Hedgerow Theatre Launches 100th Anniversary With Special One-Night Only Engagement Of LOVE LETTERS

This January, Hedgerow Theatre Company kicks off its 100th Anniversary with a one-night only engagement performed by and directed by Hedgerow legends. Broadway favorite Austin Pendleton and Hedgerow's award-winning Artistic Director Emeritus Penelope Reed team up to perform a one-night only engagement of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters with celebrated director William Roudebush on Saturday, January 7 at 7 pm.

This event is a Pay-What-You-Can Fundraiser for the Theatre's 100th Anniversary. Patrons have the option to pay the suggested ticket amount of $25 to help cover the expense of their ticket; to pay less than the suggested amount; to volunteer for their ticket; or to pay it forward for $50 or an amount of patrons' choosing to help pay for their own ticket and to help subsidize another patron's ticket. Tickets and more information are available at www.hedgerowtheatre.org. Hedgerow Theater is at 64 Rose Valley Rd. in Media.

Celebrating 100 years of wholehearted theatre here in Rose Valley, Love Letters is a tender two-hander that unfolds over a lifetime. Deeply reflective and nostalgic, A.R. Gurney's timeless play shares the exchanges of Melissa (played by Reed) and Andy (played by Pendleton) over all of life's twists and turns spanning five decades.

"Few plays embody life's simplicity and epicness so exquisitely," notes Marcie Bramucci, Hedgerow's Executive Artistic Director. "And the collaboration specifically of these three luminous artists - Austin, Penny and Bill - who enjoy significant history together here at Hedgerow is exciting to jump start our year of celebration."

"The idea of coming back to Hedgerow, on such a spectacular anniversary, and doing such a wonderful piece as Love Letters with no less than Penny Reed is already making me jump up and down," said Pendelton, who has just opened the Pulitzer Prize-winning Between Riverside and Crazy on Broadway for Second Stage Theatre, and recently performed in Tracy Lett's Tony-nominated The Minutes on Broadway. Ms. Reed returns to the Hedgerow stage after a sold out run of her celebrated solo show Eleanor at Act II Playhouse. This event reunites the trio of artists from the Barrymore award-winning production The Lives of Bosie for which William directed, Austin performed and Penny produced.

Love Letters captures the essence of this historic occasion and this moment in Hedgerow's journey. Gurney's time capsule of a play meaningfully reflects on hopes, ambitions, disappointments and dreams as the theatre celebrates a century of work in Hedgerow's intimate space.

The structure of this event allows greater access for anyone to enjoy these exceptional talents for one-night only. The evening will include raffles and prizes during the evening as well. This Pay-What-You-Can Fundraiser is one of the ways Hedgerow throws open its doors to dive into 100th anniversary festivities with all members of our community. Details are on the Theatre's website at www.hedgerowtheatre.org.

Austin Pendleton* (Andrew) - Austin Pendleton has just now been seen on Broadway in The Minutes, by Tracy Letts, a play that will hopefully re-open in the not-too-distant future. He directed the Pulitzer-prize winning Between Riverside and Crazy for Second Stage Theatre, which is running on Broadway currently. Other Broadway appearances have been in Choir Boy (MTC), The Diary of Anne Frank (with Natalie Portman and Linda Lavin), Mike Nichols' revival of The Little Foxes, Hail Scrawdyke (for which, under the direction of Alan Arkin, he won the Clarence Derwent Award) and Fiddler on the Roof (in the original cast, as Motel, the Tailor). He has acted extensively off-Broadway too: The Last Sweet Days of Isaac (by Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford, the musical for which he won an Obie and a Drama Desk Award), Up from Paradise (the musical by Arthur Miller and Stanley Silverman), and many other shows, and off-off-Broadway, where he has played, for instance, "King Lear," "Richard the Third," and "Hamlet." He has acted in over 300 movies, and on TV in recurring roles in Oz, Homicide, and Law and Order. As a director, he has worked on Broadway (Tony nomination for directing The Little Foxes, starring Elizabeth Taylor), off-Broadway (several recent productions of Chekhov at CSC, including Three Sisters, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, for which he won an Obie, as well as Hamlet, starring Mr. Sarsgaard), and extensively in regional theaters, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, where he is a member of the Ensemble. He has written three plays (Orson's Shadow, Uncle Bob, Booth), all produced off-Broadway as well as extensively in regional theater and in Europe, as well as the libretto for A Minster's Wife, adapted from Shaw's play Candida and produced at Lincoln Center at the Newhouse Theater, as well as regionally. He teaches acting at HB Studio in New York City.

