THE GUTHRIE ANNOUNCES CASTING FOR
The White Snake
Tony Award-winning visionary Mary Zimmerman, adaptor and director of the groundbreaking Metamorphoses, makes Guthrie debut with ravishing production for young adults to the young at heart.
Zimmerman “turns ancient stories into grand spectacles that are as fresh as the 21st century.” – The Huffington Post
Previews begin Tuesday, September 9; Opening on Friday, September 12;
Playing through Sunday, October 19, 2014
on the McGuire Proscenium Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis
(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Guthrie Theater today announced casting for The White Snake, the first production in the 2014-2015 season. Under the direction of Mary Zimmerman, The White Snake features Matt DeCaro, Richard Howard, Cristofer Jean, Emily Sophia Knapp, Vin Kridakorn, Jake Manabat, Tanya Thai McBride, Stephenie Sooyhun Park, Eliza Shin, Lisa Tejero and Amy Kim Waschke. Performances begin on the McGuire Proscenium Stage on Tuesday, September 9. Single tickets start at $15 and will be on sale Friday, August 1 through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.
Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman brings an ancient and beloved Chinese fable to life in a dazzling new adaptation hailed as “strikingly beautiful” by National Public Radio. Based on a story as popular as Cinderella, The White Snake chronicles the tale of a gentle serpent spirit who lives for centuries coiled on a mountaintop. One day, she transforms herself into a beautiful young woman and, with her feisty companion Green Snake, travels down to the world of humans where she unexpectedly finds love and vows to remain a human forever. But when a vengeful monk discovers her true identity, he becomes determined to destroy the life and love that she’s built. Funny, moving and stunningly staged, The White Snake is a ravishing theatrical spectacle that will enchant and delight young adults to the young at heart.
Photos by Liz Lauren
Time raved Zimmerman’s work “recaptures the primal allure of the theater” and The Huffington Post said Zimmerman “turns ancient stories into grand spectacles that are as fresh as the 21st century.” This marks the first time Zimmerman’s work will be seen at the Guthrie.
Reprising their roles from the recent Goodman Theatre production, the cast of The White Snake features Amy Kim Waschke (White Snake), Tanya Thai McBride (Green Snake), Matt DeCaro (Fa Hai & others), Cristofer Jean (Brother-in-law & others), Emily Sophia Knapp (Crane & others), Vin Kridakorn (Boatman & others), Stephenie Soohyun Park (Guan Yin & others), Eliza Shin (Acolyte & others), Lisa Tejero (Sister & others), Tessa Brinckman (Flute), Ronnie Malley (Strings/Percussion) and Michal Palzewicz (Cello) – all in their Guthrie debuts – and Guthrie veteran Richard Howard (Canopus & others), who returns to the theater for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. Joining the production as White Snake’s love interest, Jake Manabat (Xu Xian) also makes his Guthrie debut.
The artistic team includes Daniel Ostling (Set Designer), Mara Blumenfeld (Costume Designer), T.J. Gerckens (Lighting Designer), Andre Pluess (Original Music and Sound Designer), Shawn Sagady (Projection Designer), Justin Hossle (Stage Manager) and Chris A. Code (Assistant Stage Manager).
Mary Zimmerman (Adapter/Director) is the recipient of a 1998 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play and numerous Jeff Awards (including Best Production and Best Direction). She is an artistic associate of Goodman Theatre, a member of Lookinglass Theatre Company and a professor of performance studies at Northwestern University. Ms. Zimmerman has adapted and directed Metamorphoses, which appeared on Broadway and at Lookingglass Theatre Company, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum and Second Stage Theatre; The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci at the Goodman, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Seattle Repertory Theatre and Second Stage Theatre; Journey to the West at the Goodman, the Huntington Theatre Company and Berkeley Repertory Theatre; The Odyssey at Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Goodman, McCarter Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre; Mirror of the Invisible World and Silk, both at the Goodman; Arabian Nights at Lookingglass Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre; Argonautika at Lookingglass Theatre Company, Berkley Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company and McCarter Theatre; The Secret in the Wings at Lookingglass Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre; Eleven Rooms of Proust at Lookingglass Theatre Company and About Face Theatre (co-produced by the Goodman); a new opera with Philip Glass, Galileo Galilei, at the Goodman, The Barbican in London and Brooklyn Academy of Music; Candide at the Goodman, the Shakespeare Theatre Company and the Huntington Theatre Company; and The Jungle Book at the Goodman and Huntington Theatre Company. In addition, Ms. Zimmerman has directed Shakespeare’s Pericles and All’s Well that Ends Well at the Goodman and Henry VIII and Measure for Measure at The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. She made her Metropolitan Opera directorial debut in 2007 with Lucia di Lammermoor, which she also directed at La Scala in Milan in 2014. Subsequent Met productions include Armida and La Sonnambula.
The White Snake begins preview performances on September 9, opens September 12 and continues through October 19 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage at the Guthrie Theater. Single tickets start at $15 and go on sale August 1 through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.
The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org
Guthrie Theater and Macaroni Kid Ticket Giveaway Winner Information:
Congratulations to Melissa J. from Brooklyn Park for winning the Family Four Pack to The White Snake at the Guthrie Theater.
