C E N T R E S T A G E
proudly presents
By Yasmina Reza
Translated by Christopher Hampton
September 12-15, 2024
DIRECTOR
THOM BABBES
STAGE MANAGER
CHEYENNE RIVENBARK
Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
Centre Stage is funded in part by a grant from the Metropolitan Arts Council, which receives funding from the City of Greenville, SEW Eurodrive, BMW Manufacturing Company, LLC, Michelin North America, Inc., and the South Carolina Arts Commission with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
This project is also funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Art is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC.
Produced on Broadway by David Pugh, Sean Connery and Joan Cullman, March 1, 1998.
NOTE TO AUDIENCE: The videotaping or audio and/or visual recording of this production is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable federal offense.
The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.
CAST
MARC....BRUCE LADD
SERGE.....BRENDAN MCMAHON
YVAN.....CARTER MCCAULEY
PRODUCTION TEAM
DIRECTOR.....THOM BABBES
STAGE MANAGER.....CHEYENNE RIVENBARK
LIGHTING PROGRAMMER.....TJ HILLS
SOUND DESIGNER....COOPER BABBES
SPECIAL THANKS
Centre Stage would like to thank Industry Event Rentals!
What is Art? What happens when a dear friend does something so out of character that we not only question their judgment but we question the very core of what binds us together? Yasmina Reza’s ART is a comedy about the nature of friendship. It’s based on a real life experience with her friend, Serge Goldszal, who bought a white painting for 200,000 francs, and she told him that he “must be mad,” and then they both laughed. Later she wondered what might have happened if her friend had not laughed.
The play also tackles the age-old question, “What is art”? For each character it is different and emotionally charged. The painting in “Art” functions as a blank canvas onto which each individual projects his own set of meanings. The way they express their personal perspectives on art has more to do with their own psychology and relationships than art itself.
With social media and our society so divided, Art is a truthful and hilarious illustration that we can use to explore our own relationships. What are the things that truly bind us together? Do we have to agree on everything? Art, politics, social status — Is it possible for friends to simply disagree and still be friends? It used to be that way. So sit back and let’s laugh and look for our common humanity that is truly the most important thing that will bind us all together. Sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves.
Thom Babbes
