Download Cast Announced for the World Premiere of Actually

FORIMMEDIATERELEASE
MediaContact:
AshleyBodul,GeffenPlayhouse
[email protected]
310.208.6500Ext.159
GEFFENPLAYHOUSETAPSJERRYMACKINNONANDSAMANTHARESSLERFOR
ANNAZIEGLER’S“ACTUALLY;”TYNERAFAELIWILLDIRECT
PREVIEWSBEGINMAY2;OPENINGNIGHTISMAY10
LOSANGELES(April17,2017)–TheGeffenPlayhousetodayannouncedthatJerryMacKinnon
(SleepyHollow)andSamanthaRessler(ThisistheEnd)willstarinaward-winningplaywright
AnnaZiegler’sActually,aco-worldpremierewiththeWilliamstownTheatreFestival.Tyne
RafaeliwilldirecttheGeffen’sproductionwhichrunsMay2,2017throughJune11,2017inthe
AudreySkirballKenisTheaterattheGeffenPlayhouse.OpeningnightisMay10,2017.
ActuallyisthestoryofAmberandTom,who,findingtheirwayasfreshmenatPrinceton,spend
anighttogetherthataltersthecourseoftheirlives.Theyagreeonthedrinking,theyagreeon
theattraction,butconsentisfoggy,andifunspoken,canitbecalledconsent?AplaywrightThe
NewYorkTimescalls“newly(andjustly)hot,”AnnaZieglerinvestigatesgenderandrace
politics,ourcripplingdesiretofitinandthethreesidestoeverystory.
Actuallyinvitestheaudiencetoexplorethecomplexdynamicsofsexualassaultandconsent.A
grantfromTheSheriandLesBillerFamilyFoundationisprovidingsupportforthisproductionof
Actuallyaswellasincreasedopportunitiesforhighschoolandcollegestudentstoexperienceit
andtakeactionontheissuesitpresents.
Itwasfirstpresentedaspartofthe2016Fridays@3ReadingSeriesatWilliamstownTheatre
Festival,underArtisticDirectorMandyGreenfield.
ACTUALLY
WrittenbyAnnaZiegler
DirectedbyTyneRafaeli
Previews:Tuesday,May2–Tuesday,May9,2017
OpeningNight:Wednesday,May10,2017
ClosingNight:Sunday,June11,2017
CAST
JerryMacKinnonasTom
SamanthaResslerasAmber
PRODUCTIONTEAM
SetDesignerTimMackabee
CostumeDesignerElizabethCaitlinWard
LightingDesignerLapChiChu
SoundDesignerVincentOlivieri
DramaturgAmyLevinson
ProductionStageManagerElizabethA.Brohm
CastingDirectorPhyllisSchuringa,CSA
PERFORMANCESCHEDULE
Monday
Noperformance
Tuesday–Friday
8:00p.m.
Saturday
3:00and8:00p.m.
Sunday
2:00and7:00p.m.
TICKETINFORMATION
Ticketscurrentlypricedat$60.00-$82.00.AvailableinpersonattheGeffenPlayhousebox
office,byphoneat310.208.5454oronlineatwww.geffenplayhouse.org.Feesmayapply.
Rushticketsforeachday’sperformancearemadeavailabletothegeneralpublic30minutes
beforeshowtimeattheboxoffice.$35.00General/$10.00Student
COLLEGEAUDIENCES
Throughavarietyofeventsandotheropportunities,theGeffenPlayhousewelcomescollege
studentstoexperiencethelivestorytellingpresentedonourstages.Weareproudofour
associationwithUCLA’sSchoolofTheater,Film,andTelevision,andopenourdoorstoall
collegestudentsthroughoutLosAngeles.Moreinformationisavailableat
www.geffenplayhouse.org/college.
LOCATION
AudreySkirballTheaterattheGeffenPlayhouse
10886LeConteAvenue,LosAngeles,CA90024
ABOUTTHEARTISTS
AnnaZiegler(Playwright)
AnnaZiegler’splayPhotograph51,producedontheWestEndstarringNicoleKidmanand
directedbyMichaelGrandage,wonLondon’s2016WhatsOnStageawardforBestNewPlay.It
hasbeenproducedaroundthecountryandtheworld,mostrecentlyinHamburg,Romeand
Stockholm.HerplayBoy,whichpremieredOffBroadwayinaKeenCompany/EnsembleStudio
Theatreco-production,wasnominatedforthe2016OuterCriticsCircleJohnGassnerAward
andwillbeproducedatTimeLineTheatreinChicagonextseason.TheLastMatchpremieredat
TheOldGlobeandwasnominatedforthe2016SanDiegoTheatreCriticsCircleOutstanding
NewPlayaward;itwillbeproducedatRoundaboutTheatreCompanythisfall.Actuallywillbe
producedattheWilliamstownTheatreFestivalandManhattanTheatreClubfollowingthe
GeffenPlayhouseproduction.TheWanderers,commissionedbyTheOldGlobe,willpremiere
therein2018.ZiegleriswritingatelevisionpilotforAMC/SundanceandascreenplayforScott
FreeProductions.OberonBookshaspublishedacollectionofherworkentitledAnnaZiegler:
PlaysOne.HerotherplaysarepublishedbyDramatistsPlayService.SheholdsaB.A.fromYale
andanM.F.A.fromNewYorkUniversity’sTischSchooloftheArts.
TyneRafaeli(Director)
TyneRafaeliwasborninLondonandtrainedattheGuildhallSchoolofMusic&Dramaand
ColumbiaUniversity.Shehasdirectedclassics,newplaysandmusicalsinLondonandtheU.S.
