THE STORY BEHIND NONNA’S SUMMER WINE PARTY

Playwright Elizabeth Fuller’s father was born Luciano Francesco Brancaccio, a first generation Italian-American -- Calabrese to be exact. Elizabeth grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland with prosciutto and cascio cavallo hanging on thick strings in the attic, and two leaky wine barrels in the basement dripping her grandfather’s homemade vino. Elizabeth’s most cherished memories are of her grandmother and aunts sitting around the red formica kitchen table telling side splitting tales about her great grandmother Nonna who ran a winery in the ancient walled city of Oriole, Italy -- the bunion of the boot. Recalling these delightfully outrageous stories about Nonna started Elizabeth’s mind spinning. And so what you are about to see tonight is what Elizabeth calls “faction” -- part truth, part fiction -- and 100 percent true to the spirit of life back in the old country where the women ran the show and the men were happy to be invited.

Nonna’s Summer Wine Party is directed by Joel Vig. Joel is perhaps best known for creating the starring role in the Off Broadway cult hit, “Ruthless.” He was one of the original stars of the Broadway mega hit “Hairspray” which won the Tony for best musical and the Grammy for best cast album. He has recently developed new works for Academy Award winner Patricia Neal and two time Tony winner Tammy Grimes.

Nonna’s Summer Wine Party was written by Elizabeth Fuller who co-wrote last year’s show at Consiglio’s, “The Luigi Board.” Elizabeth’s play, “Me & Jezebel,” which relates her real-life experience with her famous houseguest, Bette Davis, is currently playing in five European countries and is soon to be a major motion picture. It had a successful Off Broadway run and has played in theatres across the United States. In March it opened in Sydney. Elizabeth is an Op-Ed contributor to the New York Times and the author of ten published books.

The cast of Nonna’s Summer Wine Party includes Gary Cavello. Gary appeared in last year’s show, “The Luigi Board,” at Consiglio’s. He created Old Time Radio Shows at Fairfield University’s Quick Center for Performing Arts. He has directed several productions throughout England. He is a former clown with the Clyde Beatty Circus. Barry McMurtrey has performed in 24 countries as a member of the Yale Whiffenpoofs. He received his acting training at Yale University where he appeared opposite Paul Giamatti and Melissa Errico. He has appeared in productions at Long Wharf. His New York credits include the musical “Rainbow” at the Duplex. Laura Papallo has performed with the Connecticut Opera Chorus and the Brattleboro Opera Theater. She studied in New York with Marni Nixon. For the past 15 years, Laura has performed as a guest soloist in Venice, Verona, Sorrento, Sicily, Florence and Assisi. She is a third generation Calabrese and speaks fluent Italian. Stage Manager and actor, PJ Letersky most recently was the musical instructor for the hit Fox TV show “Fringe.” He has been in numerous TV shows and movies. Matt Perrotti (11 years old) plays multiple roles. His acting debut was in last year’s production of “The Luigi Board.”