*PRESS RELEASE* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 10/11/16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contact: Andrew Rothman From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre 40 River Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44122 Phone: 440-247-8955 E-mail: cvlt@cvlt.org <mailto:cvlt@cvlt.org> Website: www.cvlt.org <http://www.cvlt.org/> * <http://www.cvlt.org/promo>* *Promotional PHOTOS available for download at http://www.CVLT.org/promo <http://www.cvlt.org/promo>* * <http://www.cvlt.org/promo>* *The late Edward Albee's masterwork WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF opens at CVLT on *October 21 CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - When the eminent American playwright Edward Albee passed away at age 88 last month, director Claudia Lillibridge was already rehearsing her four-member cast to present his seminal blockbuster, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, for its October 21 opening at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse. The six-evening run includes 8 PM performances on Fridays and Saturdays through November 5. Tickets are $12, general admission. WHO'S AFRAID was Albee's Broadway debut and won five Tony Awards, including Best Play, in 1963. It ran for more than a year and a half, finding its way to the big screen in 1966 with the famous Mike Nichols adaptation starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Albee's ruthless and riveting drama has been enthralling and shocking audiences ever since. CVLT's production features actors Rob Walter and Darlene Rocco as 'George' and 'Martha', the embittered married couple who invite their younger counterparts, 'Nick' (John Hickman) and 'Honey' (Jennifer Betz), over for a night-cap following a university faculty party. What begins as a friendly invitation quickly spirals into a booze-soaked battle of psychological warfare, hurtling through the darker sides of marriage, academia, and the human condition, to reach an explosive conclusion. As with all of Albee's works, WHO'S AFRAID holds an often-unflattering mirror up to its characters and, by extension, the audience. In interviews with the New York Times and The Guardian, Albee described it as the writer's job to raise that mirror. "All of my plays are about people missing the boat, closing down too young, coming to the end of their lives with regret at things not done, as opposed to things done," he said. "We're not merely decorative, pleasant, and safe." CVLT's River Street Playhouse is the venerable non-profit's intimate 62-seat "black box" stage, offering audiences an up-close seat for the withering dialog and emotional fireworks on stage. WHO'S AFRAID was seen at CVLT in the same space thirty-four years ago. The script contains very strong language and adult themes and is therefore not recommended for sensitive audiences or those under age sixteen. Tickets to WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? are available by phone at 440-247-8955 or online at CVLT.org. The River Street Playhouse is located at 56 River Street, just west of the main CVLT building in downtown Chagrin Falls. Seating and parking are limited, and early reservations and arrival are recommended. CVLT is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and supported by the Ohio Arts Council. CVLT is a proud member of the American Association of Community Theatre. ###