Orlando Shakespeare Theater to Present BAKERSFIELD MIST, 10/14-11/15

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF presents an original staging of Bakersfield Mist from October 14 - November 15, 2015. Winner of the 2012 Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play and inspired by a true story, the colorful comic drama will be presented in the Goldman Theater. Tickets to Bakersfield Mist ($11 - $46) are available now by calling (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, visiting www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Fifty-something and in between jobs, Maude Gutman spends her last few dollars on a thrift store painting which she's convinced is a Jackson Pollock worth millions. When renowned art expert Lionel Percy arrives at her trailer park home in Bakersfield to authenticate the painting, cultures and class attitudes collide. Stephen Sachs' lively comic drama asks what makes art-and the people who create it-truly authentic.

"Bakersfield Mist caught our eye a few years ago and we're thrilled to be presenting it as part of our 27th Season," said Artistic Director Jim Helsinger. "The two-person play packs hysterical physical comedy, scathing one-liners, and gut-wrenching discoveries into one 90-minute roller coaster of emotion. We can't wait for audience members to take this ride with us."

Bakersfield Mist features Orlando Shakes favorite Anne Hering as Maude Gutman. Recent credits include last season's Bad Dog, A Christmas Carol, and LES MISERABLES. Additional acting credits include Boston Marriage, The Real Thing, and The Little Prince with Orlando Theatre Project.

Playing opposite Hering, Orlando Shakes newcomer Steve Brady will take on the role of Lionel Percy. Credits include Bill W. and Dr. Bob (Soho Playhouse), as well as Broadway's Inherit the Wind, the National Tour of The Exonerated, and Gulfshore Playhouse's Tartuffe.

Director Matt Pfeiffer returns following 2012's The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of "A Christmas Carol" and 2009's Wittenberg. A seven-time Barrymore nominee and recipient of the F. Otto Haas Award, Pfeiffer serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Exile.

The Orlando Shakes artistic team also includes Scenic Designer Vandy Wood, Lighting Designer Kevin Griffin, Costume Designer Heidi Jo Schiemer, and Sound Designer George Hamrah.

Bakersfield Mist was featured as a staged reading in 2011 as part of Orlando Shakespeare Theater's annual new play festival, PlayFest, and was directed by playwright Stephen Sachs. The play then received its National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at Fountain Theatre ("Strikes rich on every conceivable level..." -Los Angeles Times); New Jersey Repertory Company ("Food for thought about the evaluation of art and the human need for validation" -Talkin' Broadway); and a co-production from New Repertory Theatre and Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater ("Absorbing..." -The Boston Globe). Bakersfield Mist made its international debut at London's Duchess Theater in 2014 and featured Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid. The Times' Dominic Maxwell wrote that the production "put a smile on my face and kept my brain buzzing for a good while afterwards."

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