THE GUARDSMAN Begins 7/8 at The Shakespeare Theatre

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is thrilled to present a world premiere adaptation of Ferenc Molnár's The Guardsman - translated from the original Hungarian by Molnár's great grandson Gábor Lukin and adapted and directed by Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte. Performances begin Wednesday, July 8th and continue through Sunday, July 26th at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue (at Lancaster Road) in Madison. Individual tickets and subscriptions can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting ShakespeareNJ.org.

With 42 plays to his name, Ferenc Molnár was the first Hungarian playwright to receive international acclaim. A celebrated journalist and short story author, he also served as a war correspondent during World War I. The Guardsman is one of Molnár's most well-known works. Premiering in 1910 in Budapest, the play - known in its native Hungarian as Testör - received wide public acclaim, in particular for its blatant portrayal of the playwright's relationship with Hungary's premiere actress, Irén Varsányi. In 1924, The Guardsman made its Broadway debut. Seven years later, a highly Americanized film adaptation premiered to much success, starring real-life husband and wife duo Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. The film was widely acclaimed.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will be presenting a world premiere adaptation of The Guardsman, from a translation by Gábor Lukin, one of Molnár's ten great-grandchildren. This is the first English translation of The Guardsman from the original Hungarian. Mr. Lukin has translated several of Molnár's other plays, including Liliom, Play in the Castle, and The Devil. In addition to providing Ms. Monte with the literal transcription, Mr. Lukin created the piano arrangement of Molnár's music for the production - a waltz composed by Molnár in Switzerland in 1897 for his mother.

The Pearl of the Danube:

To celebrate this world premiere adaptation, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 2015 Raffle will provide a lucky winner with round trip coach-class airfare for two to Budapest. The winner will also receive hotel stay, a basket of surprise Hungarian treats, and a number of other exciting extras. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre before all performances and during intermission during the 2015 Season.

The Cast:

Jon Barker takes the stage in his eighth season at The Shakespeare Theatre in the role of The Actor. Company credits include The Alchemist, The Tempest, Pericles, Tovarich, Trelawny of the Wells, Henry IV: Part One, Othello, The Misanthrope, The Taming of the Shrew, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Amadeus among others on the Main Stage, and multiple tours with Shakespeare LIVE!. Mr. Barker also appeared in both Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest in the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra/Shakespeare Theatre collaborations. Regional credits include work at Hamilton Stage, Luna Stage, The Red Room, 12 Miles West, and The Kennedy Center.

In her ninth season at The Shakespeare Theatre, Victoria Mack plays in the role of The Actress. Company credits include Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, Pride and Prejudice, As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost, Of Mice and Men, Pygmalion, Much Ado About Nothing and Pericles. Ms. Mack has appeared on Broadway in Venus in Fur, and in several Off-Broadway productions including A Little Journey, a Drama Desk nominee for Best Revival. Regionally, she has worked at the Cincinnati Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory, Pittsburgh Public, and the Denver Center. Ms. Mack's film and TV credits include The Letter with James Franco and Wynona Ryder, Doubt (Pilot) with Laverne Cox, as well as roles on Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Ms. Mack holds an MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Wendy Barrie-Wilson returns for her sixth season with The Shakespeare Theatre as Mama. Company credits include The Grapes of Wrath, I Capture the Castle, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Glass Menagerie. Broadway credits include Our Town starring Paul Newman and All My Sons starring Richard Kiley. Regionally, Ms. Barrie-Wilson has worked at the Alliance Theatre, Denver Theatre Center, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. TV credits include appearances on The Guiding Light, Our Town (PBS and Showtime), Novel Reflections/Seize the Day (PBS), and all three Law & Orders.

Brent Harris returns to The Shakespeare Theatre in his fifth season in the role of The Critic. Company credits include The Alchemist, Henry IV: Part One, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Timon of Athens. Recently, he performed as Scar in the National Tour of The Lion King. Regional credits: Pittsburgh Public Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C., among many others.

