ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
Announces
Academy Award Nominee
DIANE LANE
To Return to Broadway as “Ranevskaya” in
THE CHERRY ORCHARD
By ANTON CHEKHOV
New Adaptation by STEPHEN KARAM
Directed by SIMON GODWIN
Previews begin September 15, 2016
Official opening October 16, 2016
Limited engagement on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre
Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is thrilled to announce Academy Award nominee Diane Lane will return to Broadway to play “Ranevskaya” in a new production of The Cherry Orchard. Ms. Lane made her Broadway debut as a child, in the 1977 revival of The Cherry Orchard.
This production of Anton Chekhov’s classic play, will feature a new adaptation by Stephen Karam (The Humans), directed by Simon Godwin (Associate Director, Royal National Theatre) making his Broadway debut.
The Cherry Orchard will begin preview performances on September 15, 2016, and open officially on Sunday, October 16, 2016. This is a limited engagement on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street).
The Cherry Orchard is Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece about a family on the edge of ruin—and a country on the brink of revolution. The story of Lyubov Ranevskaya (Lane) and her family’s return to their fabled orchard to forestall its foreclosure, the play captures a people—and a world—in transition, and presents us with a picture of humanity in all its glorious folly. By turns tragic and funny, The Cherry Orchard still stands as one of the great plays of the modern era. First produced in Moscow in 1904, Roundabout’s new adaptation promises to
breathe fresh life into this towering tale.
Roundabout Theatre Company welcomes back playwright Stephen Karam on the heels of his enormously successful and critically acclaimed play, The Humans, currently playing on Broadway. The Humans was Karam’s second play commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company, and follows his wildly acclaimed debut Speech & Debate (2007) and the Pulitzer Prize finalist Sons of the Prophet (his first Roundabout commission; 2011).
Roundabout’s history with Anton Chekhov, dates back to 1971 with An Evening of Russian Theater, followed by Uncle Vanya (1971), The Seagull (1974), The Cherry Orchard (1976), and Broadway productions of Three Sisters (1997) starring Billy Crudup, Calista Flockhart, Paul Giamatti, Amy Irving, Eric Stoltz, David Strathairn, Justin Theroux, & Jeanne Tripplehorn and Uncle Vanya (2000) starring Derek Jacobi, Laura Linney, Brian Murray and Roger Rees.
BIOS:
DIANE LANE (Ranevskaya). Having garnered Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and Oscar® nominations for her career’s work, Diane Lane most recently starred opposite Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren in Jay Roach’s film “Trumbo,” whose cast was recognized by SAG with its Best Ensemble nomination. In 2015, Lane returned to the New York stage in Lincoln Center’s world premiere of Bathsheba Doran’s play “The Mystery of Love and Sex,” directed by Sam Gold. She previously earned rave reviews for her performance in Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth” at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. She received Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG Award® nominations for her leading role in HBO’s well-received film “Cinema Verite,” co-starring James Gandolfini and Tim Robbins, and starred opposite John Malkovich in Disney’s “Secretariat,” directed by Randall Wallace. Lane was hailed as Best Actress in 2002 by the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics and received Academy Award®, Screen Actors Guild, and Golden Globe® nominations for her starring role as an adulterous wife in Adrian Lyne’s critically-acclaimed film “Unfaithful.” Lane’s lengthy filmography includes “Under the Tuscan Sun,” which earned her another Golden Globe nomination, George C. Wolfe’s “Nights in Rodanthe” opposite Richard Gere, “Hollywoodland” with Ben Affleck, “Must Love Dogs” opposite John Cusack and Christopher Plummer, Wolfgang Petersen’s “A Perfect Storm” opposite George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, “My Dog Skip,” the drama “A Walk on the Moon,” which landed Lane an Independent Spirit Award nomination, Sir Richard Attenborough’s “Chaplin” opposite Robert Downey Jr., and four films with Francis Ford Coppola: “The Outsiders,” “Rumble Fish,” “The Cotton Club,” and “Jack” opposite Robin Williams. On television, Lane has appeared in a wide range of roles, including “A Streetcar Named Desire” opposite Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, and her Emmy®-nominated role Lorena in the CBS series “Lonesome Dove,” opposite Robert Duvall. TV credits also include TNT’s “The Virginian” with Bill Pullman, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame drama, “Grace & Glorie” opposite Gena Rowlands. Lane starred in the CBS epic miniseries “The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All” with Donald Sutherland and Cicely Tyson, sharing her character with the venerable Anne Bancroft. The miniseries was based on the best-selling novel by Allan Gurganus. Lane portrayed the title character from her early teens into her sixties. The daughter of drama coach Burt Lane and singer Colleen Farrington, Lane answered a call for child actors at La Mama Experimental Theater at age 6. She won a role in Andrei Serbian’s famously primal, Eurepidis’ Greek version of “Medea” and subsequently appeared over the next five years in his productions of “Electra,” “The Trojan Women,” “The Good Woman of Szechuan” and “As You Like It,” both in New York and touring theater festivals around the world with LaMama ETC. After performing in Joseph Papp’s productions of “The Cherry Orchard,” and “Agamemnon” at Lincoln Center in 1976-77, Lane starred at The Public Theater in “Runaways,” and made her film debut opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in George Roy Hill’s “A Little Romance” in 1978. Lane’s philanthropic focus has lately included Heifer International, Oceana, Half the Sky Movement and in 2016 she created a grant awarding music teachers to honor the late Elizabeth Swados in association with the Ziegfeld Club.
