THE WHOLE OF TIME, Argentinian Play Inspired by THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Extends Run at Torn Page

Joben Productions has extended the U.S. premiere of The Whole of Time by celebrated Argentinian playwright Romina Paula in a translation by Jean Graham-Jones to February 11. The Whole of Time, which opened on January 7, is directed by downtown treasure Tony Torn, who intimately stages the production for only 22 audience members a night. Performances take place at Torn Page, a private venue located in the Chelsea townhouse of acclaimed actors Rip Torn and Geraldine Page. Tickets are Pay What You Wish with a suggested donation of $44. Reservations are required and can be made at www.tornpage.org.

The Whole of Time takes Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie and spins it in new directions. In the play, a family’s fragile and very private life is about to change forever. The Whole of Time digs deep into questions of home and exile… physical, intellectual, and emotional. The cast includes Josefina Scaro, Lucas Salvagno, Ana B. Gabriel, and Ben Becher.
 

In October 2023, Fauna and Other Plays, the first collection of English translations of Paula’s plays was published by Seagull Books. In the introduction, editor Brenda Werth writes, “Romina Paula belongs to a new generation of Argentina's most celebrated artists, winning critical acclaim both at home and abroad for her plays, films, novels, and performances. Paula’s plays move us to think about how we tell the stories of people’s lives, exploring synergies between documentary and fiction, life and art, and the fluidity of identity. She is highly regarded for her inventive use of narrative voice, her ability to imagine worlds that are both poetically expansive and intimate, her clever interweaving of literary intertexts in her work, and her questioning of traditional paradigms of gender, family, and motherhood.” 

“Having my play staged in New York, a city where Tennessee Williams lived and where many of his plays premiered, is a fascinating twist of fate I could never have imagined,” says playwright Romina Paula. “The Whole of Time asks audiences to consider the choices we need to make, sometimes against those we love, so that we can become our true self. I’m very excited to see how New Yorkers respond.”

“Having grown up knowing The Glass Menagerie so well, I’m fascinated not only by the similarities between the two plays but what sets them apart,” says director Tony Torn. “In The Whole of Time, the sister is not a victim but someone who is isolated from the world because she prefers it that way. In today’s world, with so many people making similar choices to isolate themselves, Romina’s play is more current than ever. The balance of power within the family she has created is very, very different, which I find exhilarating. And when you consider the unique history my parents had with the work of Tennessee Williams and the fact that we’re performing the play in their home – it’s very special, and I can’t wait to share that experience with audiences.” 

The creative team for The Whole of Time includes Tony Torn (set and video design), Donald Gallagher (scenic backdrops), Jay Ryan (lighting design), and Berit Johnson (stage manager).

Thirty-one performances of The Whole of Time will now take place through February 11, 2024, at Torn Page, located at 435 W 22nd St in Manhattan. The performance schedule is currently Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 6pm and 9pm, and Sundays at 5pm. Starting January 29, the schedule will shift to Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 5pm. The running time is 70 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are Pay What You Wish with a suggested donation of $44. Reservations are required and can be made at www.tornpage.org.

The Whole of Time was developed in association with *Necessary Digression in collaboration with The Martin E. Segal Center for Theatre Research.

Please visit www.tornpage.org/the-whole-of-time for more information.
 

About the Artists
 

Romina Paula (playwright) is an Argentinean multidisciplinary artist: writer, actor, and director of theater and film. She studied playwriting at EMAD Drama School in Buenos Aires and trained as an actor with Alejandro Catalán, Ricardo Bartís, and Pompeyo Audivert. She is the author of three novels, Archivos de Word (Editorial Manslava), Agosto and Acá Todavia (Editorial Manslava); a volume of plays, Fauna, El tiempo todo entero, and Algo de ruido hace (Editorial Entropía); along with a collection of short stories (Editorial Manslava). The first collection of English translations of Paula's plays, Fauna and Other Plays, was recently published by Seagull Press as part of its In Performance series. Paula has staged her plays across Latin America and Europe, and she has appeared as an actor in numerous films and plays directed by notable Argentine directors. In 2019 she made her debut as filmmaker with De nuevo otra vez (Again Once Again), followed by Edición Ilimitada (Unlimited Edition) in 2020 produced by Varsovia Films.

