Alison Smyth and Scott Clarkson Lead THE FOURPOSTER at the Classic Theatre Festival This Month

Canadian actress and singer Alison Smyth returns to the Classic Theatre Festival this August to play Agnes in Jan De Hartog's THE FOURPOSTER with Scott Clarkson as Michael. The production is directed by Laurel Smith, the Artistic Producer of the Festival, with fight choreography by Jessica Vandenberg.

Smyth was born and raised in Ottawa and is now based out of Mississauga. She made her professional debut in the Toronto production of HAIRSPRAY for Mirvish Productions, and won the Broadwayworld.com Toronto Award for Best Featured Female in JERSEY BOYS. This is her third season with the Classic Theatre Festival. She starred as Susy in WAIT UNTIL DARK, for which she was nominated as Best Actress by the Capital Critics Circle, and as Libby in Neil Simon's I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES.

"I'm very excited to perform in my hometown" says Smyth, who grew up in Nepean. "This play is so well written and it's been a real treat to discover the piece with Laurel and Scott during rehearsals. I'm dedicating my performance to my great-grandmothers."

THE FOURPOSTER opened on Broadway in 1951 and ran for 632 performances. It takes place between 1890-1925 and tells the story of Agnes and Michael's 35-year marriage. The original production was directed by José Ferrer and starred real-life couple Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. It received Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Director. In 1966, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt adapted the play for their musical I DO! I DO!.

After being shut down due to the pandemic, the Classic Theatre Festival is ready to relaunch with this heartwarming production. A pre-show talk, 30-minutes before the curtain rises, situates audiences in the period of the play; exploring social and cultural references not familiar to everyone. The lobby hosts a book sale boasting rare finds. Proceeds from the book sale fund the Festival's Save-A-Seat program, which partners with social services agencies to provide free tickets to low-income community members, allowing them to attend the theatre in dignity.

THE FOURPOSTER runs from August 5 until August 28 at the Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Avenue. Performance times are Wednesday to Sunday at 1:30pm and Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 7:30pm. Tickets are available by calling 613-695-9330 or visiting www.classictheatre.ca.

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