• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
 
 For Immediate Release: Press Contact
: Lauren BeyeaDecember 22, 2008; Direct Dial: 202.434.9543
 
Updated January 29, 2009
 
Cell Phone: 203.751.1004
 
LBeyea@fords.org 
FORD’S THEATRE REOPENS WITHA WORLD PREMIERE OF
THE HEAVENS ARE HUNG IN BLACK 
BY JAMES STILLDIRECTED BY STEPHEN RAYNE
Production features David Selby as Abraham Lincoln
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ford’s Theatre reopens following an 18-month renovation with aworld premiere of a newly commissioned play
The Heavens Are Hung In Blac 
k
by
James Still
,directed by
Stephen Rayne
from
February 3-March 8, 2009
. Highlighting the five monthsbetween the death of Lincoln’s young son Willie and the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation,James Still’s brave and ambitious new play
The Heavens Are Hung In Black 
offers a glimpse intothe personal and political challenges that Lincoln faced during 1862. The production featuresacclaimed stage and screen actor 
David Selby
as President Abraham Lincoln. Additional castingincludes
Norman Aronovic
,
Steven Carpenter 
,
Jonathan Fielding
,
Michael Goodwin
,
 Edward James Hyland
,
Beth Hylton, Michael Kramer 
,
Robin Moseley
,
Hugh Nees, DavidEmerson Toney
,
Chaney Tullos
,
Jonathan Watkins
and
Scott Westerman
, with
JamesChatham
,
Benjamin Cook
and
Benjamin Schiffbauer 
.
Heavens
paints a picture of Abraham Lincoln as a forward-thinking leader during one of the Civil War’s most critical times. Over the course of the play, Lincoln is visited in dreams byJefferson Davis, Dread Scott and Uncle Tom at moments when their life experience might aid hisdecision-making about the war and the Emancipation Proclamation.“We are thrilled to reopen Ford’s Theatre with this historic world premiere,” said Paul R.Tetreault, director of Ford’s Theatre. “James Still has written a remarkable play that explores oneof the most crucial years of Lincoln’s presidency. This play, along with the many special eventswe have planned for February, will provide a magnificent tribute to our greatest president.”“The challenge of writing
The
 
Heavens Are Hung In Black 
was to maintain the integrity of Lincoln’s character and the history of the Civil War while infusing the story with imagination andhuman elements,” said playwright James Still. “
Heavens
offers a glimpse into the world of one of our nation’s most important presidents and raises questions about how we might have behaved if faced with the pressures of that crucial time in our nation’s history.”
 
Heavens,
p.2
 
This production is made possible by
BAE Systems
,
Verizon
,
BP America
,
Visa Inc
. andthe
National Endowment for the Arts
. Ford’s Theatre stages are Built by
The Home Depot
.
Chevron
is a 2008-2009 season sponsor.
THE PLAYWRIGHTJames Still
returns to Ford’s Theatre with a world premiere of 
The Heavens Are Hung InBlack 
. His
Looking Over the President’s Shoulder 
premiered at Ford’s as part of the 2003-2004season. Still’s work has been featured in New Visions/New Voices at the Kennedy Center,developed and workshopped at Sundance and showcased on stages throughout Europe, NorthAmerica and Australia. During his 10 years as artist-in-residence at the Indiana RepertoryTheatre, Still was a two-time recipient of the TCG/Pew Charitable Trust National Theatre ArtistsResidency Grant. Still also was awarded the William Inge Festival's Otis Gurnsey New Voices inAmerican Theatre award and the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award for DistinguishedBody of Work. His television writing and producing credits include
Paz 
for The Learning Channeland Discovery Kids,
Frog and Friends
for Amsterdam-based Telescreen, and
Miffy 
. Additionally,he served as writer and story editor for Maurice Sendak's
Little Bear 
and the Bill Cosby series
Little Bill 
on Nickelodeon. Still has been nominated for five Emmys and a Television CriticsAssociation Award.
 THE DIRECTOR
Director 
Stephen Rayne
makes his Ford’s Theatre debut with
The Heavens Are Hung InBlack 
. Rayne’s directorial credits include productions of 
 A View from the Bridge
,
 A ChristmasCarol 
,
Hay Fever 
,
Closer 
,
Equus
and
House
 
and 
 
Garden
at the Alley Theatre,
Macbeth
for theNew York Arts Festival and productions of Athol Fugard’s
Blood Knot 
in St. Louis and Chicago.Additionally, Rayne has directed productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company (
The
 
