CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Plays During Georgia Shakespeare Summer Fest 6/25-8/1

Georgia Shakespeare's 2009 Summer Festival continues with Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, starring local award-winning actors Daniel Thomas May as Brick and Courtney Patterson as Maggie (pictured).

Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof previews on June 25, opens on June 26 and runs in rotating repertory with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Titus Andronicus through August 1. For tickets and performance schedule, call 404.264.0020 or visit www.gashakespeare.org. Georgia Shakespeare performs at the Conant Performing Arts Center on the campus of Oglethorpe University (4484 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30319).

Recently named two of the best actors in the city by The Atlantan, Mr. May and Ms. Patterson have been performing together with Georgia Shakespeare for over six years, playing opposite one another in A Streetcar Named Desire, Hamlet and Metamorphoses among others.

"It was very evident throughout the audition process that Daniel and Courtney have an electric on-stage chemistry and have built a rapport with one another through their many years of work together at Georgia Shakespeare," Producing Artistic Director Richard Garner said. "Maggie and Brick are one of the great couples of the American stage, and Courtney and Daniel are at the perfect point in their careers to tackle them head on. We'll be seeing fireworks when these two take the stage."

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is directed by Jasson Minadakis, former Artistic Director of Actor's Express in Atlanta, where he directed such hits as Blue/Orange, Bug, and The Goat or Who is Sylvia?. Currently, Mr. Minadakis serves as Artistic Director of the Bay Area's Marin Theatre Company. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof marks Mr. Minadakis' return to Atlanta theatre.

In addition to Mr. May and Ms. Patterson, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features Chris Ensweiler as Gooper, Tess Malis Kincaid as Mae, Megan McFarland as Big Mama, and Tim McDonough as Big Daddy.

About A Midsummer Night's Dream and Titus Andronicus
When the Fairy King Oberon (Mark Kincaid) decides to meddle in the affairs of the foolish mortals - and immortals - that inhabit a moonlit forest, the magical potion of one little flower causes an awful lot of mayhem in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, June 10 - July 31.

Directed by John Dillon (Coriolanus, Julius Caesar), A Midsummer Night's Dream features Tess Malis Kincaid as Titania, Daniel Thomas May as Demetrius, Joe Knezevich as Lysander, Allison Leigh Corke as Helena, Sarah M. Johnson as Hermia, and Michael Bradley Cohen as Puck. Long-time Georgia Shakespeare favorite Chris Kayser plays Nick Bottom and is joined by a band of rude mechanicals portrayed by Neal A. Ghant (Frances Flute), Brian Harrison (Snug the Joiner), Tim McDonough (Snout), and Chris Ensweiler (Quince).

Vengeance is in the air when Georgia Shakespeare presents Titus Andronicus, an epic story of a Roman general who returns home in triumph with a perilous war trophy - Goth Queen Tamora - which sets in motion a vicious cycle of revenge and retribution. Titus Andronicus runs July 9 - August 2 and promises to be an explosive blend of Pulp Fiction meets the Bard as director Richard Garner brings Shakespeare's most outrageous play to Atlanta audiences.

Leading the cast is Tess Malis Kincaid as Goth Queen Tamora. Joe Knezevich plays Roman Emperor Saturninus, the husband who helps Tamora get her revenge on Titus Andronicus (Chris Kayser) and his daughter Lavinia (Sarah M. Johnson). The cast also includes Michael Bradley Cohen, Allison Leigh Corke, Chris Ensweiler, Neal A. Ghant, Brian Harrison, Daniel Thomas May, Tim McDonough, Megan McFarland, Courtney Patterson, and Mark Kincaid.

In addition to the productions mentioned above, Georgia Shakespeare's 2009 season includes the Family Classic Series production of Alice in Wonderland (July 18 - August 1), a one-week special engagement of Rick Miller's MacHomer (August 26 - 30) and Shakespeare's political drama Julius Caesar (October 10 - November 1). More information may be found at www.gashakespeare.org.

June 25 - August 1
Georgia Shakespeare
Conant Performing Arts Center (4484 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30319)
Tickets: $15 - $45
Call 404.264.0020 or online at www.gashakespeare.org
$12 Preview tickets available June 25

 

Need more Atlanta Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...