Scott Alan Evans, Cynthia Harris & Jenn Thompson Co-Artistic Directors VOLUME 21 No. 1 SUMMER 2013 the actors company theatre By COMPANY NEWS William Inge Directed By NEW SEASON ∙NEW LOOK ∙NEW SITE Jenn Thompson A violent love triangle that tests ACT’s 20th Anniversary season was the ties that bind. Ta benchmark in every way. The com- pany said “Happy Birthday” to itself with a special production of Happy Birthday by Anita Loos; it said “Goodbye” to Cathy By Bencivenga, its long-time and much be- Christopher loved General Manager; “Hello” to Christy Durang Ming-Trent its new General Manager; and Directed By Scott Alan Evans many many “Thank Yous” to the support- ers and contributors who helped make its Anniversary Spring Gala at the University BEYOND Club such an unmitigated success. It’s natural to use such a milestone year THERAPY as a pivot point to launch into the future. Life can be crazy. Therapy can help. The first revival of a long-lost classic. That is just what TACT is doing. We have a new logo and a new look – and will soon have a brand new website (coming late in the fall of 2014). And, of course, most important of all is the new season. Read all about it here, renew or become a new member, and check out what our compa- 2013-14 SEASON ny of actors has been up to. TACT welcomes Hilary Rainey to the staff Natural Affection, Beyond Therapy as our new Development Manager and Kathleen DeSilva, Danelle Feder, Andre Gonzalez, Caroline Kettig, Katherine Mc- Lennan, and Emma Thomasch, as mem- pposites attract, so they say. TACT’s dy- celebrates not only William Inge’s centen- bers of our summer Young Leadership O namic new season features two plays nial, but also the 50th anniversary of the Initiative. with tragically incompatible couples, psy- play’s premiere, and its first New York re- vival, making for a rare opportunity to see CONTINUES ON PAGE 4 chological neuroses, and some very bad behavior. Turns out, everyone could use a this lesser-known Inge work. little affection and a little therapy (some- The play centers on Sue and Bernie, an times even the therapists). Not only do the unmarried couple living together in 1960s characters in these two intriguing plays Chicago. Conflict arises after Sue’s teen- contrast and complement each other in aged son, Donnie, returns from reform numerous ways, but the themes reflect and school and immediately considers Bernie refract each other in tone and perspective, an unwelcome obstacle barring him from creating a season full of dramatic tension. his mother’s attention. The relationships TACT is thrilled to announce its 2013-2014 in Natural Affection are fraught with com- Season: Natural Affection by William Inge petition and jealousy, with an underlying and Beyond Therapy by Christopher Du- threat of violence that will leave audiences rang. riveted. TACT’s Fall production of Natural Affection Christy Ming-Trent and Cathy Bencivenga at the 2013 Glala CONTINUES ON PAGE 2 NATURAL AFFECTION: 2 BEYOND THERAPY: 3 COMPANY NEWS: 4-5 SALON SERIES: 6 Inge wrote Natural Affection late in his ca- by Jerry Zaks and starred Sigourney Weav- MEET THE CAST OF NATURAL AFFECTION reer, on the heels of the enormously suc- NATURAL AFFECTION er (a longtime friend and muse of Durang’s) cessful plays Bus Stop, The Dark at the Top as Prudence. This casting ended up creat- of the Stairs, Come Back Little Sheba, and by William Inge ing some unintended feminist undertones the Pulitzer Prize winning Picnic. Opening in the play. Although her performance was during the 1962/63 New York City newspa- Directed by JENN THOMPSON uniformly praised along with the rest of the per strike, the Broadway run of Natural Af- excellent cast (which included Stephen Col- fection suffered, like so many other produc- lins as Bruce), Sigourney’s beauty was men- tions from that time, from a lack of publicity Previews FIRST FRIDAY tioned by nearly every critic as something and closed after only 32 performances. This Sept 17 to 25, 2013 September 20, 8:00PM that rendered the entire plot implausible. coincided with a time when Inge’s reputation Opens Enjoy a glass of wine and a three course dinner Clive Barnes of the New York Times said, as a playwright began to decline, due, in September 26 at ANGUS CAFÉ (a celebrated theatre industry “the lovely Sigourney Weaver [is] hardly con- large part to critic Robert Brustein’s scath- vincing as a girl who lacked suitors”; Douglas Performances through hang out in mid-town NYC). ing essay in Harper’s magazine belittling and Watt of Daily News is adamant about the fact TOBI AREMU ALEC BEARD* CHRIS BERT EVE BIANCO* October 26 marginalizing him. Inge’s career continued to Take your premium seat at the FIRST FRIDAY that “it’s downright impossible trying to imag- performance. Afterwards meet with the actors *TACT company free-fall through the rest of the