Gretchen Egolf Joins Cast Of Guthrie's STREETCAR, Previews 7/3

The Guthrie Theater today announced that film and television actress Gretchen Egolf will play Blanche DuBois, joining the previously announced Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Stanley Kowalski) and Stacia Rice (Stella Kowalski), in the Theater's summer production of Tennessee Williams' classic American play A Streetcar Named Desire. Guthrie Associate Artistic Director John Miller-Stephany
will direct the production, which begins preview performances on July 3, opens July 9 and continues through August 29, 2010, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single tickets start at $24 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

In addition to Egolf, Chavira and Rice, the cast will also feature Liam Benzvi (A Young Collector), Raye Birk (Doctor), Yolanda Cotterall (Mexican Woman), Beth Gilleland (Nurse), Brian Keane (Harold "Mitch" Mitchell), Ann Michels (Eunice Hubbell), Steve Sweere (Steve Hubbell), Dario Tangelson (Pablo Gonzales) and Regina Marie Williams (Negro Woman).

The unraveling of Blanche DuBois plays out within a lily-laced atmosphere of heated passion and pulsing sweat, as Williams expertly weaves the heady throb of New Orleans and Blanche's softer, more delicate sensibilities. Though apparently accustomed to a life of propriety and luxury, she comes to live with her sister, Stella, where she finds the cramped lodgings and her sister's "common" husband, Stanley Kowalski, repulsive. As Blanche attempts to settle herself with the Kowalskis, she crafts an image of lounging royalty as she is waited on by her sister. Refusing to bend to his sister-in-law, Stanley soon discovers that there is more to this self-styled Southern
belle than she would like or is able to tell. Her high-toned stories mask distasteful secrets, which she refuses to share or confront. When Stanley reveals the truth, ripping away Blanche's illusions and claiming her sexuality, he forces her into a final emotional collapse.

Melting in and out of reality, Williams' notably autobiographical plays emphasize characters, often dramatizing their mental struggles. An underscoring of music and technical theatricality set the play's shifting moods and serve to illustrate Blanche's impressions and declining state, from soft, dream-like moments of calm to surges in the music, amplified noises and shadows thrown against the walls as Blanche's terror grows and the past comes nearer. Through its tumult of fantasies, reality and impassioned speeches, A Streetcar Named Desire paints a fascinating tragedy of a woman who struggles boldly against a harsh world, creating a night of compelling, intensely
emotional theater.

A Streetcar Named Desire first premiered on Broadway in 1947, winning the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for best original American play. More than 30 years since the Guthrie's last production of this American classic, this highly anticipated production promises a fulfilling midsummer night at the theater.

The artistic team includes Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design), Mathew J. LeFebvre (Costume Design), Peter Mumford (Lighting Design), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Design), Adam Wernick (Composer), Michael Lupu (Dramaturg), Elisa Carlson (Voice and Dialect Coach), Robin H. McFarquhar (Fight Director), Marcela Lorca (Movement), Chris A. Code (Stage Manager), Elizabeth R. MacNally (Assistant Stage Manager) and Sarah Gioia (Assistant Director).

GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater
presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org.