The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Opens A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, 4/20

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will open Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, A Streetcar Named Desire, at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, April 20, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. This production is directed by Christopher Liam Moore, who, along with many of the same collaborators, designed and staged the extremely popular Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2010.

"Returning to Mr. Williams' world again has been a gift and, as always, a challenging and daunting experience," Moore said. "This is a devastating and deeply moving play-epic in its emotional depth and scope. While many audience members may be familiar with this story, I hope that they will come and experience it as if for the first time. This cast has done amazing work to bring Williams' heart-rending story to life."

The story is set in New Orleans, where Blanche DuBois arrives to stay with her pregnant sister Stella Kowalski. Blanche is taking a leave of absence from her teaching job and dealing with the foreclosure of the family's Mississippi plantation. Living quarters are tight, and Blanche takes an instant dislike to Stanley, Stella's boorish husband. Stanley mistrusts Blanche, suspecting that she has cheated Stella out of her share of the proceeds from the sale of the plantation. Blanche begins a romance with one of Stanley's co-workers, and Stanley, bristling at her condescending attitude toward him, sets out to dismantle her genteel facade. As her web of illusions and lies come to light, Blanche faces off with Stanley in one final, irrevocable confrontation.

The cast features Danforth Comins as Stanley, Nell Geisslinger as Stella, Kate Mulligan as Blanche, Jeffrey King as Harold Mitchell, Gina Daniels as Eunice Hubbell, U. Jonathan Toppo as Steve Hubbell, Wilma Bonet as Neighbor, Mexican Woman and Nurse, Al Espinosa as Pablo Gonzales and Man, and Daniel José Molina as Young Collector, Blanche's Husband and Doctor.

The creative team members are scenic designer Christopher Acebo, costume designer Alex Jaeger, lighting designer Robert Wierzel, composer and sound designer Andre J. Pluess, voice and text director Rebecca Clark Carey, dramaturg Lydia G. Garcia and assistant director Bill Geisslinger.

The Production Sponsors for the show are The Chautauqua Guild, Charlotte Lin and Robert P. Porter and The Robert and Star Pepper Foundation. Production Partners are Helen Lee Henderson, Carole Howard and Anonymous Ashland Donors.

To learn more about the show, visit our website or watch a number of show-related videos on OSF's YouTube channel.

Tickets are available online at www.osfashland.org and by calling the Box Office at 541-482-4331 or toll free at 800-219-8161. A Streetcar Named Desire runs through November 2.