In the Spotlife: Deb Persoff of 'August: Osage County'

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Deb Persoff August Osage County
Deb Persoff, bottom left, stars in Vintage Theatre’s ‘August: Osage County’ as a pill-popping grandma with more than one form of mouth cancer. Playing her daughters are, from left, Kelly Uhlenhopp, Haley Johnson and Lauren Bahlman.
 

MEET DEB PERSOFF
Violet Weston in Vintage Theatre’s ‘August: Osage County.’ She was the winner of the Colorado Theatre Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

  • Hometown: PhiladelphiaDeb Persoff Marvin's Room
  • Home now: Aurora
  • College: I studied to become an X-Ray Technician and wanted to enter the medical field.
  • What have you done for us lately? I played Grandma in Vintage Theatre’s production of Billy Elliot: the Musical.
  • What’s next? I will be playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience opening next March at Vintage Theatre.
  • Twitter-sized bio: I am an actor who does not know what Twitter is.
  • Do you have a Twitter handle? Anyone who knows me just laughed out loud reading that question.
  • The role that changed your life: Playing Bessie in Marvin’s Room for the late Theatre Group. At the end of the play, she says how lucky she is to have been able to love so deeply. A mantra for life.
  • Maggie SmithIdeal scene partner: Maggie Smith, for her comic timing, her aristocratic bearing, her wonderful expressive face and her history of theatre.
  • What is August: Osage County all about? Family, and the rich web that binds us, are not always smooth in  texture. There are frictions and distinct personalities, but always it is the lineage of our future. It defines us as people and the door is always open to home.

    • Tracy Letts talks ‘origin of the poison’ with John Moore

  • Deb Persoff August QuoteTell us about the challenge of playing this role: Violet loves her three daughters and feels she’s knows what is best for them. Her defiance and resolve gets her through her days. Addiction to pills is always present, but she is a survivor. Her strength and fire makes me stronger as an actress.
  • What do you hope audiences get out of seeing your show? Sharing the time together from the stage to the audience, surrounded by this rich writing and riveting cast is a bond I hope will linger long after the evening ends. 
  • What don’t we know about you? I love gift wrapping any surface. Paper is fragile, like us, and can create beauty and illusion. You then ask: “What is beneath?”
  • What do you want to get off your chest? Why is “age” such a stigma, when long life is what we all wish for? 

    • More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

    August: Osage County: Ticket information
    • Written by Tracy Letts
    • Directed by Bernie Cardell
    • Sept. 1-Oct. 15
    • At the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010 MAP IT
    • Tickets $25-$30
    • For tickets, call 303-856-7830 or go to vintagetheatre.com

    Performance schedule:
    • Fridays, Saturdays and Monday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
    • Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

    Cast list:

    • Deb Persoff: Violet Weston
    • Roger Hudson: Beverly Weston
    • Haley Johnson: Barbara Fordham
    • Kelly Uhlenhopp: Ivy Weston
    • Lauren Bahlman: Karen Weston
    • Marc Stith: Bill Fordham
    • Kaitlin Weinstein: Jean Fordham
    • Andrew Uhlenhopp: Steve Heidebrecht
    • Darcy Kennedy: Mattie Fae Aiken
    • John Ashton: Charlie Aiken
    • Brandon Palmer: Little Charlie Aiken
    • Emily Gerhard: Johnna Monevata
    • Stephen Krusoe: Sheriff Deon Gilbeau

    2017-18 ‘In the Spotlife’ profiles:

    Meet Christy Brandt of Creede Rep’s Arsenic and Old Lace

    Deb Persoff Life Achievement

    Deborah Persoff accepts the Colorado Theatre Guild’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Henry Awards. Photo by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter.

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