For Immediate Release: February 18, 2006
Media Contact: Tom Miller, Walnut Street Theatre, 215.574.3555

The Walnut Street Theatre continues its magical 197th season with Trying, by Joanna McClelland Glass. This poignant and touching story of intergenerational struggles and understanding will warm your heart on the Walnut stage from March 14 to April 30, 2006.

Trying tells the story of Sarah Schorr, a 25 year old woman from Saskatchewan who arrives for her first day working as the new secretary of Judge Francis Biddle. Crusty, cantankerous and imposing, Judge Biddle (even at his age) is a force to be reckoned with. The play entails the last year of Biddle's life and the relationship that grows between these two headstrong, yet undeniably different, people. Their relationship takes on new meanings as Judge Biddle's health and mind begin to betray him.

Since its New York premiere in 2004, Trying has been a critical success in numerous theatres across the country. Newspapers in Chicago, Toronto and Washington D.C. (among others) have lauded the play and its pitch-perfect story. The Chicago Sun-Times called it "One of the finest pieces of theatre I have seen in many years.a glittering, diamond-hard script that is all but flawless." Now the Walnut Street Theatre presents its production of this fine piece of theatre written by Joanna McClelland Glass. Ms. Glass writes from personal experience. The character of Sarah is based on Joanna herself, who served as Judge Biddle's secretary in the last year of his life.

In the fall of 1967, Joanna McClelland Glass had just moved to Washington with her new husband and was able to secure work as a secretary for Judge Biddle. She was young, but due to her upbringing on the Canadian prairie, possessed a strength and wisdom beyond her years. Despite the age difference, Joanna proved to be a formidable partner to the headstrong Judge Biddle. It is from their relationship that Trying was created. In thinking about subject material for a play about Judge Biddle, Ms. Glass had attempted to write a play about Biddle in his prime, but found greater success when confronting his final struggles. Biddle; Philadelphia blueblood, Attorney General under F.D.R. and Chief American Judge at the Nuremburg Trials, found no greater challenge than dealing with his own mortality.

The works of Joanna McClelland Glass have been produced in numerous North American theatres, as well as in England, Ireland, Australia and Germany. She has been an acclaimed and award-winning playwright and author for over 30 years. Among her works is Play Memory. Directed by Harold Prince, Play Memory was first produced in 1984, winning Ms. Glass a Tony Award Nomination in that same year.

At the helm of this production is director Malcolm Black. Malcolm has directed over 20 productions at the Walnut alone, in a career that has spanned the United States and elsewhere. He has served as the artistic director for three theatres in Canada, and has worked with such stars as Tammy Grimes, George Segal, Robert Goulet and Jerry Orbach. His most recent directorial excursion at the Walnut was our spirited production of Finian's Rainbow last fall. Other Walnut credits include last season's The Constant Wife, Damn Yankees, The Voysey Inheritance and The Philadelphia Story.

Among the design staff for Trying are folks very familiar with the Walnut indeed. Trying is set in the office of Judge Biddle, which is actually a converted hay loft in the garage adjacent to the Biddle's Georgetown home. Set and Lighting Designer Paul Wonsek (Damn Yankees!, Cats and Finian's Rainbow at the Walnut) brings over 30 years of design experience to the table, and has a set design that accurately portrays the time and seasons over the course of Judge Biddle's final year. Costume Design is by the Walnut's resident Costume Shop Manager Colleen Grady, who has designed over 20 productions in her tenure at the Walnut. Sound Design is by Laura Burton, whose original compositions have been featured at the Walnut in Gaslight and The Heiress (among others).

A man like Francis Biddle is not an easy one to portray. Scion of an old Philadelphia Mainline family, Biddle threw off the expectations of his upbringing and made it his life's work to stand up for the downtrodden and fight for what is right. In his 81 years, Francis Biddle had seen both the good and bad that society is capable of. John Horton portrays Judge Francis Biddle. Mr. Horton is a longtime veteran of stage and screen, most recently appearing on Broadway in A Touch of the Poet. Other Broadway credits include Moby Dick, Spokesong, Amadeus, Lettice and Lovage, Kiss Me Kate and Noises Off. In addition to numerous Off-Broadway credits, Mr. Horton has worked in Canada with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival and the Shaw Festival. Regional credits include the Guthrie and Long Wharf Theatres. TV and film credits include "Law and Order: CI," "One Life to Live," "Trinity," Shawshank Redemption, Thinner and Donnie Brasco. One could go on, but suffice it to say Mr. Horton is up to the challenge of Judge Francis Biddle, and we are proud to have him here at the Walnut for the first time.

Joining Mr. Horton onstage as the headstrong Sarah Schorr is Jody Stevens. Although a newcomer to the Walnut, she has performed with numerous theatre companies in the U.S., Canada and England including Sudbury Theatre, Shakespeare by the Sea, Neptune Theatre and the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Ms. Stevens should prove to be not only a match for Judge Biddle, but for Mr. Horton as well.

At the end of all things, do not mistake Trying as a play only about the challenges of aging, as it is so much more than that. It is a story about how we are constantly trying to make a meaningful world out of the difficulties and obstacles in our paths. It is a tale of love, friendship, loss, hope and the nobility we achieve through struggles in spite of our misgivings. Despite all their differences, what Sarah and Judge Biddle find in common is life itself and (more importantly) how you live it.

TRYING runs at the Walnut March 14 through April 30. This production is sponsored by Blank and Rome, LLP. Media Sponsors are B101 and NBC 10. For tickets and information, call the Walnut Street Theatre's box office at 215-574-3550 or visit the theatre's website, www.wstonline.org.

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