Glen Hagen Theatrical, a newly created theatrical Production Company presents Stephen Adly Guirgis' Den of Thieves, directed by David Triacca. Den Of Thieves opens August 19, 2010 and runs through August 29, at The American Theater of Actors, The Chernuchin Theater, 2nd floor, 314 West 54 Street, New York, New York 10019.
Glen Hagen, President of Glen Hagen Theatrical has been an avid theatergoer for the past 40 years and always wanted to get involved in the theater community. Hagen said, "I knew I did not have the acting skills, but I was interested in the possibility of producing."
Hagen said, he and his associates chose Den of Thieves as their first production after reading over 300 scripts, because "they wanted it to be easily manageable" - they didn't want to produce a show with a large ensemble. "Our group of investors come from a very diverse group of backgrounds, so we looked for a script that offers cast diversity and a story that anyone can relate to." They chose Den Of Thieves, as not only did it meet their criteria, "but without a doubt it's the best," said Hagen. "I very much like the script, it has a lot of contemporary meanings, and it's extremely humorous. Even as someone who knows next to nothing about the 12-step program, I was drawn into it and I imagine my audience would feel the same."
Stephen Adly Guirgis (Jesus Hopped the ‘A' Train and Our Lady of 121st Street), outrageous black comedy takes us into the world of Maggie, a shoplifter looking to change her life. Paul is her sponsor in a twelve-step program. Flaco is her charismatic but jealous drug dealing-boyfriend. Boochie, Flaco's girlfriend, is a topless dancer. When this unlikely squad gets together to steal $750,000 in unprotected drug money, they become prisoners in a mob boss' basement. Told that they have until sunrise to choose one person to die and three to donate their thumbs, the four engage in verbal gymnastics as they struggle for self-awareness and self-acceptance in a high-octane battle for survival.
Guirgis told
Catherine Foster of the Boston Globe in her 2005 interview with him that "he has always identified with the underdog." When he wrote "Den of Thieves" in 1996, he was working with a violence-prevention program in New York prisons, hospitals, and shelters. At night, he lived in a government-owned building housing people who were HIV positive, mentally ill, or just poor.
In the same interview Guirgis says "he used to go to the
West Bank Cafe and steal rolls of toilet paper from supplies stacked in the bathroom. What I realized was, what am I saying about myself here? That I'd rather feel bad about myself and get some free toilet paper than actually go to the store and buy some?" "Once he quit stealing", he says, "I felt a lot better." I felt like a loser, like someone on the lower end of the spectrum. But a loser who's fighting for something.
Triacca says, "Den Of Thieves is a play about a group that were "born to lose." The struggle for self- awareness, self-acceptance, and self-love, deception, redemption, forgiveness, and tolerance, are concurrent themes in Den Of Thieves. The play is driven by a bunch of dysfunctional characters trying to survive, change and take control of their lives. It reveals the characters' vulnerability, and the truth about who and what they really are."
Triacca says he is very excited about directing Den of Thieves because "Guirgis writes plays about the kind of theatre I like to make and the kind of theatre I like to see - pushing limits and banging heads together. His plays are about my fears, my ideas, my uncertainty, and my isolation. So, I could either go to therapy or direct his play. I chose the latter. So once it opens, I'll see if I stop stealing toilet paper. "
Den Of Thieves cast: Peter Carlaftes, Michelle Cox, Wesley Curtis, Ralph John (RJ) Lucci, Giovanni Rho, Julia Sun, and Chris Triana. Director: David Triacca. Producer: Glen Hagen Theatrical. Stage Manager: Estie Sarvasy. Lighting and Sound Designer: Shelly Rodriguez. Set Designer:
Jason Simms. Casting Director: Celine Crisman. Casting Associate: Emily Padden.
Tickets are: $24.00, $27.00 in advance, or $30.00 at the box office, night of the performance. Tickets can be purchased online from www.smarttix.com, or by phone at 212-868-4444.
Further information can be found at:
www.denofthievesnyc.com.
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