Now Showing
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Edward Albee
September 9 - October 2, 2010
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is an American classic written by a reknowned playwright who has spoken at the theatre and was the inspiration for the Festival of New American Plays. The Firehouse has produced several of his works, including The Death of Bessie Smith, The American Dream, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won both the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962-63 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play. Its stars won the 1963 Tony Awards for Best Actor and Actress as well. It was also selected for the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Drama by that award’s drama jury. However, the award’s advisory board—the trustees of Columbia University—objected to the play’s then-controversial use of profanity and sexual themes, and overruled the award’s advisory committee, awarding no Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1963.
In the play, George and Martha invite a new professor and his wife to their house after a party. Martha is the daughter of the president of the college (believed to be based on Trinity College, Connecticut) where George is an associate history professor. Nick (who is never addressed or introduced by name) is a biology professor (who Martha thinks teaches math), and Honey is his mousy, brandy-abusing wife. Once at home, Martha and George continue drinking and engage in relentless, scathing verbal and sometimes physical abuse in front of Nick and Honey. The younger couple are simultaneously fascinated and embarrassed. They stay even though the abuse turns periodically towards them as well.
A highly-acclaimed film adaptation of the play was released in 1966. It was directed by Mike Nichols and starred Elizabeth Taylor as Martha, Richard Burton as George, George Segal as Nick and Sandy Dennis as Honey.
The play is directed by Rusty Wilson and stars Jonathan Conyers, Larry Cook, Laine Satterfield, and Amy Sproul.
Full Cast and Crew Biographies and Photos
Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors 65 and older, and $10 for students and RAPT members with ID. Tickets are available by calling the Firehouse box office at 804-355-2001 or visiting www.firehousetheatre.org.
This production runs from Sept. 8-Oct. 2, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and with selected 4 p.m. pay-what-you-will matinees on Sundays.