Blanchett to People: 'I Love Raising Boys and Vacuuming'

New York City welcomed Cate Blanchett this week, as performances of the Sydney Theatre Company's Streetcar Named Desire, starring Blanchett, began at BAM on November 27.  The production recently closed out a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on November 21.

So what is it that makes Blanchett tick?  Vaccuming and raising three boys, according to the international stage and screen star. At the Giorgio Armani/Ristorante Dinner Party held earlier this week in honor of Streetcar's arrival, Blanchett told People Magazine: "It's a very satisfying noise when you hear all that grit sucked up from the floor and into the machine...Vacuuming is a big one for me and it's those simple things that keep my life grounded. It can be quite therapeutic!"

As for raising three young boys she adds: "Having boys is great. It's a neat position to be in and I love the high energy that comes along in raising boys. It's fun."

To read the full report of the evening, courtesy of People, click here.

With Andrew Upton, Cate Blanchett has been Co-Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company since January 2008. For the Company, she has previously performed in Hedda Gabler, Sweet Phoebe, Kafka Dances, Top Girls and Oleanna and has directed The Year of Magical Thinking, Blackbird and A Kind of Alaska. Other theatre credits include productions with the Almeida, London, Company B and Griffin. She will also perform in STC's forthcoming The War of the Roses as part of Sydney and Perth Festivals in early 2009. Sydney Theatre Company's A Streetcar Named Desire is part of the 2009 Main Stage program to be announced in full in September 2008.

The Sydney Theatre Company's Production of Steetcar features the Academy Award-winning actress/Sydney Theatre Company Co-Artistic Director Cate Blanchett as Blanche DuBois, Joel Edgerton at Stanley Kowalski, Robin McLeavey as Stella Kowalski, and Tim Richards as Mitch. The production marks Liv Ullmann's U.S. directorial debut. The presentation features set design by Ralph Myers, costume design by Tess Schofield, lighting design by Nick Schlieper, and sound design by Paul Charlier.

'A Streetcar Named Desire' is the story of the determined, yet fragile, repressed and delicate Blanche DuBois, set in the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella, and animalistic brother-in-law, Stanley. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play opened on Broadway in New York in 1947 and guaranteed Williams' status as one of the major American Playwrights.

Streetcar played Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center from October 29 - November 21, and is now playing at the BAM Harvey Theater, where it began performances on Nov 27 and runs through December 19. Tickets are $30, $65, $95 (Tues-Thurs); $40, $80, $120 (Fri-Sun) and can be purchased by calling 718.636.4100 or by visiting BAM.org.