Civic Rep Announces 2018-2019 Season

Civic Rep will produce a season of work written by Tennessee Williams while in residence at Open Space on Vashon. Civic Rep has two prior productions of plays by Tennessee Williams under their belt: THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, both of which enjoyed successful runs at New City Theatre in Seattle.

Elaborating on the decision to produce more work by Williams, Civic Rep Co-Artistic Director L. Zane Jones says, "We value the artistic opportunity for depth and dimension that evolves when working with one writer. Additionally, we find the beauty and complexity of Williams' work to be challenging and immensely satisfying."

Civic Rep's first production at Open Space, SOMETHING UNSPOKEN and Other One Act Plays by Tennessee Williams, will be staged in November 2018. "Williams was incredibly prolific and throughout his career wrote tons of short plays, many of which are experimental in theme and style", states Jones. "In spite of his commercial success, Tennessee became an outsider - he struggled to be valued and respected as he and his work continued to evolve. As a way to honor his artistic courage and tenacity, we wanted to put together an evening of some of his most inventive and lesser-known pieces. Each play will be intimately staged and will provide an immersive experience for our audience at the newly renovated Open Space."

Open Space for Arts and Community's Executive Director Amanda Westbrooke says of the new residency, "As we were watching the renovation of Open Space unfold, we spent time envisioning different forms of art and expression. One of the images that kept coming to mind was a resident theatre company. Civic Rep had the vision, passion, bandwidth and the theatrical chops that we were looking for in a resident theatre company. I cannot wait for their season of offerings to start."

In May 2019 Civic Rep will mount Williams' full-length play, THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, featuring Darragh Kennan and Robin Jones in the leading roles. The production will be directed by L. Zane Jones. Considered by most to be Williams' last critical and commercial success, the 1961 play centers around the story of an unlikely meeting between two kindred souls. The New York Times called IGUANA "...Tennessee Williams at the top of his form."

Civic Rep is dedicated to the art of theatre.

We are committed to the craft and practice of compelling and intimate storytelling as a means to cultivate empathy, gain insight into our shared humanity and form deeper bonds with our community.

We envision making vital work that will contribute to the cultural life of our community - work that is accessible, relevant and engaging for all involved.

Civic Rep was founded in 2015 by Thea Cooper, Angie Harrison, L. Zane Jones, Robin Jones and Sam Read. New ensemble members include: Michael Barker, Jeanne Dougherty, Tea Lee, Charlotte Tiencken and Anthony Winkler.

Past productions include A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY by Tennessee Williams (both produced at New City Theatre in 2015) and Caroline Bird's adaptation of THE TROJAN WOMEN (produced at The Slate Theatre in 2017).

www.civicrep.org/

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