January 26, 2010
For: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Heather Nowlin
(801) 581-7222
heather.nowlin@ptc.utah.edu
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
Twelve Angry Men
By Reginald Rose; stage version by Sherman S. Sergel
Pioneer Theatre Company presents the father of all courtroom dramas, Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose (stage version by Sherman S. Sergel). The show runs from February 12 through February 27, 2010.
The riveting drama of twelve men serving on a jury of a murder trial, Twelve Angry Men has been a celebrated TV drama, a classic movie, and most recently a hit Broadway revival.
Portraying Juror Eight, the one juror fair-minded enough to question the soundness of the accusation of the young man on trial, is Equity actor Alan Campbell. Campbell appeared on Broadway in Sunset Boulevard, and received a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Joe Gillis. Other Broadway and off-Broadway credits include Contact, Adrift in Macao, Book of Days, andAvow. His television credits include co-starring with John Ritter in Three’s A Crowd and five seasons on Jake and the Fatman. This marks his PTC debut.
Juror Three is played by Equity member Bob Ari. Ari appeared on Broadway in Frost/Nixon, where he understudied Frank Langella in the role of Richard Nixon. He also understudied Stacy Keach in that role on the national tour. His other Broadway credits include The Constant Wife,Bells Are Ringing, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Off-Broadway, he appeared in Die, Mommie, Die!, Jolson & Company, and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. He has appeared at regional theatres all over the country, and his television credits include Law & Order, Cheers, Cagney and Lacey,Soap, and L.A. Law among many others. This is his PTC debut.
Juror Seven is played by Lou Liberatore. Liberatore appeared on Broadway with John Malkovich and Joan Allen in Burn This, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. He was also on Broadway in As Is. His off-Broadway credits include Pera Palas, The Wound of Love, and The Waiting Room, among many others. He was a member of Circle Repertory Theatre (off-Broadway) from 1984-1996, is a board member of ReVision Theatre, and the founder of The Jersey Shore Writer’s Studio.
Juror Nine is played by Equity veteran actor Dane Knell. Knell’s Broadway credits includeLettice and Lovage with Maggie Smith and See the Jaguar with James Dean. Off-Broadway, he has been seen in Much Ado About Nothing with Sam Waterston at the Delacorte Theatre, She Stoops to Conquer with Nathan Lane at The Roundabout, and in many others. He makes his Pioneer Theatre debut.
Juror Ten is played by local Equity actor Paul Kiernan. At SLAC, Kiernan has been seen inSkin in Flames, Freedomland, The Memory of Water, The Beard of Avon, Cowboys and Cabbies, The Water Project and many others. His TV/film credits include: Go Figure for Disney Channel, Luck of the Irish, The Maldonado Miracle, and the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon. He returns to PTC after most recently appearing in Is He Dead?, Romeo & Juliet, andPride and Prejudice, among many others.
Playing Juror Four is Equity actor Michael McKenzie. McKenzie appeared on Broadway inWaiting in the Wings, The Man Who Came to Dinner and Eastern Standard. Off-Broadway he was in Kari Floren’s Voices of Swords and If Wishes Were Horses, and toured with John Houseman’s The Acting Company. He has worked at many regional theatres across the country, and returns to PTC after appearing in last season’s The Light in the Piazza.
Juror Eleven is played by Equity actor Joseph R. Sicari. Sicari has acted in more than 250 guest-starring roles on television, as well as in several films. His film credits include Kicking and Screaming with Will Ferrell and Devious Beings as an underworld drug lord. He recently completed a principal role in the Tom Hanks/Stephen Spielberg mini-series The Pacific for HBO, scheduled for March 2010. He had a leading role in The Tempest with Anthony Hopkins and toured opposite Jerry Lewis in the National Company of Damn Yankees. He returns to PTC after appearing here in School for Wives, over 35 years ago.
Juror Five, from the wrong side of the tracks, is played by local Equity actor Tobin Atkinson.Atkinson is co-founder and former artistic director of Plan-B Theatre Company, and is co-founder and current artistic director of Meat & Potato Theatre Company. He also served in the U.S. Army, Army Entertainment where he toured four different productions around the world. One mission included directing four soldiers in James Arrington’s Farley Family Reunion, then leading the group safely throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Tokyo, and the continental U.S. where they performed the play for fellow service members. Atkinson returns to PTC after appearing in Richard III and As You Like It.
Playing Juror Twelve is Equity actor Terence Goodman. Goodman’s Broadway and First National tour credits include the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the first revival ofDamn Yankees with Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston, and as Captain Smith in Titanic. He was a series regular on Days of Our Lives and had a recurring role on The Young and the Restless. He returns to PTC after last appearing as Billy Flynn in Chicago and as Jake Whippany in Paint Your Wagon.
