Broadway, TV Veterans Cast for Arizona Theatre Company's World Premiere of "Five Presidents"

 

From: scarr51@gmail.com [mailto:scarr51@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Steve Carr
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2014 11:00 AM
Subject: Broadway, TV Veterans Cast for Arizona Theatre Company's World Premiere of "Five Presidents"

 

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF

FIVE PRESIDENTS

BY EMMY AWARD-WINNING WRITER

OF THE WEST WING AND HOUSE OF CARDS RICK CLEVELAND 

November 3, 2014 – [Phoenix and Tucson] – Broadway and television veterans John Bolger, Mark Jacoby, Kenneth Kimmins, Steve Sheridan, Brit Whittle and Reese Madigan make up the cast of Five Presidents, the world premiere production from Emmy Award-winning writer Rick Cleveland (House of Cards, The West Wing, Mad Men and Six Feet Under). Directed by Milwaukee Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Mark Clements, the production will be performed at the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson, Jan. 10-31, 2015, and at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, Feb. 5-22, 2015.

 

Originally commissioned by Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and a co-production with Arizona Theatre Company, Five Presidents will run at Milwaukee Rep from March 10 through April 5, 2015.

 

Five Presidents is a funny and incisive drama about the meeting of America's most exclusive club – the ex-presidents – in a peek at what may have happened at a true-life event. Obliged to gather together on the day of Richard Nixon's funeral in 1994, former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and then-current President Bill Clinton vent frustrations, revisit old grievances and reveal the toll that it takes on any person foolish enough to seek the highest office in the land.

 

THE CAST

John Bolger (Gerald Ford) has appeared on television in the recurring roles of Mayor Floyd in General Hospital, John Sykes in One Life to Live, Gabe McNamara and Alton Spade in Another World and Philip Spaulding in Guiding Light. Other TV credits include: Person of Interest, Royal Pains, The Black Donnellys, Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Sex and the City, and NYPD Blue, among others. National tours include South Pacific and Dirty Dancing. He is the great nephew of Ray Bolger who played the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

 

Mark Jacoby (George H.W. Bush) is an American musical theatre performer. He has appeared in many Broadway productions including Elf: The Musical, Sweeney Todd, Man of La Mancha (Revival), Ragtime, Show Boat, Grand Hotel, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sweet Charity. Jacoby also was seen in the first national tour of Wicked. TV credits include Ed, Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

 

Kenneth Kimmins (Jimmy Carter) is a television actor with extensive credits best known for his roles as Doctor Klein on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and as Howard Burleigh, the Athletic Director of Minnesota State University on the TV show, Coach. Other TV credits include Dallas, Mr. President, Leo and Liz in Beverly Hills, Hart to Hart, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, and Matlock, among many others. Film credits include: The Jennie Project, Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo, Jack Spanner, Private Eye, Love among Thieves and Help Wanted: Kids. On Broadway he has appeared in The Music Man, The Magic Show, Status Quo Vadi, The Gingerbread Lady, Company, and The Fig Leaves are Falling.

 

Reese Madigan (Special Agent Michael Kirby) returns to Arizona Theatre Company where he appeared in George is Dead. Milwaukee Repertory Theatre credits include: Michael Cassio in Othello; Paul Hornung in Lombardi; Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman; and Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps. Other favorite roles include Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Edmund in King Lear and Segismundo in Sueňo. He has worked both on Broadway at Lincoln Center and Circle in The Square Theatre and Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theater, and Variety Arts Theatre. Mr. Madigan has performed with many regional companies including Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival, Appropriate) and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (Three Musketeers).

 

Steve Sheridan (Ronald Reagan) is an alumni of Chicago's famed theater, The Second City, where he wrote and performed in a number of hit shows. His stage work in Los Angeles garnered him an award from LA Weekly and a Drama-Logue Award for both acting and playwriting. His television work includes appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Drew Carey Show, and Malcolm in the Middle. Film credits are Nothing in Common, Vice Versa, and Punching the Clown.   

 

Brit Whittle (Bill Clinton) received his MFA in Acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory and his Bachelor of Science from Georgia College and State University, with a major in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. He began his acting career in the Georgia College and State University theatre department. Later, Mr. Whittle moved on to Atlanta where he worked at Actor's  Express, studying under then Artistic Director Chris Coleman. TV credits include: Believe, The Carrie Diaries, The Blacklist, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Blue Bloods, Mercy, All My Children, One Life to Live, 30 Rock, and Guiding Light. He also appeared in the film The Adjustment Bureau.

 

The Creative Team for Five Presidents includes: Director, Mark Clements; Scenic Design, Todd Edward Ivins; Costume Design, Mary Folino; Lighting Design, Jesse Klug; Sound Design, Brian Jerome Peterson; Makeup Design, Lauren Wilde; Dialect Coach, Jill Walmsley Zager and Stage Manager, Glenn Bruner.

 

Single tickets for Five Presidents are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.arizonatheatre.org or by phone in Tucson at (520) 622-2823 and in Phoenix at  (602) 256-6995.

 

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About Arizona Theatre Company:

Touching lives through the power of theatre, Arizona Theatre Company (ATC), is the preeminent fully professional theatre in the state of Arizona. Boasting the largest seasonal subscriber base in the performing arts in Arizona, ATC is the only resident company in the U.S. that is fully based in two cities providing its wide array of programming and community outreach across the region. Now in its 48th season, more than 130,000 people a year attend our performances at the historic Temple of Music and Art in Tucson, and the elegant Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Each season of home-grown productions reflects the rich variety of world drama—from classics to contemporary plays, from musicals to new works—along with a wide array of community outreach programs, educational opportunities, access initiatives and new play programs. Designated The State Theatre of Arizona, ATC is led by Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein, Interim Managing Director Matt Lehrman, Managing Director Emeritus Jessica L. Andrews, and a dedicated Board of Trustees. 

 

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