John Patrick Shanley's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR to Play TheatreWorks This Fall

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 47th season with the regional premiere of a wry romantic comedy Outside Mullingar.

Written by John Patrick Shanley, the Oscar, Pulitzer, and Tony Award-winning author of Moonstruck and Doubt, Outside Mullingar tells the tale of two eccentric, lovelorn neighbors split apart by family feuds, who stumble their thorny way toward happiness. Set amidst the cottages of rural Ireland, this funny, poetic, and deeply moving Broadway hit asks if it is ever too late to take a chance on love.

Outside Mullingar will be directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Director Robert Kelley with performances October 5-October 30 (press opening: October 8) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View. For tickets ($19-$80) and information the public may visit www.TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Outside Mullingar follows Anthony and Rosemary, two middle-aged neighbors in a farming community in the Irish Midlands. Rosemary has been in love with Anthony for as long as she can remember but remains silent as the years slip past. Anthony, introverted by nature, has spent his life next door on his family's cattle farm, completely unaware of Rosemary's attraction. Unprofessed feelings emerge when they are thrust into a bitter real estate feud that unearths long standing familial rivalries. Outside Mullingar premiered on Broadway in 2014 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, in a critically acclaimed production starring Bryan F. O'Bryne and Debra Messing, making her Broadway debut. Outside Mullingar was nominated for two Outer Circle Critics Awards, including one for Outstanding New Broadway Play. It also received two Drama Desk Award nominations and a Tony Award nomination for Best Play.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has assembled a remarkable cast for this production. In the role of Anthony, Rod Brogan returns to the TheatreWorks stage where he appeared in Other Desert Cities. Regionally, he has starred in productions at Manhattan Theatre Club, Guthrie Theater, and The Old Globe Theatre. He has been seen on television in Major Dad, Law & Order, Third Watch, OZ, and many others.

Jessica Wortham is making her TheatreWorks Mainstage debut as Rosemary. She performed in the off-Broadway production of Green Girl at The Public Theater, and has starred in regional productions at Actors Theatre of Louisville, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and Trinity Repertory Company, among many others.

Steve Brady will play the role of Tony, the aging father of Anthony. TheatreWorks audiences will remember him from the World Premiere of The Great Pretender. Brady's additional stage work includes roles in the Broadway production of Inherit the Wind and the national tour of The Exonerated. He has performed with regional theatres including Denver Center, Syracuse Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, and Papermill Playhouse. He can also be seen on the small screen in co-starring roles on Law & Order, Spin City, Webster, Diff'rent Strokes, and others.

Lucinda Hitchcock Cone will also be making a return to TheatreWorks as Aoife, Rosemary's mother. Her previous TheatreWorks credits include Ragtime, Cabaret, and The Clean House. Additional works around the Bay Area include performances with San Jose Stage Company, 42nd Street Moon, Marin Theatre Company, as well as the national tour of Big River.

Playwright John Patrick Shanley is a screenwriter, playwright, and theatre and film director.

He won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film Moonstruck starring Nicholas Cage and Cher. His play Doubt: A Parable premiered on Broadway in March of 2005 to critical acclaim. The production received four Tony Awards in 2005, including Best Play, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Shanley also directed the feature length film version of the play, Doubt, in 2008 which starred Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis.

Director Robert Kelley is TheatreWorks' Founder and Artistic Director and has served as artistic head of the company since its inception in 1970. He has directed more than 170 TheatreWorks Productions, including many world and regional premieres. In 2003 he was honored with the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Paine Knickerbocker Award for Lifetime Achievement. He received BATCC Awards for Outstanding Direction for his productions of Into the Woods, Pacific Overtures, Rags, Sweeney Todd, Another Midsummer Night, Sunday in the Park with George, Jane Eyre, and Caroline, or Change. He recently directed the record-setting production of Jane Austen's EMMA, as well as The Country House, Fallen Angels, Sweeney Todd, Marry Me a Little, and Cyrano.

With some 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. A home for artists developing new works, it was at TheatreWorks that Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical that played on Broadway for three years before embarking on a 19-month national tour, was first workshopped and received its world premiere. It also enjoyed an extended run on London's West End, where it captured two Olivier Awards.

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