Columbia Stages Announces Cast of 'Camino Real'

Columbia Stages announced  a 24-person cast for the upcoming production of Tennessee Williams' Camino Real directed by Tony Speciale.  

El Camino Real (The Royal Highway) originally stretched from Santa Fe to Chihuahua, Mexico, but in Williams' 1953 controversial masterpiece, it terminates in a paranoid and purgatorial landscape where mythic has-beens and never-weres decadently await their destinies.  Not seen in New York City in over 30 years, this rarely performed classic is a fantastical allegory that reminds us of the eternal dilemmas we all must grapple with at some point on our own personal Camino Reals.  

The cast will feature Joe Curnutte as Kilroy, Alexis Savino* as Gutman, Patrick McCaffrey* as Casanova, Gwynne Flanagan* as Marguerite, Stephanie Wright Thompson* as Esmeralda, and Manon Halliburton* as the Gypsy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Other members of the Ensemble will include Marc Bovino*, Jess Burkle, Doug Cheesman, Frank De Julio, Samantha Desz, Christine Donnelly*, Corinne Edgerly*, Tara Schoch Frederickson, Caroline Kaplan, Amy Kersten, Zach Kleinsmith, Klemen Novak, Jade Rothman, Bob Saietta, Leo Shvedsky, Skyler Sullivan, and Scott Sweatt.         

The creative team includes Russell Schramm (set design), Jessica Pabst (costume design), Lucas Krech (light design), Christian Frederickson (sound design) and Adam Rihacek (fight director).    

Tony Speciale was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.  Most recently his work has been seen at Classic Stage Company, where he directed The Young Company's production of The Taming of the Shrew. Directing credits:  Criminal Genius, Mildred Is… (Actors Theatre of Louisville), The Children (2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival), pierced! (2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2002 New York International Fringe Festival, The Belt Theatre), The Ex (30th Annual Samuel French Short Play Festival), Slut-The Musical (American Theatre of Actors, Original Workshop), My Martha Moment (H.E.R.E.), Raw Impressions (The Club at La MaMa E.T.C.), Veritas, Waiting for Lefty, Ivanov (Columbia University), All in the Timing, Black Comedy and Equus (The Boston Conservatory). As a writer, his play Delirium: The Myth of Arthur Rimbaud was presented at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it was honored with a British Writers' Guild Award.  As an actor, Mr. Speciale has worked at the Actors Theatre of Louisville (24th & 25th Annual Humana Festivals), The Long Wharf Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (2001 Next Wave Festival).  Tony has studied with the S.I.T.I. Company and is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory.  He was also a member of the 1998-99 Acting Apprentice Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville.  He is a proud recipient of The Shubert Presidential Grant and Matthews Fellowship.  www.tonyspeciale.com

Performance Schedule:

Wednesday, April 16 at 8pm

Thursday, April 17 at 8pm

Friday, April 18 at 8pm

Saturday, April 19 at 2pm & 8pm
 

Columbia Stages is the producing arm of the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies of Columbia University's School of the Arts.  Columbia Stages presents a season of graduate actor and director productions as well as an annual festival of new plays by emerging playwrights.  The theatre division offers M.F.A. degrees in acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, stage management, and theatre management and producing.  The goal of the division is to provide each student with the foundation for a career in professional theatre as well as the tools to embrace an ever-changing theatrical landscape and shape the future of the theatre.

For more information, visit www.ColumbiaStages.com.

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