Axial Theatre is a Grant Award Winner! Thank you ArtsWestchester for selecting us for the Matching Grant and two program grants!
Axial Theater is an ensemble based not-for-profit theater company currently in its 24th season. We are dedicated to supporting the professional development of playwrights and actors through presenting staged workshops, development readings, and full productions.
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"Orson's Shadow" by Austin Pendleton
November 8 - December 1, 2024
Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm. Plus Saturday 2pm and Sundays at 3pm
Theater for the New City presents a remount of Orson's Shadow by Austin Pendleton, directed by Mr. Pendleton and David Schweizer, November 8 to December 1.
Axial Theatre, Oberon Theatre Ensemble, and Strindberg Rep collaborate with Fortify.Space and Michael Howard Studios to bring back highly acclaimed production from March, 2024.
Written by Austin Pendleton | Directed by Austin Pendleton & David Schweizer | Originally Conceived by Judith Auberjonois
In 1960, Orson Welles directed Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright in Eugene Ionesco’s RHINOCEROS. See the sparks fly as egos clash, secrets revealed, and legends collide. Austin Pendleton’s acclaimed play returns to New York City to celebrate its 25th year in a revised version directed by the author.
ABOUT THE PLAY
“Orson’s Shadow,” based on true events, takes place on the stage of the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin and later on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre. In his declining years, Orson Welles is directing a production of Eugène Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros,” starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright. Olivier is fresh from his triumphant theatrical portrayal of vaudevillian Archie Rice in John Osborne’s “The Entertainer” and is about to reprise the role in its film adaptation. He and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison and his tumultuous marriage to Vivien Leigh is all but ended. The noted critic Kenneth Tynan becomes entangled in the conflicts between Welles, Olivier, and Leigh, adding tension and complexity to their relationships and influencing their decisions and perceptions. The play debates the merits of stage versus screen, the internal struggle that theatrical performers endure when contemplating a leap to films, and the ways the studio system frustrated the careers of individual artists. It is also a study of theatrical egos, each of the protagonists living more on the stage than in real life, each one feeling insecure while jockeying for power.
Cast:
Brad Fryman, Patrick Hamilton, Luke Hofmaier, Cady McClain, Natalie Menna, and Ryan Tramont
Co-Directors: Austin Pendleton and David Schweizer
Stage Manager: Bill Carlton
Assistant Stage Manager: Quinn Warren (Axial Ensemble Member)
Lighting Design: Alexander Bartenieff
Sound Design/Composer: Nick Moore
Costume Design: Billy Little
Additionally Produced by Mark Karafin
Tickets are $25 or $15 for Students and Seniors
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS OR CALL 212-254-1109
Presented in the Johnson Theater at Theater for the New City
155 First Ave. (Between 9th & 10th St.)
New York, NY 10003
Originally mounted as an Equity showcase last March by TNC in association with Oberon Theatre Ensemble and Strindberg Rep, it was the first time Mr. Pendleton had ever directed his own work.
“This production of 'Orson's Shadow' is one of the high points of my artistic life, and I'm so happy that it just keeps rolling along,” says Austin Pendleton.
“While co-directing the spring run, it was very clear that this witty, passionate play was making an immediate and acute connection with its audiences,” adds co-Director Schweizer. “The excitement was palpable. It’s a play that deals so entertainingly with the foibles of live theater, but also probes beneath the surface for their heart-breaking consequences.”
Vaccination and Mask Policy:
Consistent with New York City and State recommendations, audience members are strongly encouraged to wear masks in theatres.
Directors Austin Pendleton and David Schweizer
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Ryan Tramont as "Laurence Olivier" and Brad Fryman as "Orson Wells"
VISITING ACTORS HAVE INCLUDED: Deirdre Lovejoy ("The Wire"), DaJuan Johnson ("Bosch"), Meredith Garretson ("The Offer"), Finnerty Steves ("Orange is the New Black"), Sean Weill ("Boardwalk Empire"), James Patrick Stuart ("The Villains of Valley View"), Bill Timoney ("Our Town"), Tamara Braun ("Days of Our Lives"), Inga Cadranel ("General Hospital") Yoshi Sudarso ("Bullet Train"), Allison Daugherty Smith ("Madame Secretary"), Cliff Carpenter ("Synecdoche, New York"), Brian O'Neill ("Burn After Reading"), Stephen Schnetzer ("Another World"), MacKenzie Lansing ("Mare of Easttown"), P.J. Sosko ("New Amsterdam")...
VISITING PLAYWRIGHTS INCLUDE: Craig Lucas, Megan Moston-Brown, Carson Grace Becker, Katie Baldwin Eng, Thomas Coash, Scott Seifert, Christopher Goutman, Scott Sickles, Serena Norr, Lori Meyers, John Mabey, Chima Chikazunga, Jacquelyn Reingold, Youlim Nam, Jeff Gould, Val Stulman, Nanya Agrawal, John Patrick Bray, Brian Quirk, and Karin Diann Williams, Adam Rapp, Gina Gionfriddo, Jessica Dickey, Daniel Talbot ...
Axial Theatre and Honor Roll! announce Arts Partnership to further inclusion of women 40+ playwrights.
Visit our press page here
Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, Accessibility
Axial Theater is committed to sustaining a diverse, inclusive, and equitable space where everyone who walks through our doors feels valued and respected regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, education, or ability.
We understand that the foundation of a vibrant, thriving arts theater and performance venue is the cross-pollination of creative/diverse programming, inclusive practices and strategies, and a diverse team of employees and volunteers who share in these values.
Axial Theatre recognizes the company's historical positionality as a predominantly white and cisgendered space and is continuing to deepen our understanding of and commitment to Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Justice within our administrative staff and institution. We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive space for all individuals, including artists, staff, students, educators, audiences, and patrons, as we support artists at every level of their career to take risks and flourish safely in order to create new work.