MRT Artistic Director Charles Towers named Best Director
Company Takes Home 8 IRNE Awards
Lowell, MA – With 13 nominations in 11 categories, Merrimack Repertory Theatre received 8 awards among large theatres from the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) at a ceremony held on April 6, 2009 at the Boston Center for the Arts. This record evening for MRT at the 12th Annual IRNE Awards was highlighted by the company’s win in the Best Production of a Play category for Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance. In addition, MRT Artistic Director Charles Towers was awarded Best Director for his work on A Delicate Balance. The Best Play win for A Delicate Balance marks the second time the company has won the IRNE for Best Play, the first being 2003’s The Drawer Boy, also directed by Charles Towers.
Individual actors and designers from MRT also fared well at the awards ceremony. MRT actors swept the individual awards for actors in a play at a large company. Winners from MRT’s production of A Delicate Balance are Jack Davidson– Best Actor, Penny Fuller – Best Supporting Actress, and Ross Bickell – Best Supporting Actor. Also recognized was Amanda Fulks, who took home the Best Actress Award for her role in Skylight by David Hare.Bill Clarke won Best Scenic Design for A Delicate Balance, and John Ambrosone won Best Lighting Design for his work on MRT’s A Delicate Balance and Trinity Rep’s Bilthe Spirit. Ross Bickell, Jack Davidson and Bill Clarke were all in attendance to receive their awards. Both Jack Davidson and Ross Bickell noted their Massachusetts roots in their acceptance speeches.
“It's always an honor to have one's work recognized,” says MRT Artistic Director Charles Towers.“I was very proud of our production of Edward Albee's modern masterpiece A Delicate Balance. Since I believe that the theatre is primarily an actor's medium, I'm particularly pleased that five out of the six cast members were nominated for IRNE awards, and that three of those five won. We focus on the actor at Merrimack Rep, and the electric circuit that is completed when great actors plug into a great audience, and vice versa. Every member of that cast has Broadway, off-Broadway, film and television credits. They are a perfect example of the kind of quality theatre artist Merrimack Repertory Theatre's audiences see on a regular basis. In some way, these awards reaffirm MRT's stature as the only nationally-recognized professional theatre serving the Merrimack Valley.”
Winner Profiles
Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance, Best Production of a Play – One of the finest American family dramas, A Delicate Balance won author Edward Albee his first Pulitzer Prize in 1966, and the Broadway revival won a Tony Award in 1996. The 2008 MRT production was directed by Charles Towers and featured the ensemble cast of Ross Bickell, Gloria Biegler, Jack Davidson, Penny Fuller, Jennifer Harmon and Jill Tanner. The creative staff for A Delicate Balance included Bill Clarke (Scenic Design), Martha Holly (Costume Design), and John Ambrosone (Lighting Design). In total, A Delicate Balance received 7 IRNE awards, a record showing for an MRT production.
Charles Towers, Best Director – A Delicate Balance – Now in his eighth season as Artistic Director at Merrimack Rep, Mr. Towers is responsible for choosing and producing all of the work seen on stage and personally directing two or three productions each season. He has previously served as Artistic Director of Portland Stage Company (Maine) and Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk) and has been a guest director at theatres across the country. He has directed five world premiere productions, including The Art of Sacrifice, Real Hush-Hush, and Fallen at MRT. Mr. Towers is a past member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for America’s non-profit theatre.
Jack Davidson (Tobias), Best Actor – A Delicate Balance – A former Marine, Jack Davidson is a graduate of Boston University’s School of Fine Arts. Mr. Davidson has appeared on Broadway ten times, most recently in another Edward Albee play, Seascape. A twenty year member of Circle Repertory Company, he has appeared in twenty major productions such as 3 Hotels, Hamlet, Love’s Labor Lost, The Diviners, Battle of Angels and Hot L Baltimore. He was in the National Tour of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Take Me Out. His film credits include Gardening Tips For Housewives, The Autumn Heart, The Secret of My Success, Trading Places, Reuben Reuben and Baby It’s You.A Delicate Balance was his first appearance at MRT.
