GUTHRIE THEATER PRESENTS YASMINA REZA’S AWARD-WINNING COMEDY ‘ART’ DIRECTED BY KIMBERLY SENIOR

A piece of modern art sparks a heated debate among three friends in this insightful, one-act satire

Previews begin Saturday, December 16; Opening on Friday, December 22
Playing through Sunday, January 28 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced the cast and creative team for ‘Art’ by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Kimberly Senior. In this witty satire, an abstract piece of modern art unexpectedly creates tension among three friends, putting their long-held relationships to the test. Previews for ‘Art’ begin Saturday, December 16 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. The show opens on Friday, December 22, 2023, and will play through Sunday, January 28, 2024. Single and group tickets are now on sale through the Box Office or online at guthrietheater.org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances) are also available on select dates.

Artistic Director Joseph Haj commented, “The themes in ‘Art’ run much deeper than the canvas the three men discuss. Through moments of wit and vulnerability, they examine the many facets of friendship and seek to answer the existential question at the center of the play: If you’re not who I think you are, then who am I? As the play unfolds, we can’t help but examine our own identities and relationships in return.”

Haj continued, “This insightful, multilayered story is in excellent hands with Director Kimberly Senior, and we’re honored that she is bringing her expansive theater background and directing skills to the Guthrie.”

Director Kimberly Senior said, “When I first saw ‘Art’ in 1996, it was foundational for me as an artist. I didn’t feel talked down to or scolded; I felt deeply engaged in a dialogue. ‘Art’ tackles difficult subjects through a personal lens. When the stakes are personal, you leave the theater with much to discuss.”

‘Art’ won the 1997 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and 1998 Tony Award for Best Play. The play has been produced in 45 countries and translated into over 30 languages. The Guthrie produced Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage in 2011 and held a celebration of Translator Christopher Hampton’s work in 2012 that included productions of three of his plays: Appomattox, Tales From Hollywood and Embers.

Set in Paris, ‘Art’ begins when Serge purchases a piece of modern art he’s eager to show off: an unframed white canvas with barely-there white diagonal lines. When his close friend Marc regards the modern painting with ridicule, Serge is deeply insulted. Their mutual friend Yvan tries to keep the peace but becomes entangled in their disagreement, which launches hours of heated discussion and leads the three men to wonder why they’re even friends in the first place. This Tony Award-winning satire crackles with comedic energy and invites the audience to contemplate existential questions about life, friendship and what happens when the opinions and worldviews of people we love clash with our own.

The cast of ‘Art’ includes Robert O. Berdahl (Guthrie: Cyrano de Bergerac, Guys and Dolls, A Christmas Carol) as Serge, Patrick Sabongui (Guthrie: debut) as Marc and Max Wojtanowicz (Guthrie: Into the Woods, Hamlet, As You Like It) as Yvan.

The creative team includes Yasmina Reza (Playwright), Christopher Hampton (Translator), Kimberly Senior (Director), Brian Sidney Bembridge (Scenic Designer), Raquel Barreto (Costume Designer), Xavier Pierce (Lighting Designer), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Designer/Composer), Elissa Adams (Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Vocal Coach), Aaron Preusse (Fight Director), Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Chris Schweiger (Stage Manager), Lyndsey R. Harter (Assistant Stage Manager), Faith Hart (Assistant Director) and McCorkle Casting, Ltd. (NYC Casting Consultant).

Yasmina Reza (Playwright) was born in Paris to Jewish parents who immigrated to France, with her father originally from Iran and her mother from Hungary. Reza’s first two plays, Conversations After a Burial and The Passage of Winter, both won Molière Awards, and she is best known for writing God of Carnage and ‘Art’, which is often credited with launching her into the global spotlight. Reza’s other plays include The Unexpected Man, Life x 3, A Spanish Play and Bella Figura. She has frequently collaborated with playwright Christopher Hampton to translate her plays into English. An award-winning dramatist, Reza is also an accomplished director, novelist and actress.

Christopher Hampton (Translator) is a playwright, screenwriter, director and producer. His plays, musicals and translations have won many awards, including four Tony Awards and three Olivier Awards. Prizes for his screenplays include an Academy Award, Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year and awards at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals. His plays include Appomattox, The Talking Cure, Tales From Hollywood, The Philanthropist, Savages and Total Eclipse, plus translations of plays by Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Molière, Ödön von Horváth, Yasmina Reza and Florian Zeller. Hampton’s screenplays include Dangerous Liaisons, Atonement, A Dangerous Method, Carrington, The Secret Agent and Imagining Argentina, the last three of which he also directed.

Kimberly Senior (Director) is a freelance director whose award-winning work has been seen in 15 states and more than 200 productions, including the Broadway production of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar. Senior made her HBO debut with Chris Gethard: Career Suicide, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She is the recipient of the prestigious Alan Schneider Award at the 2016 TCG Conference and the 2016 Special Non-Equity Jeff Award for her Chicago career achievements as a trailblazer, champion and role model for emerging artists. Senior is member of the Artistic Collective at the Goodman Theatre, Resident Director at Writers Theatre and an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre. She founded Collaboraction Theatre Company in 1997, spent 10 years as an associate artist at Strawdog Theatre Company, eight years as an associate artist at Chicago Dramatists and six years as an associate artist at Next Theatre. She has designed and taught courses at DePaul University, Columbia College Chicago, New York University, The University of Chicago and Brown University/Trinity Rep’s M.F.A. program, Primary Stages’ Einhorn School of Performing Arts and School at Steppenwolf. Senior produced the Goodman Theatre’s Live festival of plays in 2021 and served as a producer for Audible Theater on several live theatrical and audio releases. 

Related Events

Post-Play Discussions
Patrons are invited to stay in the theater following select performances for a 20-minute conversation about the production facilitated by Guthrie staff. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able.

Saturday, December 30 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, December 31 at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, January 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 14 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m.

Accessible Performances

ASL-Interpreted Performances
American Sign Language interpreters sign the performance as it plays out onstage.

Friday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m.

Audio-Described Performances
Audio describers provide live verbal descriptions of the action, costumes and scenery for people who are blind or have low vision.

Friday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m.

Open-Captioned Performances
LED screens display text simultaneously with the performance onstage.

Saturday, January 6 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, January 10 at 1 p.m.
Friday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 17 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, January 21 at 1 p.m.

The Guthrie also offers ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances upon request. Requests must be received at least two weeks in advance.

Ticket Information

Single tickets start at $29 for previews (December 16–21). All other performances range from $34 to $82. Single and group tickets (minimum requirement of 15 per group) may be purchased through the Box Office at 612.377.2224 (single), 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group) or online at guthrietheater.org.

Land Acknowledgment
The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations. 

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org