Civic Rep to Stage Tennessee Williams' THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY

After a successful run of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire in January of this year, the newly formed Civic Rep theatre company is tackling one of Williams' lesser known and more experimental works, The Two-Character Play, for their second production.

This production reunites many of the artists from Streetcar, including director L. Zane Jones, actors Robin Jones and Sam Read, scenic designer Angie Harrison, and dramaturge Thea Cooper. Joining the team are lighting designer Thorn Michaels and costume designer Melinda Hare.

Williams considered The Two-Character Play his "...most beautiful play since Streetcar." Set in a theatre, the darkly comic story follows the journey of Clare and Felice, sibling actors with a questionable grasp on reality. On the day of a performance, they find themselves abandoned by their theatre troupe and forced to perform in front of a hostile audience. As they get lost in the performance, they begin to rewrite the script in an attempt to face their demons and make sense of their lives.

The Two-Character Play represents a clear departure from the naturalism of Williams' earlier plays. It was written over the course of 10 years: a dark period for Williams as he struggled with severe drug and alcohol addiction, suffered the loss of his longtime partner and lover, was briefly institutionalized, and experienced the abandonment of his work by critics and audiences. It is considered to be one of his most autobiographical works, deeply influenced by this turbulent time in his life and inspired by his own relationship with his sister Rose.

"It feels good to continue our work with Tennessee - and to move into even more challenging waters with this later play," states director L. Zane Jones. "The Two-Character Play is one of Williams' most deeply personal plays - and like so much of his work, it is beautifully poetic, haunting, but also darkly comic."

The Two-Character Play is in previews July 8-9. The show runs July 10 - August 1. Performances are Wednesday - Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm at New City Theater (1404 8th Ave, Seattle WA 98122). Tickets are $20-$30 and are available at civicrep.org.

Photo by Mike Hipple