Goodman Theatre

For Immediate Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Chicago, IL - January 18, 2008) Goodman Theatre begins its 10-week celebration of American playwright Horton Foote with Talking Pictures, Foote's 1994 "treasure" (Variety) in the Goodman's 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Goodman Theatre. Chicago-based set designer Tom Burch, who conceived the setting for Talking Pictures as well as for Blind Date and The Actor-Foote's two one-act plays which will be performed in repertory February 21 - March 2-has configured the Goodman's malleable Owen Theatre in-the-round for the first time in the space's seven-year history. Emerging director Henry Wishcamper, who assisted Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls on his Broadway production of Shining City, was hand-picked by Falls to helm the 11-member all-Chicago ensemble of Talking Pictures. Talking Pictures runs January 26 - March 2; opening night is February 4, at 7pm. A complete calendar of the Horton Foote Festival appears at the end of this release. Baxter International, Inc. is a contributing sponsor of Talking Pictures.

"I am flattered and excited to be part of a festival honoring one of the most significant, prolific living playwrights in the American theater," said director Henry Wishcamper. "The characters of Talking Pictures-like the characters in all of Horton's plays-have remarkable depth and strength at a moment of overwhelming change in American history and culture. It feels important to be producing this play right now, as we experience another such moment in our history."

First produced in by New York's Signature Theatre as part of a season-long tribute to Horton Foote, Talking Pictures chronicles a cultural turning point in 1929, the eve of the Depression. In the town of Harrison, Texas, the residents of a small boarding house deal with myriad crises, small and large: the quarrels between estranged husbands and wives, the uncertain future of a railroad engineer, and the coming of the "talkies" to the local movie theater-which signals the end of an era, and a job, for the woman who plays the live music there.

The Goodman's Horton Foote Festival honors a living legend, "[one of the] strongest, most individual and most abidingly relevant voices in theater." (The New York Times). The festival continues a burgeoning tradition at Goodman Theatre of exploring the work of the most important, influential and moving writers for the stage, including August Wilson (2007), David Mamet (2006), Edward Albee (2005) - and in 2009, Eugene O'Neill.

Upcoming productions in the Horton Foote Festival include two one-act productions performed in repertory: Blind Date, directed by Steve Scott and The Actor, directed by Rick Snyder (February 21 - March 2); and The Trip To Bountiful, directed by Harris Yulin, featuring Lois Smith (March 1 - April 6). The celebration is augmented by a series of special one-night-only events taking place on Monday evenings during the month of March; more details will be released in the coming weeks.

About Horton Foote

Academy Award-winner and playwright Horton Foote's realistic portrayal of locales and characters of southeastern Texas has been his signature for more than five decades of writing for the stage, television and film. He was born in 1916 in Wharton, Texas-the town he would subsequently use as the setting for many of his plays, under the pseudonym "Harrison." His first play, Wharton Dance, was produced in New York in 1941 and was followed by Texas Town (1942), Only the Heart (1944), Celebration (1948), The Chase (1952) and The Traveling Lady (1954). He wrote The Trip to Bountiful for NBC television in 1953 and adapted it for Broadway later that year. He achieved prominence writing for television and film during the 1950s and 1960s for such works as The Dancers (1954), A Young Lady of Property (1956), Flight (1957), Storm Fear (1955) and Baby, The Rain Must Fall (1964).

Foote has won two Academy Awards, the first for his screen adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and the second for his original screenplay, Tender Mercies (1983). Other film work includes Tomorrow (1972), the movie version of The Trip to Bountiful, nominated for an Academy Award (1985), Convicts (1989) and Lily Dale (1996).

In recent years, Foote has returned to concentrating on theater; among the many plays which have earned him acclaim have been The Roads to Home (1982), 1918 (1987), Lily Dale (1988), The Widow Claire (1988), Dividing the Estate (1989), The Last of the Thorntons (2001), The Carpetbagger's Children and Getting Frankie Married…and Afterward (both 2002). The Young Man From Atlanta won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize, following its premiere at Signature Theatre Company off-Broadway, as part of a season devoted entirely to Foote works. In December 2000, President Clinton awarded Foote the National Medal of Arts.

About the Cast and Company

Director Henry Wishcamper makes his Chicago directorial debut. His credits include Flags (59E59 Theaters), Elvis People (New World Stages), The Polish Play, A Conflation of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry (Katharsis Theater Company), Pullman Car Hiawatha (Keen Company; Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Play), So Frightful… (McGinn/Cazale Theater), The Good Thief (Portland Stage Company), The Flying Doctor and the Imaginary Cuckold (Roundtable Ensemble), 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (HERE Arts Center), Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Maine Summer Dramatic Institute/Shakespeare in Deering Oaks Park). Wishcamper served as the assistant director on the Broadway productions of August: Osage County (directed by Anna D. Shapiro), Shining City (directed by Robert Falls), Absurd Person Singular (directed by John Tillinger) and Match (directed by Nicholas Martin). He is the artistic director of Katharsis Theater Company and served as the artistic director of the Maine Summer Dramatic Institute and as the artistic associate of Keen Company. He is a Drama League Directing Fellow.

