John Guare's SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION Plays The Red House Arts Center This Spring

The Red House Arts Center continues its 2017 season with Six Degrees of Separation, by award-winning playwright John Guare which runs now through March 18th. Diamonds and denim clash in this fast-paced and wildly clever play inspired by true events.

Six Degrees of Separation follows the antics of Paul, a charming young con artist who convinces a wealthy Manhattan couple he is the son of celebrated actor Sidney Poitier. When the couple charitably invites Paul to spend the night in their swanky digs, Paul's con spins frantically (and hilariously) out of control as house guests and emotions run haywire.

Winner of the New York Critics Circle Drama Award and the Olivier Award for Best Play, Six Degrees of Separation is a Redhouse production you certainly don't want to miss! Six Degrees of Separation reflects on the idea that any two individuals are connected by at most five others. The play was the inspiration for the 1993 movie by the same name that starred Will Smith and Stockard Channing and was also the basis for a game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: the goal is to link any actor to Kevin Bacon through no more than six on-screen connections.

Six Degrees of Separation features a blend of new and returning cast members as well as an accomplished director making his Redhouse debut. Returning to the Redhouse Stage for this production are many Redhouse long time favorites including Equity Actors Steve Hayes (Beauty and the Beast,Penguin Tango), John Bixler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Broadway Bound, Big Fish, Into the Woods) and Laura Austin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Penguin Tango, Broadway Bound). Also returning to the Redhouse Stage are Marguerite Mitchell (Dreamgirls, Ragtime, Passion Play) , Grace Allyn (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Elegies), John Grimsley (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Avenue Q), Rachel Grage (John Lennon and Me) , Sean Carpenter (Disney's The Little Mermaid), Kevin Phoenix (Carousel, Big Fish), Daryl Acevedo (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Ragtime), Maxwel Anderson (Into the Woods, A Midsummer Nights Dream), Colin Wilson (Avenue Q, Oleanna) and Max Smith (Disney's The Little Mermaid).

Making his Redhouse debut is Rakeem Lawrence who will star as Paul, along with John Brackett, and Bob Fullenbaum who will also be performing for the first time on the Redhouse stage.

Redhouse is very pleased to welcome guest director Vince Cardinal who will be making his Redhouse debut. Mr. Cardinal brings a wealth of experience with him. He has previously directed all three equity actors Steve Hayes, John Bixler and Laura Austin individually, however this will be the first time directing all three in the same production at the same time. Vince Cardinal also has another very special connection to this production and playwright John Guare that he shared. "I had the honor of being John Guare's assistant when I was a graduate student in Playwriting at the Yale School of Drama. I learned so much from Guare working with him in his home and taking his notes in the rehearsal and in the production process. Rehearsing SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION at Redhouse brings me back to Guare's hilarious, distinctive, and brilliant voice whispering notes quietly in the dark theatre, even as the actors brought his genius to full voice on the stage."

Vincent J. Cardinal is the Arthur and Martha Hearron endowed Professor of Musical Theatre, Chair of the Department of Musical Theatre, and Professor of Music at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University of Michigan. Previously, Cardinal was the Artistic Director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre and Chair of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut. Vince is a graduate in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama, where he was honored with the ASCAP-Cole Porter Award for Best-Collected Work, Cardinal's plays have been produced internationally, including "The Colorado Catechism," which premiered at Circle Repertory Company. The Los Angeles production of the play garnered actors TimoThy Daly and Amy Van Nostrand Dramalogue Awards for Best Performances. Cardinal has directed productions from coast-to-coast including the premieres of "Killing El Cid" by Dan Shea and "Disengaged" by Anita Gabrowsek. He recently directed Terrence Mann in "My Fair Lady" and "Man of La Mancha," Pat Sajak in "The Odd Couple" and "The Drowsy Chaperone," Steve Hayes in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Jerry Adler and Richard Kline in "The Sunshine Boys," and Leslie Uggams in "Gypsy."

Other production staff include Anthony Bruno (Assistant Director), Shane Cinal (Set Designer), Michelle Giasson (Costume Designer), Marie Yokoyama (Lighting Designer), Anthony Vadala (Sound Designer) and Joshua Reid (Production/Technical Director)

Redhouse's Six Degrees of Separation runs from March 9th - 18th. Tickets are $30 or $25 for members. The Red House Arts Center is located at 201 S. West St. in Syracuse, NY. Parking is available adjacent to and across from the theater, as well as nearby in Armory Square. For tickets, call the Box Office at (315) 362-2785 or visit www.theredhouse.org.

Red House Arts Center is a nonprofit, multi-arts organization dedicated to the production and presentation of interdisciplinary works, new theatre, music, visual art, and is a regional provider of community based arts education. Red House supports the creative process by providing a unique platform for regional, national and international artistic expressions. Through our public programs and community engagement initiatives, Red House aims to stimulate cultural activities and contribute to community development throughout Central New York.

To post a comment, you must register and login.