FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cindy Moran,
Public Relations Director, 414-224-1761
November 4, 2009
A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE AND WORK OF ANN LANDERS
THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS
by David Rambo
drawn from the life and letters of Ann Landers
with the cooperation of Margo Howards
Directed by J.R. Sullivan
| Made possible by the generous
support of: |
 |
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
Previews: November 24 and 25, 2009 Opens: November
27, 2009 Closes: December 20, 2009
This funny and nostalgic play, based on real events and actual letters to
Ann Landers, features Resident Acting Company Member Laura Gordon as the famous
no-nonsense “advice giver” whose daily dialogue helped to shape
the social landscapes of the last half century. Tickets can be purchased
in person at The Rep Ticket Office at 108 East Wells Street, or by telephone
at 414-224-9490. Tickets can also be purchased online 24/7 at milwaukeerep.com.
Meet Eppie Lederer, known to many as advice columnist Ann Landers. She’s
the woman with all the answers, but tonight she’s a woman at a crossroads:
it’s late as she delves into a pile of letters; inquiries from fans desperately
seeking her expert opinion; old letters she has already responded to; new letters
she has yet to read. Some of these outlandish letters make it into her “for
the book” file and as she reads them aloud, you can understand why. But
Eppie’s just stalling, procrastinating on the most important column of
her career. Typically, her mind would just flow out onto the page, but tonight
she’s stuck and she hates being stuck. This composition does not contain
her patented advice, but instead serves to educate her loyal readers on a stirring
development in her own life. Interrupting calls from her daughter, Margot, and
her sister Popo (aka “Dear Abby”) stall her further. She continuously
attempts to get down to business typing up her next column, but never seems to
get further than “Dear Readers: In my 20 years as Ann Landers this is the
most difficult column I have ever tried to put together. . .”
It is so difficult because just six years earlier Ann Landers shared with
her readers her blissful experience of being married for 30 years to the love
of her life and best friend, Jules. But now, they are separating. Jules
admitted to a prolonged affair and Eppie decided that their marriage could
no longer go on. Eppie’s nom de plume had always strived to fix problems,
to fix marriages, never advocating divorce, but now she is going through one
herself. Why would the readers continue to come to her if she can’t even
hold her own marriage together?
In THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, Eppie shows you why people have always sought
out Ann Landers for advice and why they continued to until her death in 2002.
Her unique insight into human and political issues coupled with humor and optimism
kept her popular for 47 years. The play covers Landers’ legacy as a crusader
for cancer awareness, and as a revolutionary public figure on taboo issues
such as sex, sexuality and abortion. Her legacy is carried on through her daughter,
Margo Howard, who writes for her own column Dear Margot (formerly Dear
Prudence). Landers also inspired popular sex columnist Dan Savage (Savage
Love), who purchased her work desk after her death. She received 30,000
sympathetic letters in response to the announcement of her divorce.
Born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1955, Playwright David Rambo’s
interest in art and literature spawned from his mother and grandmother who
were both librarians. When Rambo was 19 he moved to New York to appear in musicals
and plays with the Octagon Theater Company and other off-Broadway companies.
In search of television and film work, Rambo moved to Los Angeles and landed
a starring role in the 1981 ABC-TV pilot, The Best of Times, working
alongside Nicolas Cage. Despite his success in television, Rambo’s passion
for the theater remained and he began to write for the stage. Finding himself
slightly unsuccessful with his work, Rambo turned to real estate for financial
support. It was in sales that he proved to be successful. This triumph enabled
him to spend time writing his first play, LODGE NIGHT, which is set in Luther,
Pennsylvania in 1963 and depicts a meeting between a men’s lodge and
its ladies’ auxiliary and a make-or-break bingo game.
Rambo has also written other plays such as THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOUSE
(1997), SPEAKY-SPIKEY-SPOKEY (1997), GOD’S MAN IN TEXAS (1998), RHINEBECK
(2001) and THE SPIN CYCLE (2005). "I like plays that draw you in in oblique
ways — plays which are a tapestry of events, people, motivations, incidents
and settings," said Rambo during an interview with Actors Theatre. "I
love the kind of complexity that sneaks up on you, and that is what I try to
achieve in my work."
The playwright is particularly proud of THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOUSE
and the success that it achieved during its run in Los Angeles in 1997. The
play sold out the Zephyr Theater for six weeks and was moved to a larger venue
where it sold out for six more weeks.
His adaptations of classic screenplays include All About Eve (2003), Adam’s
Rib (2003), Sunset Boulevard (2004), and Casablanca (2005)
for readings in New York and Los Angeles. He is currently a supervising producer
on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS (2005) was written six years after Esther Pauline
Lederer (Ann Landers) died. Rambo was afraid that her legacy would be forgotten,
so he wrote a play in the fashion of her column, one that combined what he
describes as “a little sex, a little heart and a lot of humor.” The
subject of the play possessed a special place in his heart. "She helped
me get through my adolescence," says Rambo, who read her every morning
in the Pottstown Mercury. The 53-year-old writer credits her with
inspiring him later in life. "It may seem nutty to say, but I sold some
houses because of her, and I made it through some embarrassing auditions because
she always said, 'Deal with it and move on.' "
This is Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s first production of a work by David
Rambo.
