Ensemble Studio Theatre will present Klonsky & Schwartz, the off-Broadway premiere of a new play by Romulus Linney, at E.S.T (549 West 52nd Street). Performances begin Monday November 28th and continue through Friday December 23rd, with opening night set for Monday December 5th.
Klonsky & Schwartz, "a humorous and provocative play, evokes the creative life of the mercurial and gifted poet Delmore Schwartz who rose to fame during the mid 20th century artistic and political ferment in New York City. In Linney's play, Milton Klonsky, Delmore Schwartz's life-long partner and protégé, fights to rescue his troubled mentor and friend in the turbulent times of the 1960s." Chris Ceraso, a member of EST for 20 years, and Bill Wise ("Kingdom Hospital on ABC, Orphans at Steppenwolf, films such as In the Bedroom) will star in the show, which is directed by Jamie Richards (Stonewall Jackson's House at American Place Theatre, Light Years at Playwrights Horizons).Romulus Linney is the author of three novels, many short stories, and five anthologies of plays, staged throughout the United States and abroad. They include The Sorrows of Frederick, Holy Ghosts, Childe Byron, Heathen Valley, "2" and, most recently, an adaptation of Ernest L. Gaines's novel A Lesson Before Dying, which has been produced in New York and in numerous regional theatres, and an adaptation of Tim O'Brien's novel Going After Cacciato, which was commissioned by the Epic Repertory Theatre. He has won two Obie awards, one for sustained excellence in playwriting, two National Critics Awards, three Drama-Logue Awards, and many fellowships, including grants from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters.
Delmore Schwartz was born December 8, 1913, in Brooklyn. In 1936, he won the Bowdoin Prize in the Humanities for his essay "Poetry as Imitation." In 1937, his short story "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" was published in Partisan Review, a left-wing magazine. The following year, his first book-length work, also entitled In Dreams Begin Responsibilities, was published and received much praise. His book of short stories The World Is a Wedding was published the following year. Time Magazine compared Schwartz to Stendahl and Anton Chekhov. By this time, his work was widely anthologized. In 1960, Schwartz became the youngest poet ever to win the Bollingen Prize. His friend Saul Bellow wrote a semi-fictional memoir about Schwartz called Humboldt's Gift, which won the Pulitzer Prize. In the summer of 1966 Schwartz checked into the Times Square Hotel, to focus on his writing. He worked continuously, but on July 11, he had a fatal heart attack in the lobby of the hotel.
Klonsky & Schwartz, will have scenic and lighting design by Maruti Evans, costume design by Amelia Baksic and sound design by Graham Johnson."Ensemble Studio Theatre is a not-for-profit developmental theatre founded in 1972 with two primary goals: to nurture individual theatre artists, and to develop new American plays. Under the guidance of founder and Artistic Director Curt Dempster, the theatre's membership has grown from a core of 20 artists to a flourishing community of nearly 450 theatre artists of the highest caliber. Among them are winners of accolades and higher awards including Pulitzer Prizes, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, and Obies. E.S.T. is a lifelong artistic home for its member playwrights, directors, actors, designers, technical personnel, and administrators. Each year, the Ensemble produces over 300 projects, including readings, staged readings, and fully produced mainstage full-lengths," according to press notes.Performances will be Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Saturdays at 2pm. Tickets are $35 each ($25 during previews, November 28th through December 3rd). Tickets may be ordered by calling 212-352-3101. Visit www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org for more information.
