Press Release

 

Triad Stage Launches “Season of Spirit” with Tennessee Williams' Classic The Night of the Iguana, August 31 – September 21, 2008

 

(Greensboro, NC) —Triad Stage opens its 2008-2009 “Seasons of Spirit” with The Night of the Iguana, Tennessee Williams’ contemplative masterpiece. One night can change your life. It is 1940 and defrocked priest T. Lawrence Shannon now scrapes out a living as a tour guide in Mexico. On the verge of a mental collapse, he abducts his tour group to a crumbling seaside hotel on the edge of the jungle. As a fierce tropical storm rolls in, Shannon must wrestle with the passions of the women around him – the wrath of a Texas school teacher, the advances of a lustful teenager and the jealousies of the widowed hotel owner – as he seeks solace with a new arrival, a gentle spinster traveling with her grandfather – the world’s oldest living poet. The Night of the Iguana runs August 31 through September 21, 2008. Opening Night is September 4.

First performed in 1961 and considered Tennessee Williams’ last great play, The Night of the Iguana explores themes familiar from the playwright, but with an optimism somewhat rare in his body of work. The protagonist – Shannon – is afraid he may be losing his mind temporarily as he attempts to navigate his way between his personal faith and the sensual flesh of others. His tragic-comic conflict with a woman from Texas who is more than dissatisfied with the Mexican tour he has been conducting provides the motivation for urgent introspection on Shannon’s part. 

Preston Lane, Triad Stage Artistic Director/Co-founder and the production’s director, hails The Night of the Iguana as a “one of the truly great American plays of the 20th century, the last real masterpiece from Williams, and an experience unlike any other play that I know.” This is Lane’s second time at the helm of the piece. “When I first directed it at Dallas Theater Center, I was overwhelmed by what an extraordinarily thrilling theatrical event Williams had crafted. It’s a fever dream of a play that pits faith against flesh and explodes with all the power of a tropical storm.”

Part of Triad Stage’s mission is to present works with a Southern voice, and The Night of the Iguana is the third Williams play – along with Suddenly Last Summer and A Streetcar Named Desire – the theater has produced in its eight seasons.

Lane praises his talented acting ensemble, “I’m thrilled to have some of the best actors to ever appear at Triad Stage returning to explore the complexities of Williams’ brilliant characters.” The 13-member cast of The Night of the Iguana includes: Alex Amery as Hank, Ali Bayless as Charlotte Goodall, Joseph Collins as The Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon, Abe Cruz as Pedro, Amy da Luz as Miss Judith Fellows, Meghan Hoffman as Hilda, Stephen N. Moore as Herr Fahrenkopf, Ed Pilkington as Nonno, Ricardo Puerta as Pancho, Rosie McGuire as Maxine Faulk, Elisabeth Ritson as Hannah Jelkes, Lorraine Shackelford as Frau Fahrenkopf and Joshua Yoder as Wolfgang.

The creative team includes scenic designer Howard C. Jones, costume designer Kesley Hunt, lighting designer John Wolf and sound designer David E. Smith. The dramaturg is Drew Barker, the fight director is Jim Wren and the dialect/voice coach is the Christine Morris. The stage manager is Christy Weikle and the assistant stage manager is Eric Tysinger.  

Biographies for the cast and creative team, as well as designers’ renderings and production notes can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

Tickets for preview performances of The Night of the Iguana,on August 31, September 2 and 3 are all $16 each. From Opening Night, September 4, single ticket prices range from $10 to $42. Prices vary depending on the day of the week and seat location desired.

All performances are at Triad Stage at The Pyrle Theater, located at 232 South Elm Street in historic downtown Greensboro, North Carolina (between Market and Washington Streets).

Show times for The Night of the Iguana are 7:30 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and 8:00 pm Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 pm. There are no matinee performances during previews. Pay-What-You-Can performances are Sunday, September 7, and Tuesday, September 9, at 7:30 pm. Wine Tasting Friday is September 5, prior to the evening’s 8:00 pm performance, sponsored by Total Wine & More. A Sign-Interpreted performance is on Tuesday, September 16, at 7:30 pm, with services provided by the Greensboro Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Technically Talking,a behind-the-scenes look at the design and production features with the director and designers is Tuesday, September 2, immediately following the 7:30 pm preview performance, sponsored by J. Hyatt Hammond. The InSight Series, the free humanities program that brings a noted speaker to the Triad to discuss the world of the play and its subject matter, will be held Sunday, September 7, immediately following the 2:00 pm matinee performance. PostScript, a lively, open discussion with members of the cast and creative team, will be held Thursday, September 11, immediately following the 7:30 pm performance.

