Twelve Angry Men Casting Announced
Critically acclaimed national touring production announces tour casting
Show to star Richard Thomas
“This is one jury-stint you won’t try to get out of. A!” - Entertainment Weekly
“Roundabout Theatre Company's acclaimed revival presents edge-of-your-seat narrative with juicy acting turns, resulting in a crackling good time!”- Variety
HARTFORD ENGAGEMENT RUNS MARCH 25-30, 2008 AT THE BUSHNELL CENTER FOR THE PERFROMING ARTS
Hartford, CT (March 5, 2008) - Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) has announced casting for the second season of its critically acclaimed national touring production of their Broadway smash hit, TWELVE ANGRY MEN . The not-to-be-missed show comes to The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford for a limited one-week engagement beginning March 25 through 30, 2008. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting The Bushnell Box Office at 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, or by calling the Box Office at (860) 987-5900. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.bushnell.org. Groups of 12 or more can call (860) 987-5959. Tickets are priced from $63 - $22. The performance is part of The Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series.
The show will once again star Richard Thomas as Juror 8. Also returning from last season are Mike Boland, Charles Borland, Todd Cerveris, Jeffrey Hayenga, David Lively, Mark Morettini and Julian Gamble. Rounding out the cast are Kevin Dobson, Thomas Gebbia, James Greene, Tony Ward and Mike DiSalvo.
The critics have been unanimous in their praise for the production across the country. The Washington Post called the show, “Theatrically irresistible…seductive…sends a chill up the spine!” while The Boston Globe enthused, “The play grips you from the start and never lets up. It's…a pleasure and a treasure after all these years.”
In addition to the critical accolades for the show, TWELVE ANGRY MEN has been the recipient of several local awards for excellence including the Independent Reviewers of New England Best Visiting Production – Large Stage Award for the Boston engagement, Cincinnati’s Acclaim Award for Best Touring Production and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Non-resident Production (Washington, D.C.).
Written by Reginald Rose and directed by Scott Ellis (Roundabout Associate Artistic Director), TWELVE ANGRY MEN is the first touring production for the not-for-profit organization. The design team for TWELVE ANGRY MEN includes Allen Moyer (sets), Michael Krass (costumes), Paul Palazzo (lights) and Brian Ronan (sound).
In TWELVE ANGRY MEN, a young delinquent awaits sentencing for the manslaughter of his aggressive father. Twelve jurors are corralled in a room for their deliberations in a murder trial. One juror feels that there is a “reasonable doubt” - to the frustration of his eleven colleagues - thereby preventing a quick verdict. During the heated debate, the hidden preconceptions and assumptions of the jurors are revealed. When faced with playing the hangman, each juror is forced to face himself.
“Twelve Angry Men,” originally written as a teleplay that appeared in 1954 on CBS’ drama series “Studio One,” was one of the brightest jewels of television’s Golden Age. The story was subsequently made into a major motion picture in 1957. Reginald Rose, who would go on to create and write scripts for the television series, “The Defenders,” wrote a stage version in 1964. In 1997, Showtime, in response to questions about “reasonable doubt” raised during the OJ Simpson trial, produced a new movie version with a racially diverse cast.
Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway production of TWELVE ANGRY MEN was the longest -running production at their home, the American Airlines Theatre, extending an unprecedented seven times to run for 32 weeks. This production marked the first time the show was ever seen on a Broadway stage. Its record-breaking run earned three Tony Award nominations and unanimous praise from the critics. “The undeniable hit of the Broadway dramatic season!” raved Jesse McKinley (New York Times). John Simon (New York Magazine) proclaimed it, “A classic in the making!” and Michael Kuchwara (Associated Press) described it as, “Exhilarating! An absorbing theatrical experience.”