In his third season at The Shakespeare Theatre, Sheffield Chastain portrays The Debt Collector. Company credits include The Devil's Disciple and A Most Dangerous Woman. Broadway credits include White Christmas and the National Tour of The 39 Steps. Regionally, Mr. Chastain has performed at La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, San Jose Rep, Berkeley Repertory Theater, the Los Angeles Theatre Center, and has spent many seasons at various Shakespeare festivals in New Jersey, Alabama, Vermont, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz. Televison credits include appearances on Boardwalk Empire, 30 Rock, Law & Order, Ed, and As The World Turns.

Saluda Camp returns to The Shakespeare Theatre in her fourth season, playing The Maid. Company credits include Pride and Prejudice, as well as tours with Shakespeare LIVE! and the Next Stage Ensemble. Regional credits include four seasons with Connecticut Free Shakespeare, as well as five seasons with the National Theatre of the Performing Arts. Saluda trained in London at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Noreen Farley joins The Shakespeare Theatre for her first season as The Usherette. Ms. Farley is a member of Dreamcatcher Repertory Company, where she has appeared in The Most Deserving and Rapture, Blister, Burn. Regional credits: The Last Romance and Social Security (The Bickford Theatre), Three Tall Women and Mrs. Mannerly (Theatre Project), and Spinning Into Butter and 100 Saints (Alliance Repertory).

The Director/Adaptor:

2015 marks director Bonnie J. Monte's landmark 25th season as Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Since 1990, Monte has directed more than 50 productions for the company, including last season's critically acclaimed productions of The Alchemist and The Tempest, as well as Tovarich, As You Like It on the Outdoor Stage, Trelawny of the Wells, Man of La Mancha, Measure for Measure, A Christmas Carol, The Misanthrope and Othello, No Man's Land, The Taming of the Shrew, and Hamlet. Her many adaptations of classic works, including Enrico IV, The Cherry Orchard and Pride and Prejudice have earned her critical acclaim. Her adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters is published by Playscripts, Inc. Additionally, Ms. Monte adapted this world premiere production of The Guardsman from the unabridged Hungarian translation by Gábor Lukin.

The Artistic Staff:

The world of the The Guardsman comes to life with the help of scenic designer Brittany Vasta, costume designer Paul Canada, and lighting designer Steven Rosen. Bonnie J. Monte also serves as sound designer. Kathy Snyder serves as production stage manager.

Tickets:

Single tickets for The Guardsman start at $25 for preview performances and $32 for regular performances. Student Rush tickets are available a half-hour before curtain for $15 with a valid Student ID. For tickets, call the Box Office at 973-408-5600, visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org, or email BoxOffice@ShakespeareNJ.org.

Special Performances:

Discount preview performances for The Guardsman take place on Wednesday, July 8th at 7:30 PM, Thursday, July 9th and Friday July 10th at 8:00 PM, and Saturday, July 11th at 2:00 PM. Preview performances offer opportunities for reduced-priced tickets while enjoying the excitement of the very first performances in front of an audience. As always, the first Preview performance is Pay What You Can Night. Visit The Shakespeare Theatre Box Office between noon and performance-time on Wednesday, July 8th to purchase a ticket for that evening's 7:30 PM show, at a cost that is affordable to you. Offer subject to availability.

For no more than the cost of a regular ticket, three Symposium Series performances are offered for each show, and include a post-play discussion with the cast and artistic staff. Symposium performances for The Guardsman will be Tuesday, July 14th at 7:30 PM and Saturday, July 18th and Saturday, July 25th at 2:00 PM.

For each production, The Shakespeare Theatre presents the popular education program Know the Show. From 7:00 to 7:30 PM, an artist from The Shakespeare Theatre will present a pre-performance talk that provides background information and an insider's perspective on the production. The Know the Show performance will be held on Thursday, July 16th at 7:00 PM, and is free of charge.

One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, The Shakespeare Theatre is New Jersey's largest professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

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The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. The Outdoor Stage is located on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth and the Theatre's support and education facility is in Florham Park.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, CTW Foundation, The Samuel H. Scripps Foundation, and Drew University, as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals. The 2015 Outdoor Stage production of Love's Labour's Lost is sponsored by Bank of America.

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