S. Epatha Merkerson To Join Charles S. Dutton at
August Wilson Tribute On July 23
In Scenes From Mr. Wilson's Work
August Wilson Endowed Fellowship Established At The O'Neill

July 19, 2006

Amy Sullivan, Executive Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, announced today that Emmy Award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson will join Charles S. Dutton in performing scenes from August Wilson's work during the O'Neill's tribute to Tony and Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright and poet August Wilson at the O'Neill's Waterford, Connecticut campus on Sunday, July 23 at 5:00 p.m. Their performance will be followed by a barbeque celebration with 2006 National Playwrights and Music Theater Conference participants, National Critics Institute fellows and O'Neill alumni, featuring August Wilson's favorite BBQ ribs prepared by the Award-winning chef and restauranteur, Mike Mills, 4-time World Rib Champion Barbequer.

Ms. Merkerson is best known for her role as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the long-running television series Law & Order. She received a Tony nomination for her role as Berniece in August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON. For her extensive stage, film and television work, she has been the recipient of the Emmy Award, two Obie Awards for her work off-Broadway, the Helen Hayes Award, a Golden Globe Award and two NAACP Image Awards, among others.

Charles S. ("Roc") Dutton was a Tony Award nominee for his roles on Broadway in August Wilson's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM and THE PIANO LESSON. He is the recipient of two Emmy awards for his screen roles and an Emmy Award as Director of the critically acclaimed HBO mini-series The Corner. He has also received an NAACP Image Award for his role on the show Roc.

The August Wilson Tribute marks the kickoff of The August Wilson Endowed Fellowship, which will secure in perpetuity the participation of a playwright of color in the National Playwrights Conference. Income from this endowment fund will fully underwrite a playwright's residency at the Conference every year.

For more information or to make a contribution to the August Wilson Endowed Fellowship, please call 860-443-5378, x213 Reservations for the Special Tribute to August Wilson, at $75 per person, can be made by calling 860-443-5378, x217. Tickets include admission to the performance and the BBQ.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964, has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists and is itself the winner of a special Tony Award, the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theater Excellence and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. Today, the O'Neill is home to the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, Puppetry Conference, Cabaret Conference, National Critics Institute, and the fully accredited National Theater Institute, which includes semester-long, fully accredited intensive theater-training programs and a six-week accredited summer program, Theatermakers. In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, a National Historic Landmark and the childhood home of Nobel Prize-winning and four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill. For more information regarding the Center, please visit the O'Neill website at www.TheONeill.org or call 860-443-5378.