Hailed as one of the great tragedies and greatest triumphs in stage literature, Shakespeare's King Lear makes its debut in Center Valley. Previewing on July 9 and 10, the piercing master­piece opens at PSF on Friday July 11 and runs through August 3.

Performances are Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Additional 2pm matinees are Saturdays July 19 and 26 and Saturday August 2. The Sunday Evening Special is July 13 at 7:30pm. Ticket prices range from $29 to $46, with discounts for subscribers, students, seniors and groups.

The production sponsor is Lutron Electronics Company, Inc., production co-sponsors are Kathleen Kund Nolan & Timothy Nolan and Linda Lapos & Paul Wirth.

Written when Shakespeare was forty-one years old, scholars often rank King Lear as his greatest achievement. "In King Lear, Shakespeare's art is at its apex, exquisitely executed, unmis­takable in its beauty," says Producing Artistic Director Mulcahy. "It is no accident this is considered one of the greatest plays ever written."

A tragic, poetic drama reflecting some of the darkest of human temperaments, the saga begins when the aging King Lear of Britain decides to surrender his crown to enjoy old age in tranquility. He plans to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, promising the largest share to the one who can prove that she loves him most. Goneril and Regan shower their father with lavish declarations. For Cordelia, the youngest, expressing her love in the form of public flattery goes against her nature, and her expressions, while true and honest, are tempered.

Lear flies into a rage and disowns his beloved Cordelia, who departs with the King of France to become his wife. Lear divides his wealth and land evenly between daughters Goneril and Regan, and decrees that they will take turns caring for him and his retinue of 100 knights. Kent, Lear's faithful adviser, admonishes the King to reverse his "hideous rashness," and is banished. These events plunge family and kingdom all into a chaos that unleashes the worst in humanity, as Lear's remaining retinue jockey for power. As Lear descends into madness, those loyal to him demonstrate unparalleled devotion, despite his failings, as he comes to full knowledge of himself in light of all these consequences.

Directed by Fontaine Syer, who served as Associate Art Director at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, King Lear features scenic design by five time Emmy winner Bob Phillips and costume design by Marla Jurglanis. Eric T. Haugen has designed lights; Matthew Given, sound. Adam Noble is fight director and Dudley Knight is voice and text coach. Zoya Kachadurian stage manages.

Portraying the aging - and enraged - King Lear is Broadway veteran Christopher Coucill, whose NY credits include The Graduate and Kiss Me Kate. Coucill was last seen as Don Quixote in PSF's 2004 production Man of La Mancha. Chris Faith, a three-time Barrymore award nominee, plays the role of Lear's devoted, humorous Fool. David Alan Anderson, last seen at PSF in 2006 as the title role in Othello, plays the Earl of Kent, Lear's loyal nobleman.

Fresh from his acclaimed turn in PSF's season opener, Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, Christopher Patrick Mullen plays the enigmatic, legitimate son of Gloucester. Edgar's deceitful half brother, Edmund, is portrayed by Adam Noble, who also serves as the production's fight choreographer. Dudley Knight, a Professor Emeritus of Drama at the University of California, takes the role of the Earl of Gloucester.

Lear's conniving daughters, Goneril and Regan, are played by Lynne Perkins and Susan Riley Stevens, respectively. Perkins has directing and acting credits across the country, while Stevens won the 2007 Barrymore Leading Actress award. Rachael Joffred, a recent DeSales University graduate and star of numerous DeSales Act 1 productions, plays Cordelia.

Goneril's husband, the Duke of Albany, is played by Ron Heneghan, who returns for his fourth season with PSF. Portraying the dukes of Cornwall and Burgundy are Steven Patterson, and Paul J. Pride Jr, respectively. Dan Hodge portrays Oswald and Ruy Iskandar, the King of France.

Currently running on the main stage is Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which runs until July 6. This season also features Anthony Burgess' adaptation of Edmund Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (July 16-August 3, Main Stage), and a musical adaptation of Kipling's classic, The Jungle Book (through August 2, Schubert Theatre).

The free outdoor Green Show completes the season's offerings and is performed one hour prior to each evening performance.

Single ticket prices range from $29 to $46. Discounts are available for subscribers, seniors, students, and groups. Season tickets are still available and offer patrons the greatest discounts and flexibility. Tickets can be ordered by calling 610-282 WILL or online at www.pashakespeare.org.

Amaranth Foundation is the 2008 Season Sponsor. Associate Season Sponsors are The Morning Call and Service Electric Cable TV & Communications.

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University is the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth and a professional, not-for-profit theatre company. An independent 501 c 3 organization, PSF receives support from DeSales University and relies on contributions from individuals, government agencies, corporations and foundations. PSF is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America.

