Felice and Clare are a brother and sister performing act who arrive at a decrepit “state theater in a state of unknown” and find themselves deserted by their troupe. Faced (perhaps) by an audience expecting a performance, they enact “The Two-Character Play” as their outcry from isolation, panic and fear – a Southern Gothic affair in which they spend their lives as prisoners in the rotting house where their parents met a bloody and melodramatic end. As they dip in and out of performance, they find it difficult to differentiate themselves from their roles and reality from illusion.

In a 1971 interview, Tennessee Williams said of The Two-Character Play, “I wrote it when I was approaching a mental breakdown and rewrote it after my alleged recovery. I was thoroughly freaked out…I think it is my most beautiful play since Streetcar, and I’ve never stopped working on it… it is a cri de coeur, but then all creative work, all life, in a sense is a cri de coeur.”

“…a rarely-seen fever dream…an eternal folie à deux…they don’t just strike sparks.
They’re a raging conflagration that keeps changing form and direction.
Low on plot and high on poetry, it presents the painful spectacle of a talented, desperate mind chasing itself in circles.”–Ben Brantley, The New York Times

★★★★ ‘A profound delight. Funny and absurd.’ –Independent
★★★★ ‘…fine, intelligent production… celebrates the radical streak in Williams’s work’ –Financial Times
★★★★ ‘Sam Yates’ staging uses modern theatrical wizardry to restore the mould-breaking power of Tennessee Williams’ most daring play’ –Evening Standard
★★★★ ‘A real discovery in a very rare outing of this Tennessee Williams play.’ –Daily Express
‘A heartfelt and haunting celebration of the theatrical. Stunning and profound.’ –Exeunt Magazine

For ages 18+

Note: the Sunday, September 18 performance has been canceled.

Health & Safety

Masks are required to attend this event. Audience members must wear masks for the duration of this performance. Vaccination cards will not be checked. Please plan accordingly.

Credits

Felice: John Zak, Clare: Tina Brock, Costume Design: Millie Hiibel, Lighting Design: Shannon Zura, Set Design: Dirk Durossette, Sound Design: Christopher Mark Colucci, Stage Management: Juliet Dempsey, Direction: Tina Brock, John Zak and Peggy Mecham

About the Artist

The IRC’s Mission is to bring classic absurdist theatre to international audience in the Philadelphia region. These rarely-produced, renowned plays explore and illuminate the human purpose and meaning, promoting reflection about the human condition in a contemporary world. Our dedicated group of artists invites you to explore with us these questions and share the word with friends; since 2006, a loyal IRC audience has been built largely through word of mouth.