Submitted
A Streetcar Named Desire, arguably Tennessee Williams’s masterpiece, was written during a period of change in America, after World War II. In short, the play follows a woman, Blanche, who comes to live with her sister and her sister’s husband. She eventually loses her grip on reality as she fails to get what it is she most desires.
Presented in-the-round (a first for the IndyFringe Basile Theatre venue) in a startling and intimate new staging, local theatre mainstays Catalyst Repertory Theatre and Magic Thread Cabaret present this American masterpiece, opening March 3 at the IndyFringe Basile Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., in the up-and-coming Downtown Massachusetts Avenue and Bottleworks Cultural Districts.
A Streetcar Named Desire will run for three weekends, March 3 to 19, with Friday and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. and matinees Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $18 to $25 and are available at both catalystrepertory.org and directly at indyfringe.org/performance/2023-streetcar.
This March, Catalyst Repertory returns home to the IndyFringe Basile Theatre to remove all distance from this scarifying classic drama, with an extremely intimate black-box production that will pull no punches. After this, you will know for certain that you can’t go around depending on the kindness of strangers … or even family.
“I’m a life-long student of the theatre,” Director Casey Ross said. “In school at Hanover College, I studied Williams (along with former classmate, Ian McCabe, who plays Stanley, in our show) fervently. While Catalyst is known for our new and original works, it’s important for us to also extend our passion for innovative theatre to the perennial classics that trained us. That is why presenting the classics with a fresh-scope and new vision is so important to our team. ‘New is what we do’ rings true in all aspects of our art, as this will be a Streetcar, like none you’ve seen before.”
The two Indy-based companies boast a truly collaborative event that will feature the unique vision and specialties of each organization. Not only is Magic Thread’s Managing Director Tom Alvarez appearing in the production as Stanley’s neighbor, Pablo Gonzales, but Artistic Director Dustin Klein will create an original score for the play, blending together both his original compositions and music from the era, celebrating the New Orleans backdrop, to create this new Streetcar staging. Klein will also play live and interact with and among the cast.
“I am beyond excited to partner with Catalyst Repertory,” Klein said. “I was honored to be asked to compose and perform the ‘live underscore’ as a character onstage among such a talented and diverse cast. It’s actually quite intimidating to write music for such a masterpiece of theater. This is a perfect collaboration in that we can add the musical element while also extending beyond what we usually produce, which is full musical shows and cabarets … since we began, we have always supported other artists and companies through Tom’s reviews, our attendance at shows, and our employment of numerous performers over the years. The arts are not an easy field for young companies, and this is brilliant in that Magic Thread and Catalyst can bring our families together and support each other to create something truly unforgettable.”
The cast includes a diverse roster of new faces to both Catalyst and Magic Thread featuring the leading cast of: Sara Castillo Dandurand (Blanche), Ian McCabe (Stanley), Anna Himes (Stella), and Brian DeHeer (Harold Mitchell). The supporting cast is rounded out by Audrey Stonerock, Matt Kraft, Mitchell Wray, Tom Alvarez, David Mosedale, Wendy Brown, Viviana Quiñones, Zakeya Brown, and Dustin Klein, under the direction of Catalyst Repertory Artistic Director Casey Ross.