Judd Hirsch will take his Art down from the wall at the Ogunquit Playhouse, come Aug. 12. The Yasmina Reza play, which Hirsch has directed, began performances Aug. 12 at the Maine theatre.

Hirsch evidently has an affection for the Tony-winning work. The actor appeared in the Broadway production of the Yasmina Reza play and then toured the nation with it. Art was a hit in both London and New York, attracting plaudits and trios of well-known performers. The show debuted on Broadway with Victor Garber, Alfred Molina and Alan Alda.

David Dukes, William Atherton and Jack Willis will star in the play, the story of an all-white painting and how one man's purchase of it irrevocably alters his relationship with his two best friends.

Dukes is a seasoned stage actor, having appeared on Broadway in such works as M. Butterfly and Broken Glass. Atherton was one of the leading presences of the American stage in the late 60s and early 70s before turning to film. Beginning as a character lead in such movies as "Sugarland Express" and "The Day of the Locusts," he transformed into a comic villain in "Ghostbusters" and the "Die Hard" series.

Willis -- who replaced Zane Lasky, who left the show due to illness -- appeared in the national tour of Art with Hirsch, as well as on Broadway in David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood. Hirsch's many stage credits include I'm Not Rappaport and Conversations with My Father.

The Ogunquit, one of the last survivors of the New England "Straw Hat" summer stock circuit, was founded in 1933 by Walter and Maude Hardwig.

--By Robert Simonson