Spectrum Theatre Ensemble Presents THE HOTEL PLAYS this September

The Spectrum Theatre Ensemble of Providence, Rhode Island, in association with Trinity Rep is pleased to present scenes from Tennessee Williams and Williams Shakespeare at the historic Barnaby Castle September 14-16 before moving the production to Provincetown, MA for the 2017 Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival.

The production, titled The Hotel Plays, will combine the two-iconic poet-playwrights under one roof: Barnaby Castle, a Victorian mansion, which was built in 1875. In the "hotel play" format, established by the Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival in previous years, audiences will move from room to room, where worlds of hilarity and heartbreak await behind every door.

Audiences will enjoy two of Williams' most lyric texts, Mister Paradise and Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen..., as well as scenes from Shakespeare's Cymbeline and The Comedy of Errors.

The Hotel Plays has a cast of 16 and will feature actors Leslie Fray, Jim O'Brien, and

Jason M. Shipman. Staged by Trinity Rep's Artistic Leadership and Inclusion Fellow, Clay B. Martin, and co-director on this production, Erin Cawley, The Hotel Plays at Barnaby Castle offers an Environmental Theatre experience which immerses the audience in the world of these plays.

"One thing we found, and really love, is the fluidity of both writers' styles," says Martin, "and how they can so easily navigate between comedy and tragedy, within almost the same breath. Mister Paradise can easily be done as a tragedy, but we're finding such wry humor in it. And even though The Comedy of Errors is a comedy, it's full of dark subject matter - its characters are beaten down and struggling for their identity."

Production times are 7:30 pm on September 14th, 15th, and 16th. Saturday evening has a post-show soiree following the performance.

This production will be a fundraiser for the ensemble as well as for Barnaby Castle. Ticket prices are $75 for evening performances on the 14th and 15th, and $150 for the performance and soiree on the 16th. For tickets visit https://www.artful.ly/store/events/13090.

About the Spectrum Theatre Ensemble: The Spectrum Theatre Ensemble is a group of theatre artists who are neurotypical and on the autism spectrum. Currently based in Providence, RI, our mission is to evolve the tools, practitioners, and awareness necessary to empower those who struggle to make themselves heard.