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TONY® WINNER FRANK GALATI HELMS ASOLO REP’S “Absolutely Delicious.” |
| (SARASOTA, February 17, 2017) — Asolo Repertory Theatre continues its season with THE LITTLE FOXES, acclaimed American playwright Lillian Hellman’s captivating drama about the scheming Hubbard family and their insatiable lust for wealth. Directed by two-time Tony Award-winner and Academy Award®-nominee Frank Galati, THE LITTLE FOXES previews March 15 and 16, opens March 17, and runs in rotating rep through April 15 in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Guile and greed are front and center in this classic American drama set in 1900 in the racially stratified South, where the wily Regina Hubbard Giddens and her two brothers, Oscar and Ben Hubbard, will stop at nothing to obtain the fortune they so desperately desire. But when Regina’s ailing husband threatens to throw a wrench in their corrupt plan to bring a cotton mill to their small Alabama town, the Hubbard siblings’ sinister ways reach the pinnacle of deceit. Powerful, poignant and surprisingly funny, THE LITTLE FOXES is a gripping look at the dark side of the American Dream. “With the extraordinarily brilliant Frank Galati as the director, this production of THE LITTLE FOXES will feel like a thrilling new play,” said Michael Donald Edwards, Producing Artistic Director of Asolo Rep. “Lillian Hellman’s American masterpiece, while more than 70 years old, is teeming with pertinent themes of class structure, race relations and the high cost of greed, making this piece as electrifying today as it was when it opened on Broadway in 1939.” THE LITTLE FOXES opened on Broadway in 1939 and ran for 410 performances. The iconic Academy Award-nominated film adaptation premiered in 1941 and starred screen legend Bette Davis, who garnered an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Regina. A pillar of American drama, playwright and screenwriter Lillian Hellman’s work also includes The Children’s Hour, Watch on the Rhine, Another Part of the Forest, and the Tony nominated Toys in the Attic. She also penned the book for the musical Candide. Renowned director and Asolo Rep Associate Artist Frank Galati previously directed Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1776, Twelve Angry Men and more at Asolo Rep. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where his adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden kicked off the theatre’s 40th anniversary season. He won two Tony Awards for his adaptation and direction of The Grapes of Wrath and was also nominated for a Tony for his direction of Ragtime on Broadway. “Why is it important to return to THE LITTLE FOXES now in 2017? Because this play is profoundly important in changing the conversation about race and class in America,” said Director Frank Galati. “True then and true now, it boldly and shrewdly reveals the sinister relationship between institutional racism and capitalism. THE LITTLE FOXES presents a family portrait, and the family in crisis plays out its drama at a particular historical moment and in a very specific economic environment.” Actress Tracy Michelle Arnold leads the cast as the magnetic and manipulative Regina. She has performed in theaters throughout the country, including Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Northlight Theatre. Ms. Arnold is a core company member with American Players Theatre, where her credits include Cleopatra in Anthony & Cleopatra, Arkadina in The Seagull, Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire and more. Longtime Asolo Rep company member David Breitbarth, who can be seen as Governor George Wallace, Sheriff Jim Clark, Richard Nixon and John McCone in Asolo Rep’s current production of The Great Society, plays Regina’s husband, Horace. Matt DeCaro, who plays President Lyndon Baines Johnson in Asolo Rep’s The Great Society, plays Regina’s brother, Oscar. William Dick, who portrays J. Edgar Hoover in The Great Society at Asolo Rep, plays the third Hubbard sibling, Ben. Denise Cormier, who plays Lady Bird Johnson in The Great Society and Mrs. Hedges in Asolo Rep’s current production of Born Yesterday, plays Oscar’s pure-hearted wife, Birdie. Actress TayLar, who plays Sally Childress and Coretta Scott King in The Great Society, plays Addie, the wise and caring head of the Giddens’ household staff. Sean Blake, who plays Bob Moses, Rev. Dobynes, Hosea Williams, and Marquette Frye in The Great Society, plays Cal, who also works for the Giddens family. THE LITTLE FOXES contains strong language including historical racial epithets, as well as mature themes. CAST TAYLAR*………………………………………………………..……Addie SEAN BLAKE*…………………………………..……….…………….Cal DENISE CORMIER*……………..………………………Birdie Hubbard MATT DeCARO*………………………………………….Oscar Hubbard SCOTT KUIPER……………..…………………………….Leo Hubbard TRACY MICHELLE ARNOLD*…….………..…………Regina Giddens TOM COINER*…………………………………………William Marshall WILLIAM DICK*………………………………..…………..Ben Hubbard KELLY ELIZABETH SMITH…………………..……Alexandra Giddens DAVID BREITBARTH*……………….…………….