Soulpepper Theatre to Present A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE This Summer

Back by popular demand, the 2019 sold-out hit production A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE will return to the Soulpepper stage. This timeless classic by Tennessee Williams, directed by Soulpepper's Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha, takes the stage at Soulpepper Theatre from June 12 to July 7, 2024. Named one of the Top 10 Productions of the Decade by NOW Magazine, this highly-anticipated remount features Amy Rutherford returning to her Dora-nominated role as Blanche, Mac Fyfe returning to his powerhouse performance as Stanley, and Shakura Dickson stepping into the role of Stella. Also joining the cast are Canadian music legend Divine Brown and Ordena Stephens-Thompson, most recently seen at Soulpepper in Three Sisters.

"What a rare gift for me as a director to be able to dive back into this extraordinary play. Five years later, I continue to feel that it speaks to our current times.  This is what I think makes this play a classic - its poetry, its theatricality, and what it says about the human condition still resonates today.  I'm thrilled to be collaborating again with so many returning cast members, including Amy Rutherford, Mac Fyfe, Oliver Dennis, Kaleb Horn, Sebastian Marziali, Lindsay Owen Pierre, and Gregory Prest.  We also have some wonderful new cast members, including Shakura Dickson, Divine Brown, and Ordena Stephens-Thompson. We're excited to share this story with audiences who may have missed the previous sold-out production. For those who did see it, I think seeing it again will remind you of its ongoing power and beauty. " - Weyni Mengesha, Director and Soulpepper Artistic Director

As Blanche's fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister for solace – but her downward spiral brings her face to face with a brutal, unforgiving reality. Tennessee Williams' timeless masterpiece is a raging portrayal of what it means to be an outsider in a society where we're all desperate to belong. 

Directed by Weyni Mengesha, Soulpepper's remount of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE brings the music, sensuality, and liveliness of the French Quarter, unyielding in its spirit, and interweaves original songs and music throughout. The show features a phenomenal cast of Amy Rutherford (Liars At A Funeral (Blyth Festival), An Undeveloped Sound (Electric Company Theatre), and Public Enemy (Canadian Stage)), Mac Fyfe Heroes of the Fourth Turning (The Howland Company/Crow's Theatre), Streetcar Named Desire (Soulpepper), Dionysus, The Bacchae (Stratford Festival), and Trudeau and the FLQ (Dora award) (VideoCabaret)), and Shakura Dickson (Alice in Wonderland (Soulpepper/Bad Hats), Billie, Sarah, and Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz (Soulpepper), da Kink in My Hair (Soulpepper/TO Live), and Dear Evan Hansen (Mirvish)), bringing to life the iconic characters of Blanche DuBois and Stanley and Stella Kowalski. The stellar supporting cast includes Divine Brown, Oliver Dennis, Kaleb Horn, Sebastian Marziali, Lindsay Owen Pierre, Gregory Prest, and Ordena Stephens-Thomspon.

Weyni Mengesha (director) is the Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company and an award-winning director known for her groundbreaking work and community engagement. Weyni has directed shows across Canada that have gone on to tour nationally and internationally and have been developed into television shows on CBC, Global, and Netflix. She has also directed in London, New York, and Los Angeles, garnering an NAACP nomination for Best Direction and Dora, Drama League, and Drama Critics Circle award nominations and awards for Outstanding Direction. 

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) explored passion with daring honesty and forged a poetic theatre of raw psychological insight that shattered conventional proprieties and transformed the American stage. The autobiographical The Glass Menagerie brought what Mr. Williams called “the catastrophe of success,” a success capped by A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the most influential works of modern American literature. Extraordinary masterpieces followed, including Vieux Carre, Sweet Bird Of Youth, The Rose Tattoo, Orpheus Descending, and the classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

The 2019 production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE was the winner of the Toronto Theatre Critics' Award - Best Lead Performance in a Play (Amy Rutherford) and received 6 Dora Nominations, including Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction (Weyni Mengesha), Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role (Amy Rutherford), Outstanding Lighting Design (Kimberly Purtell), Outstanding Scenic Design (Lorenzo Savoini), and Outstanding Sound Design/Composition (Debashis Sinha). 

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