Hallie Foote To Star In Hartford Stage/Signature's THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE

2009 Tony Award nominee Hallie Foote (Dividing the Estate) will be featured in the cast of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, the nine-play three part theatrical event by her late father, the Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award winning playwright Horton Foote, which will be co-produced in the 2009-2010 season by Hartford Stage (Michael Wilson, Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Managing Director) and Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director).

The productions will be directed by Michael Wilson and performed at Hartford Stage from September 3, 2009 to October 24, 2009 and at Signature Theatre Company, from November 5, 2009 to March 6, 2010. Each part of the three part cycle will be staged individually as well as in repertory and one-day marathons. Audiences may choose to see the individual parts or the entire trilogy. Subscriptions for both the Hartford and Signature Productions are now on sale, with dates and further details on the schedules available at www.hartfordstage.org and www.signaturetheatre.org.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE encompasses nine plays by Mr. Foote, together for the first time and newly adapted by Mr. Foote prior to his death on March 4, 2009 at the age of 92. Foote adapted each of the full-length plays, some previously produced and others never before seen, into one epic cycle.

Hallie Foote, a frequent interpreter of her father's work comments, "My father left a wonderful legacy with this newly adapted version of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE. My family and I are excited to be partnering with Hartford Stage and Signature Theatre Company to honor the magnificent talent and years of work that went into writing these nine plays. I feel very connected to my father and his writing, and I look forward to participating in the production and bringing his fascinating characters -- my extended family -- to life during the coming year."

Classical in its breadth and scope, THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE begins with a father's death in a small-Texas town at the turn of the century, a loss that sends his son, Horace Robedaux, on an odyssey through the darkest corners of the heart as he learns to become a husband, father, and patriarch. Set in Foote's fictitious town of Harrison, Texas and based partly on the childhood of Foote's father and the courtship and marriage of his parents, the cycle is a wide-ranging, intricate work.

Ms. Foote, who will play a variety of roles in THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, is currently appearing at Hartford Stage in her father's Dividing the Estate, a 2009 Tony Award nominee for Best Play. Ms. Foote has also received a nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the production. Dividing the Estate, directed by Michael Wilson, plays May 28-July 5 at Hartford Stage.

Over three dozen artists will come together over a nine month period to present this historic production. This three-part version of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE was commissioned by Hartford Stage in 2007. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Part I ("The Story of a Childhood") begins at the turn of the 20th century with the plays Roots in a Parched Ground, Convicts and Lily Dale and follows Horace Robedaux in his formative years.

Part II ("The Story of a Marriage") focuses on the married life of Horace Robedaux and his new wife and is made up of the plays The Widow Claire, Courtship and Valentine's Day.

Part III ("The Story of a Family") consists of the plays 1918, Cousins and The Death of Papa and begins with the turmoil of World War I and ends with the characters looking to the future of their family and land.

Four of the individual plays, Roots in a Parched Ground, Convicts, Cousins and Valentine's Day, will be staged for the first time as part of the cycle.

Hartford Stage has produced the world premieres of The Carpetbagger's Children (which transferred Off-Broadway), and The Death of Papa (the last play in THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE), as well as the 50th anniversary revival of The Trip to Bountiful. Hartford Stage is currently presenting the Broadway transfer of Mr. Foote's hit comedy, Dividing the Estate.

Signature Theatre Company devoted its 1994-1995 season to Horton Foote, including the world premieres of The Young Man from Atlanta (for which Foote won the Pulitzer Prize) and Laura Dennis and the New York premieres of Night Seasons and Talking Pictures. Signature produced the world premiere of his The Last of the Thorntons in its 2000-2001 Season and the award-winning production of The Trip to Bountiful in 2005 in the company's 15th anniversary season.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE is made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to Hartford Stage.

The Signature Ticket Initiative is made possible by the lead sponsorship of Time Warner. Support for Signature Theatre Company's Horton Foote Legacy Season is provided by American Express and the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.

Horton Foote had his first play, Texas Town, produced Off-Broadway in 1941. Since then he has had plays produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off Off-Broadway and at many theaters around the country. Plays included Dividing the Estate (Broadway/Lincoln Center Theater, Primary Stages, and currently at Hartford Stage), The Young Man From Atlanta (Pulitzer Prize), The Trip to Bountiful (Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Revival), The Carpetbagger's Children (American Theater Critics 2002 Best Play Award), The Day Emily Married, The Last of the Thorntons, The Chase, The Traveling Lady, Night Seasons, Tomorrow, The Habitation of Dragons, Laura Dennis, Vernon Early and The Roads to Home. He received Academy Awards for his screenplay adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird and his original screenplay, Tender Mercies. Awards included Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Dividing the Estate, Lortel Award for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway and the Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award for the Signature Theatre Company series of his plays, Drama Desk Lifetime Achievement Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal of Drama for the body of his work, PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award for Drama, New York State Governor's Award and the 2000 National Medal of Arts Award from President Bill Clinton. Honors: Theatre Hall of Fame (1996), elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1998). His memoirs, Farewell and Beginnings, are published by Scribners. Horton Foote died at the age of 92 on March 4, 2009.

