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| Kimberly Gilbert for the upcoming Ford's Theatre production of "Born Yesterday" (Photo: Scott Suchman) |
From our friends at Ford's Theatre...
Ford's Theatre Society Announces Cast of Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin; Directed by Aaron Posner
Opens September 21 (through October 21, 2018); tickets now on sale
Ford's Theatre Society announced full casting and design team for a new production of Garson Kanin’s 1940s screwball comedy, Born Yesterday. Aaron Posner (Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) directs Kimberly Gilbert as Billie Dawn (Jefferson’s Garden, The Laramie Project), Edward Gero as Harry Brock (Hello, Dolly!; A Christmas Carol) and Cody Nickell as Paul Verrall. The Ford’s Theatre production also features Evan Casey, Matt Dewberry, Eric Hissom, Naomi Jacobson, Todd Scofield and Jamie Smithson.
Born Yesterday plays September 21 to October 21, 2018. The production is recommended for ages 12 and older.
In this sharp-edged satire, opportunistic tycoon Harry Brock arrives in Washington with his naive girlfriend, Billie Dawn, to game the political system. With the help of an idealistic reporter, Billie wises up and fights back to end the corruption. Political satire meets romantic comedy in a story that shows truth and justice can win the day.
“It is great to be back at Ford’s to direct this smart 1940s comedy about personal transformation and the complex underbelly of politics and relationships,” said Director Aaron Posner. “Audiences will appreciate the shrewd and charming dialogue and, with no changes to the script, this 70-year-old play’s characters and themes will remind us all how the more things change in Washington, the more things stay the same!”
Tickets for Born Yesterday are now on sale at www.fords.org and range from $17 to $64. Discounts are available for groups, senior citizens, military personnel and those younger than age 35.
Thank you to our 2018-19 Season Sponsors: Chevron and The Home Depot. Born Yesterday is also made possible by Lead Underwriter: Oshkosh Corporation; as well as the following Underwriters: Booz Allen Hamilton and Dr. Gary Mather & Mrs. Christina Co Mather.
THE DESIGNERS:
Daniel Lee Conway’s (Sabrina Fair) Scenic Design elegantly transforms the Ford’s stage into a glamorous two-level Washington hotel suite, featuring lavish architectural details in shades of gold and white, high archways, a black and white marble floor and a sweeping staircase. The play’s Washington elite are outfitted in Costume Designer Kelsey Hunt’s (Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) smartly tailored suits, and hotel staff in crisp trousers and red jackets. Meanwhile, characters Harry Brock and Billie Dawn arrive into town in a cacophony of color, with Billie sporting bold leopard print, big hats and other daring fashions.
The Ford’s Theatre design team for Born Yesterday also includes Lighting Design by Nancy Schertler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 1776, State of the Union), Sound Design and Original Music by John Gromada (Jefferson’s Garden, Death of a Salesman, others) and Hair and Make-up Design by Anne Nesmith (Jefferson’s Garden, Death of a Salesman, Ragtime, others.)
The production team also includes Production Stage Manager Brandon Prendergast and Assistant Stage Manager Julia Singer.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS:
There are audio-described performances of Born Yesterday on October 2 at 7:30 PM and October 13 at 2:00 PM. A sign-interpreted performance is October 11 at 7:30 PM. A captioned performance is scheduled for October 20 at 2:00 PM.
Free First Preview: September 21 at 7:30 PM.
Ford's Theatre partners with TodayTix to give out free tickets for the first performance of each mainstage production in our theatrical season. Six-hundred tickets are available via the TodayTix app, beginning 10:00 AM ET on September 8 for the September 21 7:30 PM performance of Born Yesterday. Visit www.fords.org/free for lottery entry details.
Born Yesterday Generation Abe Night: October 5 following the 7:30 PM performance.
Patrons younger than 35 can purchase discounted tickets to the 7:30 PM performance of Born Yesterday and enjoy a complimentary glass of beer or wine after the show. Meet young arts fans and get to know Ford’s Theatre in a new way. Tickets for this Generation Abe initiative may be purchased in advance at www.fords.org. Use promo code UNDER3519. You must show ID at the Box Office once arriving at the theatre. Limit of six per person.
Born Yesterday Meet and Mingle: October 14 following the 2:00 PM performance.
Following the performance of Born Yesterday at Ford’s Theatre, talk theatre with fellow audience members and members of the cast at nearby restaurant Asia Nine, around the corner on E Street near Ford’s Theatre. Event is free. Cash bar available. Performance tickets sold separately at www.fords.org.
