The Theater @ Boston Court and CalArts Present 'Camino Real'

Jan 27, 2011
Boston Court

The Theatre @ Boston Court and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) School of Theater join for the first time to present Tennessee Williams' acclaimed classic, Camino Real, through a modern lens. In this phantasmagorical play, Williams embarks on a humorous and heartbreaking exploration of the human condition.

Camino Real will preview from February 3-6 and 10-11, and will perform February 12 - March 13, 2011 at Boston Court Performing Arts Center. Performances are at 8:00pm Thursday-Saturday and at 2:00pm on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online at bostoncourt.com, or by calling Boston Court's box office at 626-682-6883. Box Office hours are 11:00am -5:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

Jessica Kubzansky, a CalArts alumnus, and the Co-Artistic Director of The Theatre @ Boston Court, directs this story of lost souls caught in purgatory, represented by a surreal walled city. Terrified of what lies beyond the city walls-the Terra Incognita-these characters struggle to escape their fate or to make one last, meaningful connection. Combining famous literary and historical figures, with products of the playwrights own invention, Camino Real is Tennessee Williams at his most surprising.

First-time collaborators California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and The Theatre @ Boston Court are cognizant of the inherent difficulties in producing Williams' philosophically rich and heartbreakingly comic work. At the time of its 1953 premier, Williams himself wrote, "there have been plenty of indications already that this play will exasperate and confuse a certain number of people, which we hope is not so large as the number of people it is likely to please." This challenge, however, is precisely what drew Kubzansky and CalArts to Camino Real, prompting them to initiate the first co-production between The Theatre @ Boston Court and California Institute of the Arts School of Theater.

"The opportunity to formalize the relationship between my theatre and my alma mater, and to expose the wider population to the wealth of extraordinarily talented artists and faculty that are currently at CalArts, is one that I couldn't be more thrilled about," says Kubzansky.

The cast includes an electrifying mixture of CalArts student actors, faculty, alumni and professional actors who have worked with Boston Court before. Camino Real features Marissa Chibas as Camille, Tim Cummings as Casanova, Lenny Von Dohlen as Don Quixote, Matthew Goodrich as Kilroy, Kalean Ung as Esmeralda, and Brian Tichnell as Gutman.

For Kubzansky and the Camino Real cast, the rehearsal process has been an exploration of the play's intertwining stories of souls for whom the price of admission is always desperation, and an exploration of the terrifying search for what lies beyond life's boundaries. Through this theatrical investigation, they have found themselves rejuvenating the play that Elia Kazan, who directed the world premiere of Camino Real in 1954 called, "a love letter to the people Williams loved most, the romantics, those innocents who become victims in our business civilization."

The Theatre @ Boston Court is the non-profit company that programs the state-of-the-art 99-seat main stage theatre in Boston Court Performing Arts Center. It produces passionate, artist-driven theatre that challenges both artist and audience, and urges its artists to fearlessly pursue their unique voice and vision. Play selection encompasses a wide variety of genres which are inherently theatrical, textually rich and visually arresting. Boston Court is supported in part by The City of Pasadena, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and Founding Director Z. Clark Branson.