THEATRE + COMEDY

Galveston’s Grand 1894 Opera House celebrates the return of the Emmy® Award winning stage and screen actress, Holland Taylor, portraying Texas' beloved, second female governor in ANN: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards. Set for a limited engagement April 21-24, this production premiered in work shop last May at The Grand as the acclaimed “Money, Marbles, and Chalk!” Four shows are scheduled for April 21st- 24th - 8pm, Thursday-Friday; 2pm and 8pm, Saturday; 3pm on Sunday.

Stepping into the shoes of Ann Richards is no small task. The second female governor of Texas, Richards set the bar high for strong, independent women. Holland Taylor is a natural to portray the colorful, complex personality of this awe-inspiring, beloved woman. Taylor is perfectly-suited when it comes to playing strong women—including a Harvard law professor in Legally Blonde, a sultry judge in The Practice (Supporting Actress Emmy® for drama) and the mother of Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer in Two and a Half Men. In the past, she's even portrayed conservative Nancy Reagan and now moves to the left as Ann Richards.

ANN: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards is a play in two acts that sprang from the desire to understand and reveal the essence of this iconic American woman. Neither narrative nor history, Taylor hopes it will "bring a magical touch to the past and the present, swirling them together as only the theatre can do, and leaving the audience with an enhanced sense not only of a person and a time, but of themselves."

ANN began as the “project” of an ordinary fan, someone who had, like most people, happily admired the Governor from afar. But writing the play became a journey impossibly rich—a quest to understand what it was about this down-home and fun woman—housewife, mother, grandmother and Governor of Texas—that affected so many people so deeply.

Emmy® Award-winning stage and screen actress Holland Taylor spent three years doing the extensive research that forms the basis of this play, crisscrossing the country to interview people who knew the Governor, watching countless hours of video coverage, and, thanks to the University of Texas Archives, poring over reams of Richards’ personal and public papers. Taylor's greatest resources, however, were the family, friends, staff and colleagues of Governor Richards, who were unfailingly helpful, kind, and tolerant—and who allowed her to “know” Ann Richards through them.

“Texans know Ann Richards is a legend in her own right, and Holland’s three years of impressive research have culminated in a fantastic portrait of this incredible woman,” says Maureen Patton, executive director of The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston, Texas which launched the play in a workshop this past May. “Consider this warm, entertaining evening ‘continuing education’ on Texas mythology and Richards’ life teachings.”

About Holland Taylor: The New Yorker has called Holland Taylor “the first vaudeville Gentile we ever saw.” A veteran of the stage, Hollywood, and television, her long list of credits includes Baby Mama, Legally Blonde, Romancing the Stone, The Practice, and, currently, CBS’s top-rated Two and a Half Men.

Her New York stage performances include Bess in Breakfast with Les and Bess, the original productions of Butley opposite Alan Bates, and A.R. Gurney’s The Cocktail Hour.

Holland is active at the Stella Adler Schools, and has given talks about the work and cultural contribution of this great teacher.