MIDDLETOWN Awarded Inaugural Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play

Will Eno's MIDDLETOWN - which will receive its World-Premiere at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) with previews beginning October 13, and opening officially on November 3 - is the inaugural recipient of the newly established Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play, it was announced by Mari Marchbanks, Founder and Executive Director of The Horton Foote Prize.

Mr. Eno - along with Lynn Nottage, whose play RUINED, received the Horton Foote Prize for Outstanding New American Play - will be honored at a private reception on Monday, September 20th at The Players in New York City. To celebrate their contributions to the American Theatre, each playwright will be presented with $15,000 and a limited edition of Keith Carter's photograph of Horton Foote.

Full casting for the Vineyard Theatre's production of MIDDLETOWN - which will be directed by Ken Rus Schmoll (THE INTERNATIONALIST, TELEPHONE) - was recently announced, and will include: JohAnna Day (Vineyard's HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, Tony Award nominee for PROOF), David Garrison (Tony nominee for A DAY IN HOLLYWOOD..., TITANIC), Linus Roache ("Law & Order," CORIOLANUS), Heather Burns (THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO, HBO's "Bored to Death"), Georgia Engel ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," THE DROWSY CHAPERONE), Michael Park (the Vineyard Theatre production of THE BURNT PART BOYS, 2010 Emmy winner for "As the World Turns"), James McMenamin (George Gibbs in the hit revival of OUR TOWN); Cindy Cheung (co-star of the M. Night Shyamalan film "Lady in the Water"); Ed Jewett (Mac Wellman's 1965UU, THE BEST MAN), McKenna Kerrigan (THE REALLY BIG ONCE, THE BEREAVED), Olivia Scott (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD) and Pete Simpson (THE Blue Man Group, Richard Maxwell's COWBOYS AND INDIANS).

MIDDLETOWN is Will Eno's deeply moving and funny new play exploring the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge (Roache) and new arrival Mary Swanson (Burns), the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between.

The design team for MIDDLETOWN is David Zinn (set & costume design) and Tyler Micoleau (lighting design).

Mr. Eno's play "THOM PAIN (based on nothing)" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and enjoyed a year-long run Off-Broadway in 2004 following its debut at the International Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a subsequent transfer to London's Soho Theatre. His play "THE FLU SEASON" won the 2004 Oppenheimer Award for best debut production. His other plays include TRAGEDY: a tragedy, and "OH, THE HUMANITY and other exclamations," which debuted at The Flea Theater.

Vineyard Theatre is the recipient of the Tony Award for the musical AVENUE Q and continues as producer of the musical's current production at New World Stages in New York. The Vineyard has also produced the musical [title of show] on Broadway. One of the nation's leading non-profit theatre companies dedicated to new plays and musicals and bold programming, The Vineyard has produced the Pulitzer Prize-winning productions of Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN and Paula Vogel's HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE. The Vineyard has consistently premiered provocative, groundbreaking works and developed innovative educational collaborations. Recent productions include Tarell Alvin McCraney's acclaimed WIG OUT!. The 2009-2010 season saw several enormously Popular Productions at the Vineyard, including: A BOY AND HIS SOUL, written and performed by Colman Domingo, the world premiere engagement of the musical THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson, and direction and choreography by Susan Stroman, the world premiere of Adam Rapp's THE METAL CHILDREN and (along with Playwrights Horizons) the new musical THE BURNT PART BOYS by Mariana Elder, Nathan Tysen and Chris Miller, directed by Joe Calarco.

Douglas Aibel is Artistic Director of Vineyard Theatre; Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell is Executive Director.

Scheduled through November 21, performances of MIDDLETOWN run Tuesdays at 7:00pm, Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets to MIDDLETOWN are $65 and can be reserved by calling the Vineyard Theatre box office at 212-353-0303 or online at www.vineyardtheatre.org. Additionally, there is a $20 day-of student rush ticket.

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