Playwrights Horizons Casting for 2008-09

One of the big stories during the week came from Playwrights Horizons, which announced additional casting and dates for its upcoming 2008-2009 season. Particularly notable is the casting of Tony Award winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza, the current The Marriage of Bette and Boo at Roundabout, Follies and Juno at City Center, How to Succeed..., the film The Happening) in Craig Lucas' Prayer For My Enemy. Clark's appearance in this New York premiere reuinites her with both Lucas (who wrote the book for "Piazza") and Bartlett Sher (director of Piazza and Tony Award-winner for South Pacific at Lincoln Center Theater).

Ms. Clark joins a cast that includes Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, the upcoming Hair for Shakespeare in the Park), 2008 Theatre World Award winner Cassie Beck (The Drunken City) and Skipp Sudduth (Lincoln Center’s current South Pacific). "Prayer" is scheduled to begin performances November 14

The theater also announced that film, television and stage star Scott Cohen (Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? at The Public, Broadway’s Losing Louie, “Gilmore Girls,” “NYPD Blue,” the recent FOX series “The Return of Jezebel James”) has joined the cast of Three Changes, the World Premiere of a new play by Nicky Silver.

Directed by Tony Award nominee Wilson Milam (The Lieutenant of Inishmore), the production will be the first of the season and begins previews on Friday, August 22. The addition of Mr. Cohen completes the production’s cast, which also includes Golden Globe winner and Emmy Award nominee Dylan McDermott (“The Practice,” Drama League Award nomination for The Culture Project’s production of Eve Ensler’s The Treatment, Broadway debut in Biloxi Blues), Emmy Award nominee Maura Tierney (Dr. Abby Lockhart on “ER,” Some Girl(s) at MCC), Aya Cash (The Pain and the Itch at Playwrights Horizons, From Up Here at MTC) and Brian J. Smith (Good Boys and True at Second Stage, MTC’s Come Back, Little Sheba).

Finally, it was announced Drama Desk Award winner Marylouise Burke (Fuddy Meers, plus Kimberly Akimbo, Broadway’s recent Is He Dead? and the revival of Into the Woods) has joined the cast of The Savannah Disputation, the New York premiere of a new play by Evan Smith (Psych and The Uneasy Chair at Playwrights Horizons, Servicemen at The New Group). Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie (Chicago, New Jerusalem), the production will begin previews on Friday, February 6, 2009

Ms. Burke joins a cast that features five-time Tony Award nominee and three-time Obie Award winner Dana Ivey (Driving Miss Daisy, Sunday in the Park with George and Mr. Smith’s The Uneasy Chair at Playwrights Horizons, The Rivals, Butley).

Additional casting for all six of the season’s productions will also be announced in the coming weeks. Attached is a complete list of all production details announced so far.

Subscriptions to Playwrights Horizons’ 2008/2009 season are now available, in 6-show (four Mainstage productions and two productions in The Peter Jay Sharp Theater) or 4-show (four Mainstage productions) packages. For further information about the season and ticketing options, visit: www.playwrightshorizons.org

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Among the other publications carrying this announcement during the week:

* Piazza's Clark, Sher and Lucas Will Reunite in Prayer at Playwrights Horizons (Playbill)
* Victoria Clark Joins Cast of Playwrights Horizons' Prayer for My Enemy; Burke and Cohen Added to Season (TheaterMania)
* * Victoria Clark, Scott Cohen & Marylouise Burke Join Playwrights Horizons Season (Broadway.com)