and The Guardsman (ALLIANCE THEATRE, Atlanta.) Chicago appearances include Grey Gardens (Northlight Theatre), Hairspray and Mame (Marriot Theatre Lincolnshire), and Rough Crossing (Writers' Theatre.) National tours include Les Miserables, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. She has sung at the Ravinia Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Millennium Park, and many others. She is a ten-time Jeff award recipient, as well as two Sarah Siddons awards, the Helen Hayes award, the Connecticut Critics Circle award, and a 2012 recipient of the Lunt Fontanne Fellowship for regional actors.

Larry Yando (Roy M. Cohn, et al.) returns to Court Theatre, where he has appeared in Fake, Travesties, An Ideal Husband, Ghosts, Electra, Measure for Measure, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Travels with My Aunt. Other Chicago roles include Candide (Jeff Award Best Supporting Actor) and three years as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Titus Andronicus (Defiant Theatre); The Two Noble Kinsmen, Cymbeline, The Tempest, Timon of Athens, All's Well That Ends Well, King Lear, Henry IV Parts I and II, Antony and Cleopatra, and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Mother Courage (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Bach at Leipzig, As You Like It, Nixon's Nixon, and Rocket to the Moon (Writers' Theatre); The Birthday Party and Eastern Standard (Apple Tree Theatre); I Hate Hamlet and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Royal George Theatre). Regional credits include Angels in America, Arcadia, and Amadeus (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Glengarry Glen Ross, Cloud Nine, Betrayal, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Six Characters in Search of an Author (Indiana Repertory Theatre); Burn This, I Hate Hamlet, and Private Lives (Madison Repertory Theatre.) He also performed as Scar in the national tour of The Lion King for three years. He was honored as Chicago magazine's Best Actor in Chicago and received DePaul University's prestigious Excellence in the Arts Award. Yando has taught advanced acting classes at The Theatre School at DePaul University, Northwestern University, Columbia College, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Classical Training Program. He was also chosen for the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.Drew Dir (Production Dramaturg) is in his third season as the resident dramaturg of Court Theatre and a lecturer of Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago. In the past, Drew has worked as a playwright, dramaturg, director, and puppeteer in Chicago and London. His writing has been called "daring" by the Chicago Tribune and "ballsy" by Time Out Chicago. His short play The Lurker Radio Hour was recently remounted at Chicago's Sketchbook Reverb. He also creates and performs shadow puppetry for his company, Manual Cinema. Drew holds a master's degree in Text and Performance Studies from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Previews are March 30 – June 3, 2012. The Smart Museum of Art will be staying open for patrons seeing Part 1 followed by Part 2 on most Sundays of the run. The galleries will be open to Court patrons and dinner will be available for purchase in the Smart lobby.

Ticket prices are $35 to $45 for preview performances; $45 to $65 for regular run performances. Tickets are available at the Box Office, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online at www.CourtTheatre.org. Student and senior discounts available. Groups of 10 or more may purchase discounted tickets by calling Kate Vangeloff at (773) 834-3243.

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