Premeire – Mabou Mines

December 6 – 23 2017

Glass Guignol ‘s creation was inspired by the complex relationship between Tennessee Williams and his sister Rose. Framed through Williams’ “The Two Character Play,” and interwoven with iconic narrative from many other Williams plays, short stories and poems. Glass Guignol invites us to explore the constellation of questions this fascinating and troubled writer raises through a kaleidoscope of identities, histories, and secrets. Both metaphoric and literal, Glass Guignol explores the nature of the creative process, its triumphs and its terrors. Indeed, a puppet version of Mary Shelley who knows a thing or two about fear and monsters, offers real-time commentary via texting.
Since co-founding Mabou Mines’ nearly 50 years ago, Lee Bruer has been delighting, challenging, provoking, and always entertaining audiences all over the world.  Maude Mitchell, Breuer’s collaborator on this work, plays ‘the sister’ and Greg Mehrten is ‘the brother,’ both transforming into characters from several Williams works.   Added to the mix is Breuer’s always surprising take on classic texts that lead us to new understandings of the writers and ourselves.  His exploration of Williams and Shelley is further informed by the philosophies of two of our favorite provacateurs: Marcel Duchamp and Alfred Jarry.

 

 

Presented by special arrangement with The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Anonymous Ensemble, A.R.T./New York, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Limited, The Columbia University Library, Duke University, The Harry Ransom Center, Harvard University, The Houghton Library at The Philoctetes Center, La MaMa Umbria, MASS MoCA, NYCDDC, The NY Public Library for The Performing Arts, Performance Space 122, piece by piece productions, The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, Rockmore Construction, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Sundance Theatre Lab, Wesleyan University, and Yaddo.

Karl Allen, Claudia Balant, Benjamin Bales, Kate Brehm, Barbara Busackino, Lute Breuer, Roger Copeland, Edward Cosla, Rubina Decosta, Jessica Del Vecchio, Martha Elliot, Martha Donaldson, Elizabeth Groth, Susan Haar, Philip Himberg, Kenneth Holditch, Daniel Isaac, Kala Jerzy, Ron Jenkins, David Kaplan, Paul Kandel, Polina Klimovitsky, Mel Kenyon, Karen Kohlhaas, Harold Kooden, Hannah and Jackie Kritzeck, François Lizé, Panny Mayfield, Jody McAuliffe, Jo Mellicker, Tony Micocci, Adam Mitchell, Robert Mitchell, Toni Monaco, Nic Novicki, Abigail Neville and Andres Sousa, Lauren Oppelt, Gwen Ossenfort, Jim O’Quinn, Joe Paizzo, Lily Perdix, Molly Priester, Nick Rapp, Sam Richards Joseph Lark-Riley, Annette Saddik, Luly Santangelo, Jes Scheuer, Jorgen Skjaervold, Joe Stackell, Luke Thorpe, Matt Trucano, Waley Wang, Alison Yerxa, and Mia Yi.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, The New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Axe-Houghton Foundation, and the W Trust.