Bay Street Announces 'Five Presidents' and 'Darrell Hammond Project'
Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater has announced two new additions to its 2015 Mainstage Season, Five Presidents and The Darrell Hammond Project.
The two plays replace Other People’s Money, which was dropped from the scheduled after actor Jason Alexander withdrew from the production to take a role on Broadway.
Five Presidents, a new play by Emmy-winning writer Rick Cleveland and directed by Mark Clements, will be staged June 23 through July 12. The drama is about a meeting of U.S. presidents—one current and four former—who were obliged to get together for the funeral of Richard Nixon.
The presidents vent their frustrations and reveal the toll the office takes on a person.
Cleveland’s writing credits include The West Wing, House of Cards and Six Feet Under.
Written and performed by Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond with additional material by Elizabeth Stein and Christopher Ashley, The Darrell Hammond Project reveals the trauma that led to Hammond becoming and entertainer and impressionist. Ashley directs. The shows runs from July 16 through 26.
“Bay Street Theater is expanding and growing, and we are excited to now present four productions on the Mainstage this summer,” says Bay Street Theater artistic director Scott Schwartz. “Both of the plays that we are adding to our season are personal portraits of complicated men. Five Presidents explores not only politics, but also the humanity in our leaders. Rick Cleveland is a writer who knows Washington, and his imagining of a meeting of five of our presidents is riveting.
“Darrell Hammond’s intimate look at his life in his new solo show delves deep into the dark side of funny, and is a theatrical and searing portrait of how this brilliant comedian found his voice. The artists we have added to our season in Rick, Darrell, and directors Christopher Ashley and Mark Clements are visionary voices in the American Theater and I can’t wait to share their work with our audience in the East End.”