About Ford’s Theatre Society:
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.
Ford’s Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford’s as a living, working theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatergoing public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the Tony-nominated Come From Away and the nationally acclaimed Big River, to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Liberty Smith, Necessary Sacrifices, The Widow Lincoln and The Guard, Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the past decade, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Under the current leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Phebe Novakovic and through the lens of Lincoln’s leadership and legacy, Ford’s today endeavors to advance Lincoln’s “unfinished work” with programs and performances that cultivate empathy, encourage dialogue and bridge divides in our American life.
For more information on Ford’s Theatre and the Ford’s Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.
“It is great to be back at Ford’s to direct this smart 1940s comedy about personal transformation and the complex underbelly of politics and relationships,” said Director Aaron Posner. “Audiences will appreciate the shrewd and charming dialogue and, with no changes to the script, this 70-year-old play’s characters and themes will remind us all how the more things change in Washington, the more things stay the same!”
Tickets for Born Yesterday are now on sale at www.fords.org and range from $17 to $64. Discounts are available for groups, senior citizens, military personnel and those younger than age 35.
Thank you to our 2018-19 Season Sponsors: Chevron and The Home Depot. Born Yesterday is also made possible by Lead Underwriter: Oshkosh Corporation; as well as the following Underwriters: Booz Allen Hamilton and Dr. Gary Mather & Mrs. Christina Co Mather.
THE DESIGNERS:
Daniel Lee Conway’s (Sabrina Fair) Scenic Design elegantly transforms the Ford’s stage into a glamorous two-level Washington hotel suite, featuring lavish architectural details in shades of gold and white, high archways, a black and white marble floor and a sweeping staircase. The play’s Washington elite are outfitted in Costume Designer Kelsey Hunt’s (Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) smartly tailored suits, and hotel staff in crisp trousers and red jackets. Meanwhile, characters Harry Brock and Billie Dawn arrive into town in a cacophony of color, with Billie sporting bold leopard print, big hats and other daring fashions.
The Ford’s Theatre design team for Born Yesterday also includes Lighting Design by Nancy Schertler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 1776, State of the Union), Sound Design and Original Music by John Gromada (Jefferson’s Garden, Death of a Salesman, others) and Hair and Make-up Design by Anne Nesmith (Jefferson’s Garden, Death of a Salesman, Ragtime, others.)
The production team also includes Production Stage Manager Brandon Prendergast and Assistant Stage Manager Julia Singer.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS:
There are audio-described performances of Born Yesterday on October 2 at 7:30 PM and October 13 at 2:00 PM. A sign-interpreted performance is October 11 at 7:30 PM. A captioned performance is scheduled for October 20 at 2:00 PM.
Free First Preview: September 21 at 7:30 PM.
Ford's Theatre partners with TodayTix to give out free tickets for the first performance of each mainstage production in our theatrical season. Six-hundred tickets are available via the TodayTix app, beginning 10:00 AM ET on September 8 for the September 21 7:30 PM performance of Born Yesterday. Visit www.fords.org/free for lottery entry details.
Born Yesterday Generation Abe Night: October 5 following the 7:30 PM performance.
Patrons younger than 35 can purchase discounted tickets to the 7:30 PM performance of Born Yesterday and enjoy a complimentary glass of beer or wine after the show. Meet young arts fans and get to know Ford’s Theatre in a new way. Tickets for this Generation Abe initiative may be purchased in advance at www.fords.org. Use promo code UNDER3519. You must show ID at the Box Office once arriving at the theatre. Limit of six per person.
Born Yesterday Meet and Mingle: October 14 following the 2:00 PM performance.
Following the performance of Born Yesterday at Ford’s Theatre, talk theatre with fellow audience members and members of the cast at nearby restaurant Asia Nine, around the corner on E Street near Ford’s Theatre. Event is free. Cash bar available. Performance tickets sold separately at www.fords.org.
About Ford’s Theatre Society:
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.
Ford’s Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford’s as a living, working theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatergoing public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the Tony-nominated Come From Away and the nationally acclaimed Big River, to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Liberty Smith, Necessary Sacrifices, The Widow Lincoln and The Guard, Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the past decade, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Under the current leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Phebe Novakovic and through the lens of Lincoln’s leadership and legacy, Ford’s today endeavors to advance Lincoln’s “unfinished work” with programs and performances that cultivate empathy, encourage dialogue and bridge divides in our American life.
For more information on Ford’s Theatre and the Ford’s Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.
