Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio on 3 brings audiences David Auburn’s award-winning masterpiece Proof. Philadelphia audiences will be the first to experience this breathtaking production before it travels as the second national tour of a Walnut Street Theatre production. Proof begins in Philadelphia with previews on January 17th, opens January 19th and runs through February 5th in the intimate Independence Studio on 3.
Everyone has parents and everyone aspires to be like them in some way. But what happens when there's a distinct possibility that we may inherit their talent—and their madness? Proof is a remarkable and luminous play about fathers and daughters, genius and insanity, legacy and truth. The play introduces us to a young woman, haunted by her father's death. She seems to have inherited his talent for numbers. Or has she?
Proof was originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club in May 2000 and premiered on Broadway in October 2000. In 2001 this powerful play was awarded the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.
Award-winning playwright David Auburn is a graduate of the University of Chicago and The Juilliard School’s playwriting program. In addition to the stage play, Auburn also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 film adaptation of Proof that starred Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow. He has also written the plays An Upset, Skyscraper and What Do You Believe About The Future?, in addition to the screenplays for the films The Lake House and The Girl in the Park, which he also directed. Auburn has been the recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship and was a contributing editor to the Oxford American Writers Thesaurus.
At the helm of the production is Director Kate Galvin. Proof marks Galvin’s directing debut at the Walnut Street Theatre, having worked as Assistant Director for The Philadelphia Story; O Captain, My Captain: Whitman’s Lincoln and The Prince. Galvin brings fresh talent to the compelling production in the intimate space of Studio 3.
Behind the scenes, the creative team for Proof includes set designer AnDrew Thompson, who is entering his 9th season at the WST as Technical Director for the Independence Studio on 3 stage. He has designed for WST productions including The Glass Menagerie, My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Side by Side by Sondheim and Elliot: A Soldier's Fugue. Lighting Designer J. Dominic Chacon is returns to the Walnut having previously worked on Caesars Palace O’ Fun and Honor and the River. Native Philadelphian Cory Neale returns as Sound Designer after finishing Noël and Gertie. Lauren Perigard, who began her career as a Walnut Apprentice, returns as Costume Designer for Proof.
The cast of Proof features an impressive array of talent. Bill Van Horn (Robert) is a Walnut favorite. He has acted on both the Mainstage and in Studio 3, most recently in Fiddler on the Roof and The Ugly One, respectively. He wrote and starred in Studio 3’s 2009 production O Captain, My Captain: Whitman’s Lincoln. Van Horn also directed the 2011 production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, the Walnut’s first national touring production. Walnut audiences will remember David Raphaely (Hal) from the world premiere of The Eclectic Society on the Mainstage. New to the Walnut are Alex Keiper (Catherine) and Krista Apple (Claire). Keiper studied at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and has performed on many of Philadelphia’s stages. Apple was recognized with a 2011 Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actress.
