Pook's Hill Presents SOMETHING WILD..., Beginning Tonight, 9/14

Pook's Hill will present SOMETHING WILD…, an evening of three rarely performed short plays by Tennessee Williams: Hello From Bertha, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, and This Property is Condemned. Directed by Ken Schatz and starring Andrus Nichols (Off-Broadway's Saint Joan), performances begin September 14th at The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at The Abingdon Theater Arts Complex. Opening night is sceduled for Friday, September 21st.

SOMETHING WILD… is an evening of three intimate one-acts penned by Tennessee Williams in 1946:
• 27 Wagons Full of Cotton centers on Jake, a cotton gin owner who burns down the mill of his rival, who in turn seeks revenge by seducing Jake's wife.
• Hello From Bertha details a prostitute's tragic final hours and her struggle to dignify the one decent relationship in her life.
• This Property is Condemned follows the musings and fantasies of a girl forced to grow up at a young age. Through a conversation with a young boy, the girl explores the bond of sisterhood, the idolization of estranged family members and the expedition of time between childhood and sexual awakening.

In addition to Andrus Nichols (who plays the title role in Hello From Bertha), the production stars David Armanino, Tess Frazer, Brian Gianci, Jack Haley, Vivienne Leheny, Imani Jade Powers, and Samantha Steinmetz with costumes by Hilary Walker, set by Justin West, lighting by Drew Paramore, dramaturgy by Heidi Hackney, and Lucas Womack as stage manager.

A leading acting teacher and coach, Ken Schatz has been training professional actors for over 18 years. On the faculty of Circle in the Square Theatre School Ken has taught, coached, and directed for many well-known institutions including NYU Tisch School of the Arts, The Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Harlem School of the Arts, Gorilla Rep, The Actors Institute, SUNY, University of Vermont, Bat Theater Company at The Flea, and Physique Studio at Carnegie Hall. Ken's coaching credits include Tim Blake Nelson's The Grey Zone with David Arquette and Steve Buscemi (Killer Films), Cop Land with Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro, There's Something About Mary with Matt Dillon and Cameron Diaz, ABC's Spin City, and many others. He is trained by Moni Yakim in Physical Acting Technique, and featured in the ACT NY Guide to Qualified Acting Coaches.

Pook's Hill, under the Artistic Direction of Ken Schatz, is a new company of theatre artists and musicians producing classic plays and developing innovative performance works from history, literature, and folklore. This is their inaugural production.

SOMETHING WILD… runs tonight, September 14 - October 6, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm (no performance Sept 19). The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre is located in The Abingdon Theater Arts Complex at 312 West 36th Street between 8th & 9th Aves -- accessible from the A,C,E train at 34th Street. Tickets are $18, available at 800-838-3006 or BrownPaperTickets.com.

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