For Immediate Release: January 9, 2006
Media Contact: Amy Watson Bish, Delaware Theatre Company, 302.594.1104 x228

When Arthur Miller passed away at the age of 89 in February 2005, the theatre and literary community mourned one of the giants of the twentieth century. To commemorate this great American playwright, Delaware Theatre Company will present Miller’s touching, thought-provoking drama The Price. Previews begin Wednesday, January 25, 2006; opening is Saturday, January 28, 2006; and runs through Sunday, February 12, 2006. Tickets are $25–$45 and can be purchased in person at the DTC box office at 200 Water Street or by phone at 302.594.1100. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.delawaretheatre.org.

When The Price opened on Broadway on February 7, 1968, Clive Barnes of the New York Times called the play “one of the most engrossing and entertaining plays that Miller has ever written,” and to expect a great evening of theatre as “…it does, I think, emphatically deliver the goods.” The play follows Victor and Walter, two estranged brothers who reluctantly meet to dispose of their father’s belongings after his death. After the 1929 stock market collapse left his father ruined, Victor dropped out of college to earn a living and support the family. Now a policeman, Victor resents his wealthy brother Walter, whom Victor feels benefited from his sacrifice. While trying to put a pricetag on their family’s belongings, they discover that there are some things that are truly priceless – brotherhood, love, and justice.

Taking on the roles of the two brothers are John Wojda, who will play the tough New York City policeman Victor, and Bob Ari as the wealthy doctor Walter. Both Wojda and Ari have been featured in previous DTC productions, Rosencrantz And Guildernstern Are Dead (1989) and Born Yesterday (2000), respectively. With numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, television, and film credits between them, Wojda and Ari are a powerful force in bringing Miller’s outstanding work to the stage. Taking on the role of the frankly comic appraiser Gregory Solomon is theatre legend Joel Friedman. Having been an actor since a young age, Friedman was a founding member of Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival in addition to his numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatre credits. Friedman has directed such legendary actors as James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury; has been seen on stage with Fay Bainter, Constance Bennett, Kurt Kaszner, Nancy Kelly, Christopher Walken, and Celia Adler, and has written several original plays and papers on Greek drama and theatre architecture. Dee Pelletier, who will play the role of Victor’s wife, Esther, has numerous New York and regional theatre credits as well as several television series credits.

The artistic team for The Price includes director John Grassilli whose work has been seen countless times at DTC; as both actor and director he has participated in such productions as Looking Over the President’s Shoulder, The Glass Menagerie, Proof, The Smell of the Kill, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Nerd, The Drawer Boy, Talley’s Folley, and the world premiere of Stinkin’ Rich. Also no stranger to the DTC stage is set and costume designer Marie Anne Chiment, whose designs have been seen in Proof, Shirley Valentine, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Macbeth, Design for Living, Born Yesterday, As You Like It, as well as in numerous operas and theatres across the country. Mark O’Maley’s familiar lighting design will grace the stage, with the assistance of Caitlin Smith Rapoport, as well as the sound design of Josh Schmidt. Sara J. Tantillo* will stage manage. Casting by Stephanie Klapper.

In conjunction with The Price, Delaware Theatre Company’s series of audience enrichment events, Connections: A Community Conversation, begins Saturday, February 4, 2006 with a look at the life and work of Arthur Miller. “Arthur Miller: A Retrospective” will be an open forum moderated by a team of Miller experts—Gerald Freedman, an Obie-Award winning director and pioneer of Off-Broadway and regional theatre, and Dr. Steven Centola, a preeminent Miller scholar. Actors from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) will illuminate Freedman’s and Centola’s comments with readings from Miller’s plays and essays. The event will follow the 2PM matinee performance on Saturday, February 4, 2006, beginning at approximately 4:30PM. All Connections events are free and open to the public and are partly funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information call 302.594.1100.

The Price runs from January 25 through February 12, 2006. Opening Night is Saturday, January 28. Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8PM (except 2/3); matinee performances are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2PM (except 1/25 and 1/28); and a special Friday Early Show on February 3 at 6:30PM. Tickets are $25–$45, depending on the performance day and time, with special discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the DTC Box Office at (302) 594-1100 or visit our website: www.delawaretheatre.org.

DTC’s 2005 – 2006 Season. Some things you just gotta see! Delaware Theatre Company’s 2005-2006 season is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. Corporate Co-Producer for The Price is Legg Mason Investment Counsel. Artist transportation provided by Amtrak. This program is made possible, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware. The Delaware Division of the Arts provides technical and financial assistance to artists and arts programs and serves as a clearinghouse for information on the arts.

Connections: A Community Conversation is partially funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Price is produced through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Delaware Theatre Company, Delaware's premier professional theatre, is located at 200 Water Street, on Wilmington’s exciting Riverfront. Delaware Theatre Company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, the Arts Consortium of Delaware, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and the Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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