AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ed Gross, 201-527-5832
Publicity@bcplayers.org
BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS OPENS ITS 82ND SEASON WITH FIVE-TIME TONY AWARD WINNING MUSICAL, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Oradell, NJ, March 2, 2015 - Hilarious, provocative and moving are three words often used to describe a theater piece. What’s unusual is to find a show that easily warrants all three. “August: Osage County”, to be presented by the Bergen County Players, is that rare play, a true American masterpiece. The New York Times called it “… a ripsnorter full of blistering, funny dialogue, acid-etched characterizations and scenes of no-holds-barred emotional combat”, comparing its matriarch, Violet Weston, favorably to Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie” as a manipulator, Regina in “The Little Foxes” as a tactician and the soused Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” for the sharpness of her tongue.
Director Dottie Fisher remembers the experience of seeing the show on Broadway as “absolutely startling.” She marveled at the play’s layers and the rich roles it presents for women who must deal with mother-daughter relationships, alcoholism and drug addiction. The show will run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm from March 21st - April 18th with the exception of Easter weekend April 3-5. "August: Osage County" contains mature language and adult themes and is not recommended for pre-teens.
The darkly comic “August: Osage County” won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play of 2008 for its author Tracy Letts, and four other Tonys including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. He based it in part on his own family’s tragedies and his drug-addicted mother.
The family of matriarch Violet Weston (Rollin Gardner of Closter) converges at the family home where she’s a grudging patient to her caregiver Johnna (Paulina Quinones of Elmsford, NY) when her husband, Beverly (Frank Osmers of Haworth) disappears. Other family members quickly arrive, including daughters Ivy (Debbie Zika of Hillsdale), Karen (Nina Lionetti of Westwood) who brings along her boyfriend Steve (Howell Mayer of Saddle Brook), and Barbara (Joanne Lamneck of River Edge) with her now-separated husband Bill (Clifton Lewis of Closter) and teenage daughter Jean (Kristin Bennett of Montville) in tow. Adding to the chaos is Violet’s sister Mattie Fae (Rachel Gordon of Paramus) and her husband Charlie (Roy Harry of Upper Saddle River), accompanied by their grown son Little Charles (Andrew Whitney of Ramsey). The local sheriff (Neil Kahn of Maywood) also checks in with reports on the search for the missing Beverly. To say that sparks fly and secrets are revealed is a gross understatement.
With its cast of 13, the production presented an exciting challenge to Director Fisher and to set designer (and professional architect) Steve Moldt, who designed a three-level home without walls to give all the actors the room they need in this provocative, maturely-themed award winning drama.
In addition to director Dottie Fisher, the Bergen County Players production team includes Paul Reitnauer III (Producer), Myra Richards (Assistant to the Director), Anita Esteve (Stage Manager), Stephen Moldt (Set Designer), Lynne Lupfer (Set Décor), Marisa Dolkart (Costumes), Rob DeScherer (Sound Design), Allan Seward (Lighting Design), Teri Noel (Lighting Operation), Pat Bain and Doria Hilsman (Props), Margie McDonough (Sound Operation), Joanne Misha (Makeup), Steve Mintz and Barbara Mintz (Photography), Ed Gross (Publicity) and Marci Weinstein (Programs Notes).
TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION
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To schedule press interviews, photos, press comps or for additional information, please contact Peter Caust at 201-615-0404 or by e-mail at PUBLICITY@BCPLAYERS.ORG. Photos and press information are also available at www.bcplayers.org.
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