The Orphans� Home Cycle: a world premiere production of nine plays by Horton Foot

The Orphans� Home Cycle, a world premiere production of nine plays by Horton Foote that have been newly adapted by the Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning playwright into a three-part theatrical event, will be co-produced in the 2009-2010 season by Signature Theatre Company and Hartford Stage.

The productions will be directed by Michael Wilson and performed at Hartford Stage -in Hartford, Connecticut- from 27 Aug 2009 to 17 Oct 2009 and at Signature Theatre Company's 'Peter Norton Space' in New York, from 29 Oct 2009 to 11 Apr 2010.

Each part of the three part cycle will be staged individually as well as in repertory and one-day marathons. Audiences may choose to see the individual parts or the entire trilogy.

Dates and further details on the schedules will be announced later.

The Orphans� Home Cycle encompasses nine newly adapted plays by Foote, together for the first time. Foote, 92, is actively adapting each of the full-length plays, some previously produced and others never before seen, into one epic cycle.

Over three dozen artists will come together over a nine month period to present this historic production. This three-part version of The Orphans� Home Cycle was commissioned by Hartford Stage in 2007.

�It�s incredibly moving to see all of these plays from my years of writing come together into the theatrical cycle that I�ve always envisioned. It is particularly meaningful to me that Hartford Stage and Signature Theatre Company, two theatres that have been so supportive of my work, are partnering to bring this to life,� commented Foote.

Classical in its breadth and scope, The Orphans� Home Cycle begins with a father�s death in a small-Texas town at the turn of the century, a loss that sends his son, Horace Robedaux, on an odyssey through the darkest corners of the heart as he learns to become a husband, father, and patriarch.

Set in Foote�s fictitious town of Harrison, Texas and based partly on the childhood of Foote's father and the courtship and marriage of his parents, the cycle is a wide-ranging, intricate work.

Part I begins at the turn of the 20th century with the plays 'Roots in a Parched Ground,' 'Convicts' and 'Lily Dale' and follows Horace Robedaux in his formative years.

Part II focuses on the married life of Horace Robedaux and his new wife and is made up of the plays 'The Widow Claire,' 'Courtship' and 'Valentine�s Day.'

Part III consists of the plays '1918,' 'Cousins' and 'The Death of Papa' and begins with the turmoil of World War I and ends with the characters looking to the future of their family and land.

Three of the individual plays, 'Roots in a Parched Ground,' 'Convicts' and 'Cousins' will be receiving their world premieres as part of the cycle.

Signature Theatre Company devoted its 1994-1995 season to Horton Foote, including the world premieres of 'The Young Man from Atlanta' (for which Foote won the Pulitzer Prize) and 'Laura Dennis' and the New York premieres of 'Night Seasons' and 'Talking Pictures.' Signature produced the world premiere of his 'The Last of the Thorntons' in its 2000-2001 season and the award-winning production of 'The Trip to Bountiful' in 2005 in the company�s 15th anniversary season.

�Signature has cherished our relationship with Horton over the last 15 years and it�s a thrill to see him now, with pages spread throughout his apartment, creating this wonderful new work,� said James Houghton. �He is excited about the challenge of distilling his plays into this cycle and for audiences to experience the emotional journey taken by these characters over the course of the trilogy. We look forward to our collaboration with our friends at Hartford Stage on this exciting and ambitious project.�

The Orphans� Home Cycle replaces Signature Theatre Company�s previously announced season devoted to Suzan-Lori Parks, which has been delayed due to Ms. Parks� current workload and other professional obligations. Signature hopes to celebrate her work in a future season.

Hartford Stage has produced the world premieres of The Carpetbagger�s Children (which transferred Off-Broadway), and The Death of Papa (the last play in The Orphans� Home Cycle), as well as the 50th anniversary revival of The Trip to Bountiful. In May, Hartford Stage will present the Broadway transfer of Mr. Foote�s hit comedy, 'Dividing the Estate.' Michael Wilson states, �I am honored to continue my long collaboration with Horton Foote by producing and directing his masterwork, The Orphans� Home Cycle, at Hartford Stage and Signature Theatre Company. Over the last 10 years, Hartford Stage audiences have warmly embraced Horton, and by bringing his nine-play cycle in its entirety to the stage this fall, they will have the opportunity see the most ambitious work of one of America�s greatest living playwrights. It is a rare opportunity, and a magnificent journey that I am excited to embark upon with our audience, and our esteemed partners at Signature.�

Horton Foote (Playwright) had his first play, 'Texas Town,' produced Off-Broadway in 1941. Since then he has had plays produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off Off-Broadway and at many theaters around the country. Prizes for his writing include 'The Young Man From Atlanta' (Pulitzer Prize), 'The Trip to Bountiful' (Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Revival), 'The Carpetbagger�s Children' (American Theater Critics 2002 Best Play Award). He received Academy Awards for his screenplay adaptation of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and his original screenplay, 'Tender Mercies.'

Michael Wilson (Director) most recently directed Horton Foote�s Dividing the Estate for Lincoln Center Theater on Broadway. A longtime collaborator with Mr. Foote, he has directed the premieres of his plays The Carpetbagger�s Children (Hartford Stage and Lincoln Center Theater) and The Death of Papa (Hartford Stage); the New York premieres of Dividing the Estate and The Day Emily Married (Primary Stages); and the 50th Anniversary revival of The Trip to Bountiful (Hartford Stage and Alley Theatre).