FIFTH OF JULY Comes to Bay Street, 7/6-8/1

How do events change us?  Do we look back with hope or despair at the way in which our lives are affected by the time in which we live?  These are the questions posed by FIFTH OF JULY, a funny and moving play written by Sag Harbor's own Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson.  Part comedy, part drama, The New York Times calls FIFTH OF JULY, "the wisest and funniest play of its generation."
 
Set in a Southern Missouri farmhouse, FIFTH OF JULY reunites a group of friends and former activists drawn together again to scatter the ashes of a relative and friend who has died. The group recounts the past as the disillusionment of what has become of their lives and relationships is revealed.
 
A Sag Harbor resident since 1970, Lanford Wilson began his career in the early 1960's writing one-act plays.  One of his early works, THE MADNESS OF LADY BRIGHT, was Caffe Cino's first significant hit and its longest running play. In 1969, Wilson co-founded The Circle Repertory Company.  His production of THE HOT L BALTIMORE at the Circle Rep won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Obie Award.  In 1979 he received the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for TALLEY'S FOLLY, part of his famous Talley Trilogy, the third play being FIFTH OF JULY.  FIFTH OF JULY debuted on Broadway in 198o at the New Apollo Theatre and was last revived in 2002 at the Signature Theater Company's season-long tribute to Lanford Wilson.

In Bay Street's revival, Broadway Director Terry Kinney puts his spin on this classic play. Mr. Kinney is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company with Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry.  His directing credits at Steppenwolf include The Violet Hour, Of Mice And Men and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which moved to Broadway and won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.  He recently directed Piper Perabo in reasons to be pretty on Broadway. Kinney is also an accomplished actor himself having appeared in "Save The Last Dance" and "Sleepers" among other films, and is perhaps best known for his role as Tim McManus on HBO's hit series "Oz".
 
Mr. Kinney will oversee a talented group of actors including David Wilson Barnes as John Landis (Broadway's The Lieutenant Of Inishmore, Becky Shaw and Film's "You Don't Know Jack"), Danny Deferrari as Weston Hurley (Thujone, Trouble Tales For Boys And Girls, As You Like It), Kally Duling as Shirley Talley (Bus Stop, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Little Women), Elizabeth Franz as Sally Friedman (Broadway's Death of a Salesman, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, The Piano Teacher), Shane McRae as Jed Jenkins (Take Me Out, Killers And Other Family and Film's "Bad Teacher"), Anson Mount as Kenneth Talley, Jr. (Film's "Tully" and "City By The Sea", Corpus Christi), Jennifer Mudge as Gwen Landis (Broadway's The Philanthropist, Dutchman, Bay Street's No Time For Comedy), and Kellie Overbey as June Talley (Broadway's Buried Child and Coast Of Utopia, Betty's Summer Vacation, and in Bay Street's The Night Season and Earth to Bucky).
 
To support the cast behind the scenes is a talented production team which includes David Gallo as Set Designer (Memphis, reasons to be pretty, Xanadu), Sarah Holden as Costume Designer (reasons to be pretty, still life, "Diminished Capacity"), David Weiner as Lighting Designer (Bay Street's Darwin In Malibu, Butley, Dinner At Eight), Original Composition & Sound Design by Obadiah Eaves  (Collected Stories, Accent On Youth, Come Back, Gabriel), and Bay Street regulars Kathy Fabian as Props Designer (Fences, All About Me, A Behanding in Spokane) and Brian Meister, as Production Stage Manager (Dinner, Viva La Vida, Rough Crossing).
 
FIFTH OF JULY begins previews Tuesday, July 6th through Friday, July 9th, with opening night Saturday, July 10th. The show runs Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, Sundays at 7pm, with matinees on Wednesdays at 2pm and Saturdays at 4pm except during preview week.   On Tuesday, July 13th following the performance there will be a talkback with the actors.   The show will close on Sunday, August 1st.   FIFTH OF JULY is a co-production with the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, where it will move following its run at Bay Street.
 
Bay Street will be offering a limited number of Two-fer tickets for preview nights only from July 6th through the 9th as well as for matinee performances during the run.   On preview days and matinee days, theatergoers may purchase two tickets for the price of one on the day of the performance only starting at 2pm (or noon for Wednesday matinees) based on availability.  Tickets must be purchased in person at the box office on the Long Wharf.   Limit two tickets per person.
 
Single tickets are $55 and $65 and can be purchased at www.baystreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500, or in person at the Box Office on the Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, open daily from 11am to 6pm.
 
Bay Street Theatre is a not-for-profit regional theater presenting new, classic and contemporary works, with a commitment to challenging and entertaining our diverse community. This commitment extends to innovative educational programs that highlight the power of live theater.  It is our mission to be an artistic haven for an extended family of artists and audience, while continuing to provide a gathering place to share in the unique collective theatrical experience.

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