(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Black Box Performing Arts Center will reopen in October with performances of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, presented in special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. The production runs October 29th through November 22, Thursdays through Sundays at 8:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online and are $40 for adults and $35 for students/seniors.
Edward Albee’s critically acclaimed play was chosen as the season opener for many reasons, one being the small four person cast. The intimate show is perfect for the black box theater, located on Palisade Ave. The small set allows the actors to be distanced from the audience. The theater’s set up also allows for safety, as the front and back doors will be open during performances to allow for airflow, and the non-fixed seating allows for spacing between audience groups. With the limited capacity, patrons are strongly encouraged to order tickets ahead of time to guarantee admission.
George, a professor at a small college, and his wife, Martha, have just returned home, drunk from a Saturday night party. Martha announces, amidst general profanity, that she has invited a young couple—an opportunistic new professor at the college and his shatteringly naïve new bride—to stop by for a nightcap. When they arrive the charade begins. The drinks flow and suddenly inhibitions melt. It becomes clear that Martha is determined to seduce the young professor, and George couldn’t care less. But underneath the edgy banter, which is crossfired between both couples, lurks an undercurrent of tragedy and despair. George and Martha’s inhuman bitterness toward one another is provoked by the enormous personal sadness that they have pledged to keep to themselves: a secret that has seemingly been the foundation for their relationship. In the end, the mystery in which the distressed George and Martha have taken refuge is exposed, once and for all revealing the degrading mess they have made of their lives. (Courtesy of Dramatists Play Service, Inc.)
The Cast is a group of close-knit actors who have worked together on previous shows: Michael Gardiner, Danielle MacMath, Sean Mannix, and Ellen Revesz (shown above). The show is directed by BBPAC Artistic Director Matt Okin.
Black Box PAC is the team that brings free outdoor Shakespeare to Bergen County. This year, their third year, they performed The Tempest and Measure for Measure in August and September. Following a successful tour to locations such as public libraries, parks, and the Overpeck County Park Amphitheater, the company is moving forward with an indoor production. Black Box Performing Arts Center is located at 49 E Palisade Avenue in Englewood, New Jersey.
