CANDYMAN STAR TO FEATURE IN GEVA’S PRODUCTION OF FENCES

2009-04-14

                                              Media Contact: Dawn Kellogg

Communications Manager

(585) 232-1366 ext. 3059

dkellogg@gevatheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CANDYMAN STAR TO FEATURE IN GEVA’S PRODUCTION OF FENCES

Rochester, N.Y., April 14, 2009– Geva Theatre Center announces that Tony Todd, the star of the movie Candyman will play the central role of Troy Maxson in its forthcoming production of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Fences in the Mainstage May 19 – June 21.

Troy Maxson could have been a baseball star. He once played for the Negro League, but too early to cross the color line. Now, in 1957 Pittsburgh, he has a solid family and a decent job.  He drinks with his best friend on Friday nights and turns over the rest of his paycheck to his wife Rose. But Troy still yearns for something beyond his own backyard…

Although Tony Todd is most notable to cinemagoers for his chilling performance as Candyman, his range of work demonstrates an extreme versatility having appeared in over 100 screen and television films. His film credits include The Rock (1996), The Crow (1994), Lean on Me (1989), the Final Destination series of films (2000-2006) and Oliver Stone’s Platoon (1986). He has had prominent guest star roles on some of the most acclaimed TV series including: “Boston Legal,” “Chuck,” “24,” “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Smallville,” “Stargate SG-1,” “The X Files,” “CSI: Miami” and all three incarnations of “Star Trek.”

Todd’s theatre credits include the world premiere of August Wilson’s King Hedley II and Athol Fugard’s The Captain’s Tiger for which he was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award, Othello, Broadway’s Aida and most recently, Levee James for the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference and the New Dramatists Guild.

Fences opens on May 19 and runs through June 21. Tickets are available through the Geva Box Office: 232-Geva or online at www.gevatheatre.org.

For further information, photographs or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Dawn Kellogg, Communications Manager, (585) 232 1366 x 3059

GEVA THEATRE CENTER

Geva Theatre Center is Rochester’s leading professional theatre and the most attended regional theatre in New York State. Founded in 1972, Geva attracts over 170,000 patrons annually, including more than 16,000 students. The 552-seat Elaine P. Wilson Mainstage offers a wide variety of shows, from musicals to American and world classics.

The 180-seat Ron & Donna Fielding Nextstage is home to Geva’s own series of cutting-edge drama, comedy and musical theatre; Geva Comedy Improv; Geva’s New Play Reading Series and the Hornet’s Nest - an innovative play-reading series facilitating community-wide discussion on controversial topics. The Nextstage also hosts visiting companies of both local and international renown.

Geva Theatre Center offers a wide variety of educational, outreach and literary programs, nurturing audiences and artists alike. For the past thirteen years the organization has been led by Artistic Director Mark Cuddy.

*ENDS*