O'Neill's 2006 Cabaret & Performance Conference Continues;
Award-Winning Performers And Artists
Marcus Hummon, Sherrie Austen, Ruth Williamson, More!

Five Nights of Different Performances from August 8 - August 12 in the Dina Merrill Theater!

Conference Concludes With Gala Grand Finale On Saturday, August 12

August 8, 2006

The O'Neill's Cabaret and Performance Conference, guided by Artistic Director Michael Bush, continues this week, concluding on Saturday, August 12 with a gala Grand Finale, a spectacular showcase of musical talent, followed by a reception with the company. The Conference brings the best in Cabaret Theater to the O'Neill in exciting performances of new and exciting projects by some of this country's most exciting established theatrical and cabaret performance artists as well as up and coming new performers each night at 7:30 pm. All performances are in the O'Neill's Dina Merrill Theater.

Featured performers this week include a Country Cabaret with Grammy-nominated songwriter Marcus Hummon (God Bless the Broken Road), joined by songstress Sherrie Austen (Streets of Heaven); and Ruth Williamson, stage and screen actress featured in the Tony Award-winning 2004 Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles, returning to perform the complete PURE HEAVEN, an evening about the life of songstress Kay Thompson, which began its development during the 2005 Cabaret Conference. Joining Ms. Williamson as The Williams Brothers, Kay Thompson's famed backup band, are Erich Bergen (soon to be seen as Bob Gaudio in the upcoming 1st national tour of Jersey Boys), Cole Burden (who appeared in the O'Neill's 2005 National Music Conference production, Willy & Rupert), Jeffrey Kuhn (Broadway's Assassins, Wicked, Ragtime) and Brian Charles Rooney (acclaimed for his performance as Lucy Brown in the Roundabout Theatre's 2006 Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera).

Most performances are followed by an Open Mic, featuring performances by Conference participants, special guest artists, O'Neill artistic and production staff and the O'Neill Intern Company.

Last year's Cabaret shows played to Standing Room Only audiences - early reservations are encouraged. Every performance is a unique, intimate and entertaining theatrical event! Don't miss the fun and surprises every night of the Conference!

CABARET AND PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - AUGUST 8 - AUGUST 12

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 - 7:30 pm
This Land Is Your Land! Come Celebrate Primary Night with
Joel Silberman, Associate Artistic Director of the Cabaret Conference, and his POLITICS AND POKER. An evening of fun and music.
Followed by Open Mic

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 - 7:30 pm
Songs from WARRRIOR - the music of Grammy winner Marcus Hummon
Featuring Marcus Hummon, Sherrie Austin, Deven May ("Bat Boy") and Marla Schaffel (star of Broadway's "Jane Eyre")
Followed by Open Mic

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 - 7:30 pm
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE! 2006 Cabaret Conference Participants
Followed by Open Mic

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11 - 7:30 pm
PURE HEAVEN, The Life of Kay Thompson,
Featuring Emmy Award winning, Tony nominated star Ruth Williamson (TV's Nip, Tuck)
Ruth completes her story of Kay Thompson in a dazzling evening of songs and laughter, first developed at the Cabaret Conference in 2005! With Erich Bergen, Cole Burden, Jeffrey Kuhn, Brian Charles Rooney
Followed by Open Mic

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 - 7:30 pm
GRAND FINALE! with All our Cabaret Performers! Includes post-show reception! Reserve your seats today!

Schedule and artists subject to change. All performances are in the Dina Merrill Theater. Tickets to Cabaret performances are $25/$20 for Members (bleacher seating) and $35, or two for $60 (table seating, including one bottle of wine per table); Grand Finale tickets are $35/$30 for Members (bleacher seating) and $50, or two for $90 (table seating, including one bottle of wine per table) and include a post-show reception! Please call the O'Neill Box Office at 860-443A-1238 for reservations.

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.