TWELVE ANGRY MEN is produced by ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY, one of the country’s leading not-for-profit theatres. The company contributes invaluably to New York’s cultural life by staging the highest quality revivals of classic plays and musicals, as well as new plays by established writers. Roundabout consistently partners great artists with great works to bring a fresh and exciting interpretation that makes each production relevant and important to today’s audiences. Under the continuing leadership of Artistic Director Todd Haimes, Roundabout is dedicated to the community of artists and loyal audience members that have made it one of New York’s most popular not-for-profit cultural institutions.
Major support for the national tour of TWELVE ANGRY MEN is generously provided by American Airlines. Roundabout Theatre Company productions are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York State Council on the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company.
Roundabout Theatre Company’s upcoming season also includes Terrence McNally’s The Ritz starring Rosie Perez & Kevin Chamberlin, directed by Joe Mantello; George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion starring Claire Danes, Jefferson Mays, Boyd Gaines, Jay O. Sanders, directed by David Grindley; J.T. Rogers’ The Overwhelming (American premiere), directed by Max Stafford-Clark; Stephen Karam’s Speech & Debate, directed by Jason Moore; Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow, directed by Maria Aitken; Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George starring Daniel Evans & Jenna Russell, directed by Sam Buntrock; Christopher Durang’s The Marriage of Bette and Boo, directed by Walter Bobbie.
Award winning and critically acclaimed Roundabout productions include Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins and Company, The Pajama Game starring Harry Connick, Jr., Nine starring Antonio Banderas, Jane Krakowski, Mary Stuart Masterson and Chita Rivera, Little Me starring Martin Short, Side Man starring Edie Falco, A View From the Bridge starring Anthony LaPaglia, and Anna Christie starring Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson.
Biographies
RICHARD THOMAS (Juror Eight). Since making his Broadway debut in Sunrise At Campobello in 1958, Mr. Thomas has appeared on the New York stage countless times, most recently in Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway production of Richard Greenberg’s A Naked Girl On The Appian Way, and last season in Michael Frayn’s Democracy and As You Like It in Central Park. Mr. Thomas has starred in more than forty films for television including Terrence McNally’s “Andre’s Mother” and “Wild Hearts” for Hallmark. His television series have included “It’s A Miracle,” “Just Cause” and “The Waltons,” for which he won an Emmy Award in 1972.
KEVIN DOBSON (Juror Ten) received People’s Choice Awards for best actor and leading man, studied with acting coach Sandy Meisner and came to prominence co-starring with Telly Savalas in TV’s mega-hit “Kojak.” TV: “Knots Landing,” CBS’ “Shannon,” “F/X: The Series,” Micky Spillane’s “Margin for Murder.” He starred in 26 TV movies, including, Sweet Revenge, Orpan Train, The Conviction of Kitty Dodd, A House of Secrets and Lies, Transplant, Money, Power and Murder. Theatre: The Impossible Years, A Streetcar Named Desire, Art and The Sound of Music. Film: All Night Long with Gene Hackman, Midway with Henry Fonda. A veteran and former Military Policeman, Kevin was Chairman of the Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, for which he was recognized in the White House by President Bush (41) and received the Silver Helmut Award.
JULIAN GAMBLE (Juror 3). Broadway: Democracy, Invention of Love, The Iceman Cometh, You Never Can Tell, Jumpers, Dinner at Eight, A Month in the Country. TV: Recurring and guest starring roles on “Law & Order, SVU,” “CI,” “Third Watch.” “LA Law,” “Matlock,” “Dallas,” “One Life to Live,” “Days of Our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “Life Stories,” “Remember Wenn,” “The Pilots,” "Willy," "Invisible Man," "HIER." Feature Films: Taking Chance for HBO, First Born with Elisabeth Shue, Quiet Killer for Lorimar. Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Old Globe, McCarter Theatre Co, Denver Center Theatre, South Coast Rep, The Intiman, Studio Arena, GEVA and LATC.