For ticket information, contact PSF at 610-282-WILL or online at www.pashakespeare.org.

Principal Artists' Biographies

DAVID ALAN ANDERSON (Kent) returns to PSF after playing the title role in Othello in 2006. Recent portrayals include Alonzo Fields in Looking Over the President's Shoulder at Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) in Indianapolis, where he resides and is a frequent performer; Caesar Wilkes in Gem of the Ocean at IRT, GeVa Theatre, and Syracuse Stage; Sebastian in The Tempest at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and The Duke in Measure for Measure at Indiana University in a guest artist appearance. He is a company member with Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN. Other regional appearances include Center Stage, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Kansas City Rep, Delaware Theatre Company, The People's Light and Theatre, and the St. Louis Black Rep where he played the title role in Macbeth.

CHRISTOPHER COUCILL (Lear) PSF: Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha (2004). Broadway: The Graduate, Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun. National tour: Crazy for You. Off Broadway: Portraits, The Fantasticks, The Rothschilds, A Funny Thing...Forum. Regional: McCarter Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, Shakespeare & Company, The Huntington, Boston Shakespeare Company, Dallas Theatre Center, and many others. Television: Deadline, Law & Order, One Life to Live, O Pioneers!, Margaret Mead: An Observer Observed.

CHRIS FAITH (Fool) is pleased to return to PSF, having played Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew last season. Off-Broadway: The Secret Garden, Promenade Theatre; Like It Is, York Theatre. Regionally: Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre, American Stage Festival, Missouri Rep. Locally: Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre, The People's Light, 1812 Productions, Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center (co-starring with Linda Eder), Bristol Riverside, Act II Playhouse, and Luna Theatre. Chris is a three-time Barrymore nominee and co-hosted the awards ceremony this past October. He holds an M.F.A. in Acting from Brandeis University.

MATTHEW GIVEN (Sound Designer) rejoins PSF for his fifth summer as resident sound designer and first as production manager. He has designed 25 productions here; some of his favorites include: The Winter's Tale, The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Merchant of Venice, and Man of La Mancha. After five years in New York City working as a freelance designer, Matthew moved to Orlando, Florida to serve as the resident sound designer for the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre. He holds an M.F.A. in sound design from Ohio University.

ERIC T. HAUGEN (Lighting Designer) In recent seasons at PSF, Eric has designed the lighting for such shows as Amadeus, My Fair Lady, and Henry IV, Part 1, among others. His theatrical lighting has been seen Off-Broadway and in regional theatres around the country. Based in Orlando, FL, Eric recently formed a new company, FX Lighting, which provides lighting designs for television, themed entertainment, architecture, corporate meetings and trade shows.

RON HENEGHAN (Duke of Albany) returns to PSF where his credits include Polixenes in The Winter's Tale, Arragon/Venice in The Merchant of Venice and Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing. Regional: Seattle Repertory Theatre, Empty Space Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He is an associate professor of Theatre and communications at Northampton Community College and received his M.F.A. from the University of Washington.

RACHAEL JOFFRED (Cordelia) is a recent DeSales graduate where her credits in the past year include Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, the title roles in Antigone and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Last year, she portrayed Bianca in PSF's The Taming of the Shrew.

MARLA JURGLANIS (Costume Designer) is returning to PSF after designing The Taming of the Shrew last year. Marla has been the Resident Costume Designer for The People's Light and Theatre Company for 19 years. She has designed more than 120 shows in the Philadelphia area. Her designs have appeared at The Arden Theatre Co., Delaware Theatre Co., Philadelphia Theatre Co., George Street Playhouse, the Virginia Stage Co., and other area theatres. Marla is a six-time Barrymore Award Nominee for Outstanding Costume Design.

ZOYA KACHADURIAN (Production Stage Manager) Broadway stage management: stints on The Lion King, 42ND St, Annie, and An Inspector Calls amongst many. Also stage managed for V-Day 2001 at Madison Square Garden with 75 stars. She directed Stones in His Pockets, A Cocktail Hour, and The Graduate for various Massachusetts theatres. In TV, Zoya was Production Coordinator for Sesame Street (two seasons), Coordinating Producer for One Life to Live and produced commercials for Nickelodeon and Time Warner. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors' Lab, EST Directors' Lab 2001, Women's Project Forum 2004 all in NYC and LaMama's International Directors' Symposium.

DUDLEY KNIGHT (Gloucester; Voice/Text Coach) Professor Emeritus of Drama at the University of California, Irvine. Founding member of the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut; extensive stage career includes major roles in regional theatres such as American Conservatory Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, La Jolla Playhouse, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and many others, along with hundreds of roles in film, television, radio, and voice-over. Certified as master teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. A forty-year career as voice, speech, text, and dialect teacher and voice/text director for professional theatre, including five years on the artistic staff of Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory; conducts workshops and lectures on voice and speech for actors and voice teachers nationwide; published articles in journals and in the books, The Vocal Vision and Standard Speech.