Amanda Fulks (Kyra Hollis), Best Actress – Skylight – Ms. Fulks has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway productions, including Cherubina at Sanford Meisner Theatre and Dancing at Lughnasa, Curse of the Starving Class, Ward Six, Holiday, and Intimate Apparelat New York University. She has also appeared in the films Dead West, NY/Tehran and Synecdoche N.Y. Ms. Fulks is a graduate of
the University of Utah and the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Skylight was her debut performance at MRT.
Ross Bickell (Harry), Best Supporting Actor – A Delicate Balance – Mr. Bickell is an accomplished actor, having appeared on Broadway in Noises Off, The Iceman Cometh and A Few Good Men, and over 200 regional productions across the country. He has also appeared in the films Major Payne and Airport ’77, and on multiple TV shows, including Strangers with Candy, Dave Chappelle and Ed. He previously appeared at MRT in The Drawer Boy.
Penny Fuller (Claire), Best Supporting Actress – A Delicate Balance – Ms. Fuller is an Emmy Award-winning actress (The Elephant Man) who has appeared on Broadway in The Dinner Party, Applause, Rex, Cabaret and Barefoot in the Park, along with numerous Off-Broadway and regional performances. Her film work includes The President’s Men and Beverly Hillbillies. A Delicate Balance was her MRT debut.
Bill Clarke, Best Scenic Design – A Delicate Balance – Bill Clarke has been the scenic designer for some of MRT’s most successful productions, including Secret Order, Dinah Was, IntimateApparel and The Homecoming. He has worked on Broadway, designing A Walk in the Woods, and his Off-Broadway work includes The Daughter-in-Law, June Moon, Queens Boulevard and Cherry Orchard. Mr. Clarke is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama, and was the Winner of MRT’s 2005 Artistic Achievement Award. His work will next be seen at MRT in A Moon for the Misbegotten, with previews beginning April 23, and running through May 17.
John Ambrosone, Best Lighting Design – A Delicate Balance – Mr. Ambrosone has worked on Broadway as a lighting designer on David Mamet’s The Old Neighborhood, and Off-Broadway in Nocturne. His work at MRT includes Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds, Real Hush Hush, Boston Marriage, Amadeus and A Christmas Carol.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre will announce the seven plays that will make its 31st season on Monday, April 13. MRT’s production of A Delicate Balance was sponsored by Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank. Wannalancit Mills, an investment of Farley White Interests, sponsored MRT’s production of Skylight. Merrimack Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
TICKETS: Single Tickets $26-$56; Student/Senior/Group discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased at MRT’s Online Box Office at www.merrimackrep.org, or in person at 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, or by calling 978.654.4MRT (4678). Groups of 6 or more save up to 30% off single ticket prices.
For more information, bios, interviews, or photos, please contact Dan Berube at 978.654.7595 or berube@merrimackrep.org.
For MRT show times, tickets, season information, directions, or to request a brochure, please visit www.merrimackrep.org or call the Box Office at 978.654.4MRT (4678).
Merrimack Repertory Theatre is located in beautiful historic downtown Lowell at Liberty Hall, the Company’s 308-seat theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852 (adjacent to Lowell Memorial Auditorium). Each season, MRT presents an eclectic mix of contemporary productions, engaging the best available actors, designers and directors in the country. Now celebrating its 30th Anniversary, MRT’s mission is “To advance the cause of human understanding by creating theatrical productions at the highest level of artistic excellence and making them affordable to the broadest possible community.” MRT’s unique artistic vision is shaped by a passion for excellence and a profound commitment to its community.MRT strives to enhance the community’s life while contributing to its economic strength, measuring success by the depth of the Company’s artistic and social contribution to the region.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre's 2008-2009 Season The Fantasticks book & lyrics by Tom Jones Music by Harvey Schmidt, October 16-November 9; Skylight by David Hare, November 20-December 14; A View of the Harbor by Richard Dresser, January 8 - February 1; Tranced by Bob Clyman, February 12-March 8; Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck, March 19-April 12; A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O'Neill, April 23 - May 17.
