Leading Ladies Opens at YLT and Celebrates the Arts in York County

York native, Ken Ludwig is an award-winning playwright of international acclaim.  His six shows on Broadway and six in London's West End have not only made his name synonymous with modern comedy but also earned him the Laurence Olivier Award, three Tony Award nominations and two Helen Hayes Awards.  February 3-12, York Little Theatre, York's oldest and largest community theatre, is proud to focus attention on York's historic and vibrant arts community by presenting Ken Ludwig's classic comedy farce, Leading Ladies, which is set in York, PA.   

YLT is honored to host Mr. Ludwig as a special guest for the Sunday, February 5 performance.  He will be available for a brief question and answer session following the show; and to sign copies of his play anthology which will be available for purchase.  Many of York County's federal, state, and local elected officials will be on-hand before the performance to present Mr. Ludwig with proclamations declaring "Ken Ludwig Day."   

"Since the production is set in York, is written by an acclaimed York native, and performed at York Little Theatre, we saw this opportunity to make this a focal point for a proud celebration of York and York's arts community," says YLT Board President Mike Ausherman.  "We firmly believe that involvement in the arts gives people a creative outlet, expands horizons, opens doors, and provides a supportive community in which to grow, not only as an artist, but as a valued community member."  

Leading Ladies tells the story of two down-on-their-luck Shakespearean actors who find themselves performing on the Moose Lodge circuit in Amish country when they hear that an old lady in York is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long-lost nephews.  They resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash but discover when they get to York, that it's actually two nieces the woman is seeking.  They decide to continue with their plans, playing their new roles in drag. But romantic entanglements abound as one of the actors falls head-over-petticoat in love with the old woman's vivacious niece who happens to be engaged to a local minister.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer called Leading Ladies "a highly combustible and continuously hilarious new comedy by Ken Ludwig, Broadway's reigning comic writer."

YLT's production is directed by David Kallstrom and features a local cast of 9, including Rodd Robertson and Mark Arner as the two leading ladies, Leo and Jack; Samantha R. Hyson as Meg; Chelsea Senic as Audrey; Chris McGuinness as Duncan; Claudia Shanaman as Florence; Steve Hoke as Doc; Peter William Duty as Butch; and Michael Blake as Moose Frank. 

Other plays and musicals by Ken Ludwig include Crazy for You, which ran for over four years on Broadway and in London; Lend Me a Tenor,   originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and recently revived on Broadway with an all-star cast; and the popular Moon Over Buffalo.  Mr. Ludwig studied music at Harvard with Leonard Bernstein and theatre history at Cambridge University in England.  Ken Ludwig will be the guest of honor at the July, 2012, AACT (American Association of Community Theatres) New York City Convention Celebrity Reception.  Ken's mother was heavily involved at York Little Theatre.   "Community Theatre has been very much a part of our life," he says. "I love community theatre."

Leading Ladies is sponsored by York Traditions Bank and York's Leading Ladies of Real Estate at Morgan Collins Realtors, media sponsor flipsidepa.com, and runs February 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 7:30 p.m. and February 5 and 12 at 3:00 p.m.  Adult tickets are $23, seniors are $21, students are $18, children are $10. Tickets can be purchased at www.ylt.org or 854-5715, from 11 - 5 weekdays.   

York Little Theatre, now enjoying its 79th season of shows, is a nonprofit community theatre which values and nurtures the irreplaceable role of the arts and is dedicated to engaging and enriching its entire, diverse community in the dramatic arts through a broad range of professionally directed, entertaining, stimulating, and sometimes provocative performances. 

York Little Theatre is located at 27 South Belmont Street, York PA, just south of Market Street at the intersection of I83. 

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