Family Drama Bhutan, written by Daisy Foote and featuring Amy Redford, to open at the Powerhouse Theater. Wednesday, June 28, 2006

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Vassar College and New York Stage and Film will present the family drama Bhutan, written by Daisy Foote, featuring Tasha Lawrence, Sarah Lord, Amy Redford, Jedadiah Schultz and directed by Evan Yionoulis, from June 28 – July 8 in the Powerhouse Theater.

Bhutan – the story of a family that must reinvent itself following a family tragedy – was developed and presented by the Cherry Lane Theatre New York in the fall of 2005 through their "Celebrating Women Playwrights" series. As Foote describes in an interview with the online publication CurtainUp, "The play goes back and forth in time as we learn why Warren Conroy, the son who keeps his family glued together, has ended up in prison. As this question is answered, we learn about the complicated life of his family … and the life of his town."

Daisy Foote, of Stone Ridge, N.Y., has written extensively for the stage, including Living With Mary, God's Pictures, Farley and Betsey and When They Speak of Rita. Her work for the cinema includes an adaptation of Elizabeth Jolley's The Last Crop and Water Music. Foote is the daughter of Pulitzer-prize winning dramatist Horton Foote, who received Academy Awards for his screenplays To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. She received her education in American studies at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and is the recipient of the Roger L. Stevens Incentive Award for New American Plays.

Amy Redford, daughter of actor and director Robert Redford, has worked with Foote many times. As Foote describes in CurtainUp, "Amy is perfect for my work; she has a real understanding for these people I write about. And she is an amazing actor with an impeccable sense of truth." Redford attended the University of Colorado and studied theater in San Francisco and London. Her television credits include Law & Order, The Soprano's and Sex and the City, and her film credits include Maid in Manhattan, Cry Funny Happy and The Music Inside.

Director Evan Yionoulis' stage credits include The Violet Hour, Everett Beekin, The American Plan, The Author's Voice and Three Days of Rain, for which she received an OBIE award. Her regional credits include productions in Denver, Louisville, Dallas and Portland. Yionoulis teaches at the Yale School of Drama, which she chaired from 1998-2003 and is a resident director at the Yale Repertory Theatre.

Tickets are $25 and can be ordered by calling the Powerhouse Theater Box Office at (845) 437-7235 and (845) 437-5599, or by visiting http://powerhouse.vassar.edu

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential, liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Friday, June 16th, 2006.