Actors Playhouse presents the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Proof”, by David Auburn.  It opens at the Ironworkers Hall on Friday, February 3, for four performances – Friday/Saturday, February 2 and 3; Friday/Saturday, February 9 and 10, at 8 p.m.

     The Actors Playhouse has performed more than 30 American and English plays in South Boston.  Previously, they had drawn upon the best plays written during the 20th Century.  Now they are presenting their first work from the new millennium.

     Over the first two weekends of February, Actors Playhouse is presenting four performances of “Proof”.  “Proof”, a drama written by David Auburn, won both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 2001.  It is being produced and directed by George and Rosemary McDonough, the founders of the Actors Playhouse.

     This production also involves another “first” for Actors Playhouse and for George and Rosemary.  They put on their plays at the Notre Dame Education Center (the NDEC) for many years, but that venue has now been sold.  This will be the first of their plays performed in the Ironworkers Hall on Old Colony Avenue.  The production will be in the same space made famous by the annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfasts, hosted for many years by South Boston’s state Senators.

     “Proof” is a play about the thin line between genius and madness.  The daughter of a prominent mathematician is the leading part.  She has inherited her father’s genius, but he alternates between times of clarity and severe bouts of mental illness, so she wonders about herself.  Her sister moved to New York years ago, and even though the sister pays for everything, the stay-at-home daughter is left with all of the caregiving.  Into this family triangle comes a young graduate student, who was once her father’s student.

     “Proof” is a well constructed play.  The sequence of the scenes and the flashbacks make it move quite quickly – it lasts just under two hours, and it resolves very neatly.  “Proof” was made into a movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow.  There are some resemblances between “Proof” and the true story of Nobel Laureate John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind”.

     In addition to selecting an award-winning play, the McDonoughs have assembled a very strong cast:

     Heidi Rhodes plays the daughter “Catherine”, the leading part.  Heidi is from Massachusetts and originally trained as a dancer.  While she was studying for her Masters at Rhode Island School of Design, she worked on creating a stage set, which revived her love of acting.  She has been in many Boston-based independent films.  Most recently, she was a stand-in for two months for Juliette Binoche in a Disney production.  Heidi plans a full-time career as an actress.  She still dances as well – the Argentine Tango.

     Hillary MacArthur, the sister “Claire”, graduated last spring from Roanoke College with a degree in Theater Performance and Design.  She started her acting in Rebel Shakespeare at the tender age of nine, followed by a number of key roles in such plays as “The Crucible”, “The Good Woman of Szechuan”, and “At Liberty”.  She has also appeared with the renowned New York troupe, “The Living Theatre”.  Hillary thanks her parents for their unending love and support.

     Jeff Tidwell plays “Hal Dobbs”, the Ph.D. grad student.  He’s a Quincy native and graduated the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.  He caught the acting bug in 2005.  His work has included a number of student films at Emerson and a principal role in the independent horror film, “Terrace Street” (2007).  Jeff made his stage debut in the Actors Playhouse production of “Awake and Sing”.  He says, “It was the highlight of my acting career so far … it gave me something to build on as an actor.”

     Rick Winterson is “Robert”, “Catherine’s” father and the mentally unstable mathematician.  He has performed professionally in plays from Shaw to Shakespeare.  Among his favorite roles are Henry II in “Lion in Winter” for Ubiquity Stage and Pat in the Actors Playhouse production of “The Hostage”.  He also does a newscast on NNN TV.  Locally, he plays the lead in the Bicentennial reenactment and in his own play, “Revere”.  From South Boston, Rick is a regular in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

     Tickets for all performances of “Proof” are $15.  That includes complimentary refreshments; parking is available at the Ironworkers Hall.  All proceeds from “Proof” will be donated by Actors Playhouse to a worthy local cause (TO BE ANNOUNCED).

     Please note:  “Proof” contains some adult language.