Court Theatre Presents THREE TALL WOMEN 1/13-2/13/2011

Court Theatre continues its 56th season with Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. The production will run January 13 - February 13, 2011 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. Press opening is Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 8PM.
Three Tall Women was written shortly after the death of Edward Albee's adoptive mother, and it remains his most personal play. Wickedly funny, and told with uncompromising truth, the play takes a long, hard look at the arc of one human life from the perspectives of three different generations-one woman in youth, one woman in middle age, and one woman lying on her death bed. As the elder woman reflects on her life-including the estrangement of her son, widely interpreted to represent Albee himself-she develops clarity of mind that transcends her debilitated body. Three Tall Women will be directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell, whose 2004 production of Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was named "the finest production... [of the play] I've seen to date" by Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal.

"Three Tall Women is the play that brought Edward Albee back to the attention of the American theatre. It's a striking text. Anyone who's ever witnessed a parent or grandparent at the end of their life-that is to say, most of us-will recognize the complex mingling of pain, regret, hope, and unexpected humor of that experience," says Charlie Newell. "I'm thrilled to be returning to the world of Edward Albee, after the wonderful experience of directing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 2004."

Edward Albee's Three Tall Women features Mary Beth Fisher (Woman B), Lois Markle (Woman A), Maura Kidwell (Woman C) and Joel Gross (The Boy).

The creative team for Three Tall Women features Leigh Breslau (scenic design), Marc Stubblefield (lighting design), Anna Kuzmanic (costume design), Megan Geigner (production dramaturg). The Stage Manager is William Collins. Court Theatre's Resident Dramaturg is Drew Dir.

Edward Albee (Playwright) was born on March 12, 1928 and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), The Lady From Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play About the Baby (1997), The Goat Or, Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), and Occupant (2001). He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council, and President of The Edward F. Albee Foundation. Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

Mary Beth Fisher (Woman B) has appeared at Court Theatre in The Year of Magical Thinking (Jeff Award Solo Performance), The Wild Duck, What the Butler Saw, The Glass Menagerie, Arcadia, Travesties, and The Importance of Being Ernest. Her Chicago credits include The Seagull, Rock n' Roll, Frank's Home, The Clean House, Dinner With Friends, Heartbreak House, The Guys, The Rose Tattoo, Boy Gets Girl, Spinning into Butter, Design for Living, Light Up the Sky, The Night of the Iguana, and Marvin's Room (Goodman Theatre); Dead Man's Cell Phone, The Dresser, and The Memory of Water (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Laramie Project: Epilogue, The Little Dog Laughed, and Theatre District (About Face Theatre); The Marriage of Figaro (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company). Her NY credits include: Frank's Home (Playwrights Horizons); Boy Gets Girl (Drama League Honoree, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations), The Radical Mystique, and By The Sea...(Manhattan Theatre Club); The Night of the Iguana (Roundabout Theatre Company); and Extremities (Westside Arts Theatre). Ms. Fisher has also worked in regional theatres throughout the country. Her TV/film credits include: Ride Along, State of Romance, Without a Trace, Numb3rs, Prison Break, NYPD Blue, Profiler, Early Edition, Turks, Formosa Betrayed, Dragonfly, and Trauma. She received the 2010 Chicago's Leading Lady Award from the Sarah Siddons Society and was named "Best Actress" in Chicago Magazine's "Best of Chicago" issue (Aug/2010). Ms. Fisher is an Inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellow.
Joel Gross (The Boy) makes his Court Theatre debut with Three Tall Women. He just closed To Master the Art at TimeLine Theatre, where he also played Dakin in the Jeff Award-winning (Ensemble/Mid-Size Production) The History Boys. Joel has also worked with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Collaboraction, Strawdog Theatre Company, Dog & Pony Theatre Company, and The House Theatre of Chicago. Joel is a proud member of Gray Talent, and teaches teen acting workshops at Act One Studios and the Chicago Waldorf School.

More Articles by This Author...