Michael Wilson has recently directed Chasing Manet at Primary Stages and Dividing the Estate at Hartford Stage, which he directed on Broadway earlier this season for Lincoln Center Theater. A longtime collaborator with Mr. Foote, he directed the premieres of his plays The Carpetbagger's Children (Hartford Stage and Lincoln Center Theater) and The Death of Papa (Hartford Stage); the New York premieres of Dividing the Estate and The Day Emily Married (Primary Stages); and the 50th Anniversary revival of The Trip to Bountiful (Hartford Stage and Alley Theatre). On Broadway, he directed Old Acquaintance (Roundabout Theatre Company), and Enchanted April, for which he received an Outer Critics Circle nomination. Off-Broadway, he directed the premieres of Christopher Shinn's What Didn't Happen (Playwrights Horizons) and Eve Ensler's Necessary Targets, as well as the New York premieres of Jane Anderson's Defying Gravity and Tennessee Williams' The Red Devil Battery Sign. He in his 11th season as artistic director of Hartford Stage, where he has directed the premieres of David Grimm's The Learned Ladies of Park Avenue as well as Tennessee Williams' The Palooka, Now the Cats with Jeweled Claws, and The One Exception as part of the theatre's epic two part production, Eight By Tenn. For the Venice Biennale and Alley Theatre, he directed both parts of Tony Kushner's Angels in America.

Hallie Foote Lincoln Center Theater: Dividing the Estate (2009 Tony Award nominee, Best Featured Actress in a Play), The Carpetbagger's Children (Drama League Award). Off-Broadway: Dividing the Estate (Richard Seff Award), The Day Emily Married, When They Speak of Rita (Primary Stages); The Trip to Bountiful (Signature Theatre Company; Lucille Lortel Award, Best Supporting Actress), The Last of the Thorntons (Drama League Award), Talking Pictures, Night Seasons, Laura Dennis (Signature); The Roads to Home (Obie Award), The Widow Claire (Circle in the Square). Regional: The Carpetbagger's Children (Alley Theatre, Hartford Stage and Guthrie Theater), The Death of Papa (PlayMakers Rep), God's Pictures (Indiana Rep). Film: 1918, On Valentine's Day, Courtship, Walking to the Waterline. TV: producer of "Lily Dale" (Showtime/HallMark Hall of Fame). Other awards: Drama Desk Award for the 1995 Horton Foote season at the Signature Theatre.

HARTFORD STAGE, under the leadership of Michael Wilson, artistic director, and Michael Stotts, managing director, is celebrating its 45th anniversary season. Since its founding in 1963, Hartford Stage has produced over 320 new productions, among them 61 world or American premieres. Recent work includes a landmark production of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the world premiere of Daniel Beaty's Resurrection, several plays by Tennessee Williams during an unprecedented ten-year marathon of his work, including The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, Summer and Smoke, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, and the two-evening 8 By Tenn, which included three premieres. Other new work includes the premiere of Eve Ensler's Necessary Targets; the commission and premiere of Edward Albee's Peter and Jerry; the East Coast premiere of Lanford Wilson's Book of Days; Matthew Barber's Enchanted April which transferred to Broadway; Matthew Lombardo's Tea at Five. Works by Horton Foote that have been produced at Hartford Stage include The Death of Papa, Dividing the Estate, and the world premiere of The Carpetbagger's Children. The theatre has earned numerous distinguished honors, including a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Margo Jones Award, OBIE awards, and a New York Critics Circle award. In 2005 Hartford Stage was awarded The Hartford Courant's Tapestry Award recognizing its work in diversity, and in 2008 it was awarded the Bank of America Neighborhood Builder's Award recognizing its work in the Greater Hartford community. In addition to The Orphans' Home Cycle by Horton Foote, playwrights currently under commission include Luis Alfaro, Daniel Beaty, Jorge Ignacio Cortinas, Elizabeth Egloff, Michael Elyanow, James Lecesne, Craig Wright, and Quiara Alegria Hudes, the 2009 New American Voices Playwright-in-Residence at Hartford Stage.

Signature Theatre COMPANY, founded in 1991 by James Houghton, exists to honor and celebrate the playwright. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright's body of work, and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process. For the past 18 years, the Company has devoted an entire season to the work of a single playwright, including re-examinations of past writings as well as New York and world premieres. By championing in-depth explorations of a living playwright's body of work, the Company delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright's singular vision.

Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, the historic Negro Ensemble Company, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, August Wilson, and Lanford Wilson. Signature remains deeply committed to these season-long residencies, and during the company's tenth and fifteenth anniversaries, Signature introduced the Legacy Program. The Legacy Program invites past Playwrights-in-Residence back to Signature through two series: the Signature Series, which presents "signature," or more well-known works; and the Premiere Series, which presents New York and world premieres. Signature's current season is celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company, while its twentieth anniversary season (2010-2011) will feature the work of Tony Kushner.

Signature, its productions and its resident writers have been recognized with a Pulitzer Prize, 20 Lucille Lortel Awards, seven OBIE Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, 10 Drama League Awards and 15 AUDELCO Awards among many other distinctions. The National Theatre Conference recognized the company as the 2003 Outstanding National Theatre of the Year.

Tickets to the marathon performances of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE at Hartford Stage are now on sale. Single ticket sales will begin on July 9, with an internet pre-sale beginning on July 1. For tickets and more information, call the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org. Hartford Stage is located at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford with parking located in the MAT Garage, directly adjacent to the theatre. The theatre is easily accessible from I-84 and I-91.

Traditional and marathon subscriptions are now on sale for the Signature Theatre Company run of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE. Through The Signature Ticket Initiative, which seeks to make great theatre accessible to the broadest possible audience, all regularly-priced single tickets ($65) during the initial announced run are underwritten and will be available for $20 for the individual performances of all three parts. The Signature Ticket Initiative continues through Signature's 20th Anniversary Season (2010-2011).

The Signature Ticket Initiative is made possible by the lead sponsorship of Time Warner Inc. Generous support for The Signature Ticket Initiative is provided by Margot Adams, in memory of Mason Adams. THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE will play at The Peter Norton Space located at 555 West 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues). For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit signaturetheatre.org or call (212) 244-PLAY (7529).

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