Edward Kassar Productions in association with the Playwrights' Theatre of East Hampton
present
“The Dance Of Death”
7pm - 9/24 (PREVIEW) 9/25 - (OPENING NIGHT) 9/26, 9/27, 9/30, 10/1, 10/2, 10/3, 10/4, 10/7, 10/8 & 10/9
2PM - Saturdays 9/26 & 10/3
On an isolated island, military captain Edgar and his wife, Alice, live a bitter life, their marriage soured by hatred. When the possibility of redemption and escape arrives for Alice in the shape of their former comrade Kurt, it seems that Edgar is prepared to use his very last breath to make their lives a living hell.
“Conor McPherson’s new version of THE DANCE OF DEATH is snappy and smart…jokes seem to whizz around like venomous arrows.”—The Arts Desk.
“THE DANCE OF DEATH doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs but this Strindberg play is, in its own twisted way, almost jolly. The show depicts a toxic marriage and, as the couple claw at each other, it’s impossible to look away. Conor McPherson, a master of bruising banter, has penned this new version and the play feels lighter in his hands.”—Time Out London.
ACTOR & DIRECTOR BIOS FOR THE DANCE OF DEATH
Grace Kiley (Director) is an actor, director, playwright, and acting coach. She teaches film directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Recent directing credits include John Patrick Shanley’s Four Dogs and a Bone, Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still, and Jane Anderson’s The Baby Dance. She recently produced and appeared in Margulies’ Collected Stories. Grace is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association. gracekiley.com
EDWARD W. KASSAR (Edgar/Captain) is thrilled to be co-producing his fourth play with LTV Studio/Playwrights Theatre, where he previously produced and starred in God of Carnage (Michael), The Pillowman (Detective Tupolski), and A Steady Rain (Denny). Other select credits include: Four Dogs and a Bone (Bradley, Studio 17), Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Johnny, The Clubhouse), Of Mice and Men (Lennie, Guild Hall), Glengarry Glen Ross (Roma, Hampton Theatre Company), Buried Child (Tilden, Queens Theatre in the Park), His Garfinkle in Other People’s Money at Ivoryton Playhouse earned him an Outstanding Leading Actor nomination. Film credits include Family, Mulligan Farm, This Evening’s Discourse, If I Didn’t Care, Sushi Bar, Stuck, Scallop Pond, Mook, and Something Sacred. Edward sends enormous thanks to LTV and especially Josh Gladstone, whose friendship, generosity, and tireless support of artists and live theatre make this creative home so special—and, always, to his family and friends for being along for the ride.
Dena Tyler (ALICE) Fans will recognize Tyler from her recurring role as the dynamic, inspirational defense attorney, Liberty, alongside Michael Weatherly on CBS’s, Bull. She simultaneously recurred on HULU's, The Path as Claudia, the devoted follower rising to fire & brimstone Cult Leader. Most recently she starred in Park Avenue with Fiona Shaw, directed by Sundance alum Gaby Dellal. Select TV credits include: Blue Bloods, Chicago Med, NCIS NOLA, Homeland, Orange is the New Black, Instinct (Guest Starring opposite Alan Cumming), The Deuce, The Path, 30 ROCK, & all of the L&Os. On the stage she most recently played Cheswick in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Charlotta opposite Ellen Burstyn in The Cherry Orchard & her portrayal of Emma in Betrayal at MST garnered her a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama at Broadway World’s Regional Awards. She is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio www.DenaTyler.com
MATTHEW CONLON (Kurt) - In addition to numerous screen, regional and NYC appearances, Matthew is well known to East End theater audiences for his engagements at Hampton Theatre Company (including Man of La Mancha, Baskerville and Clybourne Park); Shelter Island’s Shakespeare at the Manor (Twelfth Night this summer); The Suffolk Theater (Twelve Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird) and Bay Street Theater (Men’s Lives, The Crucible and Fahrenheit 451). He was last seen at LTV in Right Before I Go.