ANTON CHEKHOV (Playwright) was born in Taganrog, Ukraine, on January 17, 1860. Plays include Platanov, Ivanov, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.
STEPHEN KARAM’s (Adaptation) plays include The Humans (currently on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater), Sons of the Prophet (2012 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, 2012 Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel and Hull-Warriner Awards for Best Play; inaugural Sam Norkin Drama Desk Award) and Speech & Debate (the inaugural production of Roundabout Underground). For film, he’s written the screenplay for Chekhov’s The Seagull (starring Annette Bening) scheduled for 2016 premieres. He teaches playwriting at The New School. Born and raised in Scranton, PA, he’s a graduate of Brown University.
SIMON GODWIN (Director) is an Associate Director at the National Theatre, where he has directed The Beaux Stratagem, Man and Superman and Strange Interlude. At the Royal Court, his work includes Routes, If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep, NSFW, The Witness, Goodbye to All That, The Acid Test and Wanderlust. For Bristol Old Vic, The Little Mermaid, Krapp’s Last Tape, A Kind of Alaska, Faith Healer and Far Away. For the RSC, he has directed The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He has also directed Richard II for Shakespeare’s Globe and a national tour or Pat Barker’s acclaimed novel, Regeneration. In 2016, Simon will direct Hamlet for the RSC, as well as the world premiere of Sunset at the Villa Thalia, a new play by Alexi Kaye Campbell, for the National Theatre.
TICKET INFORMATION:
The Cherry Orchard is first made available to subscribers and donors. Whether you are interested in the best value or VIP experiences, Roundabout has a package option for you. Visit roundabouttheatre.org or call 212-719-1300 for more info. Sign up for Roundabout’s email club at roundabouttheatre.org.
Starting Monday, June 20 tickets will be available by calling 212.719.1300, online at roundabouttheatre.org, and in person at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre Box office (227 West 42nd Street). Single tickets range in price from $57-$142.
Roundabout Theatre Company is committed to producing the highest quality theatre with the finest artists, sharing stories that endure, and providing accessibility to all audiences. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills its mission each season through the production of classic plays and musicals; development and production of new works by established and emerging writers; educational initiatives that enrich the lives of children and adults; and a subscription model and audience outreach programs that cultivate and engage all audiences.
Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages, each of which is specifically designed to enhance the needs of Roundabout’s mission. Off-Broadway, the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre, with its simple sophisticated design, is perfectly suited to showcasing new plays. The grandeur of its Broadway home on 42nd Street, American Airlines Theatre, sets the ideal stage for the classics. Roundabout’s Studio 54 provides an exciting and intimate Broadway venue for its musical and special event productions. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre offers a state of the art LEED certified Broadway theatre in which to stage major large-scale musical revivals. Together these distinctive homes serve to enhance Roundabout’s work on each of its stages.
Roundabout Theatre Company’s 50th Anniversary Season celebrates the company’s numerous accomplishments and vision for the future with bold new productions of classic plays, a revival of the Roundabout’s first musical, and new work by some of the country’s most exciting young talent. Founded in 1965, Roundabout Theatre Company has grown from a small 150-seat theatre in a converted Chelsea supermarket basement to become one of the nation’s most influential not-for-profit theatre companies, as well as one of New York City’s leading cultural institutions. Roundabout has been recognized with 29 Tonys, 41 Drama Desks, 50 Outer Critics Circle, 10 Obie and 15 Lucille Lortel Awards for its work on five stages, reaching more than 700,000 theatergoers and employing hundreds of artists each year.
Bank of America is a proud 50th Anniversary Season sponsor – a partnership that makes possible Roundabout’s many productions and not-for-profit initiatives during this landmark year. Roundabout’s 50th Anniversary Season media partners include WNBC, Clear Channel Spectacolor, and the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Roundabout’s 50th anniversary season in 2015-2016 includes: Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi, Gavin Creel, Byron Jennings, Michael McGrath and Jane Krakowski in She Loves Me by Joe Masteroff, Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, directed by Scott Ellis; Steven Pasquale in The Robber Bridegroom by Alfred Uhry and Robert Waldman, directed by Alex Timbers; Jessica Lange, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Shannon and John Gallagher, Jr. in Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill, directed by Jonathan Kent; and the national tour of Sam Mendes & Rob Marshall’s Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret.
Roundabout’s 2016-2017 season will include Holiday Inn: The New Irving Berlin Musical by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge, directed by Gordon Greenberg with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin; The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov with a new adaption by Stephen Karam, directed by Simon Godwin; Love, Love, Love by Mike Bartlett, directed by Michael Mayer; If I Forget by Steven Levenson and Napoli, Brooklyn by Meghan Kennedy. The 2016-2017 Roundabout Underground season includes Kingdom Come, a new play by Jenny Rachel Weiner.
Follow ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY on Twitter @RTC_NYC, Instagram and on Facebook.
#Roundabout50
# # #
