Theater News

Dianne Wiest to Star in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days

The Oscar-winning actress brings the two-hander to Yale Rep.

Dianne Wiest will star in a Yale Repertory Theatre production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days.
Dianne Wiest will star in a Yale Repertory Theatre production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days.
(© David Gordon)

Two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest will star in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, directed by James Bundy, at Yale Repertory Theatre. Performances will run from April 29-May 21, with an official May 5 press opening.

Wiest takes on the role of Winnie alongside Jarlath Conroy (True Grit) who costars as her husband Willie. The play is described as follows: "With her husband increasingly out of reach and the earth itself threatening to swallow her whole, Winnie’s buoyant optimism shields her from the harsh glare of the inevitable in this absurdly funny and boundlessly compassionate portrait of the human spirit."

Wiest previously appeared at Yale Rep in Hedda Gabler and A Doll House and was recently seen in the off-Broadway premiere of Rasheeda Speaking opposite Tonya Pinkins. In addition to a number of Broadway credits, her film career spans four decades, including Academy Award-winning performances in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Bullets over Broadway (1994).

Conroy performed in Yale Rep's production of Hamlet in 2013. His Broadway credits include The Seagull, The Weir, The Iceman Cometh, On the Waterfront, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, The Visit, Ghetto, Macbeth, and Comedians.

The creative team for Happy Days includes scenic design by Izmir Ickbal, costumes by Alexae Visel, lighting by Stephen Strawbridge, sound design by Kate Marvin, movement coaching by Jessica Wolf, and dramaturgy by Catherine Sheehy and Nahuel Telleria.

For tickets and more information, click here.

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Happy Days

Closed: May 21, 2016