Center Theatre Group - L.A.'s Theatre Company

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

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Program Magazine

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August: Osage County

Cast Biographies

Shannon Cochran | Parade

Shannon Cochran

Barbara Fordham

Third Tracy Letts play — original casts of Bug (Obie, Theatre World Award, Drama Desk nom.) and Man From Nebraska. Regional Theatre: Steppenwolf, Long Wharf, Goodman, Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Geffen, Cincinnati Playhouse and others. Film: The Ring, Star Trek: Nemesis, The Babe, Flowers and Weeds. TV: Numbers, Law & Order: SVU, Grey’s Anatomy, The Office, The Unit, many Star Treks and others.

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Jon DeVries | Parade

Jon DeVries

Beverly Weston

Credits include Broadway: Devour the Snow, Major Barbara, Execution of Justice, The Cherry Orchard, The Inspector General, Agamemnon. Off-Broadway: Sight Unseen, Hamlet, Richard II, Goodnight Children Everywhere, The General From America, One Flea Spare, Marlowe. Seven years with LaMaMa Rep (ensemble Obie). Regional: Uncle Vanya, Two Rooms, Much Ado About Nothing. TV/Films: Law & Order, Law & Order: CI, Star Trek: The Next Generation, American Gangster, Che, Lianna, Evening, etc.

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Libby George | Parade

Libby George

Mattie Fae Aiken

Three seasons with John Houseman’s Acting Company. Opera: Florida Grand, Philadelphia Opera Companies. Regional: Alabama and Utah Shakespeares, New York Stage & Film, Pioneer, McCarter, etc. New York: Cinderella Waltz, Jack the Ripper Review, Richard III, Ladies of the Corridor. Film: The Feud, Kate & Leopold. TV: Daytime, PBS American Playhouse, all three Law & Order shows, Rescue Me, The Book of Daniel, Life on Mars.

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Stephen Riley Key | Parade

Stephen Riley Key

Little Charles Aiken

Off-Broadway: Blue Surge. Chicago: Blue Surge (orig. cast, dir. Bob Falls), Vigils, Zoo Story, The Libertine, As I Lay Dying (orig. cast, adaptor/dir. Frank Galati), One Arm (orig. cast, adaptor/dir. Moisés Kauffman), Grace, Better Late (orig. cast, authors Larry Gelbart, Craig Wright), Execution Of Justice (dir. Gary Griffin). Has received six Jeff Awards (Equity and Non-Equity). Film/TV: A Thousand Acres, Public Enemies, Law & Order: SVU, Family Practice.
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Emily Kinney | Parade

Emily Kinney

Jean Fordham

Broad­way: Spring Awakening. Off-Broadway: Iphigenia 2.0 (Signature Theatre), Rupunzarella White (13th Street Repertory), The One Night Stand Chronicles (Manhattan Repertory). Regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (STONC). TV/Film: The Untitled Nancy Meyers Project, The Unusuals (ABC), Law & Order: CI, Gamekillers (MTV). Thanks to Mom, Dad, Katers, Sara, Ben, my voice coach Marianne Wells and Abrams Artists.

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Laurence Lau | Parade

Laurence Lau

Steve Heidebrecht

TV: series regular on All My Children (Greg Nelson), Another World (Jamie Frame), and One Life To Live (Sam Rappaport). Recurring on As The World Turns (Brian Wheatley), JAG (Dr. Gettis). Guest spots: Law & Order, Frasier, Diagnosis Murder, Brimstone. Theatre: Off-Broadway-The Exonerated, Scituate, Arrivals. Regional: Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Breaking Legs; The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? plus several independent films.

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Marcus Nelson | Parade

Marcus Nelson

Sheriff Deon Gilbeau

grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River and celebrates 23 years acting in Chicago. He is a longtime associate of the educational theatre company SST Communications. His credits include the original productions of Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe (Ansel – NextLab, NYC, London, Edinburgh) and Bug (Goss – The Gate, London), as well as many more. Marcus recently received his Masters in Elementary Education. H.W.