Plantagenets, Twelfth Night, Venus and Adonis
,
Totem, All God’s Chillun got Wings
and
Kiss Me,Kate
!), London’s National Theatre (
Peter Grimes
,
The Relapse
,
The Coast of Utopia
), HampsteadTheatre and Royal Opera House, among others.
THE CASTDavid Selby
makes his Ford’s Theatre debut as Abraham Lincoln. Selby’s long stagecareer includes multiple productions for Broadway including
The Heiress
and
The Eccentricitiesof a Nightingale
and several shows Off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. His regional creditsinclude performances with the Alley Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Hartford Stage, ManhattanTheatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center, Public Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company,American Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse and others. Selby created the role of Quentin Collins on television’s
Dark Shadows
and
 
Richard Channing on
Falcon Crest 
, starredopposite Jane Alexander on HBO’s series
Tell Me You Love Me
and most recently guest-starred
 
Heavens,
p.3
 
on CBS’
Cold Case
. His many film credits include
Up the Sandbox 
with Barbara Streisand,
Night of Dark Shadows
,
Dying Young 
with Campell Scott and Julia Roberts, and
White Squall 
.An accomplished playwright and novelist, Selby’s most recent book
Lincoln’s Better  Angel,
reflects on the personal impact of war. In the late 1990s, Selby performed the role of Abraham Lincoln in the New York, Charleston and Washington, D.C., performances of his stageplay
Lincoln and James
. Additionally, Selby has narrated several programs for L.A. TheatreWorks, National Public Radio and the BBC. Selby received his BS and MS degrees from WestVirginia University, where he was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and holds aPhD in Theatre from Southern Illinois University.The cast also includes
Norman Aronovic
,
Steven Carpenter 
,
Jonathan Fielding
,
Michael Goodwin
,
Edward James Hyland
,
Beth Hylton
,
Michael Kramer 
,
Robin Moseley
,
Hugh Nees
,
David Emerson Toney
,
Chaney Tullos
,
Jonathan Watkins
and
ScottWesterman
,
 
with
James Chatham
,
Benjamin Cook
and
Benjamin Schiffbauer 
.
THE DESIGNERS
For the production, Rayne has assembled a team of talented designers to illustrate thepolitical and personal life of Abraham Lincoln during 1862. Obie- and Drama Desk-nominated setdesigner 
Takeshi Kata
has created a White House office with walls that track off to reveal thewider world of Lincoln’s Washington. Costume Designer 
Wade Laboissonniere
’s
 
period
 
designsand dark color palate reflect the mood of the characters’ inner struggles and a nation at war. The
Heavens
design team also includes Lighting Design by
Pat Collins
(
Elmer Gantry 
,
I’m Not Rappaport 
,
 A Christmas Carol 
), Sound Design and Original Music by
Ryan Rumery
(Broadway’s
Thurgood 
with Laurence Fishburne
)
, Video Design by
Clint Allen
, Hair and Wig Design by
Cookie Jordan
and Dialect Consulting by
Lynn Watson
. The production team also includesProduction Stage Manager 
Brandon
 
Prendergast
and Assistant Stage Manager 
Kate
 
Kilbane
.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
There will be audio-described performances of 
The Heavens Are Hung In Black 
onTuesday, February 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 22, at 2:30 p.m. Sign-interpretedperformances are Wednesday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 1, at 2:30 p.m.Following the 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday, February 22, and Sunday, March 1,members of the cast will take questions from the audience and discuss the artistic process. Post-performance discussions begin immediately following the performance. Individuals wishing toattend the discussion will be invited into the theatre for the discussion after the audience from theperformance departs.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...