Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present Tony Award winning actor Alan Cumming in a one night only staged reading of Tennessee Williams' THE NOTEBOOK OF TRIGORIN, a free adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, on Sunday evening, February 13 at 7 pm at CSC (136 East 13th Street). Also featured in the reading will be Keli Garner, Ryan Homchick, John Christopher Jones, Mackenzie Meehan, Ryan O'Nan, David Rasche and Stephanie Roth.
Tennessee Williams has often been nicknamed the "American Chekhov." Throughout his life he admired Chekhov's work and was enamored in particular with The Seagull. Under Williams' pen Chekhov's basic story remains the same, however, his characters are redefined in vivid colors, their actions rerouted from offstage conflict to onstage events and the character of Trigorin is brought more into focus making his notebook the play's central symbol. The result is the lyrical fusion of two great playwrights a century apart-a play reminiscent of
Anton Chekhov but undeniably
Tennessee Williams.
For tickets and information, visit
www.classicstage.org or call (212) 352-3101, or visit the CSC box office at 136 East 13th Street, Monday through Friday 12 pm to 6 pm.
Now in its 44th year as one of New York's most exciting theatres,
Classic Stage Company is the award-winning Off-Broadway theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. Led by Artistic Director
Brian Kulick and Executive Director
Jessica R. Jenen, they are currently represented by Chekhov's Three Sisters, featuring
Maggie Gyllenhaal,
Josh Hamilton,
Jessica Hecht,
Juliet Rylance and
Peter Sarsgaard, directed by
Austin Pendleton. The company recently presented
David Ives' highly acclaimed Venus In Fur, directed by
Walter Bobbie as well as Ostrovsky's The Forest, adapted by
Kathleen Tolan, starring
Dianne Wiest and
John Douglas Thompson, and directed by
Brian Kulick. In the previous season they presented three sold-out acclaimed productions: Shakespeare's The Tempest, starring
Mandy Patinkin; Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring
Denis O'Hare,
Maggie Gyllenhaal and
Peter Sarsgaard; and
Anne Carson's An Oresteia. Recent productions: critically acclaimed sold-out runs of
Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, starring
Dianne Wiest and
Alan Cumming; the world premiere of
David Ives' New Jerusalem, directed by
Walter Bobbie; Hamlet, Richard II, and Richard III starring
Michael Cumpsty and directed by
Brian Kulick; and
Zoe Caldwell in
Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play, directed by
John Turturro.
CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As we return to works of the past, we endeavor to keep a clear eye on the future, particularly in terms of the next generation of artists and audiences. Founded in 1967, CSC has received wide recognition for its significant contributions to theatre as an art form through productions of classic plays, translations and adaptations and a long-standing commitment to the identification and nurturing of leading and emerging artists. Classic Stage's artists are the finest established and emerging theater practitioners working in this country. Highly respected and widely regarded as a major force in New York and American theatre, Classic Stage has been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards: Obies, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and the 1999
Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work. Memberships to
Classic Stage Company productions are available at various price levels, including the flexible MasterPass membership, which in addition to prime seats entitles members to participate in CSC special series, including their sold-out Open Rehearsal events. For more information on
Classic Stage Company visit the theatre's website at
www.classicstage.org.
