4th Wall Theatre Opens with Gurney and Stoppard Classics 9/24

If you're an AR Gurney fan, you have a chance to see him on both sides of the Hudson over the next few weeks. In addition to the world premier of Office Hours, which opens at the Flea Theatre in New York, 4th Wall Theatre, a non union professional theatre in Bloomfield, NJ opens its 2010-2011 season with two one -act comedies, Gurney's The Fourth Wall and Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound. These two comedies tinker with the theatrical idea of the fourth wall.

The Gurney play tells the story of the husband and friends of a woman who has rearranged her living room furniture to face a blank fourth wall because she feels that if she can just break through it, she can make big things happen. In The Real Inspector Hound, we see a hilarious whodunit murder mystery, with characters examining the ideas of fate, and free will, as well as exploring the idea of a "play within a play." The Fourth Wall features Richard Colonna, Kathi Iannacone, Liz Samuel and Paul Zeller. 4th Wall Executive Director, Gwen Ricks-Spencer directs. She is assisted by stage manager, Liana Romano. Cat Parker, a freelance regional director, who has worked at Dallas Theater Center, Dorset Theatre Festival, and Oklahoma City Rep. joins 4th Wall for the first time in directing The Real Inspector Hound.

She is assisted by stage manager, Martha Thalheimer. The cast includes Will Lampe, Bill Gaudeli, Theresa Lyons, Alex Simon, Jennifer Biederman, Todd Shumpert , Marguerite Forrest and David Juarez. The season marks the start of Kate Swan's tenure as 4th Wall's new Artistic Director. Swan has worked extensively across the US in such theatres as Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Fireside Theatre, Seacoast Repertory, Lyric Stage (Texas), Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Surflight Theatre, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Wings Theatre in Manhattan and Skyline Theatre Company, where she also serves as a board member. Of the duet, Swan says "I'm really excited about these two shows. In recent years, 4th Wall has produced some grittier and heavy pieces, so everyone in the company was game to produce something a little lighter.

Of course, in typical 4th Wall style, each show has a broader message addressing the idea of what is real and what is fake." The two comedies run weekends September 24-October 2 at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield, NJ.

More info at www.4thwalltheatre.org. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved at: 973-748-9008 ext 279 or purchased at the door.