PATRICK MULCAHY (Producing Artistic Director) Since assuming leadership in 2003, Mr. Mulcahy has overseen PSF's return to artistic excellence and financial stability, rebuilding the professional company of artists and achieving increasing national recognition for the Festival. Further accomplishments include: PSF's awards from the National Endowment for the Arts; featuring artists who are winners and nominees of the Tony, Obie, Emmy, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Jefferson and Barrymore awards to the Festival; growth in all income areas; a 50% increase in attendance, and the expansion of the number of Actors' Equity contracts per season. As a professional director, actor, and fight director, his credits include Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, television and radio. For PSF, he directed The Winter's Tale last season, Henry IV, Part 1 (2005), The Tempest (1999) and acted in and served as fight director for The Taming of the Shrew (1998) and Julius Caesar (1997). As Head of Acting at DeSales, he directed ten productions for Act 1, including I Hate Hamlet, The Grapes of Wrath, The Foreigner and The Diary of Anne Frank. He holds an M.F.A. in directing from Syracuse University.

CHRISTOPHER PATRICK MULLEN (Edgar) is a DeSales graduate whose 20 productions at PSF include Irma Vep, As You Like It, Around the World in 80 Days, Hamlet, Charley's Aunt, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and The Glass Menagerie. Regional and NY credits include: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Assassins, Getting Near to Baby, Splittin' the Raft, The Crucible, The Stinky Cheese Man, Hedda Gabler, The Seven Year Itch, and The Pavilion. TV: Law & Order. Chris is a member of The People's Light & Theatre Company and Quinnopolis NY.

ADAM NOBLE (Edmund/Fight Choreographer) Delacorte/NYSF/Public, Seattle Rep, Lincoln Center Director's Lab, Culture Project, Julliard, Stage Left, P.S. 122, Guild Hall, On the Boards. Adam is an actor and movement specialist with credits in the worlds of theatre, film, and opera. He is a member of AEA, ATME, and the SAFD. He has taught movement around the country and choreographed the violence for over 50 stage and film productions. He is currently the professor of movement and combat at Indiana University.

STEVEN PATTERSON (Cornwall) has appeared Off- and Off-Off-Broadway as well as regionally with such theaters as the Oregon, Orlando, Utah, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals, South Coast Repertory, TheatreWorks, the Lexington Conservatory Theatre, and Kaliyuga Arts. Recent roles have included two solo shows: Jim Helsinger's Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus and Gareth Armstrong's Shylock, as well as Cassius in Julius Caesar, Kent in King Lear, George in In Circles, Mr. Barrell in Beckett's All That Fall, and Austin Wiggin in The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World.

LYNNE PERKINS (Goneril) has appeared at Indiana Repertory Theatre, Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Cape May Stage and Human Race Theatre. Favorite productions include Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Steel Magnolias, The Seahorse, Search for Signs of Intelligent Life., You Can't Take it With You; Ah, Wilderness; Side by Side by Sondheim, and Nunsense. Directing credits include Laramie Project, Cloud Nine, Comedy of Errors and The Importance of Being Earnest.

BOB PHILLIPS (Set Designer) also designed sets for Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker and The Jungle Book for PSF this season. Last year, he designed The Winter's Tale, Irma Vep, and Winnie the Pooh last year and more than two dozen PSF shows since 1995. Bob celebrates his fourteenth season as Resident Designer for the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre where he has designed over 60 productions. His television designs include Another World, Search for Tomorrow, and Sesame Street, where he has designed 19 seasons. Bob has received the Outer Critics Circle, Villager, Madison, and Lillian Stoates Awards for his stage work and five Emmys for his television designs.

SUSAN RILEY STEVENS (Regan) 2nd season, PSF. Bad Dates, Act 2 Playhouse (Barrymore Award), The Pavilion, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Uneasy Chair, 1812 Productions, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Delaware Theatre Co; Closer, Three Days of Rain, Arden Theatre Co; Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Asolo Theatre Co; All's Well That Ends Well, Dallas Theatre Center; Twelfth Night, Titus Andronicus, Hudson Valley Shakespeare. M.F.A., Yale School of Drama.

FONTAINE SYER (Director) has been a professional director and actor in regional theatre for more than 30 years. She was co-founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Project in St. Louis, Associate Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Artistic Director of the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington. Favorite Shakespeare plays she has directed include Macbeth in Delaware, The Winter's Tale in Oregon, and Othello at PSF in 2006. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Delaware and is now an Associate Professor at Indiana University.