About Triad Stage
Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theatre company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in Greensboro using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Mitre Agency, the North Carolina Arts Council and the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro. The Starring Sponsor for The Night of the Iguana is the Lincoln Financial Foundation. The Production Sponsors are Bank of North Carolina and Brown Investment Properties.

Triad Stage’s 2008-2009 MainStage “Season of Spirit” continues with Bell, Book and Candle, a bewitching comedy by John Van Druten (October 19 – November 9, 2008); Black Pearl Sings!, a musical journey by Frank Higgins (January 25 – February 15, 2009); Ghosts, a shocking exposé by Henrik Ibsen, in a world-premiere adaptation by Preston Lane (March 15 – April 5, 2009); The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead, a new comedic thrill ride by Robert Hewett (April 26 – May 17, 2009); and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a counter-culture masterpiece by Dale Wasserman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey (June 7 – July 5, 2009). Triad Stage will also present the third annual production of its holiday hit Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity by Preston Lane, with original music by Laurelyn Dossett (November 28 – December 21, 2008). Season Passes and single tickets are on sale now. Beautiful Star is not part of the Season Pass subscription package.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal and haveearned the theatre accolades including “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater”, Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year”, North Carolina Theatre Conference.  

To purchase tickets or for performance information on The Night of the Iguana, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or toll-free at 866.579.TIXX (8499), or visit www.triadstage.org.

###

 

CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:

Lincoln Financial Foundation presents Triad Stage’s production of
The Night of the Iguana
An American Classic
by Tennessee Williams
directed by Preston Lane
August 31 – September 21, 2008

Performed at the Pyrle Theater
232 South Elm Street
Greensboro, NC 27401

Defrocked priest T. Lawrence Shannon now scrapes out a living as a tour guide in Mexico. On the verge of a mental collapse, he abducts his tour group to a crumbling seaside hotel on the edge of the jungle. As a fierce tropical storm rolls in, Shannon must wrestle with the passions of the women around him – the wrath of a Texas school teacher, the advances of a lustful teenager and the jealousies of the widowed hotel owner – as he seeks solace with a new arrival, a gentle spinster traveling with her grandfather – the world’s oldest living poet.

For tickets:
Phone: (336) 272-0160
Toll-free: (866) 579-TIXX (8499)
Box Office hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Online: www.triadstage.org
Ticket prices: $10 – $42, depending on performance date and seat location

Group tickets:
Call (336) 274-0067 ext. 218
Email: groupsales@triadstage.org
Ticket discounts: Groups of 10 – 49, 15% off; Groups of 50+, 20% off

Educators’ 20% discount tickets:
Current school teachers and professors receive a 20% discount off regular price tickets to all performances. Must present valid school employee ID or proof of employment to Box Office when picking up tickets. Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply.
Call: (336) 272-0160 or toll-free (866) 579-TIXX (Mon – Fri, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
Ticket prices: $8 – $33.60, depending on performance date and seat location

$8 Student Rush tickets:
Current students with valid school ID may purchase tickets for $8. Student Rush tickets are only available at the Triad Stage Box Office one hour before each performance. Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply.
Available at the Box Office for walk-up sales. (Performance days: Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Sunday matinees 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

$10 Gallery Seats:
A limited number of $10 general admission gallery seats are available for each performance.
Call: (336) 272-0160 or toll-free (866) 579-TIXX (Mon – Fri, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
Also available at the Box Office for walk-up sales.

The Night of the IguanaPerformance dates:
Sunday, August 31 7:30 p.m.  1st Preview  
Tuesday, September 2 7:30 p.m.  Preview/“Technically Talking” post-show discussion
Wednesday, September 3 7:30 p.m.  Preview  
Thursday, September 4 7:30 p.m.  Opening Night with free pre-show lobby party
Friday, September 5 8:00 p.m.  “Wine Tasting” pre-show event
Saturday, September 6 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 7 2:00 p.m.  “InSight Series” post-show discussion
Sunday, September 7 7:30 p.m.  “Pay-What-You-Can” performance
Tuesday, September 9 7:30 p.m.  “Pay-What-You-Can” performance
Wednesday, September 10 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 11 7:30 p.m.  “PostScript” post-show discussion with the cast
Friday, September 12 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 13 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 16 7:30 p.m.  Sign-interpreted performance
Wednesday, September 17 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 18 7:30 p.m. 
Friday, September 19 8:00 p.m.  
Saturday, September 20 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 21 2:00 p.m. 
Sunday, September 21 7:30 p.m. Closing performance