Photo Flash: SPOON RIVER PROJECT in Green-Wood Cemetery

In the quiet calm of the mid-summer night air, visitors to Historic Green-Wood Cemetery will be transported to the fictional town of Spoon River as the Green-Wood Historic Fund and 22Q Entertainment LLC present the New York City theatrical premiere of The Spoon River Project. A dramatic new adaptation of Edgar Lee Masters' 1915 poetic masterpiece, "The Spoon River Anthology," The Spoon River Project will be performed from June 15 - 26, 2011 under the moonlight and lit by torches and lanterns. Theatre-goers will travel on Green-Wood's trolley deep into the heart of the Cemetery to the site of the production.

Adapted for the stage by writer/director Tom Andolora, The Spoon River Project introduces the audience to the Midwest town of Spoon River as the residents, who in their death, divulge their secrets, their private thoughts, their regrets and the turmoil that filled their lives. Period costumes and songs including "Shall We Gather at the River," "Softly and Tenderly" and "In The Gloaming" set an atmospheric stage.

The ensemble cast, directed by Andolora, will include New York actors Tabatha S. Skanes, Diamando Stratakos, Susan Cohen DeStefano, Carolyn McCandlish, Halina Newberry Grant, Tom Mahon, Ed Newman, Carl DeForrest Hendin, Andre Softeland, Mark Lanham and David Michael Kirby. The production will also feature three musicians; Angelica Olstad, Pearl Rhein and Emma Carleton. Musical staging by Jeffry Denman; lighting by Scott Orlesky; sound design by Michael Eisenberg; and wig design by Emilia Martin.

"When Tom first approached us about the project," said Green-Wood president, Richard J. Moylan, "we knew right away that this could make for a very unique experience and one we'd be proud to present at Green-Wood."

"What better place to stage a play about the dead than a cemetery," asks director Tom Andolora. "And the opportunity to bring The Spoon River Project to a cemetery as prestigious as Green-Wood, a National Historic Landmark, is a real privilege."

The performance schedule is as follows:
Preview: Wednesday, June 15th at 8:00 PM
Preview: Thursday, June 16th at 8:00 PM
Opening Night: Friday, June 17th at 8:00 PM (click here to purchase tickets to the show plus the after party)
Saturday, June 18th at 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 18th at 11:00 PM
Wednesday, June 22nd at 8:00 PM
Thursday, June 23rd at 8:00 PM
Friday, June 24th at 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 25th at 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 25th at 11:00 PM
Sunday, June 26th at 3:00 PM
Please note: there will be no performance on Father's Day, Sunday, June 19th.

The play contains some mature content. You must be 15 years or older to attend.

Tickets for Green-Wood Historic Fund members are $20; $25 for general public.

Tickets for the midnight show are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Tickets can also be purchased for $30 at the door for Green-Wood Historic Fund members. The midnight shows will include a tour of the Green-Wood Catacombs. Visitors must arrive by 11p.m.

For more information or to make reservations, visit www.green-wood.com/toursevents or call 718-768-7300. For more information on The Spoon River Project, visit www.thespoonriverproject.com

Photo Credit: Jason Simon