MIKE BOLAND (Juror One) has performed in many productions at the Tony Award-winning Long Wharf Theatre, including She Stoops to Conquer, Wit, Mystery School (with Tyne Daly), A Question of Mercy and the tour of Race. Regional and summer stock productions include The Exonerated, Lone Star, Burn This, Laughter on the 23rd Floor and A Few Good Men, and an award-winning performance in the Off-Off Broadway production of Vinny’s Vision. He has earned critical raves in the independent feature film Bobby Dogs. Other indie films Abscond Valley, The Reasonable Man and The Scrubber.
CHARLES BORLAND (Juror Six). Broadway: A Streetcar Named Desire, Roundabout. Off-Broadway: Missing Celia Rose, SPF; Deathvariations, 59E59; Lascivious Something, Cherry Lane; Dirty Story, LAByrinth; Out of Sterno, Cherry Lane. Regional: Hamlet, Long Wharf; The Merchant of Venice, Portland Center Stage; Smash, The Old Globe. Television: “New Amsterdam,” “Numb3rs,” “Law & Order: CI” (recurring), “Jonny Zero,” “Whoopi.” “Third Watch,” “Ed,” “Hack,” “All My Children,” “Guiding Light,” “As The World Turns,” “One Life To Live.” Film: Honored, Into The Fire. Training: The Juilliard School; LAMDA.
TODD CERVERIS (Juror Two). Broadway: Twentieth Century. Off-Broadway: Almost, Maine; The Booth Variations; Time and the Conways. NYC: Public Theater, Lincoln Center, Target Margin, Clubbed Thumb. Regional: Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Old Globe, George Street Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, Portland Stage, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Grove Theater Center, New York Stage & Film, Adirondack Theater Festival, Dorset Theater Festival, The Acting Company. International: The Booth Variations (Edinburgh 'Fringe First' Nominee), Actors' Touring Company (UK/Greece). Film/Television: One True Thing, Living and Dining, Information Age, The Rake's Progress, “Law & Order," "The Great Pretender," "First Steps."
MIKE DISALVO (Guard) Regional: This Is Our Youth, Tape, Cripple of Inishmaan, The Maiden’s Prayer, Over The River and Through the Woods, and the regional premieres of Sideman and A Sense of Place.
THOMAS GEBBIA (Juror 5) was last seen in Ed McBain’s Final Curtin. Regional: Lobby Hero, Wait Until Dark, The Bride Of Olneyville Square, Ta Look At Flowers, Bricklayers, A Particular Class of Women, The Mandrake, Boys’ Life and Mud. Chicago credits include: Living Out, Bleacher Bums, Picasso At The Lapin Agile, The Stewart Of Christendom, Hitting For The Cycle, Racing Demon, Cigarettes And Moby Dick and Romeo and Juliet. He can be seen in the upcoming film Vinysa.
JEFFREY HAYENGA (Juror Four) Broadway: The Elephant Man, Long Days Journey Into Night, Ah Wilderness and most recently in The Roundabout Theatre’s The Man Who Came to Dinner. Favorite off-Broadway: As Bees In Honey Drown, Sister Mary Ignatious Explains It All For You, Hapgood and Jeffrey. He toured in the West Coast premiere of Terrence McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion! and last year appeared in Jane Martin’s Good Boys at ACT Seattle. Recent TV and film appearances include “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Star Trek Enterprise,” “Jack and Bobby,” “Jag” and the independent film Memron
DAVID LIVELY (Juror Eleven) Chicago credits include Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 (title role-Chicago and Stratford Upon Avon, UK, Royal Shakespeare Company), Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, King John, The Winter’s Tale, The School for Scandal, Julius Caesar, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Drury Lane Theatre: 1776-Benjamin Franklin (Jeff nomination), Anything Goes-Moonface Martin (Jeff nomination), Sherlock’s Last Case, Camelot, The Mousetrap, My Fair Lady, The Foreigner; Marriott Theatre: Beauty and the Beast, 1776-Benjamin Franklin (Jeff nomination); Court Theatre: Hay Fever. Regional theatre: Indiana Repertory Theatre, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Virginia Stage Company, Geva Theatre, and the Kennedy Center. Television: “What about Joan”, “Cupid”, “Prison Break” (ABC), and the CBS miniseries “George Washington”. Film credits: The Opera Lover.
