Bank of America presents

THE BRIDGE PROJECT

Produced by BAM, The Old Vic, and Neal Street

RICHARD III

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTED BY SAM MENDES AND FEATURING KEVIN SPACEY

IN THE TITLE ROLE

Co-commissioned by and produced in association with Athens & Epidaurus Festival, Centro Niemeyer, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Singapore Repertory Theatre

FULL COMPANY AND FIRST INTERNATIONAL DATES ANNOUNCED                                

The full company is announced for the final season of The Bridge Project featuring Kevin Spacey, artistic director of The Old Vic, in the title role of Richard III. The Bridge Project will open at The Old Vic in London on June 29, 2011 and then embark on an international tour including the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, Spain’s Centro Niemeyer, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Singapore Repertory Theatre, arriving at BAM’s Harvey Theater in New York in January 2012.  Further international tour dates to be announced shortly.

Tickets are currently on sale at The Old Vic and will be available through the BAM box office this fall. The Bridge Project will again be directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, with whom Kevin Spacey worked on the film American Beauty, for which they both won BAFTA and Academy Awards. 

The Bridge Project is a unique three-year series of co-productions by BAM, The Old Vic, and Neal Street, devoted to producing large-scale, classical theater for international audiences.

Led by Kevin Spacey in the role of Richard III, the company features another formidable British/American cast that includes Maureen Anderman as the Duchess of York; Haydn Gwynne as Queen Elizabeth; Chuk Iwuji as Buckingham; Gemma Jones as Queen Margaret; and Chandler Williams as George, Duke of Clarence.

The American cast members are appearing with the permission of UK Equity and the British cast members are appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association, incorporating Variety Artists’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between UK Equity and American Equity. The producers gratefully acknowledge UK Equity and Actors’ Equity Association for their assistance of this production.

Kevin Spacey has previously appeared in The Old Vic productions Speed-the-Plow with Jeff Goldblum, National Anthems, The Philadelphia Story, A Moon for the Misbegotten ( which subsequently transferred to Broadway), and in Trevor Nunn’s productions of Inherit the Wind and Richard II. Previous theater includes The Iceman Cometh (Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Actor, and Tony Award nomination) directed by Howard Davies (Almeida, The Old Vic, and Broadway), Lost in Yonkers (Tony Award, Best Supporting Actor), Long Day’s Journey into Night, with Jack Lemmon, directed by Jonathan Miller (Broadway and West End). He directed The Old Vic’s inaugural production Cloaca and directed Complicit starring Richard Dreyfuss.

Award-winning actress Maureen Anderman has worked extensively on Broadway in productions of Othello, Moonchildren (for which she won the Theater World Award), The Lady from Dubuque (Tony Award nomination), Social Security, and Driving Miss Daisy.  Haydn Gwynne was last on stage in the West End as Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot The Musical, a role she recreated on Broadway, winning the Drama Desk, Outer Critics’ Circle, and Theater World Awards, and garnering a Tony Award nomination. Her other theater credits include Merry Wives of Windsor, Peer Gynt, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (all RSC); The Memory of Water (Hampstead); and most recently Becky Shaw (Almeida). Her television work includes Drop the Dead Donkey, Sherlock, and Rome. Chuk Iwuji won an Olivier Award in 2009 for his performance in The Histories (RSC) and recently appeared in The Misanthrope (West End) and Welcome to Thebes (National Theatre). Gemma Jones' stage credits include Peter Brook's celebrated production A Midsummer Night's Dream for the RSC, Anthony Page's production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Lyric Theatre), The Masterbuilder and Ride Down Mount Morgan, both in the West End and most recently Family Reunion (Donmar).Television includes Whistle and I'll Come to You with John Hurt, Spooks, Trial and Retribution, Longitude and Duchess of Duke Street. Film includes Sense and Sensibility, Bridget Jones' Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and the Harry Potter films.  Her most recent films are the Woody Allen movie You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger starring opposite Anthony Hopkins, and the forthcoming film Hysteria, alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy. Chandler Williams’ work on Broadway includes In The Next Room, Mary Stuart, and Translations. He has appeared in the popular CBS television series The Good Wife and his film credits include Kinsey and Public Enemies.

