Complete casting for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is announced

COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE GUTHRIE'S EAGERLY ANTICIPATED PRODUCTION OF THE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING DRAMA CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

In one unforgettable evening, a Southern family in crisis is pushed to the brink by powerful memories and revelations, imperiling an already fragile relationship between a husband and wife.

Previews begin January 14; Opening January 20;Playing through February 26, 2012
on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) On the heels of the explosive A Streetcar Named Desire, the Guthrie Theater today announced complete casting for Tennessee Williams' drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about a Southern family in crisis receives its second-ever Guthrie staging. Last produced at the Guthrie in 1976 under the artistic leadership of Michael Langham, this production will play from January 14- February 26, 2012, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Lisa Peterson (Major Barbara, Oedipus and Mrs. Warren's Profession) will direct.

Former Guthrie Experience participant and television actress Emily Swallow (Guthrie: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Television: "Ringer," "Southland" and "The Good Wife") will lead the cast in the iconic role of the troubled, lovelorn Margaret (Maggie the Cat). Swallow will be joined by Twin Cities actor Peter Christian Hansen (Dollhouse, Macbeth, After a Hundred Years) as the indifferent, alcoholic, favorite son Brick. 

The production will also feature the talents of David Anthony Brinkley (The Scottsboro Boys) as Big Daddy, the wealthy, cancer-stricken patriarch, and Tony-nominated Broadway veteran actress Melissa Hart as Big Mama. Chris Carlson (God of Carnage) and Michelle O'Neill (Much Ado About Nothing) will take on the roles of Gooper and Mae, respectively -- Brick's covetous and self-interested brother and sister-in-law.

Rounding out the cast are H. Adam Harris (Much Ado About Nothing) as Lacey and Stephen D'Ambrose (Edgardo Mine) as Rev. Tooker. Fred Wagner (Dr. Baugh), Joetta Wright (Daisy), Reggie Phoenix (Brightie) and Sha Cage (Sookey) will make their Guthrie Theater debuts.

Rounding out the cast are Ruby Davenport, Jillian Jacobson, Henry McCormick, Sullivan Rice and Noah Ross (A Christmas Carol) as the Pollitt children.                                     

It's the 65th birthday of wealthy southern patriarch Big Daddy Pollitt, who is unknowingly dying of cancer, and his sons Gooper and Brick have arrived on the scene of the family's Mississippi plantation in hopes of inching closer to their $10 million inheritance. Yet as Brick descends into alcoholism following the death of a college friend, his fragile relationship with his wife Maggie continues to crumble, and the lies and illusion become too much for the family to bear.  

The artistic team includes Rachel Hauck (Set Designer), Ilona Somogyi (Costume Designer), Scott Zielinski (Lighting Designer), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Lucinda Holshue (Voice and Dialect Coach), Carla Steen (Dramaturg), Marcela Lorca (Movement), Susan R. White (Stage Manager), Justin Hossle (Assistant Stage Manager) and Jennie Ward (Assistant Director).

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof begins preview performances on January 14, opens January 20 and continues through February 26, 2012, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater. Single tickets start at $24 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.