A few of Director J. R. Sullivan’s recent productions
for The Rep include DOUBT, BORN YESTERDAY, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU,
THE FOREIGNER and last season’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, which in addition
to directing, he adapted in partnership with Joseph Hanreddy. Other Rep productions
include GREATER TUNA, PROOF, WIT, OF MICE AND MEN, LAUGHING STOCK, THE LAST
NIGHT OF BALLYHOO and INSPECTING CAROL. For seven seasons, Sullivan served
as associate artistic director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival, directing
productions of HENRY V, ‘ART,’ KING LEAR, GASLIGHT, HAMLET, MERCHANT
OF VENICE, STONES IN HIS POCKETS and more. He has also directed productions
of ROOM SERVICE and AS YOU LIKE IT for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and
productions around the country in such theaters as the Arden in Philadelphia,
the Studio in Washington DC, the Delaware Theatre Company and Northlight in
Chicago. In August of 2009, J. R. Sullivan began work as the newly appointed
artistic director of the Pearl Theatre Company in New York City. For the Pearl
in past seasons he has directed productions of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, WIDOWERS’ HOUSES,
BIOGRAPHY, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST and TWELFTH NIGHT. Under his direction,
the Pearl’s PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD opened at the New York City
Center Stage II in October.
The cast of THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS is Resident
Acting Company Member Laura
Gordon (Eppie Lederer). Laura Gordon has been a member of
Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Resident Acting Company since 1993, performing
in over 60 productions including: THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE,
ENCHANTED APRIL, DOUBT, THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, MARY STUART, COPENHAGEN,
TWELFTH NIGHT, A DOLL’S HOUSE, ESCAPE FROM HAPPINESS, THE SEAGULL, THE
MEMORY OF WATER and MOLLY SWEENEY. Directing projects include WELL for Milwaukee
Chamber Theatre, SKIN TIGHT, FULL GALLOP and MEMORY HOUSE for Renaissance Theaterworks,
Edward Albee’s SEASCAPE, HALF LIFE and I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE
DOCUMENT GIVEN TO ME BY A YOUNG LADY FROM RWANDA here at The Rep. Laura received
her MFA in Acting from the University of Iowa and is a member of the Board
of Trustees of the Ten Chimneys Foundation.
(To learn more about our Resident Acting Company, Guest Actors or our Intern
Company, please visit www.milwaukeerep.com.)
(To read more about THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, please
see The Rep's online publication Prologue.)
(THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS production photos will be posted
at milwaukeerep.com.)
The Production/Design Team for THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS includes: Bill
Clarke (Scenic Designer); Alex Tecoma (Costume Designer); Joseph
Appelt (Lighting Designer); Lindsay Jones (Sound
Designer); Kristin
Crouch (Literary Director); Whitney Frazier (Stage
Manager); Richelle Harrington Calin (Assistant
Stage Manager); Christine Czerwinski (Stage Management Intern)
and Laura Webb (Assistant Director).
Tickets toTHE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS range in price from
$10.00 – $60.00. Students and senior citizens may purchase half-price
RUSH TICKETS with proper identification 60 minutes before curtain time for
all Quadracci Powerhouse performances at The Rep Ticket Office. For more information
or to charge tickets, call 414-224-9490. Tickets can be purchased
online 24/7 at milwaukeerep.com. For group sales of 10 or
more, call The Rep Ticket Office at 414-224-9490.
Under 40 Discount
For patrons under the age of 40, select Quadracci Powerhouse Theater tickets
are $15. Proper identification required. Go to therep-entourage.com to
order tickets. (Under 40 tickets are based on availability.)
Special Events for THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS:
•The Rep in Depth begins 45 minutes before every performance
in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater.
•On Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30 and Tuesday,
December 15 at 7:30 p.m. there will be an Audio-Described
Performance for patrons who are blind or have low vision.
•On Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m. there
will be an American Sign Language Interpreted Performance for patrons who are
deaf or have low hearing.
•The Rep Talkbacks will be held after the Sunday
evening performances on December 6 and 13. The
Rep Talkbacks are offered immediately after select performances and offer
an opportunity for audience members to ask questions about the play to Rep
company members and actors in the production. For more information on The
Rep Talkbacks, please contact the Ticket Office at 414-224-9490 or
refer to The Rep’s Patron Guide.
•Pay-What-You-Can dates for this production are Tuesday, November
24 and Wednesday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m. Here is your chance to
experience some of Milwaukee’s best live theater at a price you can
afford. A $5.00 minimum donation is suggested. Quadracci Powerhouse performances
start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the performance.
There is a limit of 10 tickets per person for the Quadracci Powerhouse performances.
All performances are held in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater located in the
Milwaukee Center at 108 E. Wells Street. For more information call The Rep’s
Ticket Office at 414-224-9490.
