Mark Rothko and Red at CMCA

Rockport, Maine, January 24, 2014: The Everyman Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA), presents Red by John Logan, over three weekends, opening on February 15. The play, about Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko, will be performed at CMCA.

During the mid-1930s, Rothko became a member of the group of New York artists which was known as the Ten, and was one of the driving forces in abstract art in mid-20th century America. Set in the late fifties, Red depicts Rothko shortly after he had received one of the biggest commissions in the history of American art, to provide a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Logan doesn’t simply show Rothko and his assistant, Ken, talking about art, they create it on stage with a blistering attack on a canvas primed for the commission.

Funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Humanities Council, the production features Everyman Rep company member David Troup as Rothko and Max Waszak as Ken. This is Max’s debut with the Everyman Rep. Max is a North Carolina native, a recent Brooklyn resident and now a Maine-based storyteller, having worked at the New York Classical Theatre, Triad Stage and, recently, as a member of the repertory company at the Theater at Monmouth.

The play is directed by Mim Bird, and designed by Brandon Koons. Although Brandon has lit a number of Everyman Rep shows, this is his first scenic design since working in Boston. John Whiteside, another recent Maine resident, also joins us from a long career as a professional stage manager and technical director, most recently in Boston.

Tickets are available at www.everymanrep.org or by calling 207.236.0173, as well as at the following retail venues: Owl and Turtle and HAVII in Camden, the Reading Corner, Rockland, and Bella Books, Belfast. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Student tickets are available at $10. The show will be presented on 15, 16, 22, 23 February and 1 and 2 March. Saturday shows are at 7pm, Sunday matinees at 2.30pm. Staged with the support of the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission.

Collaboration.Creation.Catharsis