….Horace Giddens *Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. SELECTED CREATIVE TEAM MEMBERS Director………………………………………………………Frank Galati Scenic Designer……………………………………..Alan E. Schwanke Costume Designer……………………………………….Tracy Dorman Lighting Designer…………………………………………….Paul Miller Sound Designer………………………………………..Matthew Parker Fight Director……………………………………………….Dan Granke Hair/Wig & Make-up Designer…………………………..Michelle Hart SELECTED ARTISTIC BIOS TRACY MICHELLE ARNOLD* (Regina, THE LITTLE FOXES) is delighted to make her Asolo Rep debut. She is a Core Company member with American Players Theatre, where she has spent 17 seasons. APT credits include Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Cleopatra in Antony & Cleopatra, Arkadina in The Seagull, Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Judith in Hay Fever, and Julie in The Royal Family. Other regional credits include: Other Desert Cities at Goodman Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Private Lives at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Red Herring, The Chalk Garden, Lady Windermere’s Fan at Northlight Theatre; The Other Place at Forward Theater; The Lion in Winter at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. SEAN BLAKE* (Bob Moses/Rev. Dobynes/Hosea Williams/Marquette Frye/Ensemble, The Great Society; Cal, THE LITTLE FOXES) Broadway/National Tours: Show Boat (Hal Prince Dir., associate choreographer to Susan Stroman, Show Boat Australia). Regional Credits: Goodman Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Seattle Rep to name a few. Sean is a three-time Joseph Jefferson Award nominee, and two-time Black Theater Alliance Award nominee. DAVID BREITBARTH* (Gov. George Wallace/Sheriff Jim Clark/Richard Nixon/John McCone/Ensemble, The Great Society; Horace Giddens, THE LITTLE FOXES) Over 75 productions at Asolo Rep include: Both Your Houses, The Grapes of Wrath, Glengarry Glen Ross, Clybourne Park, God of Carnage, Once in a Lifetime, Twelve Angry Men, The Front Page, The Immigrant, world premieres of Men of Tortuga and Perfect Mendacity, The Winter’s Tale, A Few Good Men, Laughing Stock, A Flea in Her Ear, Rounding Third, Art, Hobson’s Choice, and Nicholas Nickleby. Broadway 1st National Tour: Spring Awakening. Off-Broadway: Short Change, Perfect Crime, Fluorescent Hunger, and This Hard Life. Los Angeles: Life in the Trees (West Coast premiere) and David’s Mother. Film and television: Frasier, Taken!, Law & Order, and Fame. He has appeared regionally around the country and was recently named a member of Florida Repertory Theatre’s Ensemble of Theatre Artists. David is a proud 2013 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow selected by the prestigious Ten Chimneys Foundation and he is married to the actress Kate Hampton, of whom he is also proud. DENISE CORMIER* (Lady Bird Johnson/Ensemble, The Great Society; Mrs. Hedges, Born Yesterday; Birdie Hubbard, THE LITTLE FOXES) Asolo Rep: All the Way, Ah, Wilderness!, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Good People, Our Betters. Ms. Cormier appeared in the first national Broadway tour of The Graduate. Regionally, she has appeared in Good People (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Clybourne Park (Northern Stage), Diary of Anne Frank (Indiana Repertory), Intimate Apparel (Actors Theatre of Louisville/Cleveland Play House), Annapurna (Magic Theatre) and seasons at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Theatre at Monmouth. Film and TV credits: The Affair, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Six Degrees, Mermaids, In Dreams and The Big Gay Musical. Graduate of Shakespeare Theatre Company ACA @ GWU. www.denisecormier.com MATT DECARO* (President Lyndon Baines Johnson, The Great Society; Oscar Hubbard, THE LITTLE FOXES) has enjoyed a 40 year acting career. Though a Chicagoan, he has been fortunate to play in theaters across the country including Lincoln Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, and internationally in Dublin, Toronto and China. Some favorite roles include the Judge in David Mamet’s Romance, Dave Moss in Glengarry Glen Ross, Boss Mangan in Heartbreak House, Boolie in Driving Miss Daisy, and Fa Hai in Mary Zimmerman’s The White Snake. His TV and film credits include The Wise Kids, Eagle Eye, House, and The Office. WILLIAM DICK* (J. Edgar Hoover, The Great Society; Ben Hubbard, THE LITTLE FOXES) is thrilled to return to Asolo Rep. Last season he was Hoover in All The Way, Monsignor Ryan in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and McComber in Ah, Wilderness! Recently in Chicago: The Hammer Trinity (The House Theatre); The Merry Wives of Windsor, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Henry VIII (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Pitmen Painters (TimeLine Theatre); Moonlight and Magnolias, The Goat Or Who Is Sylvia? (Goodman Theatre); We All Went Down to Amsterdam (Steppenwolf Theatre). TV/Film credits: Chicago Fire, Mob Doctor, Crisis, Oz The Great and Powerful, Fred Claus, Stranger Than Fiction, The Break Up. FRANK GALATI (Director, THE LITTLE FOXES) is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Last September his adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden opened the theatre’s 40th anniversary season. Over the years, he has received nine Joseph Jefferson Awards for his work in Chicago theatre. Here at Asolo Rep he has directed Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; Both Your Houses; Philadelphia, Here I Come; 1776; My Fair Lady; Twelve Angry Men. He has directed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Long Wharf Theatre, Chicago Opera Theatre, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, The Stratford Festival in Canada, and the Roundabout Theatre in New York. For 20 years he was an Associate Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He won two Tony Awards in 1990 for his adaptation and direction of the Steppenwolf production of