Hollywood actor Bruce Willis will appear on the small screen August 12 in a production of Sam Shepard's True West, filmed live in 2001 at the Company of Fools' Liberty Theatre in Hailey, Idaho.

Willis co-stars with actor Chad Smith in Shepard's topdog/underdog tale of two brothers — Austin and Lee — who have a love/hate relationship. The most recent New York staging featured Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly, who alternated the roles of Austin and Lee throughout the play's acclaimed run.

Willis both directed and starred in this production of True West, which he decided to preserve on film following the death of his own brother from pancreatic cancer. A star of such films as "The Sixth Sense," "The Story of Us" and "Die Hard," Willis and Arnold Rifkin are co-executive producers of the TV production for Cheyenne Enterprises in association with Dalrymple Productions. The producers include Dalrymple, Marc Bauman and Mark Zakarin. Gary Halveson directed the play for television.

"True West" will debut on Showtime East 8 PM Aug. 12. Other air dates include Aug. 14 on Showtime Showcase East (9 AM and 10 PM), Aug. 15 on Showtime Too East (9 PM) and again on Showtime Too East on Aug. 18 (10:30 AM). The 1-hour-and-46 minute broadcast comes with these advisories: violence, adult language and adult themes.

Company of Fools is a professional, nonprofit theatre that produces classic, modern and original works that deal with "the human heart in conflict with itself." Fools is committed to developing and sustaining a company of theatre artists that stage productions in the Wood River Valley. Bruce Willis sits on the Board of the theatre company along with Camille Cortese, Michael Cortese, Erika DiCello, Danielle Kennedy, Michelle McElroy, Demi Moore, Emily Olson, Candy Robertson-Russet, Page Shelburne, Sheila Summers, Daniel Summers, Rusty Wilson and Kate Wright. For more information about Idaho's Company of Fools, visit companyoffools.org.

—By Andrew Gans