Photo Flash: Harry Groener and More at Opening of Guthrie's APPOMATTOX

Appomattox, a sprawling political epic by Christopher Hampton taking place in 1865 and 1965 at the close of the American Civil War and the pivotal Civil Rights Era, opened Friday, October 5 at the Guthrie Theater to continue the Hampton Celebration. The play runs until November 11 on the Guthrie's McGuire Proscenium Stage, and is directed by David Esbjornson (Broadway/London: Driving Miss Daisy, A Few Good Men; Broadway: The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; Guthrie: The Great Gatsby, Resurrection Blues).

Check out photos from opening night below!

This drama features Harry Groener (Television: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; Broadway: Oklahoma!-Tony Award nomination; Crazy for You-Tony Award nomination) in the pivotal dual roles of Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon B. Johnson, paired with Guthrie favorite Sally Wingert (Broadway/London: La Bête; Guthrie: Charley's Aunt, Arsenic and Old Lace), as Mary Todd Lincoln and Lady Bird Johnson. Shawn Hamilton (Guthrie: Little House on the Prairie, The Falls) will appear in the role of Martin Luther King, Jr., paired with Greta Oglesby (Guthrie: Penumbra Theatre's The Amen Corner, Caroline, or Change) playing Coretta Scott King as well as Mary Todd Lincoln confidante Elizabeth Keckley.

Single tickets for the Guthrie's production are on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

Photo Credit: Aaron Fenster