AMT to Present KING LEAR Staged Reading Directed by Austin Pendleton
The show will be performed at the brand new AMT THEATER in April of 2022.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz
One of the first shows being presented at AMT's new Off Broadway house on 354 West 45th Street will be a staged reading of Shakespeare's "KING LEAR", starring Charles E. Gerber and directed by Austin Pendleton. The show will feature a cast of several members of the group WILL'S PLAYSHOP, which consists of New York Theater professionals, several with formidable credits of stage, film, and television. The show will be performed at the brand new AMT THEATER in April of 2022, on some date TBD near Shakespeare's birthday of April 23rd.
The event coincides with the Bard's birthday festival that Gerber has offered since 2004 in conjunction with The Workshop Theater, of which Gerber was a Founding Member Artist and Mr. Pendleton is on the Advisory Board.
AMT's Artistic Director Tony Sportiello spoke of how important it was to have this show be one of the first to grace the stage of the new theater. "I think it is vital to get people back into the theater and experiencing the classics again. I have known Charles for almost thirty years and his passion and understanding of Shakespeare is unparalleled. We are beyond thrilled that the production will be directed by Austin Pendleton, whose extraordinary body of work speaks for itself."
Austin Pendleton is a true living legend of the American Theater and is slated to return to Broadway as an actor in Tracy Lett's "THE MINUTES" in March of 2022. In addition he will be directing the Broadway premiere of "BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, which he'd originally directed Off Broadway seven years ago. He has graciously offered to direct this rendition of Shakespeare's supreme tragedy with this collection of talent.
Charles E. Gerber is a nearly 50 year veteran of Broadway, National Tours and various NY theaters, as well as film, television and radio. He founded WILL'S PLAYSHOP and THE WILL-A-THON FESTIVAL back in 2004 and has produced, directed, and acted in them with a core of dedicated Bardophiles to considerable critical acclaim. Mr. Pendleton has participated on multiple occasions, along with the likes of the late Richard Easton, Roger Robinson, and the quite lively MacIntyre Dixon, Tandy Cronyn and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
