Cape Fear Theatre Arts continues its debut 2011 Studio Season at Thalian Hall with the Drama

Desk Award-nominated play Lady by Craig Wright. Lady follows the opening production of

Sam Shepard’s True West.

A dark comedy from the creator of ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money and Emmy Award-winning writer

of Six Feet Under Craig Wright, Lady is the story of three childhood friends who have reunited

for an annual hunting excursion in the woods of Illinois. Now middle-aged, with over thirty

years of friendship uniting them, they join together to bear arms and baggage, personal and

political. A balance of the tense, the hilarious, and the silence of the wild, Lady sets its aim,

hunting for the commonality amongst men that have forged separate paths.

Lady is presented under the direction of Dan Morris, who brings his Broadway experience and

sensibilities to the production. Morris was the original Production Stage Manager that brought

both On Golden Pond and Glengarry Glen Ross to Broadway. Given the theme of friendship, it

serves well that the play stars three longtime friends Gil Johnson, Justin Smith, and Jon Stafford,

who have shared the local stages multiple times over the years. Collectively, the cast boasts an

impressive film and television resume that spans the locally filmed Dawson’s Creek, One Tree

Hill, Surface, Bolden!, Blood Done Signed My Name, and the recent Sundance award-winner

to.get.her.

The June 1st performance is a special preview with all proceeds benefiting the North Carolina

Disaster Relief Fund.

WHEN: June 1-4, 8-12, 15-19.

TIME: 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Thalian Hall Studio Theatre, 310 Chestnut Street, Downtown Wilmington

TICKETS: $14 (Wed, Thu) - $17 (Fri-Sun) available via www.thalianhall.com or the Thalian Hall box office at 910.632.2285

Star News PREVIEW: click here.

Star News REVIEW: click here.

Encore Review: click here.

Cast of Lady

Justin Smith

(Kenny)

 Justin is the artistic director of Cape Fear Theatre Arts and Carolina Theatre Group, LLC.  Justin graduated with a BFA in Theatre from St. Michael's College in Vermont.  He has produced over 50 shows.  Favorite directing credits include Rent, The Fully Monty, Debbie Does Dallas The Musical, Wait Until Dark, Greater Tuna, Marvin's Room, and The Rocky Horror Show.  Favorite acting roles include Petrucchio, Iago, Orsino, Frank-N-Furter, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, and Norbert Garsteki in The Great American Trailer Park: The Musical.

Gil Johnson

(Dyson)

Gil Johnson was last seen in Speed The Plow at the Red Barn Theatre. He has also appeared locally in Hank Williams Lost Highway, The Diviners, Macbeth, Translations, Death of a Salesman and Julius Caesar. He has directed Fahrenheit 451, Romeo and Juliet and True West for Cape Fear Theatre Arts.

Jon Stafford

(Graham)

Jon is a Kansas native who came to Wilmington after working in Los Angeles for many years.  His most recent role was Michael in God of Carnage at the Red Barn.  Others are Bradley in Four Dogs and a Bone and Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross, also at the Red Barn, as well as the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac and Beatty in Fahrenheit 451 at City Stage.  His local TV credits include Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, and Surface.  Recent film appearances include Bolden!, Americatown, Louis, to.get.her, The 5th Quarter, Ruffian, Dead Heist, and Love For Sale. 

Dan Morris

(Director)

During his twenty years in Wilmington, Dan Morris has been involved in more than 75 productions.  His directing credits include:  Cabaret, The Fantasticks, Look Homeward, Angel, Witness for the Prosecution, The Tempest, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Macbeth, The Glass Menagerie, Death of a Salesman, and Fiction.  As a Production Stage Manager in NYC he brought On Golden Pond and Glengarry Glen Ross to Broadway and ran their national tours.  He has worked with many award winning actors and directors: Peter Falk, Patti LuPone, Joe Mantegna, James Whitmore, John Houseman, David Mamet, and the legendary Mr. George Abbott.  He has shared the stage with the cast members of Lady in plays as diverse as Julius Caesar, 12 Angry Men, and Moonlight and Magnolias.  In September he will appear in the Opera House Theater Company production of Man of La Mancha.  He is somewhat older than his headshot would suggest.