HART closes its 2012 main stage season with one of the most celebrated plays of recent decades, “August Osage County,” by Tracy Letts.

Compared to the works of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller the drama hit Broadway like a storm in 2008. HART is one of the first theaters in North Carolina to produce the acclaimed work. The play originated at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company and transferred almost immediately running in New York for almost two years winning 2008 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, 2008 Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Play, 2008 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play, 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Five – 2008 Tony Awards, including Tony Award for Best Play, 2009 Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, “best-of" list. A film version is in the works staring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepherd and Ewan McGregor, set to come out at the end of 2013.

Letts is a native of Oklahoma and he uses his skill to capture the desolation of the planes, but in the midst of his tale of family there are plenty of laughs, albeit dark humor. Audiences should be forewarned the play contains adult language and situations and is not suitable for children.

“August Osage County” tells the story of a family, coming together under extreme conditions, someone’s gone missing. As you meet each member they present one image, but as is true with most people, the longer you spend the more you know and in this case the darker it gets. This is a three-act play that flies by and leaves audiences laughing and then gasping as they discover what these people have done and are doing to one another.

HART had one of its biggest turn-outs at auditions for this show that it has ever had. Many of the region’s most experiences actresses and actors vied for the 13 roles. Under the direction of HART Executive Director Steve Lloyd the cast includes: Barbara Bates Smith, David Spivey, Allison Stinson, Carl Bredahl, Julie Kinter, Jeremy Bridges, Christy Bishop, Farah Mokhtarie, Jennifer Riddlie, Ricky Sanford, Scott Shanken, Kathryn Wells and Tom Dewees.

“August Osage County” will run weekends November 9 to 18 at the Performing Arts Center in Waynesville. For reservations contact the HART Box Office at 456 6322 or visit www.harttheatre.com.