Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
What do cast members of HBO's The Sopranos do when they're not creating drama on the streets of New Jersey? Apparently, many create and support drama on the New York stage.
Edie Falco, who won acclaim on Broadway before becoming everyone's favorite Mob wife, has since returned in revivals of 'Night Mother and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Michael Imperioli, who cut his teeth off-Broadway, now runs Studio Dante, a downtown theater dedicated to showcasing progressive works, with his wife, Victoria.
Last week, Steven and Maureen Van Zandt, aka Silvio and Gabriella Dante, announced plans to form another company to produce classic American plays on Broadway -- and making them accessible to TV audiences across the country.
The Renegade Theatre, as the Van Zandts have named it, also will be helmed by Tony Award-winning producer Nina Keneally (Buried Child, The Last Night of Ballyhoo) and attorney Jamie Lightstone.
They plan to cast TV and film actors in relatively short runs of eight to 12 weeks -- "whatever they can do," Steven says -- and to televise the productions during those runs.
Though a network hasn't yet been determined, Steven says, "We've talked to several and gotten very positive responses. Culturally, this is important. Most people, if they don't come to Broadway, don't get a chance to see theater. And even if you do come to Broadway, it's mostly big musicals now. There's this treasure-trove of American art that has been languishing."
Maureen will serve as Renegade's artistic director and consider some small roles, and her husband will oversee the company as part of his multimedia organization, Renegade Nation. The first production is slated for sometime during the 2006-7 season. "Realistically, it will be more like spring '07," Steven says.
Both Van Zandts already have full schedules, even with The Sopranos winding down. "Little Steven," as he has long been known to fans of his guitar work in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, also produces and operates Sirius Satellite Radio channels and the syndicated radio program Little Steven's Underground Garage.
Maureen, a classically trained dancer and actress, founded another company, With Out Papers, in 2001. It garnered praise with a revival of Golden Boy by Clifford Odets, one of several playwrights on the Van Zandts' wish list.
"We're hoping to have a series of plays going back as far as Odets, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, Philip Barry, Garson Kanin," she says. "Eventually, I hope, we can get to more contemporary plays, and also plays by those I've mentioned that aren't the most obvious choices. Anyone who enjoyed A Streetcar Named Desire, for example, might also enjoy (Williams') Kingdom of Earth."
Ultimately, the repertoire will be determined by the actors and directors involved. "I'm a great believer in the ensemble, in creative input," Maureen says.
"Every actor has a dream role, or a play they've always wanted to do, or a director they've always wanted to work with. It's just a matter of getting the right cast, director and play together."
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
