Explore possibilities. Push ART boundaries. Inspire those around you. For more than 100 years, the mission of Lesley University and the Art Institute of Boston has been to integrate the OPENS arts wherever possible. In teaching. In the healing professions. In life. It is this approach that gives our students the foundation they need to succeed in MINDS today’s creative economy. www.aiboston.edu/art/opens Contents FEBRUARY 2011 6 Artistic Director’s Welcome 12 9 Ajax program 11 Director’s Note 12 Program Notes 16 Theater of War at A.R.T. 18 Cast 21 Creative Team 24 About the A.R.T. 26 Institute 27 Donors 30 Staff 32 General Information 46 PLUS: 4 Backstage by Josh B. Wardrop h c Guide to Local Theater t 34 i v o Guide to Cambridge Dining c 41 n a r Dining Out: The Red House F a 46 i s y l l E theatrebill STAFF Publishing services are provided by Theatrebill , President / Publisher: Tim Montgomery a publication of New Venture Media Group LLC, publisher of Panorama: The Official Guide Editor: Josh B. Wardrop to Boston , 332 Congress Street, Boston, MA Art Director: Scott Roberto 02210, 617-423-3400. Associate Art Director: John Herron Gendreau WARNING: The photographing or sound record - Editorial Interns: Ellysia Francovitch, Karl-Lydie Jean-Baptiste ing of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound record - ing inside this theatre, without the written per - Vice President mission of the management, is prohibited by Publishing: Rita A. Fucillo law. Violators may be punished by ejection and Vice President violations may render the offender liable for Advertising: Jacolyn Ann Firestone money damages. Senior Joe Shannon Account Executive: FIRE NOTICE: The exit indicated by a red light Vice President and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the Tyler J. Montgomery Operations: shortest route to the street. In the event of fire Melissa J. O’Reilly Business Manager: or other emergencies do not run— WALK TO Information THAT EXIT . Technology Manager: Mike Hipps To advertise in Theatrebill , call 617-423-3400. Chairman Emeritus: Jerome Rosenfeld AJAX 3 BAC KSTAGE Behind the scenes in local and national theatre by Josh B. Wardrop Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper On February 27, millions of Americans will be in front of their televisions watching their favorite movie stars assembled for the 83rd annual Academy Awards. A select number of local theater fans, how - ever, will have the special opportunity to see an Oscar winner live in Boston on February 21, courtesy of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company . Chris Cooper, the Massachusetts resident and acclaimed actor from such motion pictures as American Beauty, The Town, The Bourne Identity, Adaptation (for which he won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar) and many others, makes a rare Boston stage appearance this month, taking the lead role in a staged reading of playwright Sam Shepard’s Buried Child . The show, directed by Jim True- Frost and co-starring Cooper’s wife Marianne Leone, explores a dysfunctional family and their e n o struggles to attain and hold onto the American b k n a Dream. The event is the first installment in CSC’s h S d American Voices series celebrating classic works by i v a American playwrights. D Admission to the 7 p.m. performance of Buried Child at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Wimberley VOICE OF AUTHORITY: Kingston, Mass. resident and Oscar-winner Chris Cooper performs in a Theatre is free; a wine and cheese reception with the staged reading of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child at cast and director immediately following the reading the Boston Center for the Arts on February 21 as part of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s costs $20 per ticket, which includes a reserved seat American Voices series. for the performance. For more information, visit www.commshakes.org or call 617-426-0863. tended as a way to strengthen the bonds between “Home Grown” Talent Unites for members of the Boston theater community and Boston Theatre Conference generate new ideas on how to help it flourish. The tight-knit Boston theater community gathers Chef Barbara Lynch (No. 9 Park, The Butcher to celebrate its recent achievements and to look for - Shop, Menton) delivers the conference’s keynote ward to a new year of entertaining the masses when address, acting as a lead-in to a panel the area’s actors, directors, playwrights, technical discussion comparing the Boston theater scene to professionals, audiences and anyone else passionate the “slow food” movement—with “slow food” about local theater come together for Home advocates being passionate about raising Grown: The Boston Theatre Conference 2011 awareness and appreciation for local, fresh and on February 27 & 28. sustainable ingredients, a logical parallel can The two-day event features lectures, workshops, be drawn between the culinary and theatrical panel discussions and performances, and is in - communities. 