Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real unfolds surreal world on ASU MainStage

Who
Legendary characters from myth and literature roam the earth anew in Tennessee Williams’ epic work Camino Real, opening at the ASU Herberger College School of Theatre and Film March 27.

What
Camino Real is a pageant formed by the dreams of Don Quixote, the poems of Lord Byron, the prize fights of Kilroy the boxer and the veiled dances of Esmeralda the gypsy. The MainStage production features a cast of almost 30 actors and is directed by Oscar Giner, professor in the ASU Herberger College School of Theatre and Film.

"Camino Real is the favorite play of every true admirer of Tennessee Williams,” Giner says. “It contains in miniature most of Williams’ obsessive themes and favorite characters.” According to Giner, the Camino Real was the ancient Spanish road that led from the city of Mexico to the heart of the Kingdom of New Mexico. It was constructed along an ancient path used by Native American tribes for commerce. “I consider the play one of the defining texts and central artistic visions for those of us who are inheritors of the Kingdom’s mythology,” he adds.

The play received vast critical acclaim when first produced on Broadway in 1953 with Eli Wallach in the role of Kilroy and Elia Kazan directing. A 1970 revival at Lincoln Center starred Al Pacino and Jessica Tandy.

Where
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse, 51 E. 10th St., ASU Tempe campus

When
March 27-28 & April 2-4, 7:30 p.m.; March 29 & April 5, 2 p.m.;

Cost
$7–$22; Receive half-priced tickets on the First Friday of any MainStage Season production. ASU faculty and staff get two-for-one on all full-priced MainStage performances.

Public Contact
Herberger College box office, 480.965.6447
School of Theatre and Film, 480.965.5337 
http://mainstage.asu.edu

The School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University provides a comprehensive range of courses in performance and directing; design and production; new work development; theatre and performance studies; film; and theatre for youth. Its Theatre for Youth program is nationally ranked in the top three and the dramatic writing/playwriting program is ranked 15th among public institutions by U.S.News & World Report. To learn more about the School of Theatre and Film, visit theatrefilm.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Laurie A. Trotta Valenti
ASU Herberger College 
School of Theatre and Film
480.965.3381
laurie.trotta@asu.edu