THE DRESSER to Be Staged by Ensemble Theatre Company of New York in 2026
Performances run this summer at MuCCC.
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 04, 2026
The Ensemble Theatre Company of New York (TETCNY) returns to MuCCC this summer with Ronald Harwood's backstage masterpiece The Dresser, a deeply moving portrait of devotion, artistry, and the cost of life in the theatre. Performances run July 24 through August 1, 2026, at MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Avenue, Rochester, NY.
Following the company's acclaimed 2025 premiere production of The Lion in Winter—which earned eight 2025 BroadwayWorld Award nominations and won five—TETCNY continues its commitment to bold, actor-driven drama with one of the most revered plays about the theatre ever written.
The Dresser stars James Franklin as Norman, the title character, whose fierce loyalty and emotional endurance drive the play's beating heart. The cast also features Lisa A. Frisone, Wyatt Doremus, and David Broadnax, alongside returning TETCNY performers and BroadwayWorld Award nominees Feliza Bascara-Zohar, and Elizabeth DeFisher.
The production is directed by BroadwayWorld Award winner KEVIN G. SHINNICK, with original music and sound design by BroadwayWorld winner Flynn Ayers and lighting design by BroadwayWorld Award nominee Kenny DeBot. TETCNY's returning production team includes Julie M. Cook (Stage Manager), Katie Garver, and Kate Quinn and Elyse Pommenville
Set in World War II England, The Dresser unfolds behind the scenes of a crumbling provincial theatre during a touring production of King Lear. As bombs fall outside, an aging and fading Shakespearean actor known only as “Sir” battles physical and mental collapse. At his side is Norman—dresser, caretaker, confidant, and quiet architect of survival—who will do anything to get Sir onstage for one final performance. Harwood's play is both an elegy for the era of actor-managers and an intimate examination of identity, sacrifice, and the perilous line between the roles we play and who we truly are.
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