The complete acting company is as follows: Maureen Anderman* (Duchess of York), Stephen Lee Anderson* (Sir Richard Ratcliffe), Jeremy Bobb* (Catesby & 2nd Murderer & 2nd Citizen ), Nathan Darrow* (Lord Grey & Richmond), Jack Ellis (Lord Hastings), Haydn Gwynne (Queen Elizabeth), Chuk Iwuji (Buckingham), Isaiah Johnson* (Rivers & Lord Mayor), Gemma Jones (Queen Margaret), Andrew Long* (King Edward IV & Bishop of Ely), Katherine Manners (Young Prince Richard), Howard Overshown* (Brackenbury & Keeper & Sir Thomas Vaughan ), Simon Lee Phillips (Tyrell & 3rd Citizen & Norfolk), Gary Powell (Lord Lovel & 1st Murderer & 1st Citizen), Michael Rudko* (Lord Stanley), Annabel Scholey (Lady Anne), Kevin Spacey* (Richard, Duke of Gloucester), Gavin Stenhouse (Dorset & Urswick), Hannah Stokely (Edward), and Chandler Williams* (George, Duke of Clarence).

*indicates American member of company

Commenting on the final season, Sam Mendes says:  “I am absolutely delighted to be working with Kevin again for the first time since American Beauty, and I am doubly thrilled that he will be leading year three of The Bridge Project. Richard III is a play I love, and a role I think Kevin is born to play. I’m also thrilled that the partnership between our three entities has strengthened and blossomed over the course of this venture, along with a host of invaluable international partnerships that have enabled us to extend the reach of global touring year after year.”

The Old Vic Artistic Director Kevin Spacey, who plays Richard III, says: “Sam is one of the finest directors I have had the pleasure to work with and to gain this opportunity is beyond my wildest hopes. I love Sam’s perspective on a role, carving and shaping the actor. With such a remarkable character before me I have a feeling this one is going to be a memorable experience. It is also my hope to bring a comprehensive educational programme and opportunities for emerging artists along with our travels, making an argument for the living theatre in all the major cities we will visit throughout 2011. We're delighted that Bank of America Merrill Lynch has come on board for another season as our sponsor and I applaud their continued support for our work.”

BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo says:  "The Bridge Project has been a wonderful creative adventure and an unparalleled success; its final instalment is a programmatic highlight of BAM's upcoming 150th anniversary celebration. I am looking forward to welcoming this immensely talented, trans-Atlantic cast assembled by Sam Mendes to perform alongside Kevin Spacey as Richard III at BAM's historic Harvey Theater in January, and to tracking the company's progress across the globe as ambassadors for classical theater on a grand scale."

Rena DeSisto, global arts and culture executive, Bank of America, says: “Our partnership with The Bridge Project has been a tremendous one for our company, and supporting their international tour is an important part of our global program of support for the arts.  Each stop on the tour results in thousands of people enjoying fine theater and sharing a cultural experience with theatergoers throughout the world.  The arts are unparalleled in their ability to create shared, moving experiences for people of diverse cultures, and Bank of America remains committed to supporting these opportunities.”

Director                       Sam Mendes
Set Design                  Tom Piper
Costumes                    Catherine Zuber
Lighting                        Paul Pyant
Sound                          Gareth Fry
Projection                    Jon Driscoll
Music                          Mark Bennett

NEW YORK AND LONDON PERFORMANCES

The Old Vic, London               June 18—September 11, 2011
                                                Press night 29 June

BAM, New York                      January 10—March 4, 2012

Tickets on sale Fall 2011

CONFIRMED INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES

Athens & Epidaurus Festival               July 29—31, 2011

Hong Kong Arts Festival                     September 16—18, 2011

Centro Niemeyer, Spain                     September 28 — 1 October

Singapore Repertory Theatre             November 17—26, 2011

Bank of America is a major supporter of arts and heritage in the United States and increasingly around the world. Its support is built on a foundation of responsible business practices and good corporate citizenship that improves access to the arts and arts education in local communities nationwide. Bank of America believes that improving access to arts is critical to both the culture and economic vitality of the communities we serve. The bank’s unique program offers customers free access to more than 150 of the nation’s finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in Our Communities shares exhibits from the bank’s corporate collection with communities across the country through local museums. In addition, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides philanthropic support to museums, theaters, and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and communities. 

CREDITS

Bank of America is the Proud Presenting Sponsor of The Bridge Project.

Leadership support for The Bridge Project is provided by The Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Bridge Project Production Partners: Celia Atkin, John & Samantha Hunt, Donald R. Mullen Jr., Tony Randall Theatrical Fund, Jon & Nora Lee Sedmak, Carol & Ian Sellars, Scott & Kathleen Simpson, and Barbara & David Zalaznick with additional support from Remmel T. Dickinson, Sophie Hughes, Sharon E. Karmazin, and Peregrine Whittlesey.

Major support for theater at BAM is provided by The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The SHS Foundation, and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, with additional support from the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, and Gary Lynch & Kate Hall.