B Street Theatre Announces WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is Edward Albee's first Broadway production and is considered now to be a contemporary American classic. Opening on Broadway on October 13, 1962, and starring Uta Hagen and Arthur Hill, the original productions received both critical acclaim and public scorn for its confrontational characters, bitter philosophy on love, and realistic quality on an aging couple with a dark past. The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1963 and was made into a movie in 1966, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, directed by Mike Nichols. Since its legendary inaugural production, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has been produced numerous times throughout the country and has been revived four times on Broadway: in 1976, 1996, 2005 (starring Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin), and recently in 2012 (co-produced by Steppenwolf Theatre). Edward Albee died in September of 2016, and a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? instantly followed in London in February of 2017, receiving critical acclaim.

After producing Bloomsday, a new play unknown to Sacramento audiences, B Street Theatre is choosing to produce one of the most acclaimed pieces of American drama in the last 100 years. A year after the death of playwright Edward Albee, B Street Theatre presents his most celebrated work, starring two of our most celebrated company members, Kurt Johnson and Elisabeth Nunziato. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? marks the first of Albee's plays to be produced at B Street Theatre.

Dave Pierini, Artistic Producer of B Street, comments, "There's a valid argument that Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? is the great American Play. Arthur Miller might have a few equally valid claims but Albee's VW, though set in a specific time, is truly timeless. The roles of George and Martha have become iconic and the twisted relationship that they reveal to Nick and Honey is the material of actors' dreams. We have the best actors in the country working in our company and this show is every actor's Mount Everest. It was time for us to climb that mountain."

Edward Albee: Edward Albee was born on March 12, 1928 in Washington, D.C. His first one-act play was published in the Choate Literary Magazine. In 1958, just before his thirtieth birthday, Albee finished The Zoo Story, the long one-act drama that launched him on his professional career. After sending it to various theatrical producers in New York, a friend sent it to an acquaintance in Europe, and it was finally produced in Berlin on September 28, 1959. After being a success there and being staged in numerous other cities in Germany, it was then performed in New York at the Off-Broadway Provincetown Playhouse in 1960. Albee attracted quite a bit of critical success with the play but not much popular success. Over the next 10 years Albee wrote prodigiously, penning over a play a year - including The Sandbox (1959) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), which earned him his first Broadway credit, Pulitzer Finalist, and critical acclaim. It was adapted into a film in 1966, starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and directed by Mike Nichols. His tenth play, A Delicate Balance, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1967. Albee has continued to write, albeit more sporadically, for the past 40 years, picking up two further Pulitzer Prizes for Seascape (1975) and Three Tall Women (1994) and his 2002 comedy, Sylvia or The Goat, won critical acclaim, winning the Tony Award in 2003 and being a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He also received the National Medal of Arts (1996) and a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement (2005).

The Director: Dave Pierini - Dave has been working in professional theatre for over 25 years. Dave is a proud B Street Company Member, having performed in many shows. He last appeared in the Mainstage production of Bloomsday and on the B3 Stage in The Realistic Joneses. Dave also writes for the B Street Theatre's Family Series, adapting many books for young audiences, most recently, Going West: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad. Dave was instrumental in forming the B Street Theatre's Sketch/Improv Company and has hosted a talk show, Sactown Tonight, from the stage of B Street. He has also directed many plays for the Company, most recently, A Christmas Carol. Dave has also been seen on stage at Music Circus in their most receNT Productions of West Side Story and Hello, Dolly!

September 16 through October 29, 2017

Tuesdays at 6:30 pm, Wednesdays at 2:00 pm & 6:30 pm, Thursdays at 8:00 pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 5:00 pm & 9:00 pm and selected Sundays at 2:00 pm

TICKETS: $27-$39*, $9 Student Rush, $19* Preview tickets

TICKETS AND INFORMATION: (916) 443-5300, www.bstreettheatre.org

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