Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Presents Regional Premiere of
GHOST-WRITER by Michael Hollinger,
October 12-30, 2011
(Cincinnati, Ohio) Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati continues its 2011-2012 season with the regional premiere of GHOST-WRITER by Michael Hollinger, October 12-30, 2011. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers. This marks the second production Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati has presented by Michael Hollinger, the award-winning author of OPUS, which was produced in 2007 receiving rave reviews and sold-out houses. GHOST-WRITER is recipient of a 2010 Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.
Set in early twentieth-century New York, novelist Franklin Woolsey dies mid-sentence…yet his devoted secretary, Myra, mysteriously continues to take dictation. Attacked by skeptics, the press and Woolsey’s jealous widow, Myra sets out to prove she is more than just an artful forger. Is she trying to steal Woolsey’s legacy now that she cannot have his love, or might she truly possess a gift the world can’t understand? This restrained love story takes place in New York City in 1919, at a time when women were first becoming secretaries, but didn’t have the vote; novelists held on to their 19th-century success as the foremost form of entertainment; and an artist’s slight touch on the arm of his muse was more thrilling than a kiss. The play is loosely based upon the true story of Henry James (Turn of the Screw), an early adopter of the typewriter and whose secretary, Theodora Bosanquet worked with James from 1907 until his death in 1916, one of the most significant periods of his long writing career, and who continued to take dictation after he died.
About the Cast
Dennis Parlato (Franklin Woolsey) returns to Ensemble Theatre, having appeared in last season’s 25 The Musical and recently in Becky’s New Car as eccentric billionaire Walter Flood and Beethoven in 33 Variations. Mr. Parlato’s other Ensemble Theatre credits include Mauritius, The Seafarer, Fiction, The Guys, A Question of Mercy, and Glimmer, Glimmer, and Shine. Mr. Parlato played El Gallo in The Fantasticks in NYC. On Broadway, he’s played Lawrence Jameson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mr. Robinson in The Graduate, John the Baptist in Salome, and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Off-Broadway and regional credits include the title roles in Cyrano de Bergerac, Barrymore, The Master Builder, Prospero in The Tempest, Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and Oliver in David Hare’s The Vertical Hour. Mr. Parlato’s film credits include Johnny Suede, Delirious, Dillinger’s Dead, Bury the Evidence, Rick, First Born, Starting Out in the Evening, and last year’s film Bride Wars.
Annie Fitzpatrick (Myra Babbage) most recently appeared in Next Fall, Cinderella, Becky’s New Car and Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Recently, she performed in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s A Man For All Seasons and Blithe Spirit and in New Edgecliff’s production of Night of the Iguana. Her other ETC credits include Sleeping Beauty, Mauritius, Alice in Wonderland, Rabbit Hole, String of Pearls, Ugly Duck, Intimate Apparel, The Exonerated, Earhart, and Dinner with Friends. She has also worked at St. Louis Repertory Theatre, CATCO, Human Race Theatre Co., Porthouse Theatre, Florida Stage, and Cincinnati Children’s Theatre.
Lourelene Snedeker (Vivian Woosley) returns to ETC, having last appeared in her ETC debut in Rabbit Hole. Ms. Snedeker will reprise her role as Vivian Woosley, a part she played in the Florida Stages’s regional premiere of GHOST-WRITER last year. She has appeared in the world premiere musical Backwards in High Heels at Florida Stage, having created the role of Lela, Ginger Roger’s mother. She has appeared in White Christmas, A Little Night Music, Three Penny Opera, and Splitting Infinity. Nominated thirteen times for her work in South Florida and the winner of three Best Actress Carbonell Awards, Ms. Snedeker has performed in Hayfever, Heartbeats, Over The River, Royal Family, The Importance of Being Earnest, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Honkytonk Angels. She also sings in three to four concerts a year, is a private acting coach, teaches Master classes for universities and is one of the founders of Seaside Music Theatre.
About the Playwright
Michael Hollinger is the author of GHOST-WRITER, Opus, Tooth and Claw, Red Herring, Incorruptible, An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, and Tiny Island, all of which premiered at Arden Theatre Company under the direction of Terrence J. Nolen. These plays have since enjoyed numerous productions around the country, in New York City, London, Paris, and elsewhere in Europe. Mr. Hollinger’s new translation of Cyrano de Bergerac, (co-adapted with Aaron Posner) premieres next spring at the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C. His new musical A Wonderful Noise (co-authored with Vance Lehmkuhl) received the Frederick Loewe Award for Musical Theatre and a developmental production at Creede Repertory Theatre in 2009. Other awards include an ATCA/Steinberg New Play Citation, a Mid-Atlantic Emmy, the F. Otto Haas Award, two Barrymore Awards, and fellowships from the Independence Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Mr. Hollinger is Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University, and a proud alumnus of New Dramatists.
Subscription Information
Pro-rated subscription packages for the 2011-2012 season are on sale now and range from $125-$190. Patrons who subscribe can save up to 40% off single ticket prices, depending upon the subscription package. To purchase subscriptions or for more information about the 2011-2012 season: (513) 421-3555 or online at http://www.cincyetc.com.
Performance & Single Ticket Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Performance times: Tuesday-Thursday: 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday: 2:00 p.m.
Ticket prices for weeknight performances are $36; weekend performances are $42. Children’s tickets are $16.
Senior/student, Public Radio Perks Card, ArtsWave Card, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available. ETC accepts all major credit cards, Over-the-Rhine Merchant gift cards, and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. Group rates are available for 10 or more people. A full list of available discounts is available on ETC’s website at www.cincyetc.com.
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
2011-2012 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Season Sponsors: John & Ruth Sawyer, LPK, and PNC Bank. Season Fairy Godmother Sponsor: William and Susan Friedlander. Season Media Sponsors: 91.7 FM WVUX and 90.9 FM WGUC. Additional seasonal support provided by the Charles H. Dater Foundation, Garfield Suites Hotel, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, and The Merten Company.
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, a professional Equity theatre, is dedicated to the production and development of new works and works new to the region.
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