April 17, 2000 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sixth Adirondack Theatre Festival to open June 22 with region's premiere production of 1999 Pulitzer Prize winning drama WIT

Season from June 21 - July 22 to also include evening of 10-minute plays THE FIVE & DIME PLAYS and world premiere of a new country music musical BARBARA'S BLUE KITCHEN

Veteran stage actress and star of television's Dawson's Creek Mary Beth Peil to play lead role in WIT

The 2000 Adirondack Theatre Festival will open Thursday, June 22 with the Northeast's first regional production of the drama WIT by Margaret Edson at ATF's Former Woolworths Store Theatre in Downtown Glens Falls, NY. WIT has been hailed as one of the finest plays of the last decade and recently concluded a triumphant 18-month run Off-Broadway in New York City, as well as record-breaking runs at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston and the Kennedy Center in Washington. ATF is proud to continue its record of being the first in our region to present the finest in contemporary drama - past highlights have included regional premieres of Three Tall Women, As Thousands Cheer, and the world premiere of Fully Committed which is now running in New York.

WIT tells the story of Vivian Bearing, a middle-aged college professor who has had a successful academic career studying the eighteenth century poet John Dunne best known for his intellect, humor, and wisdom. This academic success, however, has left Ms. Bearing unprepared for the emotional struggle of a terminal diagnosis. The play was heralded by the Wall Street Journal as "an original and urgent work of art…among the finest plays of the decade" and the New York Times said that "WIT is the kind of theatrical experience of which legends are made."

Playing Vivian Bearing for ATF will be Mary Beth Peil, a veteran of the New York stage who has become familiar to a wider audience playing the role of "Grams" on the WB Network's hit series Dawson's Creek since it began in 1997. Ms. Peil's New York credits include MISSING PERSONS for which she won an Obie Award, SYLVIA, and National Tours of THE KING AND I and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. She is also familiar with the region having played two summers with the Lake George Opera.

WIT will be directed by ATF's Artistic Director Martha Banta whose past ATF credits include Three Tall Women, The Family Business, and Times Of War. The sets will be designed by Eric Renschler, lights by Matthew Frey, and costumes by Susan Slack, who between them have been responsible for design on more than twenty ATF productions. They will be joined by Sound Designer Jill Duboff who designed the National Tour of WIT currently playing in Florida.

WIT will be followed in the ATF season by THE FIVE & DIME PLAYS, an evening of ten-minute plays running July 5 - 9 which have been commissioned by ATF from a diverse group. They are the owner and brewmaster of Davidson Brothers Restaurant and Brewery, Rick Davidson, Cathy Dede, the drama critic for the Glens Falls weekly The Chronicle, and Robert Schulz, a state-wide political activist. ATF has asked these three rookies to try their hand at playwriting, and they will be joined by veteran NYC playwrights Joe DiPietro and Melissa James Gibson, and directed by Beth Scachter. All five writers will be writing a short play which has to be somehow connected to the building they are being performed in - an old five and dime. This promises to be an exciting and informal evening celebrating the art of playwriting and an old building ATF has come to call home.

ATF's third production will be the world premiere of BARBARA'S BLUE KITCHEN, a musical written and performed by Lori Fischer running July 13 - 22. ATF previously presented a two-night workshop of this musical in 1998, and is pleased to now present the expanded full-scale premiere. In BARBARA'S BLUE KITCHEN, Ms. Fischer plays several of the residents of Watertown, Tennessee who seek food, gossip, and country music at the local diner. Ms. Fischer will be joined on stage by a country band who take an active role in helping the lead character Barbara Jean get through her extraordinary day. Lori Fischer is an actress from Nashville who has appeared in the Off-Broadway production of COWGIRLS. As a writer she has written songs which have been recorded by country artists, and her children's video was just released for Golden Books. Once again ATF audiences will the first to see this new work which has already been scheduled to be performed at major regional theatres around the country.

On select Wednesday and Thursday evenings, ATF will present classic Broadway Cabaret at a location to be announced within walking distance of the theatre. In past summers these evenings have been devoted to acoustic songwriters, comedy teams, and musical revues, but never to the true form of cabaret: a singer, a piano, and some songs both new and old. ATF's season will also include Children's Workshops for kids age 6-12 on Saturday afternoon during the Festival, post-show discussions, and a New Play Reading.

The Adirondack Theatre Festival's sixth season will run June 21 - July 22, all performances (except Cabarets) at the Former Woolworths Store, 217 Glen St. in Downtown Glens Falls. Discount season subscriptions are now on sale for $38 and $47 and can be ordered by calling 798-7479, mailing checks to ATF, PO Box 3203, Glens Falls, NY 12801, or going to www.ATFestival.org.

ATTENTION MEMBERS OF THE PRESS! High-quality digital photographs from ATF productions will be able to be downloaded directly from our website throughout this season! Photo of Mary Beth Peil is now available at www.ATFestival.org/press

©Adirondack Theatre Festival, PO Box 3203, Glens Falls, NY 12801
Voice: 518-798-7479 Fax: 518-793-1334 email: ATF@ATFestival.org

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