SUPERIOR DONUTS Set for Purple Rose Theatre, 9/20-12/15

The Purple Rose Theatre Company kicks off its 2012 / 2013 Season with Superior Donuts by Tracy Letts. The production will enjoy a 13-week engagement from Thursday, September 20 – Saturday, December 15, 2012.

Eight low-priced previews will be performed Thursday, September 20 – Thursday, September 27, with Press Opening on Friday, September 28, 2012. Regular performances for the duration of the run are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3:00 PM and Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. All performances will be held at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea, Michigan.

Superior Donuts by Chicago playwright Tracy Letts premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2008, following his Pulitzer Prize winning August: Osage County. It then moved to Broadway for a run in the fall of 2009. This comedy-drama set in one of Chicago's most diverse neighborhoods explores the unlikely friendship between a burned-out donut shop owner and his idealistic new employee.

Arthur Przybyszewski has just about given up on everything: a social life, the chance of romance, and most of all, his family's dilapidated donut shop. But when youthful dreamer Franco Wicks walks through the door with plans to reinvent the vandalized storefront, Arthur realizes that life still has more to offer him. Superior Donuts contains adult language and content.

Randolph Mantooth of Los Angeles will star as donut shop owner, Arthur Przybyszewski. Mantooth has been a working television, film and theatre actor for 40 years, and is best known for his starring role in NBC's series "Emergency!" He is also highly regarded by the emergency response community around the world. He is a spokesperson for both the International Association of Firefighters [IAFF] and the International Association of Fire Chiefs [IAFC] for fire fighter health and safety.

Directed by Guy Sanville, the cast also includes Ryan Carlson of Clinton Township, (The Glass Menagerie), David Daoust of Lansing (On Golden Pond, White Buffalo), Alex Leydenfrost of Ann Arbor (White Buffalo, Some Couples May…, Best of Friends), Brian Marable of Detroit (making his PRTC debut), Michelle Mountain of Grass Lake (White Buffalo, Some Couples May…, Best of Friends), Michael Brian Ogden of Berkley (White Buffalo, Escanaba in da Moonlight), Sandy Ryder of Ann Arbor (Wake), and Lynch R. Travis of Dearborn (Orphan Train, Stand, Duck Hunter Shoots Angel).

Founded in 1991 by acclaimed actor and Chelsea native Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a leading American theatre dedicated to producing the new American play and creating opportunities for Midwest theatre professionals. The PRTC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theatre operating under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors' Equity Association. The PRTC promotes the development of new American theatre and its practitioners, provides valuable educational opportunities for young artists, and, through consistently high quality production values, has earned the respect of both local and National Theatre communities.

Tracy Letts is the author of the plays Killer Joe and Man From Nebraska (named one of "Time Magazine's" Top Ten Plays of 2003). He is an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. His appearances there include Homebody/Kabul; The Dazzle; Glengarry Glen Ross; Three Days Of Rain, and Picasso At The Lapin Agile. Film appearances include "Guinevere," "U.S. Marshal," and "Chicago Cab." Television appearances include "The District," "Profiler," "The Drew Carey Show," "Home Improvement," and "Seinfeld." Tracy made his directing debut at the Lookingglass Theatre with Glen Berger's play Great Men Of Science Nos 21 & 22. He was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for August: Osage County which premiered at Steppenwolf in 2007 and subsequently played on Broadway and at London's National Theatre.