Theatre for a New Audience Announces Classic Reading Series

Theatre for a New Audience's acclaimed reading series, "The Literary Supplement," will present three exciting works that continue to explore the theme of Theatre for a New Audience's subscription season: the cultural connections among Africa, Europe and America.  All readings in "The Literary Supplement" will be performed at The Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street.

The plays chosen for this season are Tower of Evil by Alexandre Dumas père directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando on Monday, January 28, at 7:30pm; The Self-Tormentor by the Roman playwright Publius Terentius Afer (known as Terence) directed by Arin Arbus on Monday, March 10, at 7:30pm; and Wole Soyinka's The Swamp Dwellers (director to be determined) on Monday, April 14.  All readings begin at 7:30pm.

Admission is free for The Literary Supplement at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Reservations are a must: 212-229-2819 ext. 10.

Tower of Evil by Alexandre Dumas père, translated by Michael Feingold and directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando Monday, January 28, at 7:30pm.  The cast will include Cherise Boothe, Duane Boutté, Arnie Burton, Nicholas Kepros, Marc Kudisch, Carmen Lacivita, Sean McNall, Michael Mastro, Saxon Palmer, and Nick Wyman.
 
"Alexandre Dumas père (1802-1870) was the grandson of a French army officer and a slave on his family's plantation in Haiti.  Still celebrated today for his great romantic novels like The Three Musketeers, Dumas was equally lauded in his own time he was equally auded for his sparkling stage comedies and outrageous melodramas. Tower of Evil, banned from the 19th-century English stage because of its luridness, was far and away the most celebrated specimen of the latter," press notes explain.

The Self-Tormentor by Terence, directed by Arin Arbus, Monday, March 10, at 7:30pm

Press notes say: "The Roman playwright Publius Terentius Afer (c. 190-159 BCE), known as Terence, was a North African slave taught to read and write by his owner, a Roman senator, and subsequently freed because of the exceptional gifts revealed in his writing.  Unlike his more famous predecessor Plautus, Terence displays in his work an interest in taut dramatic structures and a fascination with moral and psychological problems that lend his comedies an unusual depth."

The Swamp Dwellers (director to be determined) Monday, April 14, at 7:30pm.

"Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian novelist, poet and playwright Wole Soyinka's powerful, mordant drama reworks the parable of the Prodigal Son's return.  The Swamp Dwellers has often been seen as an allegory of the conflicting forces at work in Africa today. Celebrated in America as the author of such plays as Kongi's Harvest and Death and The King's Horseman, Mr. Soyinka has himself been a notable spokesman for peace in resolving Africa's conflicts.  At times, he has suffered political imprisonment and exile for his views.  He is one of the formative figures in modern African literature," a press release states.

Box Office Info for Theatre for a New Audience's season at The Duke on 42nd Street, 229 West 42ndStreet: Single tickets are $75 and can be purchased by calling 646-223-3010.  For ages 25 and under, $10.00 tickets are available through the Theatre's New Deal ticket program.  New Deal tickets may be purchased for all performances, including day-of or future performances, with valid I.D. anytime during box office hours at The Duke on 42nd Street, 229 West 42nd Street.