FUSION brings our regional premiere of August: Osage County to The Cell stage under the direction of Gil Lazier (Parlour Song, How the Other Half Loves) with a huge, stellar cast of the region's finest professional actors. This will be the "don't miss" theatrical event of the season: don't be left out in the cold!

August: Osage County continues through September 26th with Thursday and Friday performances at 7:30 p.m., two performances on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 6:00 p.m. Please note special start times. For tickets and information call 766-9412 or click here:

Single tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for students and seniors. Thursday performances (excluding opening night) feature a $10.00 student rush (with valid I.D.) and $20 actor rush (with professional resume.) The first Saturday matinee, September 12, is a pay-what-you-wish performance. Group discounts are also available. Substantial discounts are available when you purchase a

Free parking is plentiful in our lot just north of the theatre. The Cell is located at 700 1st St. N.W., just west of Broadway and south of Lomas.

Christoper Isherwood, New York Times:
"Mr. Letts, hitherto best known as the author of the crafty, blood-soaked genre pieces “Killer Joe” and “Bug,” somehow finds fresh sources of insight, humor and anguish in seemingly worn-to-the-stump material: the dysfunctional dynamics of the American family. In August: Osage County can be heard echoes of other classic dramas about the strangling grip of blood ties — from Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” to Sam Shepard’s “Buried Child” — but Mr. Letts infuses his dark drama with potent energies derived from two more populist forms of American entertainment. The play has the zip and zingy humor of classic television situation comedy and the absorbing narrative propulsion of a juicy soap opera, too."

Misha Berson, Seattle Times:
"[Letts'] superb comic instincts also get a workout in August: Osage County, which is peppered with hilarious, venomous (and unprintable) insults and retorts. But Letts digs deeper here, into his own Oklahoma roots, to portray a middle-class family of academics. And he reaches higher, to contextualize their suffering in an Old West of bitter disillusionment, bequeathed from a hardened, bitter "greatest" generation to its conflicted, scattered offspring.”

