Emily Swallow to Lead Guthrie Theatre's CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

On the heels of the explosive A Streetcar Named Desire, the Guthrie Theater today announced complete casting for Tennessee Williams' drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about a Southern family in crisis receives its second-ever Guthrie staging. Last produced at the Guthrie in 1976 under the artistic leadership of Michael Langham, this production will play from January 14– February 26, 2012, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Lisa Peterson (Major Barbara, Oedipus and Mrs. Warren's Profession) will direct.

Former Guthrie Experience participant and television actress Emily Swallow (Guthrie: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Television: "Ringer," "Southland" and "The Good Wife") will lead the cast in the iconic role of the troubled, lovelorn Margaret (Maggie the Cat). Swallow will be joined by Twin Cities actor Peter Christian Hansen (Dollhouse, Macbeth, After a Hundred Years) as the indifferent, alcoholic, favorite son Brick.

The production will also feature the talents of David Anthony Brinkley (The Scottsboro Boys) as Big Daddy, the wealthy, cancer-stricken patriarch, and Tony-nominated Broadway veteran actress Melissa Hart as Big Mama. Chris Carlson (God of Carnage) and Michelle O'Neill (Much Ado About Nothing) will take on the roles of Gooper and Mae, respectively-Brick's covetous and self-interested brother and sister-in-law.

Rounding out the cast are H. Adam Harris (Much Ado About Nothing) as Lacey and Stephen D'Ambrose (Edgardo Mine) as Rev. Tooker. Fred Wagner (Dr. Baugh), Joetta Wright (Daisy), Reggie Phoenix (Brightie) and Sha Cage (Sookey) will make their Guthrie Theater debuts.

It's the 65th birthday of wealthy southern patriarch Big Daddy Pollitt, who is unknowingly dying of cancer, and his sons Gooper and Brick have arrived on the scene of the family's Mississippi plantation in hopes of inching closer to their $10 million inheritance. Yet as Brick descends into alcoholism following the death of a college friend, his fragile relationship with his wife Maggie continues to crumble, and the lies and illusion become too much for the family to bear.

The artistic team includes Rachel Hauck (Set Designer), Ilona Somogyi (Costume Designer), Scott Zielinski (Lighting Designer), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Lucinda Holshue (Voice and Dialect Coach), Carla Steen (Dramaturg), Marcela Lorca (Movement), Susan R. White (Stage Manager), Justin Hossle (Assistant Stage Manager) and Jennie Ward (Assistant Director).

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof begins preview performances on January 14, opens January 20 and continues through February 26, 2012, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater. Single tickets start at $24 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

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