Next Yale Rep production stars award-winning two-person cast in ‘Happy Days’

Two-time Academy Award-winner Dianne Wiest returns to the Yale Repertory Theatre for its production of Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days,” which runs April 29-May 21.

Wiest, who previously starred in leading roles in the Yale Rep’s productions of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabbler” and “A Doll House,” plays the role of Winnie in “Happy Days.” In the play, Winnie’s husband is increasingly out of reach and the earth itself is threatening to swallow her whole, but Winnie’s buoyant optimism shields her from the harsh glare of the inevitable in this comic portrait of the human spirit.

Jarlath Conroy plays the role of Winnie’s husband, Willie. The two are the only on-stage characters in “Happy Days,” which will be directed by James Bundy, dean of Yale School of Drama and artistic director of Yale Rep.

Wiest won Academy Awards for her roles in two Woody Allen films: “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Bullets Over Broadway.” She also appeared in his films “Purple Rose of Cairo,” “September,” and “Radio Days.” Her other film credits include “Five Nights in Maine,” “Sisters,” “The Humbling,” “Synecdoche, New York,” “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” “Parenthood” (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award); “Rabbit Hole,” “Footloose,” “Edward Scissorhands,” and “The Birdcage.” She received Emmy Awards for her performances in “The Road to Avonlea” and the HBO series “In Treatment,” and she currently appears in the CBS series “Life in Pieces.” Her New York theater credits include “Rasheeda Speaking,” “The Cherry Orchard,” and “All My Sons” on Broadway, as well as “The Seagull,” “Third,” “Memory House,” “Salome and Oedipus” (with Al Pacino), “The Shawl,” “Hunting Cockroaches,” “After the Fall,” “Beyond Therapy,” and “The Art of Dining.” This spring, Wiest is a Beinecke Fellow at Yale School of Drama.

Conroy appeared at the Yale Rep in “Hamlet” in 2013. His Broadway credits include “The Seagull,” “The Weir,” “The Iceman Cometh,” “On the Waterfront,” “Philadelphia, Here I Come!,” “The Visit,” “Ghetto,” “Macbeth,” and “Comedians.” He has also appeared Off-Broadway in “Loot,” “The Coward,” “A Man of No Importance,” “Pigtown,” “A Life,” “Our Lady of Sligo,” “A Couple of Blaguards,” “Gardenia,” and the American premiere of “Translations” and “The Matchmaker.” He won a Helen Hayes Award for a regional production of “Juno and the Paycock.” He has directed productions of “True West” and “Human Resources” and has also appeared in such films and television shows as “Putzel,” “True Grit” (2010), “The Art of Getting By,” “Across the Universe,” “Kinsey,” “Day of the Dead,” “Heaven’s Gate,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “NYPD Blue,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Beat,” Summer,” and “A Marriage: O’Keeffe and Stieglitz.”

Bundy is now in his 14th year as dean of the School of Drama and artistic director of the Yale Rep. In his first 13 seasons, the Yale Rep has produced more than 30 world, American, and regional premieres, eight of which have been honored by the Connecticut Critics Circle with the award for best production of the year and two of which have been Pulitzer Prize finalists. During this time, the Rep also has commissioned more than 50 artists to write new work and provided low-cost theater tickets to thousands of middle and high school students from Greater New Haven through WILL POWER! — an educational program initiated in 2004. In addition to his work at the Rep, Bundy has directed productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater Festival, The Acting Company, California Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and The Juilliard School Drama Division. He was the recipient of the Connecticut Critics Circle Tom Killen Award for extraordinary contributions to professional theater in 2007.

The creative team includes scenic designer Izmir Ickbal, costume designer Alexae Visel, lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge, sound designer Kate Marvin, movement coach Jessica Wolf, production dramaturgs Catherine Sheehy and Nahuel Telleria, and stage manager Kelly Montgomery. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting.

Previews take place at 8 p.m. Friday, April 29-Wednesday, May 4 (no show on Sunday, May 1). Preview tickets are $20. The April 29 and 30 shows will be followed by a conversation about the production. Opening night is Thursday, May 5 at 8 p.m. Performances take place Monday-Saturday at 8 p.m. (except Monday, May 16), and at 2 p.m. on the following days: Saturday May 7 (followed by a Talk Back), Wednesday, May 11 (preceded by a senior reception), Saturday, May 14 (an audio-described performance, followed by a Talk Back), and Saturday, May 21 (an open-captioned performance).

Tickets for “Happy Days” range from $20-$99 and are available online at http://yalerep.org, by phone at 203-432-1234, and in person at the Yale Rep box office, 1120 Chapel St. Student, senior, and group rates are also available.