4 AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER backstage (continued) Michael Maso, managing director of the ligations of her daily talk show—is planning to Huntington Theatre Company, delivers a closing make her return to acting in an HBO Films address on February 28, talking about the adaptation of Ruined . Winfrey—whose company changes and advances on the Boston theater scene Harpo Productions is producing the film, based during his more than 20 years in the industry. on a script by Nottage—would reportedly por - For more information about the Boston Theatre tray the play’s lead character, brothel owner Conference, interested participants are encouraged to Mama Nadi. visit bostontheatreconference.wordpress.com. You’ll Never Believe This… Cook Tackles Fat Pig …but the big-budget Broadway production One of the most successful come - Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark dians ever to come out of the Bay has had its opening delayed for the State broadens his range this fifth time, according to an spring, as stand-up star Dane Associated Press report. The $65 Cook makes his Broadway acting million show—which has been debut this April in a production of plagued by numerous cast playwright Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig . changes, technical malfunctions Cook, a native of Arlington and and multiple injuries to perform - a superstar in the worlds of live ers since the day it moved into the comedy performance, comedy al - Foxwoods Theatre for previews— bums and movies ( My Best Friend’s was set to open on February 7, Girl, Good Luck Chuck, Mr. Brooks ), but is now shooting for a March teams with actors Josh Hamilton DANE DOES DRAMA: 15 debut. and Julia Stiles in Pig , a frank ex - Popular stand-up The latest delay—which lead comedian and Arlington amination of modern society’s val - native Dane Cook makes producer Michael Cohl was boldly ues regarding inner and outer his Broadway debut in a quoted as saying would be “the beauty. Cook plays Carter, the acer - production of Neil final postponement”—was report - LaBute’s Fat Pig . bic and shallow best friend of Tom edly decided upon in order to fine- (played by Hamilton), an eligible tune elements of the production bachelor who falls for a beautiful, bright and plus- and re-work the show’s ending. sized woman. LaBute is directing the production, The musical about everybody’s favorite wall- which makes its own debut on Broadway. crawling superhero has a high-profile director in Fat Pig begins previews at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway vet Julie Taymor and original songs by April 12, with an official opening set for Bono and The Edge of U2, but that hasn’t eased April 26. Spidey’s path to the Great White Way. Still, by the time Spider-Man does open, the show should From Huntington to Harpo? be second nature to its remaining castmembers— On February 6, playwright Lynn Nottage’s the musical is now on track to break the all-time Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about life in the record for number of preview performances (cur - war-torn Democratic republic of Congo, rently 71, held by the 1991 Arthur Laurents’ pro - Ruined , closed after a successful run at the duction Nick and Nora ). Huntington Theatre Company. Those who On the plus side for Spider-Man , the long missed their chance to catch the show live in wait for its official opening doesn’t seem to be Boston, however, may soon have an opportunity hurting it financially. Seemingly proving the to see Ruined right in their own homes. adage that “any publicity is good publicity,” the Entertainment website Deadline.com was the musical has sold out almost nightly, and was ac - first of several sites to report that Oprah tually the highest-grossing musical of the week for Winfrey—soon to be fully liberated from the ob - the first week of January. AJAX 5 Artistic Director’s Welcome Welcome to Ajax ! I am thrilled that the Obie Award- winning director Sarah Benson is making her A.R.T. debut with this classic play by Sophocles. In a new translation by Charles Connaghan, Benson helms a production that powerfully evokes the intense suffering and trauma of war that are at the very the core of this drama. a t s o c A Since I became Artistic Director of the A.R.T., I have o i r a looked for ways in which our community can both D : o t experience the work as an audience, and be involved in o h P the creation of the work itself. In this production of Ajax , Sarah Benson has realized that opportunity: our Greek chorus is made up of members of our own community.