The Tony Award®-winning Alley Theatre announces the cast and creative team of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play – Seascape, written by Tony-Award Winner Edward Albee. This provocative and fantastical story featuring an encounter between two couples, one human and one sea creature, runs October 14 – November 13, 2022, in the Neuhaus Theatre and is directed by Nathan Winkelstein.

From major American playwright and Alley favorite Edward Albee comes a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that tackles two of the playwright’s favorite subjects: marriage and what it means to be human. With his signature wit, Albee introduces a middle-aged couple, Nancy and Charlie, taking a stroll on a deserted beach. Facing retirement, they argue with comfortable familiarity about how to spend the rest of their lives. When a second couple, sea creatures Sarah and Leslie, arrives from the depths of the ocean, a pitched encounter, both surreal and profound, ensues. It seems that Sarah and Leslie are also at a turning point in their lives, and they are also like no other couple Nancy and Charlie have ever met. A tender and often laugh-out-loud love story, told by way of an unusual marriage counseling session.

“In Seascape, playwright Edward Albee provides a different lens through which to watch ‘normal’ behavior,” shares director Nathan Winkelstein. “He asks us to question whether our ‘norms’ are in fact truly normal, and others’ ‘abnormal’ natures are truly abnormal, or whether deep down, we might be more similar to anthropomorphic sea creatures than we think. I am thrilled and humbled to bring Seascape to the Neuhaus and Edward Albee back home to Alley Theatre.”

“I’ve loved Edward Albee’s words since the very start of my theatre studies,” shares Artistic Director Rob Melrose. “I loved getting to know him while I was a student at Princeton and he was directing the world premiere of Marriage Play at the McCarter Theater (a co-production with the Alley). He was a fascinating man with a razor-sharp mind. At a meeting with Albee, I brought him two books to sign for me: my copies of Virginia Woolf and Seascape. When I handed him Seascape, his eyes lit up and he said, ‘You know, this is a really great play!’ I said to him, ‘Yes, I know, it is my favorite which I why I wanted you to sign it!’ What I love about Seascape is that it has all the verbal delights of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Zoo Story but it also had this fantastically surreal aspect to it through the sea creatures. During my time as Artistic Director, I hope to honor Edward Albee’s legacy and the part the Alley Theatre played in it.”

The cast of Edward Albee’s Seascape includes Franchelle Stewart Dorn (Off-Broadway: 20th Century Blues, Film: Die Hard With a Vengeance) as Nancy, Zachary Fine (Broadway: China Doll with Al Pacino) as Leslie, Philip Goodwin (Off-Broadway: Grace) as Charlie and Raven Justine Troupe (Amerikin) as Sarah.

The creative team of Edward Albee’s Seascape includes Scenic Designer Kevin Rigdon, Costume Designer Nicole Wee, Lighting Designer Izmir Ickbal, Sound Designer Sharath Patel, Stage Manager Jocelyn A. Thompson, and Assistant Stage Manager Kristen Larson.

SPONSORS: Edward Albee’s Seascape is supported by Steve and Christina Morse. Alley Theatre is supported by the 2022-23 Season sponsors United Airlines, the official airline of Alley Theatre, and Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites Downtown Houston, the official hotel of Alley Theatre.

TICKETS: Tickets to Edward Albee’s Seascape are now on sale and start at $26. Discounted tickets are available for military, seniors, and any student or educator, regardless of age, with a valid student ID for designated performances. Tickets can be ordered online (alleytheatre.org) or by phone (713.220.5700).

CONNECT WITH US: @alleytheatre, #AlleySeascape

ABOUT ALLEY THEATRE:

Alley Theatre, one of America’s leading nonprofit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company led by Artistic Director Rob Melrose and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. The Alley is committed to developing and producing theatre that is as diverse as the Houston community. The Alley produces up to 11 plays and nearly 400 performances each season, ranging from the best current work and classic plays to new plays by contemporary writers. Home to a full-time resident company of actors and expert artisans in all theatre crafts, the Alley engages theatre artists of every discipline – actors, directors, designers, composer, playwrights – who work on individual productions throughout each season as visiting artists.

Alley Theatre performs at the Meredith J. Long Theatre Center which is comprised of two state-of-the-art theatres: the 774-seat Hubbard Theatre and the 296-seat Neuhaus Theatre. The Alley reaches over 200,000 people each year through its performance, education, and community engagement programs.