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Paul Vincent O'Connor | Parade

Paul Vincent O'Connor

Charlie Aiken

has worked extensively in regional theatre, film and television. Theatre credits include 16 years as a member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous television shows including 24, West Wing, Numbers, Cold Case. Films include Seabiscuit, Inherit the Wind. He recently appeared in August: Osage County (National Theatre, London) and The Seafarer at the Geffen Playhouse in L.A.

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Estelle Parsons | Parade

Estelle Parsons

Violet Weston

was an original member of the NBC-TV Today Show and was the first woman to do news reporting for a television network. She made her Broadway debut in Happy Hunting with Ethel Merman and received Tony nominations for The Seven Descents Of Myrtle, And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little, Miss Margarida’s Way and Morning’s at Seven. She has appeared with Steppenwolf in Rod Wooden’s Your Home in the West and Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads. She won an Academy Award for her performance in the film Bonnie and Clyde and was nominated for her performance in Rachel, Rachel. Other films include I Never Sang for My Father, Don’t Drink The Water, Watermelon Man, For Pete’s Sake, Dick Tracy, Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard and more. On television she starred as Roseanne’s mother for years, appeared often on All in the Family and Archie’s Place, starred in The UFO Incident, Empire Falls and more. She was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2004.
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Jeff Still | Parade

Jeff Still

Bill Fordham

Broadway: August: Osage County. Off-Broadway: Our Town, Adding Machine, Orson’s Shadow. London: Bug. Steppenwolf: A Clockwork Orange, Wolf Lullaby, Mother Courage, The Dresser, Sonia Flew, others. Film/TV: Public Enemies, The Express, The Hudsucker Proxy, Chicago Cab, Law & Order, Early Edition, Good Night Sweet Wife, To Sir With Love II. Jeff saves the best credit for last: he is Luke’s dad.
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DeLanna Studi | Parade

DeLanna Studi

Johnna Monevata

World premiere credits include From the New World (Disney Concert Hall), James Still’s Interpreting William (IRT) and A Long Bridge Over Deep Water (Ford Amphitheatre), Bea[u]tiful in the Extreme, TeAta, Berlin Blues and the solo performances What’s an Indian Woman To Do and ENCOMPASS’ Compassion Play Kick. Her film credits include Edge of America (Peabody Award), Hallmark’s Dreamkeeper and The Only Good Indian.

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Angelica Torn | Parade

Angelica Torn

Ivy Weston

Theatre: Edge (Outer Critics nomination, New Times Award), Tony Award–winning Sideman (Helen Hayes Award, FANY Award), The Bay at Nice (American premiere), The Vagina Monologues, Albee’s Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (Carbonell nomination), Tony Award–winning revival of Anna Christie. Television: Law & Order, Sopranos, As The World Turns. Film: Nobody’s Fool, The Sixth Sense, The Contender, Domestic Disturbance, Nothing But The Truth, The Hungry Ghosts, Lucky Days.
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Amy Warren | Parade

Amy Warren

Karen Weston

Broadway: August: Osage County (Karen). Off-Broad­way: Adding Machine, a Musical (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lortel noms, Best Featured Actress in a Musical), When the Messenger is Hot. Steppenwolf: Mother Courage, Ten Percent of Molly Snyder, House of Lily, The Weir. Goodman: Rabbit Hole, Heartbreak House, Trojan Women. Also, About Face, Northlight Theatre, Piven Theatre, Curious Theatre Branch and Theatre Oobleck. TV: Law & Order

