Barry Bostwick Appears in BECAUSEHECAN at 33rd William Inge Theatre Festival Tonight

Barry Bostwick, a performer whose career spans all genres and media, was just added as a guest artists at the 33rd annual William Inge Theatre Festival, at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas.

Mr. Bostwick adds his name to a professional ensemble for a concert reading of new play by Arthur Kopit, titled BecauseHeCan. Arthur Kopit's new techno thriller about identify theft which opens the Inge Festival tonight, March 26.

Arthur Kopit is the Honoree playwright for the Inge Festival, which runs today, March 26-29 and culminates with the presentation to Mr. Kopit of the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award.

Mr. Bostwick is familiar from all areas of performing arts, whether as the All-American Brad Majors in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, befuddled Mayor Randall Winston on television's Spin City, or on Broadway, where he originated the role of troublemaker Danny Zuko in Grease, his first Tony nomination.

He had starring roles in many highly acclaimed television film and miniseries. Among these is the portrayal of George Washington in the two part Peabody-award winning CBS miniseries George Washington and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Lieutenant Lady Aster in ABC's War and Remembrance.

Mr. Bostwick made his professional stage debut as a sophomore at San Diego's U.S.I.U. School of Performing Arts in a summer stock production of Take Her, She's Mine, with Walter Pidgeon.

His second nomination was for They Knew What They Wanted for the Phoenix Theater. He won the coveted Best Actor in a Musical Tony for his portrayal of the title role in The Robber Bridegroom.

He performed in the all-star revival of She Loves Me at Town Hall and appeared at Lincoln Center in a new staging of the original Joseph Papp production of The Pirates of Penzance in Los Angeles and Toronto, and in 1991, he returned to Broadway to star in Nick and Nora.

Barry's recent film credits include the upcoming Scorpion King: The Lost Throne.

In the television world, Barry has recently recurred on several hit television series including Cougar Town and Ugly Betty, and has guest starred on Supernatural, Glee, The New Normal, and the two-hour musical episode of Psych.

Mr. Botswick has been very outspoken about his bout with prostate cancer several years ago. On behalf of the American Cancer Society, he received the "Courage Award" presented by President Clinton in recognition of his determination to reach others about the importance of early detection.

Barry Bostwick resides with his wife Sherri Ellen and their children, Brian and Chelsea. He is also an accomplished ceramic artist and his work has been displayed in prominent galleries.

On Thurs. March 27, the Inge Festival features a concert reading of The Great Barrier, by Mat Smart, winner of the Inge Festival's Otis Guernsey New Voices in the American Theatre Award. A gala dinner with guest artists takes center stage Fri. March 28. The festival concludes with a multi-media celebration of Kopit's work, titled Arthur Kopit: What is the meaning of this?

Tickets are now on sale. Visit the Inge Festival website at www.ingecenter.org for further information.

Independence, Kansas, is located 90 miles north of Tulsa, Okla., and 120 miles south of Kansas City, Mo.

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