The Acting Company Announces Postponement of MY ANTONIA

The Acting Company today announces a postponement and changes to its originally scheduled summer 2020 theater season.

Following guidelines from government and public health officials, and in accordance with recommendations issued by the CDC, The Acting Company has made the decision to postpone its season in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to protect its audience, artists, employees, and the community.

The 2020 season focus is on the continuing public conversation surrounding immigration and women's rights. Two works were originally slated for this summer per The Acting Company's (TAC) established format of running two works concurrently in a single theater space while utilizing the same company of racially diverse and young actors.

The scheduled production of A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen and newly adapted by Emily Dendinger, that deals with marital roles and the cost of keeping a family together, has been cancelled.

TAC's production of My Ántonia, newly adapted by Meg Miroshnik from the novel by Willa Cather, and directed by TAC Associate Artistic Director Devin Brain, will be postponed. More information on location and dates will be forthcoming. My Ántonia is a riveting coming-of-age tale centered on the relationship between Jim Burden, an orphaned boy from Virginia, and Ántonia Shimerda, the eldest daughter of Bohemian immigrants. Both children are pioneers on the Nebraska frontier towards the end of the 19th century. Their lifelong relationship and upbringing on a farm leaves an indelible mark on each of them as they are tested by the different paths their lives take. My Ántonia honors the courage and persistence of the immigrant pioneers who helped shape America.

"People who don't like this country ought to stay at home," says ten-year-old Jim Burden to his immigrant neighbor Ántonia. "We don't make them come here." It's a rare moment of discord between the characters, but also evidence of how timely and urgent Cather's classic immigrant story still feels today. In this exuberant new adaptation by Meg Miroshnik, questions of assimilation and what it means to be an American come to life in an adventurous, emotionally charged story interwoven with live, original music and breathtaking storytelling.

Casting for My Ántonia will be announced at a later date.

"I'm sure it comes as no surprise that we have been forced to cancel our summer season. While we are saddened that we cannot introduce the next company of emerging actors, we are excited for brighter days, leaving these dark ones behind," says Artistic Director Ian Belknap. "Great Performances move us to see ourselves in a story or let us escape our own realities for a pocket of time, which, during this terrifying present, sounds pretty good to me. I look forward to offering that opportunity as soon as it is safe for our audiences, actors and staff."

More information about this production and The Acting Company may be found at: www.theactingcompany.org.

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