Opening marks completion of $2 million renovation
May 6, 2015: The Keegan Theatre presents Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the inaugural production in the company’s renovated theater. The show will open on June 27, 2015, and will run through July 25, 2015. “We are beyond excited to open our next season in our upgraded and modernized facility,” says Mark A. Rhea, Keegan’s producing artistic director. “We can finally provide our audiences the comfort and facility that they deserve, while keeping the intimacy and feel of the original space. On top of the thrill of reopening – with a theater that Keegan can at last call our own – to reopen with the first play that Keegan ever produced is the icing on the cake.”
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is directed by Mark A. Rhea and Susan Marie Rhea, the husband and wife team who run the theater company and who played the iconic roles of Brick and Maggie the last time Keegan mounted the classic, in 2001. The show played in the US and in Ireland to great acclaim, and it marked a turning point in the couple’s relationship. “Cat is significant to me for so many reasons,” continues Rhea. “Not only was it the first show Keegan produced – the show that put us on the map – but it’s also the show where my relationship with my wife took root, when we produced the show again in 2001. To direct the show with her, now, feels symbolic in more ways than I can describe – a handing down of these roles that meant so much to us, and a celebration of how far this company has come. We feel a keen understanding and familiarity with this stunning play, and we’re honored to helm this project together for Keegan’s reopening.”
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features many Keegan company members and audience favorites. Brianna Letourneau and Kevin Hasser star as Maggie and Brick Pollitt, and Kevin Adams takes on the role of Big Daddy. The show also features Colin Smith, Kerri Rambow, Linda High, Timothy Lynch, Richie Montgomery, Ian Coleman and Jade Jones. The design team features set designer Matthew Keenan (HAIR), light designer Michael Innocenti (THE WOMAN IN BLACK), sound designer Tony Angelini (THE WOMAN IN BLACK), costume designer Erin Nugent (THE BEST MAN), properties and set dressing by Carol Floretta Baker (HAIR), and hair and makeup design by Craig Miller (HAIR). “We have the cream of the crop on stage and an elite and accomplished design team to create the world of the play,” says Rhea. “We are all so ready to get back to producing theater. Everyone is chomping at the bit to open this production with our audience and donor base, who have been so faithful to the company throughout this fundraising and renovations period. We’re ready to give something back to them, and to get back to doing what we do best.”
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof runs through July 25 2015. The press opening is Tuesday, June 30, at 7:30pm.
