Now showing! Woman Before a Glass by Lanie Robertson

Get your tickets now because this one's gonna be a runaway hit! The outspoken, convention-flaunting heiress Peggy Guggenheim collected modern art...and modern artists. In this Obie-winner, Naz Edwards, as Peggy, tells it all: from the death of her father on the Titanic, to saving art from the Nazi invasion of Paris, to her history of famous lovers, including Miro, Dali and Picasso. Directed by Malcolm Tulip.

Woman Before a Glass Reviews!!

"Edwards is the kind of proven performer who can take a good role and make it great, or take a great role and make it absolutely fabulous. What she does with Guggenheim is no less than amazing." "Malcolm Tulip directs with flair, providing both grace and turbulence to a visually striking production. Monika Essen contributes a modernistic set design, with shapes and lines lovingly coaxed from a draftsman's French curve, and paintings replicating the styles of the modernists." "Woman Before a Glass is a play for lovers of art and the interesting subtext of the art world that supports it. It is a play about a woman who did it her way, not condescending to the rules and morals of the society in which she lived. But most of all, it is a showcase for the considerable talents and sterling performance of Naz Edwards, sure to be remembered for a long time." - By Daniel Skora, Encore Michigan

"Edwards, particularly, deserves credit for a fantastic performance. Her voicing of the character - a haughty European English which cleverly slides into rough and brash New Yorker at just the right moments - is a delight. So too is her ability to navigate the Italian and French, thrown in for color, with the ease of a linguist. She's also very capable of delivering the humor of the work, and in the few moments when real, heart-wrenching emotion does boil up to the surface, Edwards' performance is potent." - D.A. Blackburn, Encore

"Naz Edwards is shocking, mesmerizing, and heartbreaking in her portrayal of Peggy Guggenheim in Performance Network Theatre's production of Woman Before a Glass. The one-woman play by Lanie Robertson is perfectly suited to Edwards' larger-than-life abilities. Edwards holds nothing back - channeling Peggy Guggenheim to describe the famous heiress' personal tragedies (the loss of beloved family members and lovers) and her many triumphs (over Nazi's, obnoxious museum directors and her rich Uncle Solomon Guggenheim's despised mistress)." - By Patty Nolan, Detroit Theatre Examiner

"As the show progresses, Peggy reflects on key moments in her storied life, including love-hate relationships with Pablo Picasso, writer-playwright Samuel Beckett and her second husband, the German artist Max Ernst. But her tough-broad persona crumbles when she recalls the death of her father, Benjamin, one of the more famous casualties of the Titanic disaster in 1912. He reportedly gave up his seat on a lifeboat to a woman from second class, a gesture that reportedly inspired Peggy to help the "starving artists" she believes she saved from dying in the 1920s and 1930s." "Edwards wisely mines the vanity that was at least part of the Peggy Guggenheim story. She often depicts Peggy as self-centered, petty and insecure, especially when she leads a late-life crusade to advance a daughter's art career." - John Monaghan, Free Press

"Edwards is up for Peggy's challenging range from dogged to cheeky to furious, her efforts masked by an easy delivery that feels like just talking. She boldly creates a character that one wouldn't necessarily want to befriend, but still earns plentiful goodwill and sympathy. Robertson dips a toe into salacious details, but the play is far from a tabloid tell-all Ñ the character's many passions and joys are balanced by deeply felt disappointment and loss." "the production offers a generous slice of culture and an even more captivating portrait of female independence. Edwards's strong performance basks in a daily existence nearly free of unwanted intrusions or expectations, although it makes her no safer from personal devastation. The duo of privilege and toil is handled with enough care that the viewer ultimately celebrates Peggy's uninhibited pursuit of exactly the life she wants." - By Carolyn Hayes, Rogue Critic

"Monika Essen's set is a work of art in itself. Seeing copies of just a few representative pieces of Guggenheim's collection strikes just the right balance between conveying the heiress' tastes in art while not physically overwhelming Edwards in scenery. Plus, Essen's costumes - particularly an elegant robe worn in the second scene - underscore Guggenheim's proclivity for treating clothes like the artists she slept with: she collects only the finest, but then treats them carelessly." - Jenn McKee, AnnArbor.com

Interview with Woman Before a Glass designer, Monika Essen

"In the world of theater, it's the actors who often become celebrated for their work. But without the efforts of talented artists who light the stage, dress the actors, build the props and create the environment in which the actors stand, the theater experience would be far less exciting. One behind-the-scenes name that's become recognizable over the years is Monika Essen, an award-winning designer whose latest work will be seen beginning this week at Performance Network Theatre when Woman Before a Glass begins previews. Essen talked recently to EncoreMichigan.com about her design philosophy and what's unique about this particular production." -By Donald V. Calamia, Encore Michigan

Update on our Mid-Year Match

"Performance Network Theatre has received donations totaling more than $22,000 in the past two weeks for its current fundraiser, the 20/10 Matching Challenge. However, PNT still needs to raise $18,000 before July 31 to maximize the matching funds potential." -Ann Arbor News

2010/2011 Season ANNOUNCED!

"Performance Network, Michigan's most award-winning theater, is proud to announce its 2010-2011 season. The year will feature seven shows beginning Sept. 16 and running through Aug. 28, 2011. Hot off the heels of the season that has garnered Performance Network 21 Wilde Award nominations, the theater gears up for another stellar season of premieres, award-winners and comedies that offers something for everyone." -Encore Michigan

"Performance Network Theatre Announces 2010-11 season, with dates. " -By Jenn McKee, AnnArbor.com

"Performance Network, Michigan's most award-winning theatre, is proud to announce its 2010-2011 season. The year will feature seven shows beginning September 16, 2010 and running through August 28, 2011. Hot off the heels of the season that has garnered Performance Network 21 Wilde Award nominations, the theatre gears up for another stellar season of premieres, award-winners and comedies that offers something for everyone." -BroadwayWorld.com