decade and ine Weaver stuck for a date”; and Michael member his personal mental well-being suffered for it. and creative staff in a private TALK-BACK Feingold of The Village Voice concedes, “it PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE He took his own life in 1973. Thankfully, time facilitated by a TACT Co-Artistic Director. isn’t her fault that her statuesque beauty has repaired some of the wounds and today Tuesday - Thursday 7:30 PM makes it impossible for an audience to be- Friday, Saturday 8:00 PM Places are extremely limited for this special Inge’s plays are receiving the attention and lieve she has any problems at all.” For the Saturday, Sunday 2:00 PM night of theatre, so act now. praise they deserve. Broadway production a year later, director TALK-BACKS with the cast fol- All for a contribution of $125. John Madden took the helm and only Kate Still, Natural Affection has remained oddly lowing every Sunday Matinee. For reservations call: 212/645-8228 McGregor-Stewart and Jack Gilpin remained un-known and un-seen. Though the play from the previous production. Stephen Col- does contain Inge’s signature naturalism, in lins was replaced by John Lithgow, Sigour- many ways it is atypical of his work. Unlike ney Weaver was replaced by Dianne Wiest, KATHRYN ERBE VICTORIA MACK* JOHN PANKOW the small-town Midwestern sensibility that and the role of the disappearing waiter gave pervades many of his other plays, in Natural ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WILLIAM INGE David Hyde Pierce his Broadway debut. Re- Affection he presents a cynical urban view A century after his birth in Independence, Kan- views were increasingly positive, noting the of Chicago in early 1960s. Reviews of a Chi- tightened script and praising the new cast cago production said of the play, “The 60’s sas, the works of William Inge, the “Playwright of members. never looked so sexy and unappealing at the Midwest,” have been enjoyed by millions of BEYOND THERAPY the same time,” and that Inge’s script con- theater and moviegoers and will continue to be We think these two plays by these eminent tained provocative “incestuous overtones, celebrated through the William Inge Centennial playwrights make up a compelling and dy- by Christopher Durang latent homosexuality and violent machismo in 2013. He is perhaps most renowned for his namic season. Natural Affection is a natural backlash against feminism.” Perhaps when four successful Broadway plays, Come Back, segue to Beyond Therapy: the comedic re- Directed by SCOTT ALAN EVANS Natural Affection premiered in 1963, audi- Little Sheba (1950), Picnic (1953), Bus Stop lease to follow anxieties and restraint. Inge ences were not ready to see something that has written many rich, timeless plays and (1955), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957), Previews PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE so directly referenced and emphasized their and the Hollywood films based upon them. Many TACT is proud to present this lesser-known March 11 to 19, 2014 own psychological preoccupations. Now, de- later work alongside an early play by Durang, Tuesday - Thursday 7:30 PM of his dramas, set in the American heartland of FIRST FRIDAY, March 14 Friday, Saturday 8:00 PM cades later, Inge’s progressive script comes one of today’s most popular writers. TACT his native Kansas, portray the repressed sexual- Saturday, Sunday 2:00 PM into sharp focus and new relevance. invites you to delve into these two diverse Opens ity, domestic tensions and conservative societal worlds with us as we create one wonderfully March 20 TALK-BACKS with the cast following The cast for TACT’s production of Natural norms that Inge associated with life in small compelling season. Performances through every Sunday Matinee. Affection includes company members Alec Midwestern towns. He is the winner of both a April 19 Beard, Victoria Mack, and Eve Bianco - as Pulitzer-Prize and an Academy Award. well as Law and Order: Criminal Intent star, Kathryn Erbe, and TV and NY stage actor John Pankow (currently, Episodes on Show- ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CHRISTOPHER DURANG time). it seems of our time as well, as his most re- on several dates as part of efforts to become Christopher Durang has had plays on and off-Broadway including A History of the American Beyond Therapy, by contrast, came quite cent play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and more in touch with their emotions, but the Film (Tony Award nomination), Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You (Obie Award), early in Chritopher Durang’s career. It marks Spike, is currently running on Broadway and experience mainly proves that everyone’s at one of his first full-length plays, after the crit- recently was awarded the 2013 Tony Award least a little bit crazy.