Tuesday, August 28, 2007

INTIMAN THEATRE ANNOUNCES COMPLETE CASTING FOR ITS AMERICAN CYCLE PRODUCTION OF HARPER LEE’S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

To Kill a Mockingbird, the fourth production in the five-year American Cycle series and the centerpiece of numerous free public programs, features an ensemble of 15 actors and musicians including David Bishins as Atticus Finch, Patti Cohenour, Peter Crook, William Hall Jr., Josephine Howell, Lori Larsen and Keaton Whittaker as Scout Finch

Performances: September 14 – October 28, 2007

Press Night and Opening Night: Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30 pm

SEATTLE— Intiman Theatre’s acclaimed American Cycle continues this season with Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted by Christopher Sergel and directed by Fracaswell Hyman. To Kill a Mockingbird runs September 14-October 28, with the opening night performance on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30 pm. For a full schedule of public performances, please see the Fact Sheet at the end of this release. Intiman will also offer 10 student matinees during the run of the production.

Tickets, ranging in price from $27 to $50 with discounts available for students and groups, may be purchased from www.intiman.org or over the phone from the Intiman Ticket Office at 206.269.1900.

To Kill a Mockingbird, the fourth production in Intiman’s five-year American Cycle series of classic stories and civic dialogue, will be the centerpiece of numerous free programs taking place at locations across Puget Sound over a two-month period. These events include Front Porch Theater, a series of dramatic readings and conversations; a discussion on the question “Does Seattle have an empathy deficit?” moderated by Mimi Gan; an original play written and performed by Rough Eagles students from Cleveland and Roosevelt High Schools; and a lecture on Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird by author David Guterson.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the Depression-era Maycomb , Alabama , where Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, a lawyer. The central event of Christopher Sergel’s adaptation is Atticus Finch’s defense of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. As seen through Scout’s eyes, Harper Lee’s classic story tells deep truths of life in the Deep South , and evokes Maycomb’s community of eccentric and mysterious neighbors, including the reclusive Boo Radley.

To Kill a Mockingbird is directed by Fracaswell Hyman, an award-winning writer, director and producer. His recent work, including original programming for children’s television, has focused on projects that engage the hearts and minds of young people. Mr. Hyman was the creator and executive producer of The Famous Jett Jackson (the first fictional original series created for the Disney Channel) and adapted Bill Cosby’s Little Bill books for television, serving as head writer/producer for the first two seasons. Little Bill received a 2002 Literacy Network Award, a 2003 Emmy Award and a 2004 Humanitas Prize. His other credits include Nickelodeon’s sitcom Romeo and the Children’s Television Workshop series, Ghostwriter, which became the basis for his book Just in Time. Mr. Hyman has also written four one-act plays that have been produced at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York . Prior to moving behind the scenes, Mr. Hyman was an actor. His credits include David Merrick ’s Broadway revival of Oh, Kay!, Spike Lee’s film Malcolm X and the ABC mini-series Separate But Equal starring Sidney Poitier. For five years he honed his improvisational skills as a member of the Living Stage Theater Company in Washington , D.C. He has also taught improvisation workshops to adults, teens and at-risk youth, and in prisons all over the U.S.

The production features David Bishins (Atticus Finch), Patti Cohenour (Miss Maudie Atkinson), Peter Crook (Boo Radley/Mr. Gilmer), David Drummond (Heck Tate), Stephen Grenley (Judge Taylor/Walter Cunningham), William Hall Jr. (Reverend Sykes), Russell Hodgkinson (Bob Ewell), Josephine Howell (Calpurnia), Lori Larsen (Miss Stephanie Crawford), Lino Marioni (Dill), Liz Morton (Mayella Ewell), Sean Phillips (Tom Robinson), Nick Robinson (Jem Finch), Walayn Sharples (Mrs. Dubose) and Keaton Whittaker (Scout Finch).

The creative team for To Kill a Mockingbird includes scenic designer Alec Hammond, costume designer Elizabeth Hope Clancy, lighting designer Greg Sullivan, composer and music coach Grant Dermody, sound designer Joseph Swartz, fight director Geoffrey Alm and dialect coach Judith Shahn. The New York casting is by Janet Foster, C.S.A. and the stage manager is Wendiana Walker.

Please see www.intiman.org for the full company bios.

The goals of The American Cycle are to produce great art, cultivate curiosity, advocate for literacy, encourage an informed citizenry and understand interconnectedness. American Cycle events take place at Intiman and at venues across Puget Sound , ranging from neighborhood gathering spots, such as cafés and bookstores, to public institutions including libraries and museums. Each season Intiman works with a Community Committee of civic leaders who offer advice and expertise to ensure that these programs address the circumstances and concerns of our region. The Community Committee for this production is co-chaired by Virginia L. Anderson, President of Safeco Insurance Foundation, and Christian Halliburton, Associate Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law.

For a complete schedule of performances and post-play discussions at Intiman, please see the Fact Sheet at the end of this release. For information about all American Cycle programs, please see The American Cycle Events release or www.intiman.org.

The American Cycle is sponsored in part by WaMu, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, PONCHO, The Boeing Company, Metropolitan King County Council, Microsoft Corporation, Nesholm Family Foundation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundations and Ameriprise Financial.

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