Patty Duke to Play Golda Meir in the National Tour of Golda's Balcony

Duke has appeared on Broadway in Isle of Children, The Miracle Worker and the recent revival of Oklahoma!. She won an Oscar foe her performance as Helen Keller in the 1962 film version of The Miracle Worker. She also received an Emmy Award in 1980 for the television remake of The Miracle Worker, in which she played teacher Annie Sullivan. Duke additionally received Emmy Awards for the miniseries Captains and the Kings and the television movie My Sweet Charlie, and she garnered six more Emmy nominations for her extensive work on the small screen. From 1963 to 1966, she starred in her own series The Patty Duke Show, for which she received one of those Emmy nominations. Duke became a best-selling author with her autobiography Call Me Anna her real first name and the follow-up A Brilliant Madness, which is about her life-long struggle with manic depression. During her eclectic career, Duke also tried her hand at being a recording artist. She released a series of albums in the 1960s and scored a Top Ten hit with "Don't Just Stand There" from the album of the same name.

Golda's Balcony chronicles the legendary Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir's life--from the pogroms of Russia to the halls of the Knesset. The production, directed by Scott Schwartz, transferred to Broadway after an extended run at Manhattan Ensemble Theatre. It opened on October 15, 2003 at the Helen Hayes Theater and closed there on January 2, 2005. Tovah Feldshuh starred as Meir both on and off-Broadway. She is currently reprising her role in Los Angeles at the Wadsworth Theatre and is expected to star in a possible West End mounting of the play.

The national tour of Golda's Balcony, starring Duke, will begin in the fall of 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida