T. Schreiber Studio (Terry Schreiber, Artistic Director) opens its 2009 - 2010 season with ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, Tom Stoppard's Tony Award-winning play directed by Cat Parker. Previews of ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN begin October 15, 2009 prior to an official press opening of October 23, 2009 at The Gloria Maddox Theater at T. Schreiber Studio (151 West 26th Street).
In his thought-provoking and witty play ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, Tom Stoppard riffs on the greatest mystery of all time - Death. And along the way he dabbles with such trifles as destiny and free will. Does life consist of a series of random events, or is it controlled by fate? In the end does the journey matter when the destination is the same? ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD follows Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's weary, yet bemused friends, as the tragedy in Elsinore unfolds. Performed in the round atop a directionless compass, T. Schreiber Studio's production of this modern classic offers an especially intimate look at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as they observe the crumbling world around them and march toward the Bard's inescapable conclusion.
Eric Percival, winner of the 2008 Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play, and Julian Elfer, who is nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor Award at the 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, star as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, respectively. The cast of ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD also includes Erik Jonsun (The Player), Tim Weinert (Hamlet), Doug Williford (Claudius), Tootie Larios (Gertrude), Marguerite Forrest (Ophelia), Tom Lawson, Jr. (Polonius), and as the Tragedians Esteban Benito, Meghan Brown, Horacio F. Lazo, James O'Brien, Janine L. Pangburn, Diane Terrusa, Aki Tsuchimoto, Therese Tucker, and Rodney Allen Umble.
The creative team of ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD includes 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominees George Allison (set design) and Karen Ann Ledger (costume design) as well as Eric Cope (lighting design), Andy Cohen (sound design), and Page Clements (dramaturge) and Cristina Lundy (assistant director). The production features Michael Denis as the stage manager, Barbara Kielhofer as the producing coordinator and Oliver Sterlacci as the production assistant.
T. Schreiber Studio (TSS) has been a creative community for actors since 1969. TSS is acknowledged as one of the foremost professional theatre studios in New York City. For four decades, TSS has been the training ground for more than 300 actors each year, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in theatre, film, and television. TSS received five awards from the Back Stage Readers Poll in 2009, including Favorite Off-Off Broadway Theatre. The studio's high quality productions continue to reinforce a reputation for excellence among audiences and the theatrical community. Martin Denton of NYTheatre.com raves that TSS "has become one of indie theater's treasures, featuring first-class productions of classic and new plays with incomparable (and award-winning) production values." For more information, visit www.tschreiber.org.
Scheduled October 15 through November 22, ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD performs Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm at The Gloria Maddox Theater at T. Schreiber Studio (151 West 26th Street, between 6th and 7th Ave., Subway: 1 to 28th, F/V to 23rd). The official press opening is Friday, October 23 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.tschreiber.org.
