People's Light & Theatre Company launches the 2007/2008 Season with THEOPHILUS NORTH running September 12 -October 7, 2007 on the Main Stage. THEOPHILUS NORTH is written by Matthew Burnett and is based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist Thornton Wilder (Our Town, The Skin of our Teeth). It premiered as a co-production of Arena Stage and Geva Theater, and was produced Off-Broadway last season. Abigail Adams directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. For tickets call 610-644-3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org. Wachovia is the show's corporate sponsor.

THEOPHILUS NORTH is Wilder's self-proclaimed autobiographical novel and is his last major work. The play takes place in the summer of 1926 when the title character arrives in Newport, Rhode Island, after quitting his teaching job in New Jersey to "see the world." Theophilus' unusual gifts and charisma lead to outlandish schemes and curious friendships with rich and poor alike, and ultimately help him to discover his life's purpose.

Artistic Director Abigail Adams is also the director of this production. She says, "THEOPHILUS NORTH is an uplifting story. It is about Thornton Wilder's coming of age and the path that lead him to become a writer."

"I also think this play is about how important friendships and connections are in life," she adds.

In THEOPHILUS NORTH, six actors, all People's Light company members, play 19 characters. The actor who plays Theophilus is John Wernke, a guest artist, and is the only one who maintains one character throughout the play. In the play, Theophilus enters the quirky community of Newport, Rhode Island.

"Our company actors, who have worked together for many years, really enjoy doing this kind of ensemble work. It also works well for this play because we have an outsider (John Wernke as Theophilus) entering a community where people have known each other for years."

THEOPHILUS NORTH previews on Wednesday, September 12th and Thursday, September 13, 2007. Opening night is at 8pm on Friday, September 14, 2007. The show runs through October 7, 2007. Tickets are now on sale and range in price from $29-$48, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more.

KEY BIOS

Matthew Burnett (Playwright) is a writer and actor, originally from Los Angeles. Theophilus North, his first full-length play, was given its world premiere as a co-production of Arena Stage and Geva Theater, for which he received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding New Play or Musical. Produced Off-Broadway last season at The Clurman on Theatre Row (Keen Company), Theophilus North is published and licensed by Samuel French, Inc., and is now receiving productions nationwide. An award-winning actor, Burnett has worked with Long Wharf Theater, Yale Repertory, Off-Broadway, in independent film, and on NBC's Ed. A member of Equity, SAG, and the Dramatists' Guild, he holds a degree in Theatre from UCLA, and studied with the British American Drama Academy at Oxford.

Thornton Wilder (Author) was born on April 17, 1897 in Madison, Wisconsin to Amos Parker Wilder and Isabella Niven Wilder. His twin brother died at birth, and Wilder grew up with four siblings who all excelled in academics and sports. Thornton Wilder began writing as a boy at the Thatcher School in Ojai, California. He received his undergraduate degree at Yale University and his graduate degree in French at Princeton University. Wilder's extensive body of work includes essays, novels, one-act and full-length plays. His novels include The Woman of Andros, The Ides of March, and Theophilus North. His plays include The Merchant of Yonkers, The Long Christmas Dinner, Plays for Bleeker Street, and The Alcestiad: Or, A Life In The Sun. He received the Pulitzer Prize on three separate occasions, for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth. Thornton Wilder died on December 7, 1975 at his home in Hamden, Connecticut. To this day, his works are read, performed and appreciated by audiences worldwide.

Abigail Adams (Director) is Artistic Director of the People's Light & Theatre Company. During her 30-year association with the Theatre, she has directed more than 50 plays. Recent productions include Twelfth Night, Something You Did, Fabulation, The Member of the Wedding, The O'Conner Girls, Sleeping Beauty, The Miser, String of Pearls, Arthur's Stone, Merlin's Fire, In the Blood, The Little Red Riding Hood Show and The Little Foxes. Abbey served for ten years on the faculty at Swarthmore College and has also taught at New York University, Bryn Mawr College, Carnegie Mellon University and the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. She has served as a panelist and site reporter for the NEA and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Ursinus College.

