ETC at the Strand Theatre

ETC at the Strand Theatre (east-end theatre company) continues its seventh season with Edward Albee’s most intoxicating and haunting play, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? The play opened in September and continue through Saturday, October 17. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. All performances are in the new home of island etc at 2317 Mechanic Street in Galveston.

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? was the first full-length work of Edward Albee and, in the opinion of many, his masterpiece. The play opened on Broadway in October of 1962. It won both the Tony Award and Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play. The movie version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton opened in 1968.

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? is directed by Sandra Raftis. Cast members include ETC company members Kevin Daugherty (George) and Kim Mytelka (Martha) as well as Jonathan Booth (Nick) and Laurel Powell (Honey). The technical staff includes Kristin Bingley (Stage Manager), Tom Boone (Scenic Designer), Todd Zaba (Lighting Designer), and Jennifer Garza (Sound Designer).

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? has been called “a savagely funny event in 3 knockout rounds. It doesn’t get any better than this!” Audiences will see Daugherty and Mytelka verbally sparring in a very different relationship than their last appearance together under Raftis’ direction in Same Time, Next Year. And with the addition of the talents of Booth and Powell, the sparks will be flying fast and furiously.

In this electrifying play, audiences will meet Martha, a frustrated, foul-mouth woman married to a quiet college professor, George. She has long held it against him that he has not been a success like her father, who is president of the college.

Late one night they invite a young couple new to the college, Nick and Honey, to stop by for a drink. Under the influence of alcohol and under the guise of “fun and games” the small gathering explodes into a session of jokes, reminiscences and seduction. By the end of the evening, the secrets of both couples are uncovered and the lies they cling to are exposed.

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? is an R-rated theatre production containing adult material. The production includes adult themes, hard language, some violence and sexually oriented material. ETC does not recommend this production for children.

ETC is pleased to have such a dynamic cast for this terrific classic American play, and so happy to once again have Sandra Raftis’s creative presence in our theatre. WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? offers insights and plenty of laughs and dramatic intensity in its three act serio-comic presentation of a warped marriage gone awry.

For more information on ETC at the Strand Theatre, please visit their website at www.islandetc.org.

Tickets for this production, which runs through October 17, are available now. For more information or reservations, please call the ETC box office at 409-762-3556 or 888-762-3556.