MOUNT CARROLL, ILLINOIS (August 29, 2022) — Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), the premier professional theatre of northwest Illinois, will welcome Ted Lange to direct their fall opener, Hank Williams: Lost Highway. “When one of our actors suggested Ted to direct the show, I immediately reached out to him,” said Dan Danielowski, TLP Executive Director. “We talked a few times, Ted’s schedule allowed him to do the show, and the rest — as they say — is history.”
Lange is a graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, an outstanding actor of stage and screen, an exceptional movie and television director, and a prolific writer. He made his Broadway début in the musical hit Hair and his theatre acting career spans over forty plays, including Galileo and a national tour of Driving Miss Daisy. Lange received the Best Actor Award from the NAACP Theatre Committee for his portrayal of Louie in the Gus Edwards play Louie and Ophelia. Behind the Mask, Lange’s one-man show based on the life and poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar has played to sold-out houses across the nation. He has appeared in the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Production of King Lear, starred in I’m Not Rappaport, and is recognized around the world for his portrayal of Isaac Washington from the classic television show The Love Boat.
Lange has penned twenty-three plays. Four Queens — No Trump, a bodacious comedy about four black women, played to rave reviews in Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, and Omaha and won Los Angeles NAACP Best Play award. Evil Legacy — the Story of Lucretia Borgia was nominated by LA Weekly for Best One Woman Show. Also written, directed, and produced by Lange were Born a Unicorn, a rock ‘n roll musical depicting the life of black Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge, and the musical The Heart of Biddy Mason. Continuing his American historical play trilogy, George Washington’s Boy has received standing ovations at the National Black Theatre Festival and his new play Lady Patriot completes the series.
His theatre directing career includes over fifty productions including Othello in which he directed and starred in the stage and film version. Lange’s film directing career includes the feature film, For Love of Amy, as well as the television shows, The First Family, Mr Box Office, Are We There Yet?, All of Us, Eve, Dharma and Greg, In The House, Moesha, and seventeen episodes of the original Love Boat.
“When we found ourselves in need of a director for Lost Highway, we began a nation-wide search,” said Danielowski. “We had a lot of interest, but being able to secure a director with Ted’s experience and resume was great for TLP.” Lange will be hosting a “Talk Back” after the Friday, September 9 performance. Patrons with tickets for any of the Lost Highway productions are welcome to attend the Talk Back.
Lost Highway opens September 8 and runs through September 18. Tickets are available from the TLP Box Office or online. Fall Subscriptions are also available for Lost Highway, Defending the Caveman in October, and Plaid Tidings in December.
On Saturday, September 3, the Six One Five Collective will be in concert at TLP. The Six One Five Collective performs a musical mix of Country, Americana, Folk, and Pop.
Information and tickets for all Timber Lake events are available online at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or by calling the Box Office at (815) 244-2035. The Box Office is open daily 10AM-5PM.
