THE BIG PLAY FESTIVAL!
LIGHTLY STAGED READINGS OF
THREE BIG PLAYS AUGUST 22-31
ITHACA, NY- The Hangar Theatre Company wraps up its 45th summer season with the Big Play Festival! (BPF!), featuring lightly staged readings of three big plays, all featuring the theme of the American family. The festival includes: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorrainne Hansberry; August: Osage County by Tracy Letts; and You Can’t Take It with You by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The casts and directors consist primarily of artists who live in the Ithaca area or who have appeared in a Hangar Mainstage production this season. The BPF! runs August 22-31, and one ticket (just $40) will grant access to all three plays.
Hangar’s Artistic Director, Michael Barakiva, conceived the BPF! with the community in mind. “I was so impressed with the amount of talent in this area that I wanted to create programming that would feature it on our stage.” He was also excited to share the form of the staged reading with the Hangar audiences. “The spoken word is the fundamental building block of our theatrical tradition,” states Barakiva. “It’s drama, boiled down to its most essential elements.”
THE FESTIVAL PLAYS:
A Raisin in the Sun is the story of the Youngers, an African American family on Chicago’s South Side. When an insurance payout follows their father’s death, each family member has a different dream about how the money might improve their lives. Named the best play of 1959, this ground-breaking work by Lorraine Hansberry was the first play by a African American woman playwright to be on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun is directed by Godfrey Simmons, Jr., a senior lecturer in Cornell’s Department of Performing and Media Arts. He originally came to Cornell as an actor in their RPTA program, where he performed in A Raisin in the Sun. Godfrey is also the Artistic Director of Civic Ensemble, in addition to having an extensive national career on and off the stage.
Cast
Ruth Younger ……………………………... Ashley Bufkin*
Karl Lindner ……………………………….. Laurence Drozd
Joseph Asagai ……………………………. Robert Edwards
Lena Younger……………………………… Cynthia Henderson*
Bobo ……………………………………….. Kenny McLaurin
Walter Lee Younger …………………….... Anthony Vaughn Merchant*
George Murchison ……………………….. Jahmar Ortiz
Beneatha Younger …………………..…… Carley Robinson
Directed by Godfrey Simmons, Jr.
August: Osage County chronicles one dysfunctional family, drawn back to their Oklahoma homestead by the disappearance of the patriarch. Their alcohol- and chemical-fueled confrontations escalate, unleashing memories, grudges, and a dark and twisted past. This riveting, hilarious, no-holds-barred drama is directed by Beth Milles, a director and associate professor in Cornell’s Department of Performing and Media Arts. Milles most recently directed the world premiere of Rule of Thumb at the Cherry Artspace and Fast Blood with Civic Ensemble.
Cast
Violet Weston …………….………………… Jane Blass*
Mattie Fay Aiken ……………..……………. Carolyn Cadigan
Steve Heidebrecht …………...……………. Stephen Cross*
Bill Fordham ………………….…………….. Marc Gomes
Johnna Monevata …………………….…….. Lauren Grajewski
Charlie Aiken ……………………………….. Jeffrey Guyton*
Karen Weston ……………….……………… Jennifer Herzog*
Ivy Weston ………………….……………….. Effie Johnson*
Beverly Weston ……………...……………… Craig MacDonald*
Sheriff Deon Gilbeau ………..……………… Anthony Vaughn Merchant*
Barbara Fordham …………....……………… Kathleen Mulligan*
Jean Fordham ………………..……………… Olivia Stockwin
Little Charles Aiken ………………….……… Jacob White*
Directed by Beth Milles
You Can’t Take It with You (winner of the 2019 Subscribers’ Choice) is a comedy classic of the American stage, a perennial favorite since it debuted on Broadway in 1936. When Alice Sycamore brings her fiancé and his conservative parents home to meet her peculiar collection of batty but good-hearted kin, lifestyles and values collide as mayhem and hilarity ensue. This lively romp is directed by former Hangar Artistic Director Bob Moss, who staged managed the first revival on Broadway in 1965, starring Rosemary Harris. In addition to his extensive career at the Hangar, which includes founding the Lab Company, Moss founded the Playwrights Horizons and the Queens Theatre in the Park and served as Artistic Director at Syracuse Stage. He has also taught at the Ithaca College Department of Theatre Arts.
