Fredericksburg Theater Company Initiates Staged Reading Series with TRUE WEST (September 13, 2019) and LOOK BACK IN ANGER (September 14, 2019)
FTC is pleased to announce the premiere of their Staged Reading Series with the presentation of two dramatic works this fall. The series begins on Friday, Sept. 13th with a reading of Sam Shepard’s play True West, directed by Jeff Jeffers. The second evening presents John Osborne’s play Look Back In Anger, directed by Zac Tiedemann. The series will be performed at the Steve W. Shepherd Theater, 1668 Hwy 87 South, Fredericksburg, TX, 78624. For two nights in September, the theater will present staged readings from great works carefully selected to enthrall and amuse. Each performance will be a unique, compelling, funny, and thought-provoking evening of entertainment as actors take on different roles. A discussion with the audience will follow.
Executive Director Steve Reily offered more details about the series: “Our goal is to present esteemed works of dramatic literature to the community that we would not typically offer within our mainstage season. The actors and directors will hold a talkback with the audience following each performance. This open dialogue should be educational and enlightening for everyone in attendance. Likewise, in service to the community and its artists, FTC hopes to create opportunities for local artists to perform and direct. Both of these plays, True West and Look Back In Anger, are recognized as pivotal works and deal with serious issues. The performances should result in a lively discussion.”
FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 13TH - 7:30 pm
TRUE WEST
Directed by JEFF JEFFERS
As described by director Jeff Jeffers, “True West is an exploration of identity, isolation, and warring duality. It takes as its subjects two brothers, Austin and Lee, a successful screenwriter and a drifting ne'er-do-well. Over the course of a week's time, the brothers display humor, vulnerability, and savagery. The play is cramped and claustrophobic - as Austin and Lee drink and stink - stumbling around in the metaphoric prison of their mother's suburban kitchen, picking and scratching (and eventually pulling completely away) the long-festering scab of their childhood rivalry. As the brothers clash, their juxtaposing personalities and values of the new West's tranquility and the old West's wildness diverge, reverse, and finally fuse. Written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright (and prolific Oscar-nominated film actor) Sam Shepard, True West is a journey through the wild-west meets suburban-sprawl of the male psyche, revealing nothing but spontaneity and chaos.”
SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 14TH - 7:30 pm
LOOK BACK IN ANGER
Directed by ZAC TIEDEMANN
As described by director Zac Tiedemann, “First produced in 1956, Look Back in Anger is a searing study of a young couple caught between their loyalties to their working-class origins and their desire for "the good life." The husband - strong, frightened, and out of work - directs his raw energies to brutal psychological and physical assaults on his wife. Her pregnancy, and his infatuation with an upper-class woman, bring their uneasy alliance to a dramatic explosion.”
Tickets for the Staged Reading Series are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.fredericksburgtheater.org or by calling the box office at 888-669-7114. For more info or directions, visit at www.fredericksburgtheater.org.
About the Fredericksburg Theater Company: The mission of the Fredericksburg Theater Company (FTC) is “to provide superior theatrical programs for regional participation which entertain, educate, enrich and inspire.” Formed in 1997 by Jeryl Hoover, the theater has grown to an audience of over 13,000 annually. All performances are held at the Steve W. Shepherd Theater. FTC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It has received statewide recognition from Texas Commission on the Arts, Texas Nonprofit Theatres, as well as grants from various arts endowment organizations. For the last three years (2016 – 2018) FTC has been recognized by BroadwayWorld.com as “The Best Theatre in the San Antonio Region.”