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Credits

Tracy Letts

Playwright

has been a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 2002.  He was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for August: Osage County, which played on Broadway for more than a year and a half, following a sold-out run at Steppenwolf in 2007. August also enjoyed a sold-out engagement at London’s National Theatre. Other accolades include five Tony Awards (including Best Play), an Olivier Award and six Jeff Awards (including Best Play). Mr. Letts is also the author of Superior Donuts, which had its world premiere at Steppenwolf in 2008 and will open on Broadway in fall 2009; Man from Nebraska, which was produced at Steppenwolf in 2003 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize; Killer Joe, which has been produced in Chicago, London and New York; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago and London. He has appeared at Steppenwolf in Betrayal, The Pillowman, Last of the Boys, The Pain and the Itch, The Dresser, Homebody/Kabul, The Dazzle, Glengarry Glen Ross (also in Dublin and Toronto), Three Days of Rain, Road to Nirvana, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Glass Menagerie. Other Chicago stage credits include The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (A Red Orchid Theatre), Conquest of the South Pole (Famous Door), Bouncers (the Next Lab) and his directorial debut at the Lookingglass Theatre with Great Men of Science Nos. 21 and 22. He also appeared in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre Company, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton. Television credits include: The District, Profiler, Prison Break, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld and Home Improvement. Film appearances include Guinevere, U.S. Marshals and Chicago Cab. 
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Anna D. Shapiro

Director

was awarded the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for August: Osage County (Steppenwolf, Broadway, London). She became an ensemble member at Steppenwolf in 2005, where her other directing credits include Up by Bridget Carpenter, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, The Unmentionables by Bruce Norris (also at Yale Rep.), the world premiere of Bruce Norris’ The Pain and the Itch (also in New York), Robert Anderson’s I Never Sang for My Father, the world premiere of Tracy Letts’ Man from Nebraska, Until We Find Each Other by Brooke Berman, Purple Heart by Bruce Norris (also in Galway, Ireland), The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey, the world premiere of The Ordinary Yearning of Miriam Buddwing by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros, Warren Leight’s Side Man (also in Ireland, Australia and Vail, Colorado), Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain and the world premiere of Bruce Norris’ The Infidel. Other credits include A Number (American Conservatory Theatre), The Drawer Boy with ensemble member John Mahoney (Paper Mill Playhouse), Iron (Manhattan Theatre Club), A Fair Country by John Robin Baitz (Huntington Theatre Company), The Infidel (Philadelphia Theatre Company), and Edwin Sanchez’s Trafficking in Broken Hearts (Atlantic Theatre Company). Shapiro is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia College and the recipient of the 1996 Princess Grace Award. She joined the faculty of Northwestern University as head of the Graduate Directing Program in 2002.

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Todd Rosenthal

Scenic Designer

designs regularly for Steppenwolf and Goodman theatres. Recent designs: Alliance Theatre, Yale Rep, Centerstage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare, Guthrie, National Theatre, London, etc. Big Apple Circus set designer. Winner: 2008 Tony, 2009 Lawrence Olivier Award, 2009 Michael Merritt Award. Associate professor: Northwestern University. Graduate: Yale Drama School.

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Ana Kuzmanic

Costume Designer

Broadway: Desire Under the Elms, August: Osage County (Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Costume Design). Regional: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Milwaukee Rep, Trinity Rep, Arden, Cleveland Play House, Berkeley Rep, Washington Shakespeare Theatre. She recently designed King Lear dir. by Bob Falls and The Comedy of Errors (Jeff Award for Outstanding Costume Design). Ana, a native of the former Yugoslavia, teaches costume at Northwestern University and is an ensemble member of House Theatre of Chicago. Film credits: Kubuku Rides.
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Ann G. Wrightson

Lighting Designer

Broadway: August: Osage County, Music Box Theatre (Tony nomination) and the National Theatre, London. Souvenir, Lyceum Theatre. Regional: (partial list) Yale Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, the Guthrie, Denver Center Theatre, ACT San Francisco, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Awards: Back Stage Garland Award, AUDELCO nominee.

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Richard Woodbury

Sound Designer

Credits include the original music and/or sound design for numerous productions on Broadway and at leading regional theatres such as Chicago’s Steppenwolf and Goodman theatres. Richard has received several awards (and many more nominations) for excellence in music or sound and is a faculty member at Columbia College Chicago.

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Photo Credit

The cast of August: Osage County. Photo by Robert J. Saferstein