Transport Group in Partnership With NAATCO Will Present Edward Albee's A DELICATE BALANCE

Transport Group in partnership with National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) has announced that Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance, directed by Transport Group Artistic Director Jack Cummings III, will begin performances Saturday, October 22 at the Connelly Theater, 220 East 4 Street. The opening is set for Sunday, November 6 at 3pm.

This production is the first off-Broadway revival of Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, as well as the first production to feature a full cast of Asian-American actors.

In Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance, Agnes and Tobias are a complacent middle-aged couple with a hanger-on of a house guest-Agnes' alcoholic sister Claire. But when longtime friends Harry and Edna appear on their doorstep claiming a nameless "fear" has forced them from their home coincides with their four-times divorced daughter Julia's moving home, their daily balance is shattered. Though Agnes and Tobias attempt to regain control, that may no longer be possible.

The cast of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance features Tina Chilip, Carmen M. Herlihy, Paul Juhn, Mia Katigbak, Manu Narayan, and Rita Wolf.

This is the second collaboration between Transport Group and NAATCO who first partnered on Jack Cummings III's adaptation of The Trial of the Catonsville Nine in 2019.

"Partnering with NAATCO again after our successful The Trial of The Catonsville Nine production has been a goal of mine for years. Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance is a timeless classic and yet our production will be historic as we're prioritizing NAATCO's mission of re-examining the canon with Asian-American representation," said Cummings.

Actor-Manager and NAATCO Co-Founder Mia Katigbak said, "NAATCO's partnership with Transport Group on Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance exemplifies our work of joining forces with non-Asian-American companies in our efforts to radically change the persistently narrow representation of Asian-Americans in the theatre. That this was Jack's idea, his initiative to cultivate a relationship with NAATCO that began in 2016, is meaningful to me. I have always maintained that new insights about old works can come from unexpected faces, and this blends seamlessly with Transport Group's reenvisioning of 20th century American works in unconventional productions."

The scenic design for Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance is by Peiyi Wong; costume design by Mariko Ohigashi; lighting design is by R. Lee Kennedy; casting by Stephanie Yankwitt, tbd casting co. and Andrea Zee, Zee Casting. The production manager is Chris Luner; the stage manager is Kevin Zhu.

Transport Group (Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director; Denise Dickens, Executive Director) is an off-Broadway theatre company whose work has been called "storytelling at its purest" by The New York Times, "at once faithful and irreverent." Since the company was founded in 2001 by Jack Cummings III and Robyn Hussa, Transport Group has produced 33 shows: 17 new works and 16 revivals, including three New York premieres and six commissioned works. The company has received a special New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, three Drama Desk Awards including a special one "for its breadth of vision and its presentation of challenging productions," nine Obie Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, three Off-Broadway Alliance Awards, and a Dramatists Guild Award. In addition, Transport Group's productions have received 46 Drama Desk Award nominations, eight Drama League Award nominations, four Lucille Lortel Award nominations, six Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, nine American Theatre Wing Design Award nominations, nine Off-Broadway Alliance Award nominations, four Audelco Award nominations, and a Tony Award nomination.

Entering its 32nd year, NAATCO has vividly brought to life classic plays featuring all Asian American casts, including Shakespeare's Henry VI and Othello, the OBIE Award-winning production of Clifford Odetts' Awake and Sing!, Chekhov's The Seagull, Sophocles' Antigone, the Kaufman & Hart farce You Can't Take It With You, Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night and Ah, Wilderness!, among many others. NAATCO (Mia Katigbak, Actor-Manager and Co-Founder, and Peter Kim, Creative Producer) asserts the presence and significance of Asian American theatre in the United States, demonstrating its vital contributions to the fabric of American culture. NAATCO puts into service its total commitment to Asian American theatre practitioners to represent more accurately onstage the multi- and intercultural dynamics of our society, demonstrating a rich tapestry of cultural difference bound by the American experience. Among NAATCO's recognitions are: the Obies' Ross Wetzsteon Award; a nomination for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, as well as Outstanding Costume Design for a Play for Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts and a nomination for a Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or off-Broadway Play for Awake and Sing!

The historic Connelly Theater (Josh Luxenberg, General Manager) is a beautiful jewel box space in the heart of NYC's East Village that now serves as a home for adventurous independent theater productions. Past productions include Sasha Velour's Nightgowns: The Musical, The Crucible (Bedlam), Plano (Clubbed Thumb, Drama Desk-nominated), Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Diaries 2018 (New York Theatre Workshop), The Bengson's The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova, Lortel and Drama Desk-nominated), Sinking Ship's A Hunger Artist (The Tank's Flint & Tinder series, Drama Desk-nominated), Jomama Jones' DUAT (Soho Rep.), Mac Wellman's The Offending Gesture (The Tank/Flint & Tinder), Daniel Kitson's A Show for Christmas, The Lisps' Futurity (Soho Rep. and Ars Nova, Lortel Award), Lyspinka! The Trilogy (TWEED), Mission Drift (The TEAM), The New York International Fringe Festival, Lucy Thurber's Monstrosity (13p), Anne Washburn's Apparition, and many others.

Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance plays through Sunday, November 20 at the Connelly Theater, 220 East 4 Street. Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals (www.concordtheatricals.com) on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. The regular performance schedule is Tuesday through Saturday at 7pm; Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets prices start at $59 and may be purchased by visiting transportgroup.org or by phoning 866-811-4111. For more information and exact performance schedule, visit transportgroup.org.

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