Walnut Street Theatre's 2015-16 Independence Studio to Continue Season with A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN

Walnut Street Theatre's 2015-2016 Independence Studio on 3 season continues with one of Eugene O'Neill's greatest dramatic works, A Moon for the Misbegotten. Philadelphia audiences will be the first to see this production before it becomes the sixth national tour of a Walnut Street Theatre production. Directed by Kate Galvin, the production begins previews in Philadelphia on January 12th, opens January 14th and continues through February 7th.

On a Connecticut tenant farm, on a barren patch of earth in 1923, two lost souls find hope under a lover's moon. In this touching and heartbreaking play, Josie Hogan is a boisterous woman with a quick tongue and a tarnished reputation. It's been a hard and lonely life, working the Tyrone farm with her bullying father. When James Tyrone Jr.'s mother dies, he returns to the farm to settle the estate. One night, under the autumn moon, he opens his heart to Josie. Sparks fly and hope burns anew as two "misbegotten" people come together.

A Moon for the Misbegotten had its world premiere at the Hartman Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, 1947. The play premiered on Broadway in 1957 and has been revived four times since (1973, 1984, 2000, 2007). These subsequent revivals earned numerous Tony Awards. In 1975, the cast of the first revival performed the production for a TV movie, resulting in five Emmy Award nominations, winning one. The most recent revival traveled to Broadway after a run at London's Old Vic Theatre, starring Kevin Spacey.

American playwright Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) penned over 50 plays during his career that spanned three decades. In the 1920s, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his works Beyond the Horizon, Anna Christie and Strange Interlude. A Moon for the Misbegotten was O'Neill's final play, written following two other autobiographical plays, The Iceman Cometh and Long Day's Journey into Night. The latter earned him his fourth Pulitzer posthumously in 1956. Among his distinctions, O'Neill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936.

Kate Galvin returns to the Walnut to direct. Galvin's directing credits include Walnut's Mainstage production of Other Desert Cities and Independence Studio 3 productions, Proof and Vincent in Brixton. She is the winner of the 2014 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Midsummer - a play with songs. Additional directing credits include work with TriArts Sharon Playhouse, Flat Rock Playhouse, Inis Nua Theatre Company, Philly Fringe and Fulton Opera House. Galvin served as the Casting Director at the Walnut for seven years, and co-created the musical Austentatious.

The Walnut is thrilled to announce that Philadelphia actor, and Walnut veteran, Michael Toner will make his return to stage in A Moon for the Misbegotten following the tragic hit-and-run accident in June, 2015. He has been working in rehabilitation with his prosthetic leg to prepare for the role of Phil Hogan. Previous Walnut credits include The Caretaker, She Stoops to Conquer, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Edwin Forrest, 1776 and Conversations With My Father. Anthony Lawton (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Of Mice and Men) returns to the Walnut as James Tyrone, Jr. and Jamison Foreman (Miss Saigon, White Christmas) as Mike Hogan and T. Stedman Harder. Angela Smith is delighted to make her Walnut debut as Josie Hogan.

The worn home of Phil Hogan, sitting on unkempt Connecticut farmland, will be created by Set Designer Andrew Thompson (Becoming Dr. Ruth, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice). Costume Designer Julia Poiesz returns having most recently designed for Becoming Dr. Ruth, along with Lighting Designer J. Dominic Chacon (A Life in the Theatre, A Christmas Carol) and Sound Designer Cory Neale (Driving Miss Daisy, Proof).

The first five national tours of Walnut Street Theatre productions, featuring Philadelphia artists, have included The Glass Menagerie, Proof, Around the World in 80 Day, Driving Miss Daisy and A Life in the Theatre. A Moon for the Misbegotten will become the sixth production to embark on a tour. The Walnut celebrates Philadelphia's finest talents and is proud to share them with America. For more information about Walnut Street Theatre national tours, visit WalnutStreetTheatre.org.

Season sponsor for the 2015-2016 Independence Studio on 3 Season is The Independence Foundation. Media season sponsors are Philly Weekly and WRTI Radio. Tickets are $35-$45 and are now available at 215-574-3550 or 215-336-1234. Tickets are also available at walnutstreettheatre.org or Ticketmaster.com.

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