Fairfield University stages new production of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" | Press Releases

Image: Glengarry Glen Ross A new production of David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross , will be staged next month in the Wien Experimental Theatre at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. Performances take place at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, October 3-6, 2012. Following each performance, the play's production team and faculty members discuss the play. Tickets are $20.

The production is sponsored by The Humanities Institute of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, in collaboration with the Quick Center for the Arts. The production will feature actors from the Fairfield University staff and faculty and the Actor's Nucleus based in Bethlehem, Conn. Among members of the cast are Donald Gibson, Ph.D., dean of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, Dennis Keenan, Ph.D., professor of philosophy; Ryan Drake, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy; and David P. Schmidt, Ph.D., associate professor of business ethics and director of the Applied Ethics program.

Playwright David Mamet's blistering dialogue and searing character interplay positions Glengarry Glen Ross as one of the most powerful indictments of the underside of the American dream since Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman . Showcasing alarming examples of rampant individualism and aggressive competiveness, the story concerns four desperate real estate agents working in a Chicago office best described as a snake pit. They are prepared to lie, bribe, steal, and betray one another and their clients in order to keep their jobs, in a play that is ultimately about survival of the fittest in the workplace.

Alistair Highet, University director of communications for advancement and student affairs is directing the production. "This play examines the world of work, and the way that work changes us, compels us to compete with one another. It also raises ethical questions about business itself, and we felt that as a University that prepares young people for the future, that these were valuable questions to dramatize. We hope that it will spark lively discussions by the patrons."

Glengarry Glen Ross won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984. The play won a Tony in 2005 for Best Revival of a Play. It had its world premiere at the National Theatre in London in 1983, and it debuted in New York on Broadway in 1984. The New York production was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play. Its other awards include the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1983 and the New York Drama Critics' Circle for Best American Play in 1984. Joe Mantegna won a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in the 1984 Broadway production.

In addition to the post-performance discussions on campus, there will be a discussion at the downtown Fairfield University Bookstore, 1499 Post Road, and facilitated by four faculty members at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October, 2, 2012. It is free and open to the public.

Last fall's debut collaboration between the Actor's Nucleus and Fairfield University staff and faculty also took place at the Quick Center and featured the North American premiere of Perpetual Peace by Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga.

Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets can also be purchased online at fairfield.edu/quick . The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Visit fairfield.edu/quick .

Image: Richard Rivas of the Actor's Nucleus is pictured in a Fairfield University production of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." Performances take place at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, October 3-6, 2012, in the Wien Experimental "Black Box" Theater. Photo Nick Lacy.