Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana Opens August 4. Pulitzer Prize winning author examines conflicts of the flesh and the spirit Seattle, WA July 12, 2005, – ACT Theatre presents Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, one of the most searing and provocative plays in American literature. With hot and steamy Mexico as a backdrop, Williams probes the turbulent emotional and sexual forces at play in human relationships, in contrast to a man’s deeply personal spiritual needs. Jon Jory directs this passionate masterpiece, with Seattle favorite John Procaccino in the pivotal role of Lawrence Shannon, a defrocked clergyman working as a tour guide in Mexico. The cast also includes Suzanne Bouchard, Patricia Hodges and Clayton Corzatte. The first of 30 performances opens on August 4 and runs through August 28. Previews begin July 29. Kurt Beattie, artistic director of ACT, said, “This is a powerful play on a grand scale, where emotions run high and the audience viscerally feels the intensity of the characters. Every word spoken is meaningful.” The set recreates a run-down Mexican hilltop hotel, complete with overgrown trees and tropical vines, and reflects the unbalanced tone of life on the edge. Beattie added, “With Jon directing, we’ll face Tennessee Williams’ vision head on with the dignity and clarity that his poignant pen intended. The audience will rediscover, and in some cases be introduced to, one of the greatest playwrights of our time.” “Williams always deals with the big questions in a stunningly theatrical way that challenges the director and actors and is a generous gift to the audience. These are challenges I can't wait to confront! It is -with no ifs, ands, or buts -- a great play,” said director Jon Jory, whose past ACT productions include Good Boys and Omnium-Gatherum. About the original play The Night of the Iguana originally opened on Broadway in 1961, with Bette Davis, Patrick O’Neal and Margaret Leighton in the principal roles. It ran 316 performances and received the 1962 Tony Award for Best Play, as well as Best Actress honors for Leighton and a fourth New York Drama Critics Award for Williams. Director John Huston turned it into a film three years later, with a blockbuster cast including Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, and Sue Lyon. Plot Summary A defrocked Episcopalian minister, a lusty widowed hotel owner, and an honest but penniless painter become united by chance circumstances for a stormy night at a dilapidated Mexican hotel. Torn between sexual desire and guilt, tempted by the nymphet Charlotte, lusted after by Maxine, and denied and inspired by the chaste Hannah, Shannon must grapple with and confront his darkest personal demons as he pursues the essential human need for forgiveness and redemption. Jon Jory, Director Seattle director Jon Jory returns to ACT Theatre following last year’s triumph of Good Boys and 2003’s production of Omnium-Gatherum. Mr. Jory, the son of theatrical parents and currently professor of acting and directing at the University of Washington, spent over 30 years as producing director at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where he founded the Humana Festival of New American Plays in 1979. He was also the founding artistic director of the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. Mr. Jory has directed acclaimed productions at theatres throughout the country, including San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre, the McCarter Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has also directed internationally in nine different countries. His tremendous work in the arts has earned him numerous awards including the National Theatre Conference Award, the ATA Distinguished Career Award and a special Tony Award for Achievement in Regional Theatre. He has been inducted into New York City’s Theatre Hall of Fame. Tennessee Williams, Playwright Born of the South, Tennessee Williams is arguably one of the most prolific of American playwrights. His writings are considered both masterpieces and classics of contemporary theatre. Among his bestknown works are The Glass Menagerie, Summer and Smoke, and The Rose Tattoo. His most famous plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, both earned him Pulitzer Prizes. Williams died in New York in 1983. Cast Suzanne Bouchard Connell Brown, Jr. Clayton Corzatte Ben Gonio Patricia Hodges Laura Kenny Eddie Levi Lee Dennis Mosley John Procaccino Lada Vishtak Hannah Jelkes Hank Jonathan Coffin (Nonno) Pancho Maxine Faulk Judith Fellowes Jake Latta Pedro Rev. T. Lawrence Shannon Charlotte Goodall Production Tennessee Williams Playwright Jon Jory Director Paul Owen Set Designer Marcia Dixcy Jory Costume Designer Michael Wellborn Lighting Designer Dominic CodyKramers Sound Designer The Night of the Iguana is sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. 2 Previews Begin Friday, July 29 Play Opens Thursday, August 4 Show Times: Mon. (Dark) Tues. 7:30 pm Weds. 7:30 pm Thurs. 7:30 pm Fri. 8 pm Sat. 8 pm Sun. 7:30 pm Matinees (All Matinee Times 2 pm): Thurs. – June 11 Sat. – August 6 and 20 Sun. – August 7, 14,21,28 ACT Ticket Information: The Night of the Iguana Tickets: $10 to $54 Subscription tickets for the 2005 season are available online at www.acttheatre.org, or by calling the ticket office at (206) 292-7676, or by visiting ACT Theatre at 700 Union Street. ACT Theatre’s ticket office is open daily from 12:00 noon until 7:00 p.m. Subscription packages range in price from $113 to $250. Single ticket prices for all 2005 mainstage productions range from $10 - $54. Many discounts are available including seniors, under 25, students and day of show rush. Call or go online for details. Photos available at www.acttheatre.org Schedule and prices subject to change. The upcoming 2005 season The Night of the Iguana By Tennessee Williams August 4 - 28 Previews July 29 - August 3 Directed by Jon Jory A winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Award, Williams’ play is a great portrait of the impossible yearnings of human beings. Searing, lyrical and full of compassion, The Night of the Iguana explores passion and isolation. Vincent in Brixton By Nicholas Wright September 8 - October 2 Previews September 2 - 7 Directed by Kurt Beattie Nicholas Wright won London’s Olivier Award for “Best New Play” for his 2003 production. Through a compassionate and compelling portrait of a very young Van Gogh, long before his brilliance is recognized, Wright examines the transforming effect of love, sex and artistic adventure on an unformed talent, while tracing the birth of genius. Flight By Charlayne Woodard 3 October 20 - November 13 Previews October 14 - 19 Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton Flight, by Seattle favorite Charlayne Woodard, is an elegant, triumphant and graceful play featuring six actors that uses African-American folk tales, music, and dance to celebrate the importance of community and cultural heritage to the human experience. November 27 – December 24 The Perennial Holiday Favorite! A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens, adapted by Gregory Falls The Dickens classic retells the story of Scrooge, the magical parable of the true spirit of Christmas, familiar and beloved by audiences everywhere. ACT also offers a wide variety of special programs and events - such as pre and post- play discussions, Happy Hour, ACT’s Beer Tasting Club and ACT-Out Nights - designed to add value to the theatre-going experience. Continental Airlines is the Official Airline of ACT Theatre. ACT Theatre gratefully acknowledges the following for their generous support: The Boeing Company, Getty Images, ArtsFund; Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, PONCHO, 4Culture King County Lodging Tax, Washington State Arts Commission, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Nesholm Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Inc. and Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. ### 4