—Enjoy a revealing look at iconic Texas governor Ann Richards in this play starring Holland Taylor—
This program is part of PBS’ summer-long celebration of women trailblazers!
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Ann” is a no-holds-barred theatrical portrait of Ann Richards, legendary Governor of Texas (1991-95) , premiering nationwide Friday, June 19 at 9 p.m.
Written and performed by Emmy Award-winning actor Holland Taylor (“Two and a Half Men,” Broadway’s “The Front Page”), the play is a compelling look at the impassioned, inspiring woman who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family.
Beginning with a commencement address, the play bursts into a blistering day in the life of the governor, with a cascade of task-wrangling and conversations with everyone from Richards’ friend Bill Clinton to her grandbaby Lily.
We see the grit, warmth and depth in her colorful, captivating character, bigger than the state from which she hails.
Directed for the stage by Benjamin Endsley Klein (Broadway credits include “The Ferryman” and “Carousel”), this production was recorded at the Zach Theater in Austin, Texas, following its national tour and Broadway run at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in 2013, which earned Taylor a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play.
Neither partisan nor political, Ann began as Taylor’s quest to understand what it was about this housewife, mother, grandmother, leader and iconic patriot who inspired so many people so deeply.
Writing the play became a four-year journey for Taylor, crisscrossing the country, interviewing people who knew Richards, watching countless hours of video coverage and pouring over reams of her personal and public papers at the University of Texas.
In the end, Taylor’s greatest resources were the family, friends, staff and colleagues of the governor who allowed Taylor to know Ann Richards.
Holland Taylor Statement:
“After 20 years in the New York theater, I spread out to television and movies, mistily remembering my stage performances as the ephemeral things they are, and only rarely watching the other stuff myself. But all through my whole adult life, PBS’ GREAT PERFORMANCES has been the source and standard of the greatest classical and most elevated entertainment to be had. And now I’m uniquely honored and thrilled, as the stage performance of my own play – surely the accomplishment of my life – is not only beautifully captured in live performance, but given an exalted presentation by GREAT PERFORMANCES itself. I feel as I did when my Broadway producer told me after our long tour with Ann through Galveston, San Antonio, Austin, Chicago and Washington, DC, that my play about Governor Ann Richards was going to open at New York’s Lincoln Center – I was stunned for a moment, then replied, ‘She deserves it.’ And so, she does. Ann Richards is beloved by countless people who say she lifted their lives, simply by being who she was. Given today’s world, my play about her hopes to impart ‘a little touch of Ann in the night.’”
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This film will stream on the program website in concurrence with its broadcast.
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This episode is now available for streaming on demand through Friday, July 17, 2020 before moving into KPBS Passport, video streaming for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now..
A CELEBRATION OF TRAILBLAZING WOMEN
Join KPBS’s summer-long celebration of women trailblazers in honor of the women’s vote centennial, featuring special programming commemorating U.S. women’s suffrage, the feminist movement and modern-day changemakers.
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Credits:
Directed for television by David S. Wolfson, a Spoon Films, MB Artists & Pink Granite Production, produced by David S. Wolfson and S. Lauren Sheppard; Holland Taylor and Kevin Bailey are executive producers. GREAT PERFORMANCES is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
