COBRA KAI's Courtney Henggeler to Make NYC Stage Debut in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Ruth Stage has announced that their provocative and controversial modern staging of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, returning to New York City in early 2023, will star Courtney Henggeler in the central role of "Maggie the Cat." This will mark Henggeler's Off-Broadway and New York City stage debut.

Directed by Joe Rosario, the Off Broadway premiere of the Tennessee Williams masterpiece, concluded its run on August the 14th playing to sold out audiences and standing ovations. On the heels of the show's success, the Tennessee Williams estate has issued an unprecedented re-engagement license to the maverick theatre group. Ruth Stage's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will return to the Theatre at St. Clement's (423 W 46th St.) and play for an additional 42 performances with previews beginning on Friday February 24th 2023. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday March 5th, 2023. The production will close on Friday night March 31st, 2023.

Tennessee Williams' sultry, southern storm of a play about greed, deceit, self-delusion, sexual desire and repression, homophobia, sexism, and the looming specter of death won the Pulitzer Prize in 1955. Ruth Stage's modern and haunting interpretation is set in an estate in the Mississippi Delta of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon. The play examines the relationships among members of Big Daddy's highly dysfunctional family, primarily between his son Brick and Maggie the Cat, Brick's wife.

Henggeler is a series regular on the global hit Netflix series, Cobra Kai, portraying 'Amanda LaRusso', opposite Ralph Macchio's 'Daniel LaRusso', in the Emmy-nominated television sequel to the iconic Karate Kid films, which recently aired its fifth season. The Long Island native will next star opposite Joel Edgerton in George Clooney's upcoming directorial effort, The Boys in the Boat, a feature film based on the best-selling book which tells the true story of the University of Washington men's rowing team, who stunned the world by competing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Henggeler is represented by Gersh, Teitelbaum Artists Group and ID PR.

Henggeler joins Matt de Rogatis who will reprise his critically acclaimed role as "Brick" in the new Ruth Stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Matt Imhoff will be returning as the production's set designer and Christian Specht has been added to the design team as the production's lighting designer.

Further casting and design team announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Tickets, priced between $39 and $125, are on sale now and can be purchased at either www.ruthstage.org/cat or www.telecharge.com.

BIOS

Courtney Henggeler

(Maggie) stars as 'Amanda LaRusso' on the global hit Netflix series, Cobra Kai, the much-buzzed reboot of The Karate Kid, which is in its fifth season on Netflix. For her work on the series, Henggeler has been hailed as a "natural screen comic" by The Hollywood Reporter and the "season's MVP" by Entertainment Weekly. Upcoming, she will star in George Clooney-directed The Boys in the Boat opposite Joel Edgerton. Based on #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel James Brown's 2013 book of the same name, the film tells the triumphant underdog story of the University of Washington men's rowing team, who stunned the world by winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Henggeler will play Hazel Ulbrickson, the wife of Edgerton's Coach Ulbrickson. Henggeler has made many memorable television appearances, including as 'Missy', the twin sister of Jim Parson's 'Sheldon', on CBS's smash hit The Big Bang Theory; recurred as 'Claudia' on CBS's Mom opposite Anna Faris and Allison Janney; plus The CW's Jane The Virgin, Netflix's Fuller House, Hulu's crime drama Into The Dark, Fox's long-running hit Bones, ABC's comedy series Happy Endings, and many more. For film, she has appeared in Friends With Benefits opposite Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake; and Tyler Perry's Nobody's Fool starring Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter. Also an emerging producer and screenwriter, she recently made her debut as writer and executive producer with the Lifetime original movie, The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate. She continues to develop projects for television and film. Henggeler lives on Long Island with her husband and two children.

Matt de Rogatis (Brick) Some previous New York City credits for Matt de Rogatis (Brick) include "Frederick Clegg" in the United States premiere of The Collector at 59E59, "Richard III" in Austin Pendleton's Wars of the Roses (124 Bank Street Theater), "Tom" in The Glass Menagerie (Wild Project) and "Roy" in Lone Star (Triad). He was last seen on stage as "Brick" in Ruth Stage's summer 2022 Off Broadway premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Theatre at St. Clement's). Find Matt on social media @themightydero and www.mattderogatis.com

Joe Rosario

(Director) is a writer, producer, actor and director from the New York City area. As an actor he has appeared on The Sopranos, Ed, Law and Order, Sex and the City, Law and Order SVU, Oz, 100 Centre St, Hope and Faith, and the original pilot Thunderbox. Joe has also appeared numerous times on The Chappelle Show and The View in various comedic skits and was a re-occurring character on the Late Show with David Letterman. He has also appeared in over 50 commercials. Rosario is also an award winning filmmaker and producer. His films and scripts have been official selections at over 50 festivals including Cannes, Barcelona and the New York International Film Festival. His feature length drama, Snapshot, starring Zach McGowan of Shameless, was one of his winning submissions. A resident of New Jersey, Joe is also an accomplished acting teacher and he coaches many actors seen on TV and film. Rosario directed the summer 2022 Off Broadway premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Theatre at St. Clement's in New York City.

Matt Imhoff

(Set Design) is an award winning scenic and lighting designer and the resident scenic designer for Ruth Stage. He designed the critically acclaimed Off Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof this past summer at Theatre at St. Clement's. Additional Off Broadway: soot and spit (New York Times Critics Pick), Love and Yogurt: A Modest Proposal (world premiere, Cherry Lane Theatre), A Little Princess (US Premiere), Disney's High School Musical, Frankenstein. Additional NYC: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Rabbit Hole, Proof, Hamlet. US National Tour: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Live! Regional: Stephen Temperley's A Christmas Carol (premiere): Crazy For You, Anna in the Tropics; Boston Lyric Opera; Opera Naples. www.matthewimhoff.viewbook.com

Christian Specht

(Lighting Design) Ragtime, The Music Man, Crazy for You, Hello Dolly, Brightstar, Cabaret (SSTI); Engineers Not Found, (Honest Accomplice Theatre); Duets of Difference (Creative Traffic Flow); Peter and the Starcatcher 1776, Freaky Friday, Children of Eden (Samford University); Turn of the Screw (VST), Glen Campbell, The Manhattan Transfer, Mandy Patinkin: Dress Casual, Ann Hampton Callaway (Angelina Arts Alliance); Around the World in 80 Days/ ALD, Freaky Friday/ ALD (Alley Theatre); Titanic The Musical (ALD) (Signature Theatre); Ain't Too Proud/ intern (Kennedy Center); Originally from Leesburg, GA. MFA in Lighting Design, Virginia Tech; BFA Performance, Valdosta State University. @Spechtc5792, Christianspechtlighting.com

Tennessee Williams

(1911-1983) explored passion with daring honesty and forged a poetic theatre of raw psychological insight that shattered conventional proprieties and transformed the American stage. The autobiographical The Glass Menagerie brought what Mr. Williams called "the catastrophe of success," a success capped by A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the most influential works of modern American literature. An extraordinary series of masterpieces followed, including Vieux Carre, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Rose Tattoo, Orpheus Descending and the classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.