THE ALLEY THEATRE
www.alleytheatre.org
Gregory Boyd, Artistic Director
Dean R. Gladden, Managing Director
PRESENTS
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Directed by Jackson Gay
February 18 through March 13, 2011
Hubbard Stage
Alley Theatre Announces Cast and
Creative Team for
August: Osage County
-
August: Osage County Runs
February 18 through March 13, 2011 on the Hubbard Stage.
HOUSTON, TX - Starting this month on the Hubbard stage is the Alley Theatre's powerful new production of Tracy's Lett's August: Osage County. This grand, gripping new play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play as well as the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play. Tracy Letts' August: Osage County tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their Oklahoma home when the patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and secrets, the family must also contend with Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of this storm. This powerful production exposes relationships between unforgettable characters who present themselves with unflinching honesty. Recommended for mature audience, ages 16+. Contains profanity, mature themes, sexuality and drug use.
Variety describes August: Osage
County as a "very juicy...epic evening... (a)
richly entertaining dysfunctional-family juggles the hilarious, the poignant and
the appalling on a scale seldom seen." Los Angeles Times says it is
"sensationally entertaining...a feast for actors and audiences alike." Time
Magazine named it the "#1 Show of the Year!"
August: Osage County,
by Tracy Letts and directed by Jackson Gay (Alley Theatre's
Intelligence-Slave) begins previews
Friday, February 18,
opens Wednesday, February 23
and runs through
Sunday, March 13, 2011
on the Hubbard Stage.
Sarah Gay as Johnna Monevata in August: Osage County. Johnna
is hired as a cook and caregiver by the family patriarch Beverly Weston,
before he mysteriously disappears. August: Osage County runs on
the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more
information visit www.alleytheatre.org.
Photo by John Everett.
The
13 member cast features Louisa Flaningam as
Mattie Fae Aiken, Sarah Gay as Johnna Monevata, Jennifer Harmon as Violet Weston
and Eva Kaminsky as Ivy Weston. All four actors are making their Alley debuts.
Louisa Flaningam
(Mattie Fae Aiken) is celebrating 43 years as a professional actress. Her career
has taken her from Fastrada in Bob Fosse's Pippin (National Tour) to
Driving Miss Daisy (Barrymore Award Nomination). She played the overbearing
matriarch, Aunt March, in the National Tour of Little Women with Maureen
McGovern. Her Broadway credits include General Cartwright in the 1992 revival of
Guys and Dolls, Charmin in The Magic Show and Play Me a Country
Song. National Tours include Laurel in Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song
Trilogy, I Love My Wife with The Smothers Brothers and Marta in
Company. She has performed in the premiere of William Kennedy's Grand
View and at Theatre Under the Stars as Meg in Damn Yankees with Tony
Randal.
Louisa Flaningam as Mattie Fae Aiken in August: Osage County.
Mattie Fae is Violet Weston's sister whom she shares more than
just a few
painful memories with. August: Osage County runs on
the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more
information visit www.alleytheatre.org.
Photo by John Everett.
Sarah Gay (Johnna
Monevata), a recent Texas transplant, has appeared onstage in Metamorphoses
and the Grapes of Wrath at ZACH theatre, John & Jen (Critics Table
award winner- Best Musical) and Three Days of Rain at Penfold
Theatre, The Cherry Orchard with Breakin' String and City of Angels
at Mary Moody Northen Theatre. Selected Canadian credits include As You
Like It at CanStage, Cabaret at the New Yorker Theatre, Seussical
at Carousel Theatre and co-producing and appearing in The World Goes 'Round
at Pacific Theatre.
Jennifer Harmon's
(Violet Weston) has appeared on Broadway in The Glass Menagerie, The
Dinner Party, Amy's View, The Little Foxes, School for
Scandal, The Sisters Rosensweig, Rumors and Blithe Spirit
. She has been a company member for 7 years at Apa-Phoenix Repertory and a
company member for five seasons at Williamstown Theatre. She was in the national
tour of The Show Off with Helen Hayes and has appeared Off-Broadway in
In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe, HOT L BALTIMORE, The
Effects of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds, The Holly and the
Ivey and Dr. Knock. She has performed at regional theatres across the
country including Richard III at Chicago Shakespeare Rep; To Kill A
Mockingbird, 8 by Tenn, Undiscovered Country and The Greeks
at Hartford Stage; A Delicate Balance at Merrimack Repertory Theatre;
Summer and Smoke at Hartford Stage and Paper Mill Playhouse; Auntie Mame
at Bay Street, Tonight at 8:30 at Williamstown Theatre Festival; King
John and King Lear at Shakespeare Theatre; The Heiress at
Ahmanson Theatre; Later Life at Old Globe; Hamlet at The Guthrie;
Danton's Death at Center Stage; Hedda Gabler and Ghosts at
The American Ibsen Theatre.
"Are you in love, Ivy?" Family members question Ivy Weston, the middle
daughter of Violet and Beverly Weston. Eva Kaminsky plays Ivy Weston in
August: Osage County. August: Osage County
runs on the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more
information visit www.alleytheatre.org.
Photo by John Everett.
August: Osage County features
Alley Theatre Artists
Jeffrey Bean as Bill Fordham, James Belcher as
Charlie Aiken, James Black as Steve Heidebrecht, Elizabeth Bunch as Karen
Weston, Josie de Guzman as Barbara Fordham, Chris Hutchison as Little Charles
Aiken, Charles Krohn as Beverly Weston, Emily Neves as Jean Fordham and Todd
Waite as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau.
