Cate Blanchett Injured During Performance Of Sydney Theater's 'STREETCAR'

The New York Times reports that during a performance of the Sydney Theater Company production of Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire", its star, Cate Blanchett, who is portraying Blanche DuBois, was injured by a stage prop.

Blanchett, reports The Times, was performing a fight scene with Joel Edgerton, who plays Stanley Kowalski. During the scene, Blanchett was accidentally struck on the head by a prop radio used by Mr. Edgerton. She continued through injured, but once the scene was finished, the rest of the performance was canceled.

To read the entire Times article click here.

A Streetcar Named Desire is the story of the determined, yet fragile, repressed and delicate Blanche DuBois, set in the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella, and animalistic brother-in-law, Stanley. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play opened on Broadway in New York in 1947 and guaranteed Williams' status as one of the major American Playwrights. 

With Andrew Upton, Cate Blanchett has been Co-Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company since January 2008. For the Company, she has previously performed in The War of the Roses, Hedda Gabler, Sweet Phoebe, Kafka Dances, Top Girls and Oleanna and has directed The Year of Magical Thinking, Blackbird and A Kind of Alaska. Other theater credits include productions with the Almeida, London, Company B, and Griffin.

A Streetcar Named Desire stars Cate Blanchett as Blanche DuBois, Joel Edgerton as Stanley and Robin McLeavy as Stella. Additional casting includes Michael Denkha, Elaine Hudson, Gertraud Ingeborg, Morgan David Jones, Russell Kiefel, Jason Klarwein, Mandy McElhinney, Tim Richards and Sara Zwangobani.

The production features set design by Ralph Myers, costume design by Tess Schofield, lighting design by Nick Schlieper and sound design by Paul Charlier.

Director, actor and author, Liv Ullmann's name is synonymous with European cinema and theater. She played a number of major roles as a permanent member of the Norwegian Theatre in Oslo as well as in productions in Sweden, Australia, London's West End and on Broadway.

In film she is particularly well known for her collaborations with Ingmar Bergman and has been honored with numerous awards and nominations. As director, Ullmann's work includes Sofie and Kristin Lauransdotter, both of which she also scripted, as well as Faithless, Private Confessions and Paul Claudel's Break of Noon. She is the author of two books translated into more than 24 languages.

Tickets are on sale for Sydney Theatre Company's A Streetcar Named Desire. Written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Liv Ullmann, the production will begin performances at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater October 29 to November 21, 2009 and will feature STC Co-Artistic Director Cate Blanchett as Blanche DuBois, Joel Edgerton as Stanley and Robin McLeavy as Stella. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Kennedy Center box office, on the Kennedy Center website at www.kennedy-center.org, or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600.

Performances for A Streetcar Named Desire will run Tuesday through Saturday evenings in the Eisenhower Theater at 7:30 PM. Beginning November 1, matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday afternoons will run at 1:30 PM. Tickets from $25 to $90 are on sale beginning August 12, 2009 and will be available for purchase at the Kennedy Center box office, on the Kennedy Center website at www.kennedy-center.org, or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324.

For more information, please visit the Kennedy Center website at www.kennedy-center.org.

More Articles by This Author...