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.
PRODUCTIONS
Orson's Shadow
by Austin Pendleton
November 8 - December 1, 2024
Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm. Plus Saturday 2pm and Sundays at 3pm
Crystal Field, Executive Producer at Theater for the New City, Axial Theatre, Oberon Theatre Ensemble, and Strindberg Rep collaborate with Fortify.Space, Michael Howard Studios, and Amanda Quinn Olivar 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
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.”
Austin Pendleton and David Schweizer
What the Constitution Means to Me
by Heidi Schreck
Axial was proud to present a workshop production of What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck starring Cady McClain, Pat McGuinness, and Najah Imani Muhammad.
Directed by Nate Flower
Produced by Marisa Lowe
The production was called "powerful," "A+++", "genuine," with "terrific acting!"
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human show, Heidi resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.
When: March 2024
Where: Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, NY
The final performance was followed by a special talkback led by Community Engagement & Outreach Coordinator Julia Schoenberg of Bethany Arts Community
Never the Sinner
by John Logan
Axial Theatre was proud to present a full production of "Never the Sinner" at Bethany Arts Community. Starring Pat McGuinness, Albi Gorn, Bruce Apar, Tom Ryan, Michael M. Alva, Youlim Nam, and Najah Imani Muhammad.
Directed and Produced by Cady McClain
The production was called "Brutal," "Important," "Moving," "Powerful," "Brilliantly executed," "Tightly directed," and audiences stated "the acting was suburb."
Synopsis: This exquisite off-broadway hit explored the complex relationship between two young men who longed to create a private world of fevered intellect and romantic passion. Based on a true story of Nathan Leopold Jr and Robert Lowe, two teenagers who killed fourteen-year old Bobby Franks.
When: November 2022
Where: Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, NY
Thanks to generous anonymous donations Axial was able to give a special performance for Ossining High School AP English Students, and free tickets were made available to members of the Sing Sing Family Collective and Hudson Link.