• Join us for the Director’s
Dialogue Series for
the 2009/10 Season. The Director’s Dialogue Series is your chance to get
behind the scenes and meet the director of our productions. Hear what they have
to say about their process, learn more about the play, and get a chance to ask
them any questions you may have about a professional production. The series will
feature THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS’ director, J.R. Sullivan, on Tuesday,
November 24, 2009 at 6:00 pm. Tickets are only $25.00. Please check
out our website at milwaukeerep.com/support/events.htm for the
most current information or contact our Development Events Manager, Becca Kitelinger
at 414-290-5347 or rkitelinger@milwaukeerep.com.
A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE AND WORK OF ANN LANDERS
THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS
by David Rambo
drawn from the life and letters of Ann Landers
with the cooperation of Margo Howards
Directed by J.R. Sullivan
| Made possible by the generous support
of: |
|
FACT SHEET
THEATER: Quadracci
Powerhouse Theater
DATES: November
24 - December 20, 2009
DESCRIPTION: This funny and nostalgic play,
based on real events and actual letters to Ann Landers, features Resident Acting
Company Member Laura Gordon as the famous no-nonsense “advice giver” whose
daily dialogue helped to shape the social landscapes of the last half century.
PERFORMANCES:
Tuesday,
11/24/09 - 7:30 p.m. - Preview/Pay-What-You-Can
Wednesday, 11/25/09 - 7:30 p.m. - Preview/Pay-What-You-Can
Friday, 11/27/09 - 8:00 p.m. - Open
Saturday, 11/28/09 - 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 11/29/09
- 2:00/7:00 p.m. - Super Sunday
Tuesday, 12/1/09 -
6:30 p.m. – Audio Description
Wednesday, 12/2/09 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, 12/3/09 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, 12/4/09 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, 12/5/09 - 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 12/6/09 - 2:00/7:00 p.m. - 2:00/Smoke-Free, 7:00/Talkback
Wednesday, 12/9/09 - 1:30/7:30 p.m. - 1:30/Bus
Thursday, 12/10/09 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, 12/11/09 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, 12/12/09 - 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 12/13/09 - 2:00/7:00 p.m. - Talkback
Tuesday, 12/15/09 – 7:30 p.m. – Audio Description
Wednesday, 12/16/09 - 1:30/7:30 p.m.
Thursday, 12/17/09 - 7:30 p.m. - American Sign Language
Friday, 12/18/09 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, 12/19/09 - 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 12/20/09 - 2:00/7:00 p.m. - 2:00/Captioned Theater, 7:00/Close
TICKET PRICES:
PREVIEWS:
$10.00 - $40.00
WEEKDAY/SUNDAY: $10.00 - $45.00
FRIDAY/SATURDAY: $10.00 - $60.00
TICKETS/INFORMATION: 414-224-9490
or buy tickets online at milwaukeerep.com
TICKET OFFICE LOCATION: 108
East Wells Street in Milwaukee’s Downtown Theater District
TICKET OFFICE HOURS: Mon
- Fri, 12 pm - 6 pm on phones, 12 pm - curtain for window. Sat/Sun 12 pm -
6 pm on phones, 12 pm - curtain for window
###
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is a nationally recognized
theater company that presents a critically-acclaimed selection
of compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary
works and lively Cabaret shows on three stages from September through
May. The Rep also produces an annual production of A CHRISTMAS
CAROL. The Rep's home, the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex,
accommodates the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, the Stiemke Theater
and the Stackner Cabaret. The Rep is also home to a Resident Acting
Company of 10 actors who perform with The Rep throughout the season.
The
Rep is proud to be a member of the United
Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), which provides major annual
financial support. Through
community support of the United Performing Arts Fund, UPAF
Member and Affiliate Groups are able to provide education
and outreach to over 400,000 children, provide over 2,000
live performances and reach over 1,000,000 people every year.
When everyone supports the arts through UPAF, they help our
local economy, improving education and strengthening outreach
programs to the disabled and elderly – all while adding
culture to their own life. Support of UPAF is critical to
UPAF Member Groups’ ability
to continue to offer exceptional live performances, award-winning
education and outreach programming and substantial economic
impact to our region. To learn more about UPAF or to donate,
go to www.upaf.org.
The Rep is supported in part by a grant
from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of
Wisconsin. The Rep is a member of the League
of Resident Theatres (LORT), a management association
of some of the nation's largest non-profit professional
theaters that collectively bargains with the unions that
represent the actors, directors and designers that work
at The Rep; a constituent of Theatre
Communications Group (TCG), the national organization
for the nonprofit professional theater; and a member of Theatre
Wisconsin, the statewide association of non-profit
professional theaters. This theater operates under an
agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors'
Equity Association, the union of professional actors
and stage managers in the United States. The set, costume
and lighting designers are members of United
Scenic Artists,
a national labor union. This theater is an equal opportunity employer.
Except in plays where race itself is an issue, casting
is decided based on ability, not race.
Milwaukee
Repertory Theater
Patty & Jay Baker Theatre Complex
108 E Wells St Milwaukee, WI 53202
Ticket Office: 414-224-9490 Ticket Office Fax: 225-5490
Administrative: 414-224-1761 Fax: 414-224-9097
milwaukeerep.com |
