Banyan Theater Company Announces Summer 2015 Company Members
SARASOTA, FL – The Banyan Theater Company is pleased to announce the casting for its 14th season of summer theater, which opens June 25 and closes August 23, 2015.
‘ART’ by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Julian Olf, June 25-July 12: One white painting, three colorful opinions about what makes art, well, art. Serge (Don Walker), indulging his penchant for modern art, has purchased a large, expensive, completely white painting. His longtime friend Marc (Gary Marachek) is horrified, which causes considerable strain in their relationship. Yvan (Larry Alexander), caught in the middle, tries to please and mollify both of them. Lines are drawn and they square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to relentlessly batter one another over various failures. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their friendship … and possibly that piece of ‘ART.’ Winner of the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1996 Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
In The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey, July 16-August 2, Katherine Michelle Tanner portrays all seven roles including a six-year-old Amish girl and a non-Amish man in his 50s. This devastating and beautiful play compels us to question the paths we take at the crossroads of grief, rage and clemency. Inspired by the 2006 school shootings in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, this fictional account of a real-life tragedy allows us to glimpse into the world of Amish culture, and to come to grips with the true limits of compassion and forgiveness. Todd Olson will direct.
My Old Lady by Israel Horovitz, August 6-23: When Mathias (Peter Thomasson), a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man, inherits an apartment in Paris he plans to solve his financial woes by selling it. He discovers, much to his dismay, that Mathilde (Donna Gerdes), the elderly woman living there, has lifetime habitation rights under an arcane French law and she is not about to give them up. Because he has no other place to go, she invites him to stay in the spacious apartment. There, he learns friendship, falls in love, and must finally deal with the death of his father. Lilian Moore portrays Mathilde’s daughter Chloe; the show will be directed by Don Walker.
The Banyan Theater Company performs in the Jane B. Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. A three-show subscription costs $70, a two-show package is $52 and single tickets are $28.50. To purchase tickets, visit www.banyantheatercompany.com.
