CINCINNATI, OH– New Edgecliff Theatre announced today the cast of The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams, the first show of its 2010-2011 Season. The production will feature two local favorites: Annie Fitzpatrick and Kate Wilford (both members of Actors Equity Association), supported by a strong cast of Cincinnati and Dayton actors.

Ms. Wilford, who won Acclaim and CEA Awards for her portrayal of Linda Loman in NET’s production of Death of a Salesman, will be tackling the role of the lusty Maxine Faulk. The recently widowed hotel proprietor is at the end of her rope, desperate for affection. Kate Wilford playfully refers to the character as the “first 20th century cougar!”

Making her first appearance on the NET stage, Annie Fitzpatrick will play the role of Hannah Jelkes, a beautiful and penniless spinster from Nantucket.

Joining Ms. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Wilford onstage will be Nathan Neorr as the Reverend Shepherd. This is a return to the New Edgecliff stage for Mr. Neorr, who was last seen at the Columbia Performance Center in Sam Shepherd’s Fool for Love in 2007.

Also appearing: Bob Allen, Isaac Berger, Jacqueline Carey, Josafat Celedon, Christine Dye, Mindy Heithaus, Mindy Seibert, Chris Shea and Brandon Wentz.

Says Artistic Director Jim Stump: “We are thrilled to have collected this strong ensemble for such a challenging and enthralling piece of theatre. We are particularly excited to see the work that Kate Wilford and Annie Fitzpatrick bring to the stage.”

The Night of the Iguana runs October 7th-23rd at the Columbia Performance Center. Tickets are already available and may be purchased by phone at 888.588.0137 or online at newedgecliff.com. Special NET/Flex packages are available for groups of 4 or more. The production is made possible by the generous support of season sponsor David Robertson and The Fine Arts Fund.

About the Production: Considered one of Tennessee Williams’ finest plays, The Night of the Iguana is full of intense drama, biting wit and sexual tension. Set in 1940s Mexico, an American widow endeavors to keep both her tropical hotel and her love life intact. Her guests include: the defrocked Reverend Shannon, desperately struggling with addictions to alcohol and young women; the ethereal yet penniless artist Hannah Jelkes; her grandfather Nonno, “the oldest living and practicing poet;” a family of boisterous Germans; and a difficult busload of Baptist women. This Tony Award-winning play by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Tennessee Williams is a provocative exploration of human struggle and passion.

About New Edgecliff Theatre: Established in 1998, New Edgecliff Theatre’s mission is to create a powerful artistic experience utilizing local professionals and stressing the fundamental communion between actor and audience. Now in its 13th season, the company has won numerous awards and accolades for its innovative productions, including American Buffalo, Death of a Salesman, The Cincinnati Directors Competition and most recently, Equus. In addition to The Night of the Iguana, the 2010-2011 lineup includes The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Santaland Diaries, the Cincinnati Directors Competition 4 and [title of show]. New Edgecliff Theatre is a member of the League of Cincinnati Theatres.

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New Edgecliff Theatre will be holding auditions for our upcoming production of The Night of the Iguana on August 9th and 10th. Auditions will be held at the Essex Studios from 6pm-10pm both evenings. The production, directed by Elizabeth A. Harris, will run from October 7th-23rd at the Columbia Performance Center.

Audition Information

Production: The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams
Directed by: Elizabeth A. Harris
Rehearsal Timeframe: September 12th-October 6th, 2010
Performance Dates: October 7th-9th, 14th-16th and 21st-23rd, 2010

Audition Dates & Times: August 9th & 10th, 6pm-10pm
Callback Date & Time: August 11th, 6pm-10pm
Audition Location: Cincinnati Actors Studio at the Essex Studios, 2511 Essex Place, Cincinnati, OH 45206
For more information: Please contact Managing Director Devon Campailla: dcampailla@newedgecliff.com

Please Prepare: Come prepared to read from the script (sides will be provided when you arrive). You may be asked to participate in a short improv for some minor roles. Please bring a headshot and resume if you have one. You will be asked to complete an audition form, so please arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your audition time in order to complete.

