Harry Groener

Edward Asner, Mike Farrell, Sharon Gless and Harry Groener are featured in the Los Angeles Theatre Works’ The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial which ends its national tour, March 1-5.

Following a 24-city circuit, The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial performs at L.A.T.W’s home in The Skirball Center. The performance will be recorded for the radio theater company’s "The Play’s the Thing" broadcast series.

Marking the 80th anniversary of the historical Tennessee vs. John Scopes trial - made famous in the film "Inherit The Wind" - concerning evolution education, L.A.T.W. commissioned the work adapted by Peter Goodchild. The tour played across the country at major university, college and civic performing arts centers.

Using words from the original trial transcripts, The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial retells the debate over the right to teach the theory of evolution in public schools. The work contains many of the key oral arguments by rival representation William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow in the case. The performances will re create the company’s production format used for recording audio plays on stage, complete with a sound effects artist.

Edward Asner and Mike Farrell will go head-to-head as William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow in a cast that also features Sharon Gless (as the narrator) with Matthew Patrick Davis, James Gleason, Harry Groener, Jon Matthews, Jerry Hardin, Robert Pescovitz, Rob Nagle and David Alan Novak.

The 31st season at L.A.T.W. continues with Romance (April 5-9), Fired Again (May 3-7), The Real Dr. Strangelove (June 7-11) and another work to be announced (July 12-16).

L.A.T.W.’s nationally syndicated radio show "The Play’s The Thing" series is performed live at the Skirball Cultural Center. All performances are recorded for future broadcast to cities including Boston, Seattle, Santa Fe as well as on XM Satellite radio. The two-hour radio broadcasts include special backstage features and interviews with actors, playwrights and directors. The L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collection is available in bookstores, libraries, through their catalog, digitally on audible.com and on the L.A. Theatre Works website.

The final recording of The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial will be distributed to high schools throughout the country. During its tour, local National Public Radio stations were permitted to record individual performances and discussions for one time broadcasts to their communities.

For tickets to any of "The Play’s The Thing" series productions at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Boulevard, in L.A., CA, call the L.A. Theatre Works’ Box Office at (310) 827-0889. For more information, visit www.latw.org.