"August: Osage County" Cast

Paul Blott	PAUL BLOTT* Originally from Los Angeles where he performed a variety of Shakespearean roles at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, Paul is a veteran of New Mexico theatre having appeared in many productions in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. He appeared with FUSION last season in First Love, The Mandrake, and The Seven: Hidden Agendas. Previously, he played leading roles in FUSION's productions of Sarah Ruhl's eurydice and in Death of a Salesman. He also starred in the Jury Award-winning "Gun Metal Blue Bar" and "Laying Off" in The Seven: That One Thing. He also performed in "Laying Off" at the Samuel French OOB in NYC. Previously, he was “Big Daddy” in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Paul’s film work includes Lightening Jack, Lazarus Man, Last Stand at Saber River, Bordertown, Wildfire, Beer for My Horses, Run for Her Life and the new USA series In Plain Sight, and The Resident with Hilary Swank. When not acting Paul and his wife Susie run their own herb business, Aroma Fresca.
Joanne Camp	JOANNE CAMP* most recently played Ilona in the independent feature film, Warrior Woman with Julie Reichert directing. She returns to FUSION from her inaugural season last year, when she played in First Love and The Mandrake. Ms Camp recently moved from NYC where her credits included, Broadway: Dinner at Eight, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Sisters Rosensweig, The Heidi Chronicles (Drama Desk & Tony Award nominations), and Coastal Disturbances. Off-Broadway: 25 years as a member of The Pearl Theatre Company where she performed in over 50 productions playing roles ranging from "Atossa" in Aeschylus’ Persians, to "Beatrice" in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to "Millamant" in Congreve’s The Way of the World to "Ranyevskaya" in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard to "Miss Prism" in The Importance of Being Ernest to "Albertine Prine" in Lillian Hellman’s Toys in the Attic and her work was recognized with an Obie Award for Continued Excellence and a Joseph A Callaway Award for Classical Performance; Geniuses (Clarence Derwent & Theatre World Awards), Painting Churches, As It Is In Heaven, and Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Film/TV: Private Parts, Law & Order, Damages, The Luckiest Man in the World, and Canterbury’s Law. Joanne has been a proud member of the Actors Equity Association since 1978.
Bruce Holmes	BRUCE HOLMES* most recently appeared with FUSION in Jen Silverman's award-winning The Education of Macoloco as part of The Seven: New Works, which recently won the Samuel French Off Broadway New Works Festival. Previously, he was "Ned" in Parlour Song and "Teddy" in The Homecoming. He made his debut here as "Christy" in Martin McDonaugh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore. In Seattle, he worked at A.C.T., Center Stage, AHA!, N.W. Shakespeare Ensemble, and The Empty Space Theatre. Favorite roles at The Space include “Pat” in The True History of Coca-Cola in Mexico, “Jess” in The Complete Wrks of Wilm Shakespeare Abridged, “Horace” in The School for Wives, “Bertozzo” in Accidental Death of an Anarchist and “Sgt. Match” in What the Butler Saw. In Idaho, Bruce performed with The Idaho Repertory Theatre as “Leon” in Voice of the Prairie, “Max” in Lend Me a Tenor, “Trevor” in Bedroom Farce, and as “Andrew” in I Hate Hamlet. In Washington D.C., he appeared as a longshoreman in Arena Stage’s Anna Christie, and “Pee-Wee” in Orpheus Descending. At the Washington Shakespeare Theatre, he appeared as “Sampson” in Romeo & Juliet. In Virginia, Bruce appeared as “The Narrator” in For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again at The Metro Stage Theatre. He received his B.F.A. from the University of New Mexico and his M.F.A. from the Professional Actor’s Training Program at the University of Washington.
Ross Kelly	ROSS KELLY* is a local actor, writer and director with many memorable roles to his credit at FUSION. Most recently he was in the one-man show Vincent, performed at The Albuquerque Museum. Last season he was “Bob Phillips” in How the Other Half Loves and ”Ligurio” in The Mandrake. Other FUSION credits include: “Dale” in Parlour Song, “Biff” in Death of a Salesman and the “Nasty Interesting Man” in eurydice and “Macoloco” in NYC’s Samuel French OOB Festival winner The Education of Macoloco. Previously, he starred in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and the acclaimed production of Doubt. Notable performances include Hip-Hop Prophets, an official selection of Washinton, D.C. Hip-Hop Theater Festival in 2003; The Amy Biehl Story, in which he appeared opposite Academy Award winner Alan Arkin. He can also be seen in the films Save Me with Judith Light, Trade staring Kevin Kline, and on television in Crash, as well as a recurring role in the ABC Family television show Wildfire. He recently completed filming on Love’n’ Dancing with Betty White and The War Boys with Peter Gallagher. Ross is a proud father and a graduate of UNM.
Jacqueline Reid	JACQUELINE REID* is a founding member of FUSION. Most recently at FUSION, she was “Dorothea” in A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams, “ Theresa” in Alan Ayckbourne’s How the Other Half Loves, “Ruth” in Pinter’s The Homecoming and “Joy” in Jez Butterworth’s Parlour Song. She directed last season’s The Mandrake, as well as Death of a Salesman, Doubt, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, the world premiere of Mad Hattr, and FUSION's children's tours of The Invention and Seven at a Swat. Past acting credits at FUSION include The Seven: That One Thing, "Beth" in Orange Flower Water, “Catherine” in Suddenly Last Summer, “Amanda” in Private Lives, the title role in Hedda Gabler, “Laura” in The Glass Menagerie, “Stella” in A Streetcar Named Desire, “Kate” in The Taming of the Shrew, “Zelda Fitzgerald” in Bye, Bye Blackbird, “Anna” in Closer, and “Maggie” in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Regional lead roles include Romeo and Juliet, Agnes of God, and Crimes of the Heart. Film roles include Heat Lightning for which she received Best Actress at the Bend, Oregon Film Festival, the Italian series Doc West, In Plain Sight, Unsolved Mysteries, and True Confessions with Adam Arkin.She is a BFA graduate of The North Carolina School of the Arts.