ALAN MANDELL (Juror Nine). Broadway: Impossible Marriage. Off-Broadway: The Beard of Avon, Waiting for Godot. Regional: Trying (The Colony Theater); The Taming of the Shrew (Williamstown Theatre Festival); The Merchant of Venice, The Country Wife, Krapp’s Last Time, Enemies (Lincoln Center Repertory); The Birthday Party, The Entertainer, The Collection, A Gift of Fury (San Francisco Actor’s Workshop). International: Endgame and Waiting for Godot, both directed by Samuel Beckett, in London, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Barcelona; Siberia, by Felix Mitter in Moscow. Center Theatre Group: The Royal Family (Ahmanson Theatre), The Dream Coast (Taper, Too). Other L.A.: The Illusion, Company, The Film Society, It’s a Man’s World (L.A. Theatre Center); The Tempest (Garden Grove Shakespeare Festival); The Road to Mecca, The Cherry Orchard (South Coast Repertory); King Lear (Orange County Shakespeare Festival). Film: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Marrying Man, Endgame, Midnight Witness, Shortbus. Television: “Blind Ambition,” “Dark Victory,” “79 Park Avenue.”
MARK MORETTINI (Juror Seven) Chicago Bleacher Bums, London Suite, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Lost in Yonkers, Lend Me Tenor, Incorruptible (world premier), Wild Honey, Animal Farm. Film: Let’s Go To Prison, Chain Reaction, U.S. Marshals, Road to Perdition and Home Alone II. On television Mark guest starred as C.O. Rizzo in season one of Fox’s “Prison Break,” in “E.R.,” many episodes of “Early Edition” as desk sergeant Stern, “The Untouchables,” “Mario and the Mob,” “Two Fathers Justice” and many commercials.
TONY WARD (Juror Twelve) recently created the role of "The Man" in the world premiere of Lucinda Coxon's Vesuvius. New York: Wonder of The World, The Two Orphans, The Elephant Man, Beyond The Horizon. Baltimore Center Stage: The Three Sisters, King Lear, The Wilder Plays, As You Like It. Regional: Morphic Resonance, Edward II, As You Like It, Terra Nova, The Steward of Christendom, Of Mice and Men, Twelve Angry Men, The Rainmaker, Arms and the Man, Othello, A Doll's House. Film/TV: Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, “The Guiding Light” and “Law and Order.”
SCOTT ELLIS (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director for Roundabout Theatre Company. For Roundabout, he has directed the recent production of Entertaining Mr. Sloane with Alec Baldwin, Chris Carmack, Richard Easton and Jan Maxwell. Past Roundabout Broadway productions include Twelve Angry Men (Drama Desk, Tony nom.), The Look of Love, Rodgers & Hart’s The Boys From Syracuse, Arthur Miller’s The Man Who Had All The Luck (Roundabout & Williamstown), The Rainmaker with Woody Harrelson and Jayne Atkinson, 1776 (Drama Desk, Tony nom.), Company (Tony nom.), She Loves Me (Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk, Tony nom), Picnic (Outer Critics nom.) and A Month In The Country with Helen Mirren. He is currently represented on Broadway with Kander & Ebb’s new musical Curtains (for which he received a Tony nomination). Additional Broadway directing credits include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Steel Pier (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Tony nom.), and the 2007 Tony nominated The Little Dog Laughed, a play by Douglas Carter Beane
For dates and ticket information visit www.roundabouttheatre.org
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About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
The Bushnell is Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, hosting more than 350 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. In November 2001, The Bushnell completed a $45 million expansion project that added a second, 907-seat theater to the existing historic structure. The new, state-of-the-art performance hall allows for expanded arts, entertainment and community offerings. The Bushnell’s nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), is a cross-community educational effort serving 20 schools in 12 districts throughout the Greater Hartford area. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.
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