CANDIDA Opens At Two River Theater Co Begins 3/22

Two River Theater Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias, continues its season with George Bernard Shaw's classic Candida, directed by David Staller. Performances will begin at Two River Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, on Tuesday, March 22 and continue through Sunday, April 10. The opening night performance is Saturday, March 26 at 8pm.

Tickets are available from www.trtc.org, over the phone from 732.345.1400, or at the Two River Theater Box Office, 21 Bridge Avenue. Single ticket prices start at $35. Discounts are available for groups, seniors, students, and patrons aged 30 and under. This production is sponsored in part by Two River's Education Partner, Monmouth University, and Rumson Fair Haven Bank and Trust.

Written by Shaw in 1895, Candida is a dynamic comedy of self discovery that takes place over the course of a single day and promotes one of the great writer's most passionate causes: the importance of individual thought. Emblematic of Shaw's writing, and revolutionary for its time, women dominate the proceedings.

The Reverend James Morell (played by Steven Skybell) and his wife Candida (Sue Cremin) live a comfortable and unchallenging life-until Eugene Marchbanks (Will Bradley), a young poet, is taken into their home and announces that he is in love with Candida and means to take her away from what he sees as an unhappy marriage. At the end of the evening, Candida will make her own decisions about love and marriage-but everyone's life will be changed.

George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26, 1856 in Dublin, Ireland. At the age of 22, he moved to London and began his career as a writer; he first made his reputation as a journalist and as a prominent leader of the Fabian Society, writing and speaking on many social aspects of the day including women's rights. Arms and the Man was his first big success as a playwright, followed by such plays as Candida, Man and Superman, Major Barbara, Misalliance, Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, Saint Joan and many others. In 1925, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Shaw continued to write books, plays, screenplays, essays, and treatises until his death on November 2, 1950 at Ayot St. Lawrence in Hertforshire, at the age of 94.

Candida is directed by David Staller, the Artistic Director/Founder of New York's Gingold Theatrical Group. Now in its sixth year, the company produces Project Shaw, which is devoted to presenting plays about human rights as embodied by the work of George Bernard Shaw. In December of 2009, Staller became the first person ever to succeed in producing and directing performances of every play (65) Shaw wrote. Following Shaw's lead, he has also commissioned three New York journalists to write new plays, which GTG will develop and produce. An actor in three Broadway and almost 50 Off-Broadway plays, he has directed across the U.S. and internationally in England and France.

Andrew Boyer (Mr. Burgess) was last seen on Broadway in Gypsy starring Patti LuPone and directed by Arthur Laurents. His other New York credits include the Duke of Cornwall in King Lear with HAl Holbrook at the Roundabout Theatre, and he played Cogsworth in the National Tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Will Bradley (Eugene Marchbanks), a native of a small town in the North Georgia mountains, recently moved to New York after spending a year in Los Angeles where he played Mordred in the Pasadena Playhouse's production of Camelot. He also originated the role oF Brown in The Twentieth-Century Way at the Theatre @ Boston Court, for which he was nominated for a Los Angeles Ovation award.

Jordan Coughtry (Reverend Alexander Mill) has worked with theaters in New York and around the country including the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (for which he played Mozart in Amadeus and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet) and the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC.

Sue Cremin (Candida) was recently seen in New York in Honey Brown Eyes with the Working Theater, Such Things Only Happen in Books with Keen Company, and Killing the Boss with Cherry Lane Theatre. Her television credits include The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, Hawthorne, and Law & Order.

Elizabeth Morton (Proserpine Garnett) has appeared in Death of a Salesman for Weston Playhouse, To Kill a Mockingbird at Intiman Theatre, The Member of the Wedding with Westport Country Playhouse, and How I Learned to Drive for Actors Theatre of Louisville, among other credits.

Steven Skybell (Reverend James Mavor Morell) has appeared in many Broadway productions including Pal Joey, Wicked; The Full Monty and Love! Valour! CompassionI. An Obie Award winner for Antigone in New York, he played the title role in Uncle Vanya for the McCarter Theatre and has appeared in numerous Shakespeare productions with The Public Theater and at the Delacorte.

The creative team for Candida includes scenic designer Tony Cisek, costume designer Anna Lacivita, lighting designer Traci Klainer Polimeni, sound designer Karin Graybash and dialect coach Maggie Surovell. The casting is by Janet Foster, C.S.A. and the stage manager is Whitney Frazier.

For complete biographies of the company, visit www.trtc.org.

Discussions and Events

Before Play: Before every performance of each subscription show at Two River Theater, an artistic staff member, artist or community leader hosts a free discussion to give context and background about the show. Audience members interested in attending the Before Play discussion should arrive at the theater 45 minutes prior to their scheduled performance.

Post-Play Conversations: The audience is invited to stay for a discussion with a member of the artistic staff and members of the cast after the following performances:
Wednesdays: March 30 at 8pm and April 6 at 1pm
Sundays: April 3 and April 10 at 3pm

Accessibility: Two River Theater is fully wheelchair accessible and offers assisted-listening devices and large-print programs at every performance. To reserve wheelchair accessible seating or tickets for a performance listed below, patrons should call 732.345.1400.
An audio-described performance is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6 at 1pm; tickets are $15 for patrons needing audio description.

An open-captioned performance is scheduled for Saturday, April 9 at 3pm; tickets are $15 for patrons needing open captions.