Cast Breakdown:

Major Characters

1. Maxine Faulk– the middle-aged padrona of the Costa Verde Hotel. She has recently been widowed; her husband Fred has died. Even before his death, Maxine was sleeping with other men, mostly local boys. Maxine is an old friend of Shannon’s.
2. Reverend Shannon– a middle-aged minister who lost his church when he had an improper relationship with a Sunday school teacher. Shannon becomes a tour guide, leading groups in many different countries. He leads his current group to the Costa Verde Hotel after he has sex with one of his young charges. Shannon suffers a crisis verging on breakdown at the hotel.
3. Judith Fellows–the leader of the group for which Shannon is acting as tour guide.
4. Hannah Jelkes– a middle-aged spinster from New England. She travels the world with her elderly grandfather, Jonathon Coffin. Hannah is an artist who paints watercolors and sketches people in charcoal and pastels.
5. Nonno/Jonathan Coffin– the elderly grandfather of Hannah Jelkes. He is nearly 98 years “young” and a minor poet. Coffin is somewhat senile, very hard of hearing, and uses a wheelchair and a cane to get around
6. Charlotte Goodall– the young girl whom Shannon has sex with on the tour. She is very much in love with him and wants to get married.

Minor Characters

1. Hank– Shannon’s companion on Blake Tours and bus driver
2. Pedro—employee of the hotel (ability to speak Spanish/Spanish dialect a plus)
3. Pancho– employee of the hotel (ability to speak Spanish/Spanish dialect a plus)
4. Herr Fahrenkopf—tank manufacturer from Frankfort staying at the hotel (ability to do a German dialect/speak German a plus)
5. Frau Fahrenkopf—Herr’s wife (ability to do a German dialect/speak German a plus)
6. Hilda—the bride staying at the hotel (ability to do a German dialect a plus)
7. Wolfgang—Hilda’s father (ability to do a German dialect a plus)
8. Jake Latta—employee of Blake Tours who comes to take over Shannon’s position

Payment: All roles are stipend paid based on the role.

To learn more about the show, click here.

Under new Artistic Director Jim Stump, New Edgecliff Theatre will produce a local premiere and bring back The Cincinnati Directors Competition in its appropriately-named 2010-2011 “Contenders” season.  As Stump says, “This season focuses on one of the strongest human instincts – to compete, whether against others or ourselves.” Contending first for your attention will be Tennessee William’s The Night of the Iguana. This season-opener is bookended in the spring with the Cincinnati premiere of the Tony-Nominated musical, [title of show]. Along the way, two annual favorites return: the Halloween Sweet Suspense radio drama as well as the surly elf of David Sedaris’ The Santaland Diaries. But perhaps the biggest news of all is the return in March of the Cincinnati Director’s Competition, now under the guidance of new Associate Artistic Director, Matthew Wilson.

In October, the season opens with what many consider to be not only one of Tennessee William’s finest, but also, most certainly, his ultimate confessional play, The Night of the Iguana. Here, Williams, his sister Rose and his mother Edwina are all present in the persons of the defrocked Shannon, the puritanical Hannah and the matriarchal, lusting hotel proprietress Maxine, each of them contending with each other and with their own “blue devil”. Former NET Artistic Director Elizabeth A. Harris returns to direct.

Also in October, New Edgecliff Theatre presents the fourth annual Sweet Suspense Halloween fundraiser event, this year with a new adaptation (by NET’s own Devon Campailla) of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane must contend with his fears or they will most certainly conquer him. Live and for one night only, this unique theatrical experience takes audiences back to the Golden Age of radio, when the listener’s imagination could run wild. As always, included in the ticket price is a sampling of desserts from excellent Cincinnati restaurants.

In December, the deliciously irreverent tales by David Sedaris are back on the New Edgecliff stage. Directed by Jim Stump, NET promises a bright new production look. Best of all, the outlandish Macy’s Elf and unhinged Jocelyn Dunbarwill have Acclaim winner and multiple-CEA nominee Joshua Steele helping them to tell their tales of Christmas angst and holiday meltdowns. “All in all”, says NET founder and Executive Director Michael Shooner, “this edition of The Santaland Diaries will be a re-tooled and specially-wrapped high-octane Christmas package – do not try this at home.”

In its first three-year run, the Cincinnati Director’s Competition brought together area directors and actors in a wildly successful four-night event, competing for votes from a panel of theatre professionals as well as the audience itself. With former Associate Artistic Director and CDC founder Nathan Gabriel’s departure, the Competition went on a one-year hiatus, but with new AAD Matthew Wilson enthusiastically taking the reins, the Cincinnati Directors Competition 4 expects to pull in the best directors and the best four nights of raw theatre yet.

