Press Release No. 08/01

February 14, 2008
For immediate release  
 
Eugène Ionesco's The Chairs opens Feb. 24 -
Third Installment in Scena Theatre's Nouvelle Vague 20th Anniversary Season
The directors of Washington, D.C.’s SCENA Theatre have announced the company’s next production of its "NOUVELLE VAGUE 20th ANNIVERSARY" season. This unparalleled repertoire of French theatre greats will soon showcase Eugène Ionesco's modern classic, The Chairs.
 
Production Information at a glance:
 
Date: Monday, February 25, at 8pm,
  thereafter Thurs. – Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 3pm through March 30
Press Night: Monday, February 25, at 8pm
Previews: Sat. Feb. 23, at 8pm, Sun. Feb. 24, at 3pm
Location: Warehouse Theater, 1021 7th Street NW, Washington DC
Press info: media@scenatheatre.org
Ticket prices: $25-$32
Box office: Online at www.scenatheatre.org or call 703-683-2824.

 
French-Romanian absurdist master, Eugène Ionesco, wrote his well-known tragic farce, The Chairs, in 1952. This one-act sketch concerns two characters, Old Man and Old Woman, arranging chairs for their numerous guests whom have been invited to hear an Orator deliver a special message. As the couple fills the stage with actual chairs for their invisible guests, the pieces of furniture wind up separating the two, leading them to a futile situation of alienation.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost innovators of modern absurdist theatre, Ionesco has enjoyed a special relationship with SCENA Theatre over the years, including Artistic Director, Robert McNamara securing a rare, private interview with the late author in his Parisian home. Upon the playwright’s death in 1994, SCENA Theatre mounted the well-received retrospective, “By and Under the Influence of Eugène Ionesco,” a collection of Ionesco’s works performed at multiple Washington, D.C. venues for six weeks straight.

This production of The Chairs stars noted D.C. actors David Bryan Jackson (Old Man), Colleen Delany (Old Woman), and Ian Blackwell Rogers (The Orator). The design team includes HannaH J. Crowell (sets), Stephanie Petagno (Costumes), David Crandall (Sound), and Marianne Meadows (Lights). The play is staged by SCENA Theatre Artistic Director, Robert McNamara.