Cast
Gay Wellington …………………………….. Holly Adams
Mr. De Pinna ………..……………………… Michael Antico
Rheba …………………….………………… Emma Bowers*
Essie ………………………….…………….. Helen T. Clark*
Paul Sycamore ………..…………………… Dane Cruz
Alice ……………………..………………….. Sandrinne Edström
FBI Agent …………………………………… Robert Edwards
Boris Kolenkhov……………...……………….. Karl Gregory*
Ed …………………………….…………..…. Will Hope
Martin Vanderhof ………………………..…. Rodney Hudson*
Mrs. Kirby …………………………………... Marie Kemp*
FBI Agent …………………………………... R.J. Lavine
Mr. Kirby ……………………………………. Craig MacDonald*
Penelope Sycamore …………………..….. Celia Madeoy*
Wilbur Henderson/FBI Agent …………….. Jahmar Ortiz
Grand Duchess …………………………..... Sally G. Ramirez*
Tony Kirby ……………………….…………. Joshua Sedelmeyer
Donald ……………………...………………. Jacob White*
Directed by Bob Moss
The Hangar Design Fellows include Scenic Designer Matt Kornegay; Lighting Designer Caitlin Brown; Costume Designer Vicky Butler; and Sound Designer Tommy Truelsen. Matthew Luppino, who was the Assistant Stage Manager on the 2018 production of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, will return to the Hangar as the BPF! Production Stage Manager.
The Hangar is thrilled to be presenting this new venture with the artistic community of Ithaca, and thanks BPF! show sponsors: La Tourelle Resort and Spa, Miller Mayer LLP, Shelley & Ron Cooper; Premier Sponsor: The Cherry Arts Inc.; Media Sponsor: Vizella Media; Partners in Flight: CFCU Community Credit Union and Cayuga Radio Group; and Partner in the Arts: Ithaca College.
BPF! Performance Schedule
Thursday 8/22 at 7:30 p.m. A Raisin in the Sun
Friday 8/23 at 8 p.m. August: Osage County (Opening Night, includes catered post-show reception)
Saturday 8/24 at 3 p.m. You Can't Take It with You (Pay) What You Will & Talkback*
Saturday 8/24 at 8 p.m. A Raisin in the Sun
Sunday 8/25 at 7:30 p.m. August: Osage County
Tuesday 8/27 at 7:30 p.m. You Can't Take It with You
Wednesday 8/28 at 2 p.m. August: Osage County with Talkback*
Wednesday 8/28 at 7:30 p.m. A Raisin in the Sun
Thursday 8/29 at 7:30 p.m. You Can't Take It with You
Friday 8/30 at 8 p.m. August: Osage County
Saturday 8/31 at 3 p.m. A Raisin in the Sun with Talkback*
Saturday 8/31 at 8 p.m. You Can't Take It with You
*Special Event Performances:
Free prologue discussions are offered 45 minutes before each and every performance.
(Pay) What You Will: on the first Saturday matinee of Mainstage productions, some tickets are set aside for patrons to name their own price on! These tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis starting one hour before curtain
Talkbacks: Members of the creative team share information about the performance after the show
Ticket Information
The Big Play Festival! runs August 22-31 with matinee and evening performances. For tickets or to reserve your seats to additional plays in the festival, please visit the Hangar Theatre box office, call 607.273.ARTS(2787), or visit hangartheatre.org/big
About the Hangar Theatre
The Hangar Theatre is located at 801 Taughannock Blvd., north of Ithaca on Route 89 on the shores of Cayuga Lake. The Hangar Theatre building, once part of the Ithaca Municipal Airport, is home to the Hangar Theatre Company and serves as a venue for a variety of performing artists and community organizations.
About the Hangar Theatre Company
Now in its 45th season, the Hangar Theatre Company offers professional theatrical productions throughout the year and a renowned education program. For more information please call 607.273.2787, or visit hangartheatre.org
