Ruth Stage is thrilled to present a chilling new take on Tennessee Williams’ seminal play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, directed by Austin Pendleton and Peter Bloch. THE GLASS MENAGERIE begins performances on Thursday, October 3 for a limited engagement, 21 show run, through Sunday, October 20. Press Opening is Wednesday, October 9 at 7pm. The performance schedule is Monday, Wednesday & Thursday at 7pm; Friday at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2pm & 8pm. Please note: there is no evening performance on Sun 10/20. Performances are at the Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B). Tickets are $35. For tickets and more information, call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 or visitwww.theglassmenagerieplay.com.
After two critically acclaimed runs in 2018 of Wars of the Roses, directors Austin Pendleton and Peter Bloch reunite with actor Matt de Rogatis to take on the American classic, The Glass Menagerie. In this disquieting production, the tormented Tom relives the story of his time in the Wingfield’s St. Louis apartment, circa 1939, as if he were remembering it through the lens of a spooky dream.
The cast, led by Ginger Grace as the iconic Amanda Wingfield, consists of Matt de Rogatis as her son Tom Wingfield, Alexandra Rose as Laura Wingfield, and Spencer Scott as The Gentlemen Caller.
Set designer Jessie Bonaventure, who was the assistant Set designer on the Broadway musicalHadestown, which garnered four Tony Awards, including Best Scenic Design, collaborates with lighting designer Steven Wolf to create a version of Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece that borders on horror.
Dimly lit and surrealistic, the set itself will consist of props made of glass and the actors will live in a chilling, dreamlike world. Taking inspiration from The Exorcist soundtrack, Sean Hagerty writes the score for this “Wes Craven meets Tennessee Williams†production. Allison Hohman designs the sound for the Wingfield house of horrors.
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Austin Pendleton (co-director) is an actor, director, playwright, and, at HB Studio in New York, a teacher of acting. His Broadway appearances include Choir Boy (this past season), The Diary of Anne Frank (with Natalie Portman), Doubles, and the original production of Fiddler on the Roof, in which he was the first “Motel”, the Tailor and played opposite Zero Mostel. He has also appeared extensively off-Broadway (winning an Obie for The Last Sweet Days of Isaac, and currently appearing in Life Sucks) and off-off-Broadway, in which he has played roles like “Hamlet,” “Richard the Third,” “Shylock,” and originated roles in many new plays. He has appeared in about 300 movies, including What’s Up Doc, My Cousin Vinny, Catch-22, and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and had recurring roles on TV in Homicide and Oz. On Broadway he has directed The Little Foxes, with Elizabeth Taylor, for which he won a Tony nomination, Spoils of War, with Kate Nelligan (who won a Tony nomination for it), Shelter (a musical by Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford, which won several Tony nominations), and The Runner Stumbles. Off-Broadway he directed three Chekhov plays (Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and Ivanov), in productions which included Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ethan Hawke, and Hamlet, with Mr. Sarsgaard. The plays he has written are Orson’s Shadow (which ran off-Broadway for about a year, and has been produced since all over the country and in London) and Uncle Bob (which has been done off-Broadway twice and played around the country and in Paris, translated by Jean-Marie Besset), and Booth, which played in New York starring Frank Langella, and since been done in many productions in the United States. He also wrote the libretto for the musical A Minister’s Wife, which played at Lincoln Center in 2011 and has since been done around the United States. He is a member of the Ensemble at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. He has acted there, directed there, and his plays have been produced there. He trained (and subsequently worked for many years) at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, under the guidance of its founder, Nikos Psacharopoulos. He was born and raised in Warren, Ohio.
Peter Bloch (co-director) last co-directed Wars of the Roses with Austin Pendleton. Off Broadway: The Contrast for the Mirror Rep, H6R3 at the Promenade Theatre, Divine Fallacy by Tina Howe (World Premiere) for Hunter Playwrights. For the National Arts Club: Vieux Carre, Suddenly Last Summer, The Lion In Winter, and The Potting Shed.
Matt de Rogatis (Tom Wingfield) New York theater credits include “Ken” in Red (Jim Kempner Fine Art Gallery), “Frederick Clegg” in the United States premiere of The Collector (59E59 Theaters), “Roy” in Lone Star (Wild Project/The Triad/13th Street Rep) and “Richard III” in Austin Pendleton’s Shakespearean mashup, Wars of the Roses: Henry VI & Richard III, also directed by Pendleton and Peter Bloch (124 Bank Street Theater). Other favorite NYC and regional credits include the title role in Hamlet, “Stanley Kowalski†in A Streetcar Named Desire and “The Elephant Man” in The Exhibition.
Ginger Grace (Amanda Wingfield) National Tour: The Presidents (opposite Rich Little). Off-Broadway: The Saintliness of Margery Kempe (Perry Street Theatricals); Miss Julie (The Pearl); Elektraand Faust (CSC). NY Theater: New Perspectives Theatre, Mother of Invention, Mississippi Mud. Regional: The First Ladies Coalition (written by Ms. Grace; directed by Austin Pendleton); Inside Emily Dickinson: Her Poetry & Her Life (written by Ms. Grace); The Belle of Amherst; Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Secret Journey, and The Color of Light (Schoolhouse Theater); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf(Penobscot Theater); Doubt (WSCC). New plays in New York: Jason Jung’s PANIC!, Jenny Lyn Bader’s In Flight, Fengar Gael’s Devil Dog Six, Deborah Savadge’s The Favor. Film: Wedding March (Winner: Hollywood International Moving Pictures Festival), 6-minute Mom, FratStar, SHEER.
Alexandra Rose (Laura Wingfield) makes her professional theater debut with this production of The Glass Menagerie. Previously, she has worked professionally as an actress in both film and commercials in New York and LA. She has trained in the drama department at Vassar College as well as the T. Schrieber School under Pamela Scott and HB Studios, in New York, under Austin Pendleton.
Spencer Scott (Jim O’Connor) is a proud member of The Greenhouse Ensemble. Recently he starred as “Romeo” in Romeo & Juliet. Some other credits include, “Anthony” in The House of Yes, “Demetrius” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and “Barry” in The Boys Next Door.
www.theglassmenagerieplay.com
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