CSI show runner Carol Mendelsohn tells me Bill Irwin will be reprising his role as inmate Nathan Haskell in the show’s 11th season premiere, then return for three additional episodes in a story arc that will finally introduce the wife of Laurence Fishburne’s Dr. Raymond Langston. “Toward the end of the season, Mrs. Langston will play a pivotal role,” says Mendelsohn. Plus, hearing that Marg Helgenberger has decided to end her long run as Catherine Willows this season, Mendelsohn says she plans to “start begging on my knees as the season progresses. No one ever leaves the CSI family, so we’ll see.” Finally, Mendelsohn has been speaking with Jorja Fox (Sara) about how to explain to the audience why Sara has been apart from her husband Grissom for so long. Unfortunately, she has so far been unsuccessful in her repeated attempts to sway William Petersen back for a guest spot to explain the divide.

We do have a brand new layout in the works, it is something we have been wanting for some time and we hope this will make everything on the site easier to find, it’s a big site and very easy to miss sections that are definitely worth checking out .   We also have plenty of images to upload to The Gallery, so we will be spreading those out over the next few months.

Flyovers on CD was due to be released yesterday, unfortunately it doesn’t look like Amazon have received their stock yet.   Do let us know what you think of it once you receive your copy.

We did receive some feedback from Billy regarding our Victory Gardens Fundraiser, as you all know the theatre means a great deal to him and he thanked everyone for their donations.

Lastly, we have received several emails from concerned fans regarding a profile on Facebook claiming to be Billy, we did check with the Petersens directly over the weekend and they confirmed that Billy does not have a Facebook page, they are also aware of the profile.   We hope that clears that issue up.

Enjoy your summers everyone!

Artistic Director Dennis Zacek today announces plans for his retirement from Victory Gardens, after 34 years at its artistic helm. Zacek will continue his tenure through spring 2011, as the board conducts a national search for his successor. He will remain with the company as Artistic Director Emeritus and plans to remain active as an actor, director and board member.

William Peterson comments :

“For almost forty years Dennis Zacek has been at the center of Chicago Theatre. His encouragement, influence and development of Chicago playwrights, actors, directors and designers has been an immense gift to our city. He was my mentor. Without him, I would very likely not have become an actor. Because of him, I have certainly become a better man.”

Photo Copyright - Bud Davis

It’s quite the resumé for a man who never intended to be an actor. He thought he might try politics or college football—until he spent a year at Idaho State University 37 years ago.

He lived in a small apartment across the street from a muffler warehouse. His favorite watering hole was the Syndicate Lounge, and he remembers streaking across the Quad with his buddies, tailed by campus police.

You can read the full article by Chris Gabettas on the ISU Website.  (Many thanks to Sarah for passing the link along).

Steppenwolf Theater have released lots more rehearsal and production photos from Endgame.  These are available on their Flickr page, click the image below to take a look at those.

Great news in that another audio play will be available soon.   Flyovers is due to be released on audio cd soon (many thanks for the info Jeff).  You can pre-order your copy by visiting the link below.

We have actually heard the audio version of Flyovers and its definitely a must for your collections.

Flyovers Audio CD – Pre-Order

If you are visiting Chicago for Endgame or any other reason in the next few months, the Chicago Public Library on State Street is currently showing a collection of photos by our good friend, Lisa Ebright.  The exhibition displays 35 years of her photography and includes a few images of Billy from Moby Dick, Fool for Love and Balm in Gilead, but if you are a fan of Chicago Theater in general, you will enjoy the exhibition.

Her works are currently being displayed on the 9th Floor.  I do not believe you are allowed to take photos of the images displayed, so please be respectful if you are visiting the library.   The exhibition is running until October 3, 2010.

Many thanks to everyone who sent the following clip, I do believe credit goes to Ricker23 on YTDAW for sharing the link first.

A short scene from the Remains Theater production of American Buffalo has been uploaded to youtube  c/o Philthevideoguy.  Enjoy!

You can listen and download the podcast from the Steppenwolf website.

View all the photos by clicking the image below.

Image Copyright : Joan Hackett

If you are in town to see Endgame on May 21st, be sure and check out the Endgame EXPLORE event located at the Steppenwolf Garage Theater, 1624 N Halstead from 5.30pm – 7.30 pm.  This event is FREE, but you must RSVP to Steppenwolf Audience Services on 312 335 1650.

For those of you who are listening outside of the US, do not choose the iTunes option on WFMT’s live streaming page, the stream will not work outside the US, so we recommend you choose one of the other options, i.e. real player.

Many thanks to @WFMTweetie for passing the info on.