Broadway meets BIG ARTS

CAMPBELL Tony nominee Alan Campbell, best known to Broadway audiences for his lengthy stint as the ill-fated Joe Gillis in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard," will star in the original Gulfshore Playhouse production of David Mamet's "Oleanna," in the BIG ARTS OnStage series, Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 16 and 17.

Written by the Pulitzer Prize winning Mamet, (author of plays such as "Glengarry Glen Ross" and films such as "Wag the Dog" and "Hoffa"), "Oleanna" is an edge-of-your-seat drama covering the themes of power, manipulation, spin and human perception. By the end of the piece, the audience is fully engaged in this riveting psychological "everyman" story, completely aware that life, and our good-standing in it, sits precariously on a fence and could, at any moment, be jostled from its perch.

Spectators notoriously find themselves siding with one character or the other in this two-person drama that begins when a struggling student visits the office of her college professor for help. The seemingly harmless encounter quickly turns sour. Crackling dialogue combined with breathtaking realism make this unique play an unforgettable warning to us all. How are our words and actions truly perceived? Is what we said, really what we meant? And was that what was heard? "Oleanna" is an examination of political correctness that guarantees to elicit emotional debate.

NESSLEY The original production, directed by Kristen Coury, producing artistic director of the Gulfshore Playhouse, was voted one of the top 10 shows in Raleigh/Durham, N.C., when she first directed it there for the "Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy" Theatre Series. Coury decided to mount the same production again with Gulfshore Playhouse last fall, to great reviews.

"I am delighted to be partnering with BIG ARTS to bring this extraordinary production and amazing cast to Southwest Florida," said Coury.

For further information about this production and other upcoming events at BIG ARTS, to purchase tickets, to sign up for workshops, or to become a member, call 395-0900, email info@bigarts.org or log on to www.BIGARTS.org or www. gulfshoreplayhouse.org.