Shakespeare & Company Announces Yasmina Reza's GOD OF CARNAGE

Shakespeare & Company presents God of Carnage written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Regge Life. The play won a Tony Award for Best Play and an Olivier Award for Best Comedy, now this award-winning New York hit comes to the Berkshires. Written by the author of ART, God of Carnage runs from September 14 - October 8th in the Elayne P. Bernstein.

At the play's opening two sets of parents meet for the first time to address their sons' recent playground fight. Tensions quickly emerge between the parents around the best way to raise a child. The meeting progresses, the liquor flows, and the gloves come off in this comedy of bad manners. Audiences can expect a 90-minute thrill ride into the most dangerous place on earth: parenthood.

"When I got the call to helm God of Carnage I was delighted. The title fascinated me and the play satisfies that fascination," said director Regge Life. "Confrontation supersedes harmony as attempts to instill a sense of shame fail and the savage act of a child is defended. In the end, we realize there is a selfish beast lurking inside each of us and, no matter how civilized we try to be, it can turn to violence at any moment, despite the outward appearance, the veneer of being a progressive urbanite. God of Carnage reminds us that it is a dog-eat-dog world, and like it or not, in a moment, we can all join the pack."

Regge Life will be returning to Shakespeare & Company for the first time since 2013's acclaimEd Kaufman's Barbershop to direct God of Carnage. The cast features four Shakespeare & Company veterans: Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Jonathan Croy, Kristin Wold, and Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. The creative team includes Devon Drohan (Set Design), James W. Bilnoski (Lighting Design), Charlotte Palmer-Lane (Costume Design), and Amy Altadonna (Sound Design).

Tickets for God of Carnage are available online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company's box office at (413) 637-3353. The Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts. This production is generously sponsored by Deborah and Bill Ryan.

PRODUCTION: God of Carnage
PLAYWRIGHT: Yasmina Reza
DIRECTOR: Regge Life
SET DESIGNER: Devon Drohan
LIGHTING DESIGNER: James W. Bilnoski
COSTUME DESIGNER: Charlotte Palmer-Lane
Sound Designer: Amy Altadonna
STAGE MANAGER: Hope Rose Kelly
VOCAL COACH: Ariel Bock

CAST MEMBERS
VERONICA NOVAK: Elizabeth Aspenlieder
ALAN RALEIGH: Allyn Burrows
Michael Novak: Jonathan Croy
ANNETTE RALEIGH: Kristin Wold

September:
14 - 7:30 PM - Preview
15 - 7:30 PM - Preview
16 - 7:30 PM - Opening
17 - 3:00 PM
22 - 7:30 PM
23 - 3:00 & 7:30 PM
24 - 3:00 PM
29 - 7:30 PM
30 - 3:00 & 7:30 PM

October:
1 - 3:00 PM
6 - 7:30 PM
7 - 3:00 & 7:30 PM
8 - 3:00 PM - Closing

(Director, God of Carnage). Regge Life is pleased to be directing again at Shakespeare & Company. He directed the widely acclaimEd Kaufman's Barbershop in 2013. He has directed across the country with credits such as Cross That River for the Aspen Theater, I Just Stopped by to See the Man for Milwaukee Rep, Yellowman and Gem of the Ocean for Pittsburgh Public Theater, Ghosts for the Pearl Theater, Piano Lesson for Virginia Stage Company, A Walk in the Woods at Capital Rep, Rebel Armies into Deep Chad, Laurence Fishburne's Riff Raff and Arthur Miller's The American Clock for the Juilliard School and Living in the Wind and Do Lord Remember Me at The American Place Theatre.

(Playwright, God of Carnage). Yasmina Reza is a French playwright and novelist, based in Paris, whose works have all been multi-award-winning, critical and popular international successes, produced worldwide and translated into 35 languages. She has written seven plays (Conversations after a Burial, The Passage of Winter, ART, The Unexpected Man, Life x 3, A Spanish Play, God of Carnage, How You Talk the Game) and 6 novels ("Hammerklavier," "Une Desolation (Desolation)," "Adam Haberberg," "Dans la Luge d'Arthur Schopenhauer," "Nulle Part" and "L'Aube, le Soir ou la Nuit (Dawn Dusk or Night)"). Films include: "Le Pique-Nique de Lulu Kreutz," directed by Didier Martiny and "Chicas," written and directed by the author.

Located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in the country. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 30,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to Shakespeare & Company's internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and nationally renowned and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.

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