DMT Presents Regional Premiere of Tracy Lett's Adaptation of Three Sisters

The Douglas Morrisson Theatre is excited to announce the regional premiere of Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS in a new version by playwright-actor Tracy Letts, Feb. 12-Mar. 8. Based on dramaturgical translations by Charlotte Hobson and Dassia N. Posner, Letts' adaptation brings vivid new life to Chekhov's 1901 masterpiece, a dark human comedy about the yearnings of three sisters.

THREE SISTERS will have 15 performances, including one preview, February 12 through March 8, 2015, at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre, 22311 N. Third St. in Hayward, CA. Tickets are $10-$29, and are available through the Box Office at (510) 881-6777 or online at www.dmtonline.org.

DMT's production of THREE SISTERS features an impressive ensemble of local performers: Steve Allhoff as Rode, Miriam Ani as Irina, John Baldwin as Chebutykin, Craig Dickerson as Andrey, Kate Dunlop Tomatis as Masha, Daria Hepps as Olga, Tim Holt Jones as Solyony, John Hutchinson as Ferapont, Brian Levi as Vershinin, Nick Louie as Fedotik, Gene Mocsy as Kulygin, Lindsey Marie Schmeltzer as Natasha, Paul Stout as Baron Tusenbach and Marlene Walker as Anfisa.

Trapped in a provincial Russian town after the death of their father, an army general stationed there, three sisters, Olga, Masha and Irina, cling to memories of the bright and bustling Moscow they left behind as children. Together with their brother Andrey, they long to return to a place where they imagine their lives will be transformed and fulfilled. During the course of the play which unfolds over several years, we are introduced to a village of pipe-dreamers - all trying to answer the big questions: why is there suffering?, how will they be viewed by future generations?, what is the purpose of life? Turning melodrama inside out, THREE SISTERS is a story of ordinary life, where nothing much seems to happens, but everything is revealed.

"THREE SISTERS is Tracy Letts' response to people who don't like Chekhov -- or think they don't like Chekhov," says Susan E. Evans, DMT's Artistic Director.

The creative team for THREE SISTERS is comprised of designers with credits from numerous Bay Area theatres and beyond, including the Guthrie, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Magic, TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre Company, Cutting Ball, Shotgun Players and Word for Word: Michael J. Locher (scenic designer), Allen Willner (lighting designer), Brendan Aanes (sound designer) and Daisy Neske-Dickerson (costume designer).

ABOUT THE ADAPTOR Tracy Letts is an American playwright, screenwriter and actor. As a playwright, Mr. Letts' work includes Man from Nebraska (Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominee); Bug; Killer Joe ( Saturn Award nominee); Superior Donuts; and August: Osage County (for which he was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Drama Desk Award and a 2008 Tony Award for Best Play). August: Osage County premiered at Steppenwolf in 2007, and played on Broadway and at London's National Theatre. Mr. Letts wrote the screen plays for three films adapted from his own plays: Bug, Killer Joe and August: Osage County. He is an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre since 2002 where he performed in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Betrayal, The Pillowman, The Pain and the Itch, The Dresser, Homebody/Kabul, and Glengarry Glen Ross, among many others. Mr. Letts recently received the 2013 Tony Award for his portrayal of George in the Steppenwolf's revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? His television acting credits include The District (CBS); Profiler (NBC); The Drew Carey Show (ABC); Seinfeld (NBC); and Homeland (Showtime), for which he was nominated in 2013, along with the rest of the cast, for an "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" Screen Actors Guild Award.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Susan E. Evans is the current Artistic Director of DMT which she joined in 2011. For DMT she has directed Private Lives, Dividing the Estate, All My Sons, Eurydice and An Ideal Husband. She is the former Artistic Director of Eastenders Repertory Company for which she directed numerous productions over her 11 year tenure. Favorite productions with Eastenders include "We Won't Pay, We Won't Pay" (Dario Fo), "Frozen" (Bryony Lavery) and "Fear and Misery of the Third Reich" (Brecht) which she co-directed with Charles E. Polly. She has also collaborated with solo artist Carolyn Doyle on productions at the Marsh and the SF Fringe Festival, and regularly directs for Actors Reading Writers in Berkeley

ABOUT THE DOUGLAS MORRISSON THEATRE

The Douglas Morrisson Theatre is owned and operated by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. The DMT is located at 22311 N. Third St. in Hayward, next to the Senior Center and the Japanese Gardens. The Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday, 12:30 to 5:30 and can be reached at (510) 881-6777. Information is also available at www.dmtonline.org.

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