Laurie Thomas	LAURIE THOMAS* is a co-founder and Artistic Associate of FUSION Theatre Company. She is a director, actor, writer, and educator. She’s portrayed a multitude of roles as varied as Lizzie Borden and Henry V at theatres including California Shakespeare Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, On the Boards, A Contemporary Theatre and Southwest Repertory Theatre. She is a member of the Performing Arts faculty at Albuquerque Academy. She garnered high praise last summer in the principal role of Jen Silverman’s The Education of Macoloco while helping win Samual French's Off Broadway New Plays Festival. FUSION audiences saw her last season in How the Other Half Loves and A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur and she directed Vincent and First Love. Other notable performances have included "Violet Venable," "Amanda," and "Blanche" in their respective plays in FUSION's productions of Tennessee Williams' works. FUSION produced her most recent full-length work, Mad Hattr, in 2007. Her next work, Death in Seattle, is due in 2011.
Gregory Wagrowski	GREGORY WAGROWSKI* has been working professionally as an actor and director for over thirty years. He served as the Artistic Director for both the Smokebrush Theater and The Colorado Actors Theater. He has performed a variety of roles in theaters all around the country including the Public Theater in New York, the St. Louis Repertory Company, the Magic Theater in San Francisco, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Los Angeles Theater Center where he was an Artistic Associate for seven years. He was a founding member of two theater companies, The Old World Theater Company in Chicago and The Noe Street Theater in San Francisco. He has also worked extensively in both film and television where his most recent credits include, Mad Men, The Unit, Criminal Minds, and ER. Mr. Wagrowski is also a sometime writer, poet, and educator.
Nicole Gramlich	NICOLE GRAMLICH has been involved in acting since the age of six when she narrated her first school play. Some of her theater credits include The Big Come and Parts of Parts and Stitches with the Words Afire! festival, “Mattie” in The Person I Onced Was with Umbrella Hat Productions, and The Big Friendly Giant directed by Becca Holmes. She can also be seen as “Officer Slavitt” during the second season of In Plain Sight on USA. She has a degree in creative writing from the University of New Mexico, which has helped her to create several short films.
Bridget Kelly	BRIDGET KELLY† was most recently seen in FUSION’s New Works 4 New Mexico reading series Visiting Bertha and Jen Silverman’s Hanging Man and East of the Desert West of the Dead. Albuquerque performances include Antigone, Passenger on the Ship of Fools and Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet at The Vortex and The Odyssey at Mother Road. Recent TV and film credits include Wild Justice, Dog Day, Glacier and Girl Group Rumble. She is helping to produce the independent feature film Los Wildcats del Norte (shooting this fall). Favorite roles include “Kaiiulani” at the Edinburgh Fringe and Los Angeles Cultural Arts Festivals, “Chrissy” in Dancing at Lughnasa and “Jacqueline Kennedy” in Jackie: An American Life. Bridget is a graduate of Chicago’s Goodman School of Drama and The University of Hawaii.
Lauren Myers	LAUREN MYERS† was last seen at The Cell in For & Against and In Retrospect for FUSION’s 2006 and 2008 The Seven: New Works Festival. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Chapman University in Orange, California. Credits there include “Liz Morden” in Our Country’s Good (for which she received an Irene Ryan nomination), “Whitney” in A Piece of My Heart, “Witch/Lenox” in Macbeth, “ Danielle” in Chain Mail, and “Sarah Nancy” in Blind Date. Regional credits include “ Jaimie Brown” in The Reincarnation of Jaimie Brown at UC Irvine and “Jafar” in Aladdin, Jr. with Summer Repertory Theatre. Locally, Lauren was last seen as “ Holly” in Duke City Repertory Theatre’s production of Trust, and has performed with Mother Road Theatre Company, Solarity, ALT, Adobe Theatre, and Ka-Hootz!. She is a local director and has also worked on various award-winning film projects throughout New Mexico, including Ilegales, L’Americano, Random Natural Occurrence, Missing You, A Kinder Garden, Screwed, The Lazarus Man, and The Troublemakers.
Wendy Scott	WENDY SCOTT† played the role of Olga, the oldest sister, in Three Sisters this spring at the Vortex. She is delighted to be back at FUSION and playing one of three sisters in August: Osage County. Wendy is a BFA graduate of the UNM Theatre Arts Program. She also completed her studies as a pastry chef at the Seattle Culinary Academy. She has performed about town with Sol Arts, Mother Road, ALT, UNM Words Afire, and Ka-HOOTZ. Previous shows at FUSION include The Seven: Something Left Unsaid (Homesick), “Letta” in Death of a Salesman, “Mary Detweiler” in How the Other Half Loves, and The Seven: Hidden Agendas (Other Voices). This show is dedicated to her late grandfather and poet, Winfield Townley Scott.
Bill Sterchi	BILL STERCHI† is glad to again be working with FUSION, having performed in their inaugural production of Closer along with You Can’t Take it With You, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Hedda Gabler and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He’s also enjoyed working with many great theatre talents at Mother Road Theatre Co., Tricklock, The Vortex, ALT, and UNM. A television and film actor as well, he‘s earned three Best Actor awards at the Duke City Shootout film festivals including one for this year’s performance in Pascal’s Bullet which also won the Best Picture award. Bill has had many featured roles in recent film and TV productions shot in New Mexico including Crazy Heart, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Sunshine Cleaning, In Plain Sight and Breaking Bad and is the current Screen Actors Guild New Mexico Branch President. It is an honor and a pleasure for Bill to back at The Cell.
Aaron Worley	AARON WORLEY is a local actor, director and cab driver. August: Osage County marks his third full-length play for FUSION, along with Mad Hattr and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He has also acted or directed each year for The Seven. This is his third bout with a Tracy Letts script, having played “Chris” in Killer Joe and directed the paranoid thriller Bug (both at The Vortex Theatre). Over the last year and a half, he portrayed the iconic roles of Jesse James, Oedipus & Bill Clinton. This summer, he acted in his first feature film as a lead in the horror flick entitled Rotgut by 505 Films and directed the Woody Allen comedy God at The Auxiliary Dog Theatre. He keeps his heart and soul with his two leading ladies: his wife Maria and two-year-old daughter Donna Rose.
	* member Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States † Equity Membership Candidate