Among those ensemble members returning to the Goodman stage is Judy Blue (Mrs. Jackson) whose previous Goodman previous credits include Frank's Home, House and Garden, A Little Night Music, The Night of the Hunter and Moonlight and Magnolias. Other Horton Foote productions include Vernon Early (radio) for the Goodman and Courtship and Valentine's Day at Stage 1. Chicago credits include Gary at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at Collaboraction, Dangerous Beauty with American Music Theatre Project, The Man Who Came to Dinner at Drury Lane Theatre. Phillip Earl Johnson (Willis) last appeared at the Goodman in Brutality of Fact. He appeared in the National Tour/Royal George Theatre production of Angels in America. Other Chicago credits include Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Mystery Cycle at Court Theatre, The Herbal Bed at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Conquest of the South Pole at Famous Door.

The remainder of the ensemble makes their debut performances at the Goodman. Audrey Francis (Gladys) most recently appeared in Desire Under the Elms with the Hypocrites Theater Company. Other Chicago credits include Another Part of the Forest and Othello at Writers' Theatre, Recent Tragic Events and The Violet Hour with Uma Productions and The Credeaux Canvas at Circle Theatre. Jenny McKnight (Myra) has appeared in Frozen, The Laramie Project and The Incident at Next Theatre Company; Pride and Prejudice at Northlight Theatre; Three Tall Women at Apple Tree Theatre; Ariadne's Thread at Victory Gardens Theater; and Childe Byron, Another Part of the Forest, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Watch on the Rhine (Jeff Citation) and The Infernal Machine at Eclipse Theatre Company. The Chicago credits of E. Vincent Teninty (Ashenback) include Mother Courage and Her Children and A Lesson Before Dying at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; The Most Liquid Currency in the World, Life and Limb and Clyde in Hot 'N' Throbbing with Pine Box Theatre; Desire Under the Elms with the Hypocrites Theater Company; The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui and Insignificance at Steep Theatre Company; A Cry of Players at TimeLine Theatre Company; Julius Caesar at Stawdog Theatre Company and Trivial Pursuits with Visions and Voices Theatre Company. Dan Waller (Gerard) most recently appeared in Seanachaí Theatre Company's production of A Whistle in the Dark. Other Chicago credits include The Coast of Chicago (Walkabout Theater Company/ Lookingglass Theatre Company), To the Green Fields Beyond and Our Town (Writers' Theatre) and MOJO (Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company), among others. Bubba Weiler (Pete) recently appeared in A Park in Our House and I Sailed With Magellan at Victory Gardens Theater. He also appeared at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago Children's Theatre's production of Dandelion Wine and at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Hecuba. Jason Wells (Mr. Jackson) has appeared in Side Man at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Rain, River, Ice Stream at Victory Gardens Theater; Monsters 2 and Monsters 3 at American Theater Company and numerous productions at Chicago Dramatists. Making their professional debuts are Gabriel Notarangelo (Estaquio), a senior theater major at Northwestern University, and Kathleen Romond (Vesta), a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland.

The design team for Talking Pictures includes Tom Burch (Set Design), Birgit Rattenborg Wise (Costume Design), Robert Christen (Lighting Design) and Richard Woodbury (Sound Design).

Tickets to Talking Pictures are $10 to $38 and may be purchased online at GoodmanTheatre.org, at the Goodman Theatre Box Office, 170 North Dearborn Street, or charged by phoning 312.443.3800. See Foote Festival calendar for specific dates, times and prices. Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 6pm for evening shows and 12 noon for matinees at the box office, and at 10am online at GoodmanTheatre.org on the day of performance, subject to availability. Groups of 10 or more, call 312.443.3820. When purchasing on GoodmanTheatre.org, enter the promo code MEZZTIX. 10Tix are $10 mezzanine tickets for students available for purchase online or in-person at the box office on the day-of performance; 10Tix are not available by telephone. When purchasing on GoodmanTheatre.org, enter the promo code 10TIX. Valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets at will call. Limit 4 tickets per student with I.D. Tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply.

About Goodman Theatre

Named the country's Best Regional Theatre by Time magazine (2003), Goodman Theatre is a leader in the American theater, internationally recognized for its artists, productions and educational programs since its founding in 1925. Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer's forward-thinking leadership has earned the Goodman unparalleled artistic distinction, garnered hundreds of awards-including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992)-and moved dozens of plays from Chicago to stages in New York and abroad. Central to its commitment to the reinvestigation of classics and development of new plays and artists is the Goodman's Artistic Collective, including Frank Galati, Henry Godinez, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. The largest not-for-profit theater in Chicago, the Goodman moved in 2000 into a brand new state-of-the-art complex which houses two principal theaters: the 856-seat Albert Ivar Goodman Theatre and the 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Goodman Theatre. Board Chairman is Shawn M. Donnelley and Alice Young Sabl is chair of the Women's Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre. Kraft Foods is the Principal Sponsor of the Goodman's free Student Subscription Series.

Still to come in the 2007/2008 season include: Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical Show, based on an idea by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., music by Fats Waller, directed by Chuck Smith (April 5 - May 4, 2008); The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza (April 26 - June 1, 2008); The Boys are Coming Home, music and lyrics by Leslie Arden, book by Rebecca Gilman, directed by David Petrarca (June 21 - July 27, 2008). For more information call Goodman Theatre's Publicity Office: 312.443.5151.

Recently announced productions in the 2008/2009 season include Turn of the Century by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, directed by Tommy Tune (in 2008; dates TBD); Ruined by Lynn Nottage, directed by Kate Whoriskey (in 2008; dates TBD); Yohen by Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Steve Scott (a co-production with Silk Road Theatre Company, performed at Silk Road Theatre, 77 W. Washington St., September 18 - November 2, 2008); and Desire Under the Elms, starring Brian Dennehy, directed by Robert Falls (in 2009; dates TBD).

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