Tony Torn (director) is an actor, director and producer who has worked extensively for the past thirty years in theater, film and television, in both traditional and experimental projects. He was the founding director of Bill Talen's Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping (now in its 20th year) and created and starred in the absurdist theater/punk rock mash-up Ubu Sings Ubu with co-director Dan Safer. His groundbreaking experimental web series The Grand Inquisitor was featured in the Adobe Media Player launch at the 2008 SXSW Festival. Recent directing credits include The Reenactors by Juliana Francis Kelley, Try Try! by Frank O'Hara at the Judith Wilson Theater Center at Cambridge University, UK and Famous People by Bernadette Mayer for The Boog Poets Theater Festival. Tony currently teaches Acting at Playwrights Horizons Theater School for NYU, and manages Torn Page, a private event space in New York City named in honor of his parents, the award-winning actors Rip Torn and Geraldine Page.

Jean Graham-Jones (translator) is the Lucille Lortel Professor of Theatre at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. A trained actor and director, she is a scholar of Argentine theatre and performance and has translated over two dozen plays by contemporary Argentine playwrights. Recent books include Lola Arias: Re-Enacting Life and Evita, Inevitably: Performing Argentina's Female Icons Before and After Eva Perón. Her latest book project centers on contemporary performance translation.

Josefina Scaro (Antonia) is an Argentinian actress, dancer and producer based in New York. Before moving to the US, she appeared in theatre and film by established directors from Argentina and Spain. Examples of her work can be found on the Argentinian streaming platforms CINEAR and TvPublica. Josefina made her North American debut in the feature film American Thief (2021) which played in major festivals and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. She recently played the lead in the films “Halted” directed by Ilaria Malvezzi and “Farewell” directed by Teresa Constantini scheduled to premiere in 2024-25. As a co-curator of events at Torn Page, Josefina is committed to bringing Argentinian and Latin American culture to the community. She is currently working with the internationally celebrated Argentinian theater director, Javier Daulte in his acclaimed play “Are you there?” as well starring in a new play with film and theater director Romina Paula.

Lucas Salvagno (Lorenzo) is a Native New Yorker raised in the East Village. He studied acting with Terry Knickerbocker at the Esper Studio. TV/Film Credits: Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, POWER, PLL: The Perfectionists, White Collar, Royal Pains, The Carries Diaries, Elementary and CRUISE (streaming free on Tubi.) Theater Credits: Dennis Ziegler in This Is Our Youth at The Wild Project.

Ana B. Gabriel (Ursula) is an actress and director based in NYC. She has worked in film, television, and the theatre mostly in Los Angeles. The Whole of Time marks her NYC debut. Other performances include Club Termina and Harry Thaw Hates Everybody which she acted in with Tony Torn (and who she is thrilled to be reunited with after 25 years.) Having been born in Argentina, Ana Gabriel is honored to be working on a play by Romina Paula.

Ben Becher (Maximiliano), a native New Yorker, has appeared Off-Broadway in Tis Pity She's A Whore (dir. Louisa Proske), Letters To Sala (dir. Eric Nightengale) and Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class at the Long Wharf Theater with Judith Ivey and Clark Middleton. While living in London, Ben spent time at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where he worked with director Mike Alfred on his production of Cymbeline. On film, you can see Ben in the Sundance selection Before You Know It, alongside Mandy Patinkin, Judith Light and Alec Baldwin, and in the feature film American Thief, both on major streaming platforms. Recently Ben appeared on Law & Order SVU opposite Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T. Ben is grateful to co-curate events at the historic arts-space, Torn Page, with frequent collaborators Tony Torn, Lee Ann Brown and Josefina Scaro, who recently premiered their short film A Simple Stone at the Woodstock Film Festival. 

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