Dawn Helsing
Executive Director
dhelsing@uchicago.edu or (773) 702-3113

Court Theatre
5535 S. Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 12, 2007

SEAN GRANEY WILL DIRECT WHAT THE BUTLER SAW
AS THE FINAL ADDITION TO COURT THEATRE’S 2007/08 SEASON

June 12, 2007 – Court Theatre proudly announces the addition of Joe Orton’s classic farce What the Butler Saw, directed by Sean Graney, to its 2007/08 season (November 8 – December 9, 2007). Wild, risqué, and devastatingly funny, Joe Orton’s audacious farce What the Butler Saw has become one of the seminal works of modern comedy, drawing comparisons to the work of Oscar Wilde and Molière, and influencing and inspiring writers like Tom Stoppard. When a psychiatrist invents a series of increasingly outrageous lies to cover up his attempts to seduce his young secretary, all manner of pandemonium breaks out in the ward. A state inspector, a philandering wife, bellboys, policemen, and some missing bits from a statue of Sir Winston Churchill are caught up in the mix, and the result is a ferociously playful comedy of circumstance.

Acclaimed Chicago director Sean Graney makes his Court Theatre debut. “It’s thrilling to be able to bring Sean to Court,” said Artistic Director Charles Newell. “It’s fantastic to work with a director who’s at the top of his game, one who brings a real sense of abandon, revelry, and pleasure to the work.” Graney’s directorial precision and singular vision are a perfect match for Court’s fresh approach to the classics. As Graney explains, “Court Theatre has demonstrated an eagerness to embrace some of the most unique and aggressive takes on classic plays in the city.”

Sean Graney is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Hypocrites Theatre Company, and has directed most of the Hypocrites’ productions. He is the recipient of the NEA/ TCG Career Development Program for Directors. Originally from Boston, Graney received his BFA in Theatre and Writing from Emerson College. He received a Joseph Jefferson Citation for his direction of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal, and was named Chicago’s Best Avant-Garde Director by Chicago Magazine, and Chicagoan of the Year for theatre by the Chicago Tribune, both in 2004. He teaches theatre classes at the University of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. He has directed with Redmoon, Collaboraction, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, The Side Project, and Chicago Children’s Theatre.

This announcement completes Court’s 53rd season is of passionate, century-spanning classics, that include Caryl Churchill’s remarkable new translation of Seneca’s gripping Roman tragedy Thyestes, Orton’s wickedly funny What the Butler Saw, Shakespeare’s gritty early tragedy Titus Andronicus, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved American musical Carousel, and Leslie Lee’s groundbreaking gem The First Breeze of Summer.

Court Theatre’s 2007/08 Season includes:

THYESTES (Midwest premiere)
By Lucius Annaeus Seneca, translated by Caryl Churchill
Directed by JoAnne Akalaitis
Lead Production Sponsor: The University of Chicago Women’s Board
September 20 – October 21, 2007. (Press Opening September 29, 2007, 8 p.m.)

Two of the most exciting and innovative female artists of our time will join forces in a ground-breaking and canon expanding examination of vengeful brutality. Seneca’s monumental tragedy depicts feuding brothers doomed by arrogance and an unbridled desire for revenge that echoes through the centuries. Penned in the shadow of a jealous Caligula, the work of this eloquent philosopher-poet and tutor to Nero is revived by Churchill’s taut, gripping verse and Akalaitis’ bold style. In a year when the world shudders yet again at the brutality spawned by man’s rage, audiences will understand why Seneca’s sometimes overlooked tale of Atreus and Thyestes inspired the greatest playwrights of every age.

WHAT THE BUTLER SAW
By Joe Orton
Directed by Sean Graney
November 8 – December 9, 2007 (Press Opening November 17, 2007, 8 p.m.)

Wild, risqué, and ferociously playful, Joe Orton’s classic farce has become one of the seminal works of modern comedy. When a psychiatrist invents a series of increasingly outrageous lies to cover up his attempts to seduce his young secretary, all manner of pandemonium breaks out in the ward. A state inspector, philandering wife, bellboys, policemen, and some missing bits from a statue of Sir Winston Churchill are caught up in the hilarious mix, creating a gleefully hysterical comedy of circumstance. Chicago’s own rising star Sean Graney will direct, making his Court Theatre debut.

TITUS ANDRONICUS
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles Newell
January 10 – February 10, 2008. (Press Opening January 19, 2008, 8 p.m.)

One of Shakespeare’s earliest works, this riveting tale of jealousy and revenge inspired by Ovid and Seneca is set against the backdrop of the Gothic conquests. Roman general Titus Andronicus returns home in triumph, but with a perilous war trophy — Tamora, queen of the Goths. Her presence in Rome sets in motion a cycle of envy and vengeance that ensnares slaves and emperors alike. Gritty and elemental, this powerful drama is uniquely suited to acclaimed Artistic Director Charles Newell's signature style, which will reveal the deep humanity of this timely classic, along with the futility and personal cost of revenge.

CAROUSEL
Music by Richard Rodgers Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein
Directed by Charles Newell Music Direction by Doug Peck Choreography by Randy Duncan Co-Produced with Long Wharf Theatre
Exclusive Corporate Sponsor: Sara Lee Foundation
March 6 – April 13, 2008. (Press Opening March 15, 2008, 8 p.m.)

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s adaptation of Ferenc Molnar’s Liliom reinvented musical theatre in its day with its lush score, depth and complexity of emotion, and seamless integration of song, story, and dance. Now one of America’s most beloved musical masterpieces will soar to new heights in Court’s intimate space, led by the award-winning team of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Music Director Doug Peck (Raisin, Man of La Mancha, James Joyce’s The Dead, Guys and Dolls). Set in a small New England town in the late 1800s, the story of impulsive, brash carnival barker Billy Bigelow and his bride, mill worker Julie Jordan, spans heaven and earth in its exploration of love, human frailty, and redemption.

THE FIRST BREEZE OF SUMMER
By Leslie Lee
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
Exclusive Corporate Sponsor: Hyde Park Bank
May 15 – June 15, 2008. (Press Opening May 24, 2008, 8 p.m.)

Obie Award-winner and Tony-nominated “Best Play,” Leslie Lee’s rarely seen drama explores a turbulent time in three generations of an African-American family in the 1970s. One hot June weekend, the family matriarch reflects on the lessons of her own youth and the three lost love affairs that shaped her life and her family while the conflict between her two discontented teenage grandsons and their stern, overworked father comes to a head. The New York Times called the production, “wonderfully moving...touching and terrifying.” Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson (Fences, Flyin’ West) directs this classic tale of growing up and growing old.

Court Theatre, the professional theatre in residence at the University of Chicago, is located at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Five, four and three play subscriptions to Court’s 2007/2008 season range from $87 to $230 and are on sale now. To purchase a subscription or to receive more information, call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court’s website at www.CourtTheatre.org. Individual tickets go on sale August 1, 2007. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets after May 1 by calling Diane Osolin in Court’s Group Sales Office at (773) 753-4472.

Court Theatre’s 53rd Season is generously supported by Richard and Barbara Franke, Hyde Park Bank, The Joyce Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Sara Lee Foundation, Shubert Foundation, and the University of Chicago. Court Theatre is also funded in part by grants from CityArts Program IV of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.