Max Arnaud, who will be portraying Jamie Tyrone in GVT’s upcoming production of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”
Greenbrier Valley Theatre (GVT), the State Professional Theatre of West Virginia, presents Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” This dramatic masterpiece will run Oct. 27 and 28, Nov. 2-4 and Nov. 9-11, with a Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance Oct. 26. All performances will begin at 7 p.m. The production will run approximately three hours.
Tickets are $30 for general admission, $27 for seniors and $20 for children/students. For tickets or more information, call GVT’s Box Office at 304-645-3838 or visit www.gvtheatre.org.
In O’Neill’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical drama, addiction, bitterness and denial take center stage with the Tyrone family. Battling anger, resentment and personal demons, the dysfunctional Tyrones are hiding a dark and explosive private life. “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is a lion in the cavern of American theatre.
GVT is proud to welcome back friend, teacher, playwright and actor Max Arnaud. Last seen as Atticus Finch in this season’s production of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Arnaud first caught the acting bug in 10th grade as the comic lead in Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water.”
After graduating from Tulane University, he went to grad school at WVU and then joined the GVT staff as a tech intern. Now an Equity member, Arnaud has been seen at GVT in “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail,” “Oliver!,” “Moonlight and Magnolias” and “Noises Off.” His experience here with Artistic Director Cathey Sawyer, filling many different theatre shoes, has greatly influenced his career.
“GVT has been an artistic haven for me for the past 13 years off and on … I feel completely comfortable working with Cathey and I have been lucky to work with several other directors as well,” the actor said.
Kelsey Pressnall as Scout and Max Arnaud as Atticus Finch in GVT’s 2017 production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
His current project with GVT is as Jamie in the heart-rending drama “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” Arnaud was in O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” in New Orleans so he has experience with the brutal honesty that comes with an O’Neill production. He considers this one of the greatest plays ever written, and his character has been played by Kevin Spacey, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and many more.
The play, a dream for many actors, challenges both the cast and the audience with its dark themes. Arnaud believes that it is his job, as well as his costars’, to help the audience see themselves in the characters. Such a feat requires different strategies than what an actor would use in a light-hearted comedy or romance.
“As with any intense drama, the most important thing is to play moment to moment, and not play the tragedy. As it unravels, we see what is missed, what nearly happened, what could still be salvaged,” Arnaud said. “It’s about working for a happy ending, trying to change it from having a tragic ending. That’s why we keep watching,”
The program is presented with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture & History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.
