Guthrie's 50th season mix of classic, contemporary

[April 17, 2012]  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is celebrating its 50th season with work by acclaimed playwright Christopher Hampton, a production of a Eugene O'Neill classic and a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama.

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling says that rather than dwelling in a nostalgic haze, "we're looking at contemporary work and moving the artistic life of the theater forward."

The 11 main-stage productions announced Monday include O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and Bruce Norris' 2011 Pulitzer winner "Clybourne Park."

Hampton, a British playwright and director, is writing a new play for the Guthrie, "Appomattox," which ranges from the Civil War's end to the 1960s civil rights era. His "Tales From Hollywood" also will be staged.

The Guthrie was founded in 1963 by the late Irish stage director Sir Tyrone Guthrie.

[Associated Press; By JEFF BAENEN]

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