The Bridge Project
Sam Mendes will direct a transatlantic company of actors in a double-bill of classic works for The Bridge Project inaugural 2009 season which pairs a new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by Tom Stoppard with The Winter’s Tale. This formidable, transatlantic company and creative team will create these two new productions for six internationally renowned theatres. Simon Russell Beale, leads the British/American cast, playing Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard and Leontes in The Winter’s Tale joined by Sinead Cusack as Madame Ranevskaya and Paulina, Richard Easton as Firs and Old Shepherd/Time, Rebecca Hall as Varya and Hermione, Josh Hamilton as Yasha and Polixenes, and Ethan Hawke as Trofimov and Autolycus.
The Bridge Project is a unique series of co-productions between The Old Vic, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and Neal Street Productions. Each year a single British/American company will perform a double-bill of classic works at BAM and at The Old Vic, and make several international visits. In year one, the company will travel to Auckland, Singapore, Madrid and Recklinghausen.