The season concludes with the Cincinnati premiere of the Tony-nominated musical [title of show], music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell. [title of show] follows the journey of two nonentities, Hunter and Jeff. Determined to enter the New York Musical Theatre Festival, these two witty, struggling writers attempt to create a new show in a mere three weeks. With the help of their friends, Susan and Heidi, they write a show about… writing a show. Nominated for 2009 Tony Award for Best Book by Hunter Bell. With songs like “Secondary Characters” and “Two Nobodies in New York”, [title of show] is a hilarious love letter to Musical Theatre.

The company will return to the Columbia Performance Center (3900 Eastern Ave., Columbia-Tusculum). Single-show
tickets and season subscriptions are available online at www.newedgecliff.com or by calling the box office at 888.588.0137.

New Edgecliff Theatre has received more accolades for its production of Equus! The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards has been recognizing the best in Cincinnati theatre for the past fourteen years. This year, our company received an astounding six nominations for our first production of the 2009-2010 season. The public can vote online at CityBeat.com through August 9th. If you saw the show, we hope you can support the wonderful actors and designers by casting your ballot!

Local Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Carey Davenport as Alan Strang
Michael Shooner as Martin Dysart

Local Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play
Sara Clark as Jill Mason
Regina Pugh as Dora Strang

Lighting, Sound or Special Effects
lighting design by Glen Goodwin and sound design by Paul Lieber

Outstanding Play
directed by Alan Patrick Kenny

And don’t forget to be on the lookout for our 2010-2011 season announcement, when we’ll be bringing you more of the high-quality work you’ve come to expect from New Edgecliff Theatre!!

The previously announced resignation of New Edgecliff Theatre’s former Artistic Director Greg Procaccino became official on opening night of Cyrano [Rehearsed]. NET has responded by once again finding not only a new Artistic Director, but an Associate Artistic Director as well. The AD position will be assumed by a highly respected name in Cincinnati theatre – Jim Stump – while NKU alumnus Matthew Wilson comes on board as AAD.

Executive Director Michael Shooner is very grateful to Mr. Procaccino for, as he puts it, “both meeting and exceeding” the goals envisioned when he arrived in 2006. “NET is now fully solvent, with more than a modicum of fiscal breathing room.” Shooner adds that the most gratifying aspect of Mr. Procaccino’s tenure is “the remarkable, more than one-hundred percent increase in average attendance, particularly impressive during some tough years for the economy.” While disappointed to see him go, he is more excited than ever about what the future holds for NET: “With two dynamic additions to the staff – individuals whose skill sets mesh perfectly with NET’s current springboard position – our continued growth through commitment to quality is all but assured. ”

Mr. Stump is well known and respected in the Cincinnati theatre community. He earned his B.A. in Theatre from Indiana University and went on to graduate from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. As a performer, he has appeared frequently on multiple area stages, including Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Know Theatre, Stage First, New Stage Collective, the Carnegie Theatre, Human Race Theatre, as well as New Edgecliff. He served as President of the League of Cincinnati Theatres from 2005-09, and continues as member-at-large. He’s chalked up administrative theatre experience with such organizations as Cincinnati Costume Company, Cincinnati Arts Association, Madcap Productions and The Whodunnit? Players. He feels New Edgecliff has truly solidified its identity and adds, “I’ll seek to continue NET’s growth as a theatre company by maintaining the focus on presenting varied seasons of challenging, actor-driven scripts.”

As noted, Mr. Wilson is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University, graduating cum laude with a B.F.A. in Theatre. Subsequently, he spent three years working with the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. He arrives with a passion for “theatre that’s not always safe.” As NET plans to revive the annual Cincinnati Director’s Competition (likely in March of 2011), Mr. Wilson has enthusiastically agreed to take the lead, promising “a few new wrinkles, while assuring that contestants – and audiences – maintain the emphasis on directing.”

Along with the Director’s Competition, NET once again plans to produce three mainstage shows in 2010-11. Mr. Procaccino and Mr. Stump have been working together on this selection. Mr. Stump says, “We want to assure as seamless a transition as possible.” The New Edgecliff 2010-11 Season announcement should be forthcoming shortly.

For tickets and information on New Edgecliff, visit www.newedgecliff.com or call toll free 888-588-0137.