(RED BANK, NJ) -- Two River Theater has announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere comedy, A Thousand Maids, by Two River favorite Tony Meneses (The Hombres, Guadalupe in the Guest Room), directed by Drama League Director's Project Fellow and recipient of the Yale 2019 Kauffman Memorial Prize, Aneesha Kudtarkar (Water by the Spoonful, Queen). The show will run April 6–28, 2024 in the Marion Huber Theater.
The world premiere focuses on Cordelia who needs to design a maid's costume, but she can't stop thinking about The Help and Maid in Manhattan and Gone with the Wind and As Good As It Gets and… and… and… How can she find a way to show these women for who they really are?
"I am thrilled to welcome Tony Meneses back to Red Bank," says Artistic Director Justin Waldman. "Building a deep and sustained relationship with an artist is a tremendous gift – both to the artist who is afforded the opportunity to grow their craft and the community who is along for that ride. It is a privilege to continue the journey with Tony and his hilarious and poignant World Premiere."
Director Aneesha Kudtarkar, Natalie Woolams Torres, Kate Rigg, Deonna Bouye, Maria Elena Ramirez, Playwright Tony Meneses. Photo by Heather Thompson
The cast includes: Deonna Bouye (Two River's Guadalupe in the Guestroom, The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd) as Butterfly, Natalie Woolams-Torres (The Fears, Tiny Beautiful Things) as Cordelia, Kate Rigg (Collective Rage, A Thousand Splendid Suns) as Vivian, and Maria Elena Ramirez (72 Miles to Go…, Little Women) as Lupe.
The creative team includes: Scenic Designer Alexander Dodge, Costume Designer Kara Harmon, Lighting Designer Cat Tate Starmer, Sound/Composition Designer Fabian Obispo, Hair & Makeup Designer Gabbie Vincent, Dramaturg Sonia Desai, Dialect Coach Nathan Crocker, Stage Manager Genevieve Ortiz, and Assistant Stage Manager Brillian Qi-Bell.
Regular ticket prices range from $45-$75 and are available for purchase online, by phone, or in person. Discounts are available for seniors, military, and ticket buyers age 35 and under. Groups of 10 or more receive a 20% discount, and should email [email protected] directly to book. Two -show subscriptions are also available for purchase at the low price of $120. Subscriptions can be purchased online, by phone or at the Box Office.
Student Matinees are selling fast, and space is extremely limited! Performance dates are April 18, April 24, and April 25 at 10:00am. For more information, click here or email [email protected].
Special Events
Wednesday, April 10 at 5:30pm in Studio A | In The Know With Tony Meneses. Artistic Director Justin Waldman hosts an intimate conversation with A Thousand Maids playwright Tony Meneses. Coffee and cookies will be available starting at 5:30pm, with the discussion set to start at 5:45pm. Attendance for this pre-show event is FREE; A Thousand Maids 7:00pm performance tickets sold separately. *Please note: The event will be filmed, with full video capture available the following week.
Friday, March 22 from 7:00pm-9:00pm | A Salute to Ebony Fashion with Tanisha C. Ford. Join us for this Fashion Retrospective and fundraiser with special guest, Tanisha Ford, author of Our Secret Society, Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power behind the Civil Rights Movement. Ford, who is an influencer, was named to Root Magazine's list of 100 Most Influential African Americans. A Salute to Ebony Magazine, which was first published in 1945 by Johnson Publishing Company. Its founder, John Johnson, gave the Black community a magazine that rivaled the sleekness of "Look" and "Life" Magazines. While his wife, Eunice, created its traveling Haute Couture fashion show aptly called Ebony Fashion Fair. It was an extravaganza in the Black community, much like the fashion buzz of energy that is associated with The Met Gala. Tickets for this fundraiser start at $100 and are available for purchase online.
Additional events will be announced in the coming weeks.
Access services for A Thousand Maids will include an open-captioned and audio described performance on Saturday, April 27th at 3:00pm, a Play Date on Saturday, April 20th at 3:00pm, offering free childcare services and discounted tickets for caregivers attending that performance, a Fragrance Free performance which takes place on Saturday, April 13 at 3:00pm, and for which audience members are asked to refrain from wearing colognes, perfumes or scented oils for the safety and comfort all, and a Pay-What-You-Wish performance, timing TBD. For more information on Two River Theater's access services, click here.
Two River Theater's 2023/24 Season Sponsor is Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center.
Two River Theater is supported in part by public support through the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the State of New Jersey and the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners. Private support includes the Achelis & Bodman Foundation, Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Helen Clay Frick Foundation, The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Investors Foundation, Jersey Coast Family Law, The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Manasquan Bank Charitable Foundation, Monmouth University, OceanFirst Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Springpoint Senior Living Foundation, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Triumph Brewing Company, UMAMI Girl, Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Home and Hospice Care, Zynergy Retirement Planning, and many other generous foundations, corporations and individuals.
Two River Theater produces American and world classics, new plays and musicals, programs for young people, and festivals of new work. Each year, they serve over 20,000 students, families and community members through our 4-6 show season, and 40+ events that reflect the diverse community of Monmouth County. Two River produces work on two stages—the 350-seat Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater, and the flexible 110-seat Marion Huber Theater. In 2020 they expanded our campus to 80,000 square feet with the opening of the Center for New Work, Education and Design. Two River Theater has commissioned and premiered original projects including Be More Chill by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz (the theater's first Broadway production) and Hurricane Diane by former Playwright-in-Residence Madeleine George (which won an Obie Award for its Off-Broadway run), and in June 2019, Two River was nationally recognized by USA TODAY as one of "10 great places to see a play." Two River Theater is led by Artistic Director Justin Waldman and Managing Director Nora DeVeau-Rosen.
