The Cell Presents A LONELY MAN'S HABIT & ...AND THEN YOU GO ON, 3/3-4/16

the cell presents two solo plays that respectively explore the life and work of playwrights Tennessee Williams and Samuel Beckett - the New York premiere of Jeremy Lawrence's A LONELY MAN'S HABIT and the return engagement of Bob Jaffe's ...AND THEN YOU GO ON, AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE WORKS OF Samuel Beckett - performed in repertory March 23-April 16 as part of SEE-SAW SOLO FESTIVAL at the cell (338 West 23rd Street) in the heart of Chelsea.

Since its inception in 2006, the cell: A Twenty-First Century Salon has been, and continues to be, an incubator for creative projects. Through its strong commitment to cultivate undiscovered artists, the cell has created residencies for diverse groups including the Tandem Reading Series, Center for Contemporary Opera, and The Blackboard Reading Series. the cell (Nancy Manocherian, Founding Artistic Director; Kira Simring, Artistic Director; Pat Jones, Managing Director; Garlia Jones, Director of Development) has brought to life its mission statement to "mine the mind, pierce the heart, and awaken the soul" through innovative programming of new creative projects. For more information, please visit www.thecelltheatre.org.

About A LONELY MAN'S HABIT:

The New York premiere of A LONELY MAN'S HABIT in honor of Tennessee Williams's centenary catches Williams at work, with the Ink Spots on the stereo, a trick in the bedroom, and fighting off his "blue devils" by revisiting the past through his notebooks.The famed author of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, VIEUX CARRÈ and THE MILK TRAIN DOESN'T STOP HERE ANYMORE creates a new memory play for himself by playing with memories that are sometimes hilarious, sometimes painful as he seeks to meet the one challenge he sets for himself each morning: to go on working because it is his life's great joy. Arranged and performed by Jeremy Lawrence, from the works and words of Tennessee Williams, A LONELY MAN'S HABIT is directed by Jim Gaylord.

Mr. Lawrence recently appeared in the all-star CELEBRATION OF Tennessee Williams at the 92nd Street Y and is currently in the Mint Theatre's revival of WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS (through March 13). He will be returning for his seventh annual appearance at the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in March with a fourth one-man Williams show. His first, TALKING TENNESSEE, was named Critics Choice by the LA Times, and led to him being cast in FIVE BY TENN, directed by Michael Kahn, at the Kennedy Center and Off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. His second solo Williams piece, EVERYONE EXPECTS ME TO WRITE ANOTHER STREETCAR, was produced in New York for a limited run by TOSOS. John Guare has said of the work, "Lawrence's uncanny and unsentimental depiction of Tennessee Williams as a playwright and man at the end of his life is thrillingly eerie, on target, and life affirming."

Jim Gaylord directed Colm Magner's SCAVENGER'S DAUGHTER at last year's New York International Fringe Festival, and most recently, assisted Nicholas Martin on his Broadway run of THE ROYAL FAMILY. Other recent credits include UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL for Vermont Stage Company, where he has directed four previous productions.

A LONELY MAN'S HABIT runs 3/30-4/1 and 4/13-4/16.

About ...AND THEN YOU GO ON:

Adapted and performed by Bob Jaffe, ...AND THEN YOU GO ON, AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE WORKS OF Samuel Beckett draws from 13 of Samuel Beckett's works, spanning 44 years (1936 - 1980). Jaffe portrays a single, composite character, who finds hope and connection in the face of despair, in this "tour de force solo performance piece" (CurtainUp.com). The New York Times called the production "a lionizing tribute to this great Irish writer, and it is inarguably a deserving one." Peter Wallace directs.

...AND THEN YOU GO ON, AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE WORKS OF Samuel Beckett features set design by Jill Klinow Jaffe (original design by Jeremy Woodward); and costume design by Marilyn Salvatore.

Most recently, Mr. Jaffe has been performing to standing ovations in David Eliet's BUT FOR THE GRACE, with productions at Trinity Repertory Company and the NY International Fringe Festival and half-hour TV special. ...AND THEN YOU GO ON, AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE WORKS OF Samuel Beckett originated at Perishable Theatre in Providence, RI with subsequent runs Off-Broadway, at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, and on tour. Other credits include Two-Headed Calf's MAJOR BARBARA at La MaMa, opposite Heidi Schreck, and appearances on "Brotherhood" and "Law & Order: SUV."

Director Peter Wallace has worked as a theater director and professor in New York for more than 25 years and did his graduate work at Yale. He is the founder and executive director of Brooklyn Artists Gym, an artist studio and gallery facility in the Park Slope/Gowanus area of Brooklyn.

...AND THEN YOU GO ON runs 3/23-3/27 and 4/6-4/10.

Also scheduled for two nights only (March 18 & 19) at the cell is SIMPLY COMPLICATED: THE ELEGANT ESCAPADES OF A DANISH-ISRAELI OPERA SINGING TANK COMMANDER, co-written by Jason Odell Williams and Diana Basmajian. What do you get when you cross a Danish Orthodox Jew and a simple Israeli girl from a kibbutz? You get Charlotte Cohn, who at nineteen was already a Commander in the Israeli Army, but had her sights on a different path. Join her in this eclectic evening of music ranging from Puccini to The Beatles and hear the stories that brought her from Ben Yehuda Street to Broadway. Kira Simring directs.

Lighting Designer for the SEE-SAW SOLO FESTIVAL is Lee Terry.

Performances of SEE-SAW SOLO FESTIVAL at the cell (338 West 23rd Street) run March 23-April 16; Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. General admission tickets are $18; students/seniors $10 (password: seesaw). For reservations, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com.

For more information, visit www.thecelltheatre.org.

 

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