Acclaimed comedy by beloved playwright A.R. Gurney gets first Off-Broadway revival.
May 26 - June 23 at The A.R.T./New York Theatres
Theater Breaking Through Barriers, who scored hits with Samuel D. Hunter's The Healing and a revival of Charles Ludlam’s The Artificial Jungle, celebrate playwright A.R. Gurney with the first Off-Broadway revival of THE FOURTH WALL. Directed by Christopher Burris, previews begin May 26 at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at The A.R.T./New York Theatres. Opening night is slated for Thursday, June 7.
Peggy has redecorated the living room and her husband, Roger, can't stand it. Peggy's usual exquisite taste has been overcome by a mysterious lapse which caused her to redo the room as if it were a stage set. Everything faces one wall, THE FOURTH WALL, and everyone who enters the room begins to behave as if they were acting in a play. Troubled by this odd behavior, Roger calls in the local theatre professor in the hopes that he can "doctor" Peggy's “play,” break THE FOURTH WALL and bring the madness to a close.
THE FOURTH WALL stars Stephen Drabicki (A.R. Gurney’s The Interview), Ann Marie Morelli (The Unexpected Guest), Pamela Sabaugh (Samuel D. Hunter’s The Healing), and Nicholas Viselli (The Unexpected Guest). The production team includes Ashley Scott (Assistant Director), Courtney E. Butt (Costumes), Andy Evan Cohan (Sound Design), Bert Scott (Set/Lighting), Grace Richardson (Production Manager), Michal V. Mendelson (Production Stage Manager), Eddy Roland (Assistant Stage Manage), Dionne McClain-Feeney (Musical Director) and Steve Asher (General Manager).
Christopher Burris is mostly known for directing new works, such as the world premiere of Geese by Samuel D. Hunter at both Theatre Row and Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. Other new works include When We Wake Up Dead (Brooklyn College), Lords Resistance (The Fire This Time), Snakeskin Suit (EST Lab), Outcry! (JACK), and the 2010 FringeNYC smash, A Raisin In The Salad. His production of The Brothers Size at Luna Stage, received five 2016 BroadwayWorld Award nominations, including Best Play and Best Director. He was assistant director for Mother Courage and Her Children starring Tonya Pinkins at CSC, and the groundbreaking Tyson vs. Ali at 3LD. Christopher has directed readings/workshops for The New Group, Labyrinth, Ensemble Studio Theatre Lab, National Black Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Epic Theatre Ensemble, The New Black Fest, Liberation Theater Company, Hudson Valley Writers Center, and the cell. SDC Associate Member. Twitter/Instagram: @misterburris
A.R. (“Pete”) Gurney was born in 1930 in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Williams College in 1952, served as an officer in the Navy, and afterwards attended the Yale School of Drama. For many years he taught literature at M.I.T., but moved to New York in 1982 to devote more time to writing for the theatre. He has won a fair amount of awards during his career, and is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and is a 2016 recipient of the Obie Lifetime Achievement Award. Gurney was married to his wife Molly for 59 years.
Theater Breaking Through Barriers, under the Artistic Direction of Nicholas Viselli, is a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway company integrating able-bodied actors with artists with disabilities. Founded in 1979 by Ike Schambelan as Theater by the Blind, the company's mission is to change the image of people with disabilities from one of dependence to independence, to fight stereotypes and misperceptions associated with disability, and to show how vibrant, fluid and exuberant the work of artists with disabilities can be. The company has premiered works by Bekah Brunstetter, Bruce Graham, John Guare, A.R. Gurney, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Neil LaBute, Kate Moira Ryan and Diana Son, among others. For additional information, visit www.tbtb.org.
THE FOURTH WALL runs May 26 – June 23 at The Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at The A.R.T./New York Theatres is located at 502 West 53rd Street (off 10th Avenue). Performances are Tuesday - Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday - Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $50, available at 212-352-3101 or www.tbtb.org.