BRIDGEPORT, CT: Stage and screen stars Dan Lauria and Ralph Macchio will play father and son in a staged reading of a new play about an Italian family entitled, "A Stone Carver," by William Mastrosimone, on Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16, 8 p.m., at Playhouse on the Green, Bridgeport.  The reading will be followed by a question and answer session with the actors and audience.

"A Stone Carver" is a contemporary drama about the trials and tribulations of a father-son relationship steeped in their family's Italian heritage, as the father adamantly refuses to move out of his house which is going to be demolished for construction of a highway.

In addition to his role as a cast member, Lauria is the artistic director of the Playhouse's staged reading series which began in April.  Since graduating from the University of Connecticut, Lauria has made numerous appearances on television, including the television soap opera "One Life To Live" and recent roles on "Jag" and "7th Heaven." He is most recognized as the dad on the Emmy Award-winning ABC series, "The Wonder Years." Lauria's film credits include "Common Ground," "Fear Runs Silent" and "Independence Day."  He was also the writer of the film "Dog Watch" and the executive producer of "Faithful."   For 10 years, Lauria was the artistic director of the famed Playwrights Kitchen Ensemble in Los Angeles, where this play was read.

Ralph Macchio made his Off-Broadway and Broadway debut creating the role of Teddy in Joseph Papp's production of "Cuba and His Teddy Bear," starring opposite Robert DeNiro and Burt Young.  He also starred as Finch in the national tour of the Broadway musical-comedy revival, "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying." He appeared Off-Broadway in the comedy, "Only Kidding" and most recently at the Soho Playhouse in the original play, "Magic Hands Freddy." His film credits include "The Outsiders," "The Karate Kid" (and its two sequels), "Teachers," "Crossroads," "Distant Thunder," "Naked in New York," "Too Much Sun," "A Good Night To Die" and "My Cousin Vinny," alongside Joe Pesci.  TV films include "The Last P.O.W.," "The Bobby Garwood Story," "The Three Wishes of Billy Grier" and "Forever Together" as well as the TV series "Eight Is Enough." He can be heard as the voice of Tim in the animated feature "The Secret of Nimh II." Additionally, he has written and directed a short film entitled "Love Thy Brother," which premiered at the 2002 Sundance film festival and is currently playing on HBO.

Also in the cast is Elizabeth Rossa, who plays the son's fiancée. A member of The Actors Studio, Ms. Rossa has had an eclectic career as an actress on stage, in film and television.  After attending The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, she found her new home in NYC.  Quickly, she was cast in Frank Corsaro's 1995 revival of "A Hatful of Rain," which he originally directed in 1955 with Shelley Winters.   From there, Ms. Rossa's career led her to Santiago, Chile to play opposite Peter Coyote in the indie film, "Last Call." Other films include "Six Degrees of Separation," "Rogue," "Ernstfall in Havana," "The Translator" with Molly Ringwald and "Bad Boy" with Dennis Leary. 

Playwright William Mastrosimone made his debut with "The Woolgatherer" in 1981 which later won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Play of 1982.  His play "Extremities" won the New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play of 1982-1983, the John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and later became a feature film by the same title.  His five-hour mini-series, "Sinatra," was broadcast in 1992, and won the 1992 Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-series.  He wrote the feature film "With Honors" and "The Burning Season," an HBO feature about the life of Brazilian hero Chico Mendes, for which he received The Humanities Award and an Emmy nomination.  His play "Tamer of Horses" won the Los Angeles Chapter of the NAACP Award for Best Play of 1987.  Mastrosimone's one-act drama, "Bang Bang You're Dead" was written to help high school students deal with random violence.   Sadly amplified by the Columbine High School shooting, this play has become the most produced drama in American high school theatre. He is the author of the TV miniseries "Into the West", which is currently airing on television and was produced by Steven Spielberg.  His most recent play is "The Afghan Women."  He earned an MFA degree from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, is a 1989 recipient of the New Jersey Governor's Walt Whitman Award for Writing, and is a 1989 recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Rider College.

Director Robert Kalfin is the founder of New York's award-winning Chelsea Theater Center, and has directed plays on Broadway, off-Broadway, television, and on stages around the world, as far abroad as Siberia. Under Kalfin's artistic direction, works produced by the Chelsea Theater Center have received five Tony Awards, 21 Off-Broadway Obie Awards and two Drama Desk nominations, as well as many other awards.
 
Tickets for the staged reading are $30 each. Sponsors are United Illuminating, the Bridgeport Bluefish, People's Bank, Kuchma Corporation, the Downtown Special Services District of Bridgeport, the Werth Foundation, Spath-Bjorklund Associates, Inc., and The Fairfield Weekly.

Playhouse on the Green is located at 177 State Street, in Bridgeport. Free, attended parking is nearby. For information and directions, visit www.PlayhouseOnTheGreen.org.    Tickets may be purchased on-line or by calling the Bridgeport Bluefish box office at (203) 345-4800, ext. 150.