Peder Melhuse plays the role of the Foreman. Melhuse has appeared at many theatres in his thirty-year Equity career; some highlights include Skip in The Last Meeting of The Knights of The White Magnolia (winner of a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble), Lee in True West at Cherry Lane, Miles Ugtread in Wat Tyler at the Spoleto Festival, and Biff in Death of a Salesmanat Arizona Theatre Company.
The ensemble cast is rounded out by local actors Steve Bethers (Juror Six), Kent Hadfield(Juror Two), and Jake Milo Koeppl (Guard). PTC intern Andy Rindlisbach understudies the production.
John Going, currently the Associate Artistic Director of the Olney Theatre in Maryland, directs the production. On Broadway, Going directed Tony Lo Bianco in Hizzoner! His off-Broadway credits include Mart Crowley’s A Breeze from the Gulf, and his work has been seen in Moscow, Johannesburg, Vienna, Frankfurt, Toronto and Winnipeg. A veteran of regional theatres across the country, he has staged plays at Seattle Repertory, Philadelphia Drama Guild, and Pittsburgh Public Theater. Going returns to PTC after directing last season’s The Light in the Piazza.
Scenic design is by Bill Clarke. Clarke designed A Walk in the Woods and Abby’s Song on Broadway, and his off-Broadway work includes Eccentricities of a Nightingale and The Daughter-in-Law, which both appeared on the NY Times’ Ten Best List, Secret Order, June Moon, Queens Blvd., Ann Magnuson’s You Could Be Home Now, Keith Reddin’s The Innocents’ Crusade, Alan Havis’ Morocco and The Cherry Orchard.
Costume design for the production is by Carol Wells-Day. Wells-Day is one of PTC’s resident costume designers and the costume shop supervisor. Her recent designs for PTC include Is He Dead?, Dial ‘M’ for Murder, The Light in the Piazza, The Heiress, and Doubt, among dozens of others. She was assistant designer for Inherit the Wind at the Ford Theatre in Washington D.C., and worked for the Utah Shakespearean Festival for 13 years as a costume shop supervisor and designer.
Lighting design is by Jeff Hill. Hill currently works at the John F. Kennedy Center as a Production Manager. He designs lighting in the Washington, D.C. area and has been nominated for a Helen Hayes award for best lighting of a resident play. He returns to PTC after lighting recent productions The Vertical Hour and Noises Off.
Sound design is by PTC resident sound designer Joe Payne, and hair and make-up design is byAmanda French, also a PTC resident designer.
Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah’s premier resident professional theatre, performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is also available and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.
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MEDIA PHOTO SHOOT: There will be a media photo shoot on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 E., SLC. Please RSVP at (801) 581-7222.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD: High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 after 3:00 p.m. Go directly to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/press-room
TV CAMERA FILMING: Filming a short segment of the production during Preview or Opening Night for press use can be arranged. Call (801) 581-6270.
INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast and artistic staff are available. Call (801) 581-7222.
PRESS TOURS: Tours of the set for the press are available. Call (801) 581-6270.
WHO: Pioneer Theatre Company
WHAT: Twelve Angry Men
By Reginald Rose; stage version by Sherman S. Sergel
Contains some strong language
WHEN: February 12 – February 27, 2010
TIMES: Mondays – Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 p.m., Saturday matinees, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre
300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City
PRICE: $22 – $40; Children K – 12 are half price on Mondays and Tuesdays
MORE INFO: Box Office (801) 581-6961. The Box Office is open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, and Saturdays when there are performances. www.pioneertheatre.org
CAST:
Jake Milo Koeppl……………………………………………….. Guard
Peder Melhuse*…………………………………………………. Foreman
Kent Hadfield…………………………………………………….. Juror Two
Bob Ari*…………………………………………………………… Juror Three
Michael McKenzie*……………………………………………. Juror Four
Tobin Atkinson*…………………………………………………. Juror Five
Steve Bethers…………………………………………………….. Juror Six
Lou Liberatore*…………………………………………………. Juror Seven
Alan Campbell*………………………………………………….. Juror Eight
Dane Knell*………………………………………………………. Juror Nine
Paul Kiernan*…………………………………………………….. Juror Ten
Joseph R. Sicari*………………………………………………… Juror Eleven
Terence Goodman*…………………………………………….. Juror Twelve
Andy Rindlisbach………………………………………………… Understudy
* Denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association.
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director…………………………………………………………….. John Going
Set Designer………………………………………………………. Bill Clarke
Costume Designer………………………………………………. Carol Wells-Day
Lighting Designer………………………………………………… Jeff Hill
Sound Designer………………………………………………….. Joe Payne
Wig and Make-up Designer………………………………….. Amanda French