The design team for August: Osage County includes scenic and lighting design by Kevin Rigdon (Alley's A Behanding in Spokane, Intelligence-Slave, Mrs. Mannerly) with costume design by Alejo Vietti (Alley's Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, Our Town, Rock 'n' Roll). Sound design is by Pierre Dupree (Alley's A Behanding in Spokane, Intelligence-Slave, The Man Who Came to Dinner ) with fight direction by Brian Byrnes (Alley's Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, Intelligence-Slave, Cyrano de Bergerac) and Dramaturg Lauren Halvorsen (Alley's A Behanding in Spokane, Mrs. Mannerly, Our Town).
Elizabeth Bunch as Karen Weston in August: Osage County.
Karen is engaged to be married to Steve and is planning their
honeymoon in Belize. August: Osage County runs on the Alley
Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more information visit
www.alleytheatre.org. Photo by John
Everett.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to August: Osage County start
at $21. All tickets to August: Osage
County are
available for purchase at
www.alleytheatre.org
, at the Alley Theatre Box Office,
615 Texas Avenue, or by calling 713.220.5700. Groups of 10 or more can receive
special concierge services and select discounts by calling 713.220.5700 and
asking for the group sales department. The added convenience of reservations by
phone or Internet is available for a nominal fee. Tickets purchased in person at
the Alley Theatre Box Office have a $1 building restoration fee.
James Black as Steve Heidebrecht in August: Osage County.
Steve occasionally smokes pot with Jean, the 14-year old daughter
of Barbara and Bill Fordham. August: Osage County runs on the
Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more information
visit www.alleytheatre.org. Photo by
John Everett.
UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF HOUSTON $10 TIX
Saturday, February 19
The Alley Theatre continues its efforts to make the theatre affordable to
patrons. Partnering with other social non-profit organizations, the Alley seeks
to generate in-kind donations and reward patrons with $10 Tix for select
performances. The $10 Tix are available in person only
on Saturday, February 19 and are limited to two tickets per person. With your
donation, you can purchase two $10 tickets for either Saturday, February 19 at
2:30 p.m.; Tuesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.; or Thursday, February 24 at 7:30
p.m. Donate and purchase in person at the box office (615 Texas Ave.) on
Saturday, February 19 only. Limited availability.The $10 Tix partner for August:
Osage County is United
Cerebral Palsy of Houston. The date to donate and purchase is Saturday, February
19, beginning at noon. The donated item is disposable diapers for children 12
months to 3 years old.
Jeffrey Bean plays Bill Fordham in August: Osage County.
Bill is having an affair with one of his college students and is
currently separated from his wife Barbara. They show up together in the
family reunion for the sake of appearances. August: Osage County
runs on the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more
information visit www.alleytheatre.org.
Photo by John Everett.
CAPTIONED AND AUDIO DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE
Sunday February 20,
7:30 PM
The Alley Theatre is pleased to offer open captioning and audio description for
many of our productions throughout the season. To ensure that your seats will
accommodate your needs, please call the box office 713.220.5700 when ordering
tickets to this performance. Discounted tickets are available for groups of ten
or more.
"I'm sure you'll blame me for all of this," says Charlie Aiken to his wife
Mattie Fae. James Belcher plays Charlie Aiken in August: Osage
County. August: Osage County runs on the Alley
Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more information visit
www.alleytheatre.org. Photo by John
Everett.
Chris Hutchinson as Little Charles in August: Osage County.
Little Charles is the 'son' of Charlie and Mattie Fae Aiken and is
secretly in love with Ivy Weston. August: Osage County runs on
the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more
information visit www.alleytheatre.org.
Photo by John Everett.
ACTOUT
Thursday, March 3, 6:00 - 7:15 PM
Houston's premiere theatre group for gay and lesbian theatre fans and their
friends celebrates the Alley Theatre's production of August:
Osage County.
This pre-curtain event is complimentary with your ticket to the Thursday, March
3, 7:30 PM performance of August:
Osage County.
To buy a ticket, required for this event, use the promo code: ACTOUT.
Purchase online at
www.alleytheatre.org or call the
box office at 713.220.5700.
August: Osage County
is generously sponsored by Supporting
Sponsors Bank of Texas and Thompson & Knight LLP and Associate Producers Kathryn
and Jim Ketelsen. The Alley Theatre is supported by the 2010-2011 season sponsor
United Airlines, the official airline of the Alley Theatre.
"You're drinking whiskey!" Charlie Aiken accuses Mattie Fae. "I'm having
a cocktail!" his wife answers back. "You're drinking straight whiskey!"
repeats Charlie in disgust. (L-R) James Belcher as Charlie Aiken and
Louisa Flaningam as Mattie Fae Aiken in August: Osage County.
August: Osage County runs on the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard
Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more information visit
www.alleytheatre.org. Photo by John
Everett.
# # #
(L-R) Josie de Guzman as Barbara Fordham and Jennifer Harmon as Violet Weston in
August: Osage County. Barbara is the oldest
daughter of the Weston family, aged 46. After her father's funeral, she
focuses on keeping her mother clean of drugs. August: Osage County
runs on the Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Stage February 18 – March 13, 2011. For more
information visit www.alleytheatre.org.
Photo by John Everett.