Theatre News Wire

Producing Artistic Director Michael Menendian and Co-Artistic Director JoAnn Montemurro announced the Raven Theatre 2010/2011 Season, which includes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, Radio Golf by August Wilson and The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. Each story illuminates intimate, personal conflicts amidst massive cultural shifts, whether it is within the family unit (Southern US during the 1950's), the local African American community (Northern US in the 1990's) or the entire nation (late 19th century Russia).

The dynamics that define the characters in these plays are similar to those that drive our own lives today. Williams' masterpiece, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, centers on the legacy of Big Daddy's enormous wealth, which was amassed by exploiting cheap labor to create one of the largest plantations in the South. Radio Golf, August Wilson's final work in his ten-play cycle about the Black culture in Pittsburgh, delves into the ambitions of the rising middle class in pursuit of their American Dream. In the genteel comedy The Cherry Orchard, foreclosure of an estate threatens a family's way of life that has remained unchanged for decades.

Raven Theatre's 2010/2011 Season

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
by Tennessee Williams
directed by Michael Menendian
Previews: October 12 through 16, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
Opening Night: Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances continue through December 19, 2010 (No performance November 25)

Big Daddy's birthday brings out the true colors of the wealthy Pollitt family. At the heart of the story is Maggie, the beautiful daughter-in-law, who struggles with a lack of emotional honesty from her husband, Brick, and with the judgment of Brick's brother and his wife. Lies, deception, false loyalty, and greed play characters as big as Big Daddy himself in one of Williams' most loved dramas. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955 and was made into a major motion picture in 1958.

Tennessee Williams was an award winning playwright, whose accolades include one Tony Award, four New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes. Often using people and situations from his own life as inspiration for his characters and plot lines, Williams tackled many controversial and personal topics including homosexuality, depression and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Known as a master of American drama, Williams' prolific nature led to the penning of many plays, novels, short stories and a screenplay.

Director Michael Menendian is a founding member and the Producing Artistic Director of Raven Theatre, where he has directed and designed sets for many productions, earning numerous Joseph Jefferson and After Dark awards. He recently received a 2010 Jeff nomination for his direction of Raven's Death of a Salesman. His other productions include The Odd Couple, Hedda Gabler, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, The Night of the Iguana, The Sea Gull, American Buffalo, Dancing at Lughnasa, Golden Boy, Marvin's Room, A Streetcar Named Desire, A View from the Bridge, and Glengarry Glen Ross.

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Radio Golf

by August Wilson
directed by Aaron Todd Douglas
Previews: February 22 through 26, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
Opening Night: Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances continue through April 9, 2011

Radio Golf, written in 2005, was August Wilson's last play before his untimely death (August 2005). It is also the final chapter in The Pittsburgh Cycle. In this stirring drama an Ivy League educated entrepreneur, Harmond Wilks, and his banking executive friend plan to convert a blighted neighborhood into an expansive shopping mall. Their ultimate goal is to use Wilks' success as a developer to leverage him into becoming Pittsburgh's first African American mayor. It's a dirty political business that includes back room deals and zoning loop holes. When they discover that a building cited for demolition has a history that affects their heritage, these two modern men are forced to get in touch with their past. Radio Golf won the 2007 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.

August Wilson is regarded as one of America's most respected playwrights. The Pittsburgh Cycle, a ten play cycle about the African-American experience throughout the 20th century, won two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama and is considered his legacy. Each play focuses on a story in each decade of the 20th century, painting a picture of the struggles and new opportunities of African-Americans. In 2005, the Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre, Broadway's first theatre named for an African-American.

Director Aaron Todd Douglas is a founding member of Congo Square Theatre Ensemble and a 2010 Joseph Jefferson nominee for his direction of Raven's Twelve Angry Men. He also directed Talented Tenth for Congo Square, a production that was awarded Best Play by the Black Theatre Alliance. A part time faculty member at Loyola University, Mr. Douglas has worked with Court Theatre, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, Pegasus Players and others.

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The Cherry Orchard

by Anton Chekhov
directed by Michael Menendian
Previews: May 31 through June 4, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
Opening Night: Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances continue through July 23, 2011

Chekhov's last play tapped the history of his own family's home and the fall of the aristocracy. In The Cherry Orchard, the Ranevsky family is facing financial ruin, largely due to the spendthrift ways of the family matriarch and her devotion to a parasitic lover. The family attempts to come up with a solution so that the estate won't be sold, but none of the plans lead to action.

Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov, gained initial success as a writer of short stories, before transitioning into a successful playwright. A physician by trade, Chekhov injected equal doses of humor and pathos into all of his masterful plays. His plays emphasize mood and text that continues to challenge audiences and actors alike.

For tickets and more information visit www.raventheatre.com or call 773-338-2177.