Alda Cortese (Ensemble) has been with People's Light since 1976, first appearing in Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage at the Yellow Springs Center for the Performing Arts in Chester Springs. She has since appeared in nearly 100 productions with this theatre-most recently as Mercy Lott in Humble Boy, and including The Foreigner, Jack & the Beanstalk, The O'Connor Girls, The Miser (for which she received a Barrymore nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress), String of Pearls, and Arthur's Stone, Merlin's Fire. Other roles include Doll Common in Playhouse Creatures, June in He Held Me Grand, Agnes in A Delicate Balance, and the Grandmother in The Little Red Riding Hood Show. Alda also serves as the Literary Manager.

Lenny Haas (Ensemble) was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and has been performing professionally in local theatres for almost twenty years. Most recently he was seen here as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. He has worked at The Arden, The Wilma, Act II Playhouse, Mum Puppettheatre, Cape May Stage, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Bristol Riverside, Hedgerow, Luna and 1812 Productions. He has been a member of the Resident Ensemble of Artists here at PLTC since 1988, and has performed in over 30 productions. Favorites include The Foreigner, Born Yesterday, A Perfect Ganesh, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Memory of Water, Sister Carrie and The Fantasticks.

Ahren Potratz (Ensemble) was previously seen at People's Light in Jason and the Golden Fleece, 30fest, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ahren was last seen as Haley in the Lantern Theater's Barrymore-nominated production of Master Harold...and the Boys. He has worked regionally for the McCarter, The Wilma, Enchantment Theatre, Interact, and New Freedom Repertory Theatre. He is also a Resident Teaching artist at People's Light.

Mary Elizabeth Scallen (Ensemble) has been a member of the Resident Ensemble of Artists since 1991 and is currently an Artistic Associate at PLTC. Recent appearances here include Twelfth Night, The Imaginary Invalid, and Fabulation. Mary Beth has also worked with PlayPenn, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Weston Playhouse (VT), Gretna Theatre (PA) and Mill Mountain Theatre (VA). She teaches acting at People's Light and at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tom Teti (Ensemble) is beginning his 33rd consecutive season at PLTC. Last season he appeared in The Imaginary Invalid and Robin Hood, as Friar Tuck. He has also performed at the Wilma Theater and the Arden Theater Company. Tom serves as producer and director of the Reading Writer's event for the Center for Literacy in Philadelphia. He teaches the advanced acting and teen classes at Hedgerow Theater.

John Wernke (Theophilus North) is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and he studied acting at Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He has been seen at People's Light in The Fantasticks and most recently has been focused on film where he has been seen in The Good Shepherd, Broken English and NYC Serenade, yet to be released. He was also part of the Smirnoff Raw Tea campaign as JW Killa, which was named 6th best commercial by TBS for 2006.

Julianna Zinkel (Ensemble) is a new company member at People's Light. Recently, Julianna has been seen in the People's Light productions The Crucible, The Member of the Wedding, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Miser. She has also performed at The Wilma Theater in Big Love and Wintertime, The Arden Theatre in As You Like It, The Stinky Cheese Man, and Crime and Punishment, and with Brat Productions in the one-woman show written by Madi DiStefano, Honeypot: Estro-Jen. For the past three years she has participated in the highly respected playwriting conference PlayPenn, headed by PLTC company member Paul Meshejian, in such plays as Scarcity by Lucy Thurber (world premiere production now at ATC) and There or Here by Jennifer Maisel. Next up, Crispin: The Cross of Lead, an exciting collaboration between People's Light and Andrew Belser's physical theater company, The Gravity Project.

Ticket Information
For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.peopleslight.org or contact the Box Office, open daily from noon until 6pm, at 610-644-3500. Group discounts for regular matinee and evening performances are available for parties of 10 or more. For more information on student performances or group tickets, call 610-647-1900, ext 134 or group@peopleslight.org.

Subscriptions to the 2007/2008 Season are still available at a significant savings! See all six shows for as little as $126 or choose just four shows for as little as $88. Shows include: Theophilus North (September 12 - October 7, 2007); Six Characters In Search of an Author (October 10 - November 4, 2007); Treasure Island (November 14 - December 30, 2007); The Glass Menagerie (February 13 - March 22, 2008); I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady From Rwanda (May 28 - June 22, 2008); Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily (June 18 - July 13, 2008). For information, tickets and subscriptions, please call the box office at 610-644-3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org.

Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each Thursday night performance to discuss the production.