The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway and was nominated again in 1998 for directing Ragtime on Broadway. In 1989, Mr. Galati was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay (with Lawrence Kasdan) of The Accidental Tourist. In 2000 he was inducted into The American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Mr. Galati is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Performance Studies at Northwestern University. He lives in Sarasota. TAYLAR* (Sally Childress/Coretta Scott King/Ensemble, The Great Society; Addie, THE LITTLE FOXES) is elated to be making her Asolo Rep debut. She starred in Eclipse Theatre’s Ruined as Mama Nada, which garnered her BTAA’s Best Actress Award. Other credits include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Convert, Mary, The Cook at Goodman Theatre; Ruined at Manhattan Theatre Club; Blues for An Alabama Sky, A Song for Coretta at Eclipse; Intimate Apparel and Wedding Band at Steppenwolf. Her film and TV credits include Southside with You (Obama movie) starring opposite Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers; Empire starring opposite Leslie Uggams and Chicago Fire. TayLar is an ensemble member of Eclipse Theatre. www.taylaractress.com PUBLIC PROGRAMMING The Scoop Arrive one hour before curtain to hear the ideas and inspirations that contributed to the making of THE LITTLE FOXES. (Opening Night, March 17, is excluded.) Inside Asolo Rep: BORN YESTERDAY and THE LITTLE FOXES Asolo Rep will host Inside Asolo Rep: BORN YESTERDAY and THE LITTLE FOXES on Thursday, February 23 at 11am, with refreshments at 10am. This special behind-the-scenes panel will feature BORN YESTERDAY director Peter Amster, THE LITTLE FOXES director Frank Galati, Tracy Michelle Arnold (Regina Giddens, THE LITTLE FOXES), and Christina DeCicco (Billie Dawn, BORN YESTERDAY). This insightful discussion will be moderated by Asolo Rep Dramaturg and Casting Associate Lauryn E. Sasso. Meet the Actors Immediately following the 2pm matinee, ask questions and learn more from members of the cast in a facilitated discussion. Tuesday Talkbacks Join us for an intimate post-show discussion with featured actors or guests following every Tuesday performance of THE LITTLE FOXES. OUT@AsoloRep: THE LITTLE FOXES Now in its seventh season, OUT@AsoloRep is Sarasota’s premier cultural event connecting local Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities with fantastic theatre. Enjoy a pre-show reception and learn about participating LGBT organizations, gain personal insight into THE LITTLE FOXES from the creative team and cast members, and mingle with the actors and other OUT attendees after the performance. THE LITTLE FOXES IllumiNation Event IllumiNation is Asolo Rep’s series of performances and events promoting cross-cultural conversations in the community. IllumiNation events begin with a reception one hour before the performance, continue with the featured performance and conclude with a moderated panel discussion where audience members can further explore the topical and social issues that they have just seen played out on stage. TICKETS THE LITTLE FOXES contains strong language including historical racial epithets, as well as mature themes. Tickets for THE LITTLE FOXES and the entire 2016-2017 Asolo Repertory Theatre season are on sale now. Tickets for THE LITTLE FOXES start at $26. To purchase tickets, call 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, visit www.asolorep.org, or visit the Asolo Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the theatre. Asolo Repertory Theatre is located at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. The Box Office is open Monday 10am – 5pm, Tuesday – Thursday 10am – 7:30pm, Friday – Saturday 10am – 8pm, and Sunday 10am – 2pm. The box office closes at 5pm when there are no evening performances and phone lines close one hour prior to the start of any performance. Season subscription packages are also available online and by visiting or calling the box office. SPONSORS Asolo Rep is able to present THE LITTLE FOXES because of the generosity of its sponsors. Corporate sponsors for THE LITTLE FOXES are The Resort at Longboat Key Club and Community Aids Network. Asolo Rep 2016-17 Major Season Sponsors are Florida State University, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, the Huisking Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, Designing Women Boutique, Woman’s Exchange, Inc., and Sunset Cadillac of Bradenton. Asolo Rep’s artistic programs are paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues. Asolo Rep is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. ABOUT ASOLO REP Now in its 58th season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. One of the few select theatres in the nation that performs in true rotating repertory, Asolo Rep’s highly skilled acting company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that gives audiences the opportunity to see multiple productions in the span of a few days. Asolo Rep presents up to 15 productions each season including contemporary and classic works and provocative musical theatre experiences. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with the best theatre artists working in the industry today and cultivating new artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, Asolo Rep’s ambitious theatrical offerings and ground-breaking education and outreach programming engage audiences and ensure its lasting legacy for future generations. ### |
