April 28, 2010/Hartford, CT . . . Kate Mulgrew, who starred as Katherine Hepburn in Tea at Five, one of Hartford Stage’s most successful productions of all time, will return to the Tony Award-winning theatre (Michael Wilson, Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Managing Director) in William Shakespeare’s classic play, Antony and Cleopatra.  Tina Landau will direct the production, which will run at Hartford Stage October 7 – November 7.  Antony and Cleopatra will be the first production in Hartford Stage’s renovated and expanded Church Street facility.  Construction on the renovation project will take place this summer.

Kate Mulgrew is an Obie and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning actress best known for her iconic portrayals of strong women in the classic television shows Star Trek: Voyager, Ryan’s Hope, Kate Loves a Mystery (a.k.a. Mrs. Columbo), and the current NBC series Mercy.  She is an accomplished stage veteran, having performed on Broadway (most recently in the revival of Equus) and at theatres across the country.  Her Shakespeare credits include the 1985 production of Measure for Measure at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, where she played Isabella.

Antony and Cleopatra, one of Shakespeare’s great historical tragedies, follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Parthian War to Cleopatra’s suicide.  As Hartford Stage dramaturg Christopher Baker observes in his newly published book, Shakespeare in an Hour, Antony and Cleopatra is a sweeping play of love and war, opposing the stoic, well-ordered Rome with Cleopatra’s expressive, emotional Egypt.  First produced at Hartford Stage in 1981, this epic play presents great challenges for actors and tremendous opportunities for the theatre to showcase its expanded production capabilities, offering a deeply rewarding theatrical experience for audiences.  Antony and Cleopatra will the 24th production of a Shakespeare play in the theatre’s 47-year history

Tina Landau will direct Antony and Cleopatra.  One of the most respected and sought-after directors of her generation, Landau was represented this season on Broadway by her funny and touching production of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts.  Her first major hit, Floyd Collins, with a book by Landau and a score by Adam Guettel, opened off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1996.  Landau was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards for Floyd Collins, and the production won the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical.  She made her Broadway debut directing the 2001 revival of Bells Are Ringing.  She is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she has directed plays by Chekhov, Saroyan, and Shakespeare, including The Tempest.   

Antony and Cleopatra reunites Mulgrew with Landau, who in 2007 collaborated on the Off-Broadway premiere of Chuck Mee’s Iphigenia 2.0, a radical reinvention of Euripides’ classic play that examines the costs of war and loss of innocence.  Mulgrew’s acclaimed portrait of Clytemnestra won her a 2008 Obie Award.

Subscriptions for Hartford Stage’s 2010-2011 season are on sale now.  To purchase a subscription or to receive more information, call the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151, or visit hartfordstage.org.  Single tickets to Sheila’s Day and our SummerStage Broadway Legends series (presented at our temporary summer home at the Roberts Theatre at the Kingswood-Oxfors School in West Hartford) are on sale now; individual tickets for Antony and Cleopatra and all other MainStage productions go on sale July 1.  Groups of 10 or more may receive discounts; call the box office for further information.


Hartford Stage has wheelchair accessible seating, assistive listening devices, open captioned performances, and other amenities.  For more information, please call the box office at 860-527-5151.  Hartford Stage is located at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford with parking located in the MAT Garage, directly adjacent to the theatre.  The theatre is easily accessible from I-84 and I-91.