Setting the Stage: Anna Deavere Smith Begins Work with Director Leonard Foglia at ZACH Theatre

New beginnings abound at ZACH Theatre this week -- for both the Austin theatre scene and its latest star Anna Deavere Smith. Ms. Smith begins preview performances of her masterful new play LET ME DOWN EASY on Wednesday at 8pm on ZACH's Whisenhunt Stage, and begins the play's official run with a champagne reception following Saturday's opening night performance.

Beginning, too, at ZACH is an item that recently caught the attention of The New York Times: the start of a long-anticipated collaboration between famed Broadway director Leonard Foglia and Ms. Smith. The two are debuting their collaborative work on LET ME DOWN EASY exclusively at ZACH Theatre.

And, if you ask us, this is a match made in theatre heaven! LET ME DOWN EASY is on its final stop before heading to New York's Second Stage Theater. But Austin audiences get to witness a level of closeness with Anna Deavere Smith that New York audiences just won't see. Because ZACH's Whisenhunt stage hosts Ms. Smith's play in-the-round, Austin audiences will have a chance to see her in a setting with unparalleled intimacy.

“The city of Austin and ZACH Theatre, specifically, have played an important role in the evolution of this project,” said Ms. Smith. “ZACH Theatre has been part of the play since the beginning; many of the characters – from Gov. Ann Richards to Lance Armstrong – originated in suggestions from people at ZACH.”

The fact that the collaboration between Leonard Foglia and Anna Deavere Smith begins at ZACH Theatre is also a tremendous privilege for Austin audiences. Mr. Foglia took Laurence Fishborne's one-man play THURGOOD to extreme critical acclaim last year on Broadway. And many critics are excited to see what role he will play in shaping Ms. Smith's one-woman show at ZACH.

LET ME DOWN EASY "is a substantial revision of what I did before, focusing far more on health care than the previous productions," Ms. Smith told The New York Times. “Signs seem to suggest we will soon be in a vigorous national debate over health care. The piece not only looks at the human body as both resilient and vulnerable, but also health care as a practical part of that.”

For tickets, call (512) 476-0541, x1. Book early, shows are selling fast! Because of the tremendous demand, ZACH recently added a Tuesday night performance, and the theatre is offering a limited number of $20 tickets on Tuesday nights.

This project has been made possible by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation.