COBB Opens At Lonny Chapman Theatre 2/17-4/7

The Group Rep will present Lee Blessing's COBB, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, produced by Richard Alan Woody. Detroit Tigers center fielder Ty Cobb is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time; he's also roundly remembered as the most despised player of his generation -- if not ever -- Cobb may have been setting all kinds of records back in the teens and '20s, but he was also racking up enemies at an equal clip. In this bio-drama by Lee Blessing (A Walk in the Woods, Black Sheep), Cobb steps out of time to encounter himself at various stages in his life. It's an exploration of humanity that goes beyond baseball and a single man, into the nature of successful people in general and the influences of their upbringing on the personalities they eventually become.

Cast features Kent Butler, Bert Emmett, Jason Delane, and Daniel Sykes. February 17 – April 7. Runs weekends in rep with IF WE ARE WOMEN.

Tickets: $22; Seniors/Students: $17; Groups 10+: $15. Friday Night Ladies Night ladies tickets ½ price. www.thegrouprep.com or (818) 763-5990. Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Boulevard, NoHo 91601.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Gregg T. Daniel (DIRECTOR)
Gregg T. Daniel is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. For The Group Rep, he directed Heroes, a play by G. Sibleyras from a translation by Tom Stoppard. Other credits include I Am My Own Wife, Stop Kiss and Sizwe Bansi Is Dead for Theatre 150 in Ojai, CA., War Stories at Los Angeles Theatre Center and Beneath Rippling Water for The Fremont Center in Pasadena. He is the Artistic Director of the L.A. based Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble, which mounts classical, contemporary and new works "through the lens of the artist of color." LDTE recently won a 2011 NAACP Theatre award for their inaugural production, Three Sisters after Chekhov by Mustapha Matura. (www.lowerdepththeatreensemble.org)

RICHARD ALAN WOODY (PRODUCER)
At The Group Rep, Woody recently directed Doug Haverty's Next Window, Please. Previous productions include Lee Blessing's A Walk in the Woods, Gene Casey's theatresongs; the Casey-Buhrer musical Milagro; Frances Mizrahi's Closets; Phil Olson's A Nice Family Gathering; Craig Alpaugh's Neighborhood Crime Watch; and Jeffrey Sweet's Bluff. He also helmed Linda Steinbaum's Fat Chance and Jeremy Kehoe's Ready, Aim, You're Fired, at the NoHo Actors' Studio, as well as the L.A. Premiere of Yazmina Reza's Life X 3 at The Asylum.

COLETTE ROSARIO (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)
Colette returns to her love - The Theatre - after 20 years of raising her family and experiencing many creative & intellectual pursuits. Colette's TV & film acting roles include ones in "All My Children", "Alf" and "Under the Rainbow." She trained in London, L.A. & NY, and performed in a wide variety of roles from classics such as Much Ado About Nothing to comedies and world premieres. Her most recent role was "Jodi" in September 10th at The Group Rep.

PLAYERS

KENT BUTLER (MR. COBB)
Kent was last seen on The Group Rep stage as "Ludie" in The Trip to Bountiful. Before that, he appeared as "Phil" in Inspecting Carol. As a long-time fan of the long-suffering Pittsburgh Pirates, Kent is thrilled to be playing a baseball legend. To quote George Will, "Baseball - it is said - is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona." Play ball!

DANIEL SYKES (THE PEACH)
The Group Rep: My Three Angels. Stage: Amadeus, Equus (Arizona Republic: Best Actor), SubUrbia, Of Mice and Men, Rabbit Hole, La Bete (Critics Choice Best Actor). Film/Tv: "Wizards of Waverly Place", "The Grudge 2", "Mind of Mencia", "Friday 13th: Camp Blood", "The 18 Year Old Virgin". Dan is a National ARTS Award Winner.

BERT EMMETT (TY)
Bert has most recently been seen as "Kanute" in Phil Olson's musical Don't Hug Me - I'm Pregnant at The Secret Rose Theatre, The Merchant of Venice with the Porters of Hellsgate and in Things that Go Hump in the Night at the Eclectic Company Theatre. With the Group Rep, he acted in September 10! and Wait Until Dark. Other roles include ones in the films "The Forsaken," "Alien Hunter" and "Outside Ozona."

JASON DELANE (OSCAR CHARLESTON)
Jason's LA theatre credits include Three Sisters after Chekhov at Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble, Stickfly at the Matrix Theatre and The Last Season at Robey Theatre. Chicago theatre credits include work at the Goodman, Victory Gardens and Lookingglass theatres, among others. He is a founding company member of Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble and a life member of The Actors Studio. Recent TV credits- "Criminal Minds", "Secret Life of an American Teenager," and "Make it or Break it."

DESIGN TEAM

Chris Winfield (SET DESIGN)
Chris' most recent appearances at the Group Rep were in My Three Angels, The Poor of New York and Wait Until Dark. A member of The Group Rep since 1984, Chris has been the resident set designer for the last 10 years. He is also the Co-Artistic Director of the company. Film and TV credits include "Firefox", "M*A*S*H", "Baywatch", "The Nanny" and "Eli Stone". He is also proud to be the Stagecraft Instructor at Agoura High School.

LIZ NANKIN (COSTUME DESIGN)
Liz has done a number of shows for The Group Rep: Heroes, Painting Churches, Boston Marriage, The Poor of New York and A Christmas Carol. Films include "Bagdad Café", "Rosalie Goes Shopping" and "Daddy's Dying, Who's Got the Will?" Television credits include: "All Together Now", "Wil Show" and commercials. Liz has been associated The Group Rep since Lonny Chapman was Artistic Director. She is also a Puppeteer with Bob Baker Marionettes.

SABRINA BEATTIE (LIGHTING DESIGN)
Sabrina received a B.F.A. from Penn State in 2008 and has worked in the US and Russia. Credits include Lighting Design for And Then There Were None and Next Window, Please (both at the Group Rep), There is Truth, Love is Real, The West Texas Marsupial Girl and Educating Rita; Scenic Design for 9 Parts of Desire; and Prop Master for The Importance of Being Ernest.

STEVE SHAW (SOUND DESIGN)
Steve is a Group Rep member whose Sound Design credits include My Three Angels, Next Window, Please, The Poor of New York, Wait Until Dark, Barefoot in the Park, and Inspecting Carol. He was a long-time member of Actors Alley and The Company Rep, with numerous design credits for both. He has also designed frequently for the Sierra Madre Playhouse, including their recent, acclaimed revivals of Picnic and The Rainmaker.

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