HerworkhasbeenseenatClassicStageCompany,theAtlanticTheaterCompany,Williamstown
TheatreFestival,TwoRiverTheater,NewYorkStage&Film,ThePlaywrightsRealm,
PlayMaker’sRep,Goodspeed,Julliard,GreatLakesTheater,AmericanPlayersTheatre,Idaho
ShakespeareFestival,theEugeneO’NeillTheaterCenterPlaywrightsConferenceandPlayPenn,
amongothers.Rafaeliisa2016-2018TimeWarnerDirectingFellowattheWomen’sProject
Theaterandwasawardedthe2013-2014SDCFSirJohnGielgudFellowshipforClassical
Direction.ShehasservedasAssociateDirectorontheBroadwayproductionsofTheKing&I,
FiddlerontheRoof,TheBridgesofMadisonCountyandGoldenBoy;andtheWestEnd’s
WomenontheVerge;anddirectedthefirstU.S.nationaltourofTheBridgesofMadison
County.UpcomingprojectsincludeMeasureforMeasureattheCaliforniaShakespeare
Theater.
JerryMacKinnon(Tom)
JerryMacKinnonismakinghisGeffenPlayhousedebutinActually.Regionaltheatercredits
includeThisisModernArtandLevelingUpatSteppenwolfTheatreCompany;columbinusat
AmericanTheatreCompany;LuceatNextTheatreCompany;ExitStrategyatJackalopeTheatre;
andTheKnowledgeatSteepTheatre.HecurrentlystarsinthetelevisiondramaSleepyHollow
for20thCenturyFoxTelevision,andwillnextbeseenintheupcomingfeaturefilmDudefrom
directorOliviaMilch.PreviousworkincludesCriminalMinds:BeyondBorders,Empireand
ChicagoFire;andthefilmImperfections.
SamanthaRessler(Amber)
SamanthaRessleristhrilledtobemakingherGeffenPlayhousedebut.ShewaslastseenatThe
PalaceTheaterinJohnPatrickShanley’sWomenofManhattan,playingtheroleofJudy.Other
theatercreditsincludeBlackbird,directedbyWilsonMilamattheWallisAnnenbergCenterfor
thePerformingArtsandCloseras“Alice”atTheRubyTheatre.FilmcreditsincludeThisisthe
End,NobodyWalks,PaloAlto.ShewillnextbeseenintheindependentfeaturefilmAmerican
DreamoppositeNickStahl,directedbyJanuszKaminski,andinHallieMeyers-Shyer’sHome
Again.TelevisionincludesModernFamily,TrophyWife,HelloLadies,FranklinandBash,Rulesof
Engagementand90210,amongothers.SheisagraduateofBrownUniversityandtrainedat
theLondonDramaticAcademyandAtlanticActingSchool.
SEASONSPONSOR
PlazaLaReina
OPENINGNIGHTSPONSORS
Palomino
AudiofAmerica
CityNationalBank
DouglasElliman
Hint
KINDSnacks
SIGNATURESERIES
Inadditiontotheopeningnight,therunofActuallywillfeaturetheGeffen’sSignatureSeries
eventsTalkBackTuesdays,LoungeFridaysandWineDownSundays.Thankstothesupportof
GeffenPlayhousepartnersandsponsors,allelementsofSignatureSerieseveningsare
complimentaryaspartoftheticketprice.
•
TALKBACKTUESDAYS
TalkBackTuesdaysgivetheaterloversachanceforadeeperconversationtodiscuss
plot,characterthemesoranyotherquestionsdirectlywiththeartistswithapost-show
Q&Afromthestage.Dates:May16,May,23,May30,June6
•
LOUNGEFRIDAYS
HappyhourLoungeFridaysturntheGeffenPlayhouseintoahaventohelpfast-paced
Angelenoseaseintotheirweekendandunwind.Complimentarysparklingjoinsother
enticingbeveragesstartingat7:00p.m.witheclecticjamsfromDJMikeonthe
courtyardpatio.SponsoredbyLAArtsOnline.com.Dates:May5,May12
•
WINEDOWNSUNDAYS
WineDownSundaysprovidestheperfectpairing–pre-performancewinesampling
followedbya7:00p.m.curtaintimetocloseouttheweek.Theseeveningsfeature
differentvintagesforeachproduction,sopatronswhocomeregularlywilldiscovera
newwinebrandbeforetheirtheatricalexperience.Dates:May7,May14
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ABOUTGEFFENPLAYHOUSE
GeffenPlayhousehasbeenahuboftheLosAngelestheaterscenesinceopeningitsdoorsin
1995.Notedforitsintimacyandcelebratedforitsworld-renownedmixofclassicand
contemporaryplays,provocativenewworksandsecondproductions,thenot-for-profit
organizationcontinuestopresentabodyofworkthathasgarnerednationalrecognition.
NamedinhonorofentertainmentmogulandphilanthropistDavidGeffen,whomadetheinitial
donationtothetheater,thecompanywasfoundedbyGilbertCates,andiscurrentlyhelmedby
ArtisticDirectorRandallArney,ExecutiveDirectorGilCates,Jr.,andCo-ChairsoftheBoard
MarthaHendersonandPamelaRobinson.ProudlyassociatedwithUCLA,theGeffenwelcomes
anaudienceofmorethan130,000eachyear,andmaintainsextensiveeducationand
communityengagementprograms,designedtoinvolveunderservedyoungpeopleandthe
communityatlargeinthearts.www.geffenplayhouse.org
MEDIACONTACT
AshleyBodul,GeffenPlayhouse
[email protected]
310.208.6500Ext.159