Penelope Reed* (Melissa) - The Recipient of the 2017 Philadelphia Theatre Barrymore Lifetime Achievement Award, just finished playing Eleanor Roosevelt this Fall at ACT II PLAYHOUSE where she will next play Ouisir in Steel Magnolias. Reed, having enjoyed decades as a leading lady of The Milwaukee Repertory, McCarter and Hedgerow Theatres, loves working with seasoned theatre veterans and is thrilled Austin Pendleton (Andy) and Director Bill Roudebush, have returned to launch our 100th year celebration. Her favorite roles include: Blanche Dubois (Milw. Rep.); Winnie/Happy Days (McCarter); Lysistrata; Laura/The Glass Menagerie (Drury Lane); Gertrude/Hamlet (Bristol Riverside). In honor of Penelope's 25 years leading Hedgerow, the Board of Directors, named her in 2017 as Hedgerow Theatre Director Emeritus. She is delighted that Artistic Director Marcie Bramucci leads us at the beginning of the next hundred years.

William Roudebush (Director) Bill is currently a member of the Playwright/Director Unit at The Actors Studio in New York where his artistic focus is new play development. Regionally, he has directed over 250 productions at such theatres as Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Play House, The Hanna Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Syracuse Stage Company, Theatre Virginia, The Fulton Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Florida Studio Theatre, GeVa Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Mint Theatre Company, Miami Opera Guild, Palm Beach Opera as well as right here at the Hedgerow Theatre. His 2001 Philadelphia production of EQUUS won five BARRYMORE AWARDS including Best Director. He currently lives in New York City with his wife actress Terri Garber where he writes, directs and coaches actors. His book ACTING BY MISTAKE is available at bookstores or online at www.xlibris.com where you will also find his website at www.williamroudebush.com. Additional Note: Bill is currently running Zoom acting classes based on his book. For complete information contact him at: roudebushwilliam@gmail.com

Sat, January 7th at 7pm

at Hedgerow Theatre - 64 Rose Valley Rd, Media PA 19063

Pay-What-You-Decide Fundraiser for Hedgerow's 100th Anniversary.

General admission event

Ways to Pay for you Ticket

1. Pay the suggested amount, $25 to help pay for your individual ticket.

2. Pay less than the suggested amount, you decide.

3. Volunteer for your ticket, email ahunter@hedgerowtheatre.org for details.

4. Pay it forward, $50 to help pay for your individual ticket and to pay it forward for another person's ticket.

Team:
Austin Pendleton* (Andrew)

Penelope Reed* (Melissa)

*Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

William Roudebush, Director

Nicki Bonura, Stage Manager

Chelsea Drumel, Company Manager

Marcie Bramucci, Producer

Rundown
Run-time: 90 minutes

For tickets, call the Box Office at 610-565-4211 or visit www.hedgerowtheatre.org. Hedgerow Theatre is located at 64 Rose Valley Rd., Media, PA.

ADA accessible parking, entry and seating available on site. Please contact the box office for any accommodation requests or questions.

Hedgerow Theatre is a resident professional theatre dedicated to providing cultural enrichment, engaging entertainment, and training in theatre arts and management since 1923. As stewards of a nineteenth-century grist mill turned theatre building, Hedgerow produces wholehearted, resonant live theatre in an intimate 100-seat venue and across its 2.5 acre campus outdoors. The company offers extensive educational programs through theatre school, in-school residencies, and touring programs, and provides performance, technical training, and theatre management opportunities for Resident Fellows in a close-knit and mutually supportive environment.

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