Hartford Stage And Long Wharf

To Continue Artistic Collaboration With Drama

Based On Toni Morrison Novel

The Bluest Eye, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison’s enthralling first novel, will come to life next year at Connecticut’s two premier regional theaters.

Hartford Stage, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Wilson and Managing Director Michael Stotts, and New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre, led by Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein and Managing Director Joan Channick, jointly announced today the continuation and expansion of their historic collaboration, which extends the audience for selected productions developed at one theatre by subsequently staging them at the other. Mr Wilson and Mr Edelstein began developing the strategic alliance at the Theatre Communications Group conference in 2003.

Previously, Long Wharf had presented Hartford Stage’s enormously successful 2004 comedy The Mystery of Irma Vep in 2005, and Hartford Stage presented Long Wharf’s captivating 2005 production of A Moon for the Misbegotten in 2006. This is the first time both theaters will be presenting the same production in the same season.

According to Mr Wilson, the impetus behind the alliance is to “bring artistic excellence to audiences throughout the state, expand the reach of this magnificent drama, and realize cost savings by sharing resources.” The theaters will share rehearsal expenses, as well as the cost of scenery and costumes.

The directors hope the collaboration will introduce theatergoers unfamiliar with one theater to the offerings of the other, expanding each venue’s reach to audiences that, somewhat surprisingly, overlap only slightly. Patrons who do subscribe to both institutions would be given the option of substituting an alternate production rather than seeing the same play twice.

Mr Edelstein stressed: “This is an institutional collaboration, not just a transfer or a co-production. In addition to the production itself, we will partner on education and community outreach programs to enhance the experience of our audiences.”

Both directors agree that it is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for theaters so close geographically to forge this kind of artistic partnership.

One of acclaimed novelist Toni Morrison’s most powerful, unforgettable novels and a significant work of American fiction, The Bluest Eye was selected in 2000 as an entry in Oprah Winfrey’s extraordinarily influential Book Club. It was transformed into a stage play when Chicago’s renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company commissioned playwright Lydia Diamond’s adaptation, which premiered at Steppenwolf in 2005 as part of the theater’s Young Adult Series. It returned to Steppenwolf in October 2006 before moving to The New Victory’s DuKe on 42ndStreet Theatre in New York for a November 2006 run. It has subsequently been produced in Washington, D.C., and Chapel Hill, N.C. The Connecticut production of The Bluest Eye will be directed by Eric Ting, Long Wharf’s Artistic Associate.

The Bluest Eye tells the haunting and tragic story of Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl coming of age in the racially turbulent 1940s. Ridiculed by peers and family, Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blonde, blue-eyed children in America.

With its vivid evocation of the fear and loneliness at the heart of a child’s yearning, The Bluest Eye is a powerful, unforgettable work that translates the genius of the novel into a stage play that engages the mind while deeply touching the heart and soul.

The novel is part of the curriculum in Connecticut schools, making the play a valuable teaching resource, contributing significantly to statewide education programs. Both theaters will be offering special community and education outreach events in conjunction with the production, including lectures, in-school workshops, student matinees, and professional development opportunities for teachers.

The Bluest Eye will play at Hartford Stage February 21 to March 23, 2008 before transferring to Long Wharf for a March 28 to April 20 engagement.