YANKEE TAVERN Comes to the Waxlax Stage This Month

Riverside Theatre will present the mind-bending thriller by Steven Dietz, Yankee Tavern. Part of the Bobbie Olsen Series on the Waxlax Stage, Yankee Tavern performs at Riverside Theatre from March 19 – April 7, 2024. 

Located in a building set to be demolished at a soon but unspecified date, Yankee Tavern has been a fixture in lower Manhattan for decades. In this rundown bar, people come to drink, connect and share stories that are only told in those places. One day, Adam, the young owner, and Janet, his fiancé, become embroiled in a conspiracy theory of personal and national significance. 

Billed as an edge-of-your-seat thriller, Yankee Tavern takes place a few short years after that dreadful day and brings up conspiracies too logical to dismiss. Ray, a regular with a long history at the bar, shares many fanciful stories of historical events with Adam and Janet. One day, Palmer, a mysterious stranger, enters the bar and orders two beers, one for himself and one for his absent buddy. However, he seems to know more about the events of September 11th and the backgrounds of these three charcaters than he should. 

Playwright Steven Dietz has been called “one of America’s most prolific playwrights” and in 2019 was named “one of the 20 most-produced playwrights in America.” With 53 plays to his credit, Mr. Dietz’s plays range from the political to the comedic. He is the recipient of the PEN U.S.A. Award for Drama, the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award, the Edgar Allen Poe Award, the Steinberg New Play Award, and many other national awards. 

Yankee Tavern had its world premiere in 2009 at Florida Stage in Manalapan, Florida. 

Riverside Theatre’s production of Yankee Tavern is directed and scenically designed by Allen D. Cornell and stars Patrick M. Byrnes (Adam), Emily Verla (Janet), Steve Brady (Ray) and Christopher Schmidt (Palmer). 

The production team includes: Anna Hillbery (Costume Design), Genny Wynn (Lighting Design), Craig Beyrooti (Sound Design), with Audrey M. Brown (Production Stage Manager), and Sarah Nicholson (Assistant Stage Manager). Casting was done in New York City by The Wojcik Casting Team. 

Yankee Tavern is part of the Bobbie Olsen Series on the Waxlax Stage. Performances run from March 19 – April 7, 2024.

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