Olney Theatre adds Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘PROOF’ to line-up

Olney Theatre adds Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘PROOF’ to line-up

Helen Hayes Award-winner Dawn Ursula will join acclaimed Washington, D.C., actors Craig Wallace and Aakhu Freeman in a revival of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “PROOF” at Olney Theatre Center.
Ursula had been slated to star opposite Jessica Frances Dukes in a production of “Topdog/Underdog.” That project was shelved late last month when Dukes needed to withdraw. In its place, “Proof” will run in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab May 17 to June 18.
Director Timothy Douglas, who was slated to direct “Topdog,” will take on that role for “Proof.”
“Empowering local artists by saying ‘yes’ to their dream projects is one of our top priorities,” Olney Theatre Artistic Director Jason Loewith says in a press release. “So, when I learned it was possible that ‘Topdog’ might not happen, I started talking with Dawn and director Timothy Douglas about potential alternate projects. We arrived at ‘Proof’ very quickly and the opportunity to produce it with an African-American family at the center brings to light the universality of its themes.”
Ursula stars as Catherine, the bereaved daughter of a brilliant, but chronically mentally ill mathematician. Catherine worries that she has inherited her father’s mental illness, but more central to the drama is whether she also inherited his genius. A penetrating mystery at the center of the play and the stellar cast will illuminate new ways in which family and lovers play into and defy each other’s expectations.
For tickets and other information, visit olneytheatre.org.