(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has announced that Antoinette LaVecchia will join the cast of Tennessee William's The Rose Tattoo. The award-winning actress and veteran of stage and screen replaces Elena Shaddow in the role of Serafina Delle Rose.

This exuberant, extravagant tale of Serafina Delle Rose, a Sicilian widow living on the turbulent Gulf Coast outside of New Orleans, is an astonishing and poetic ode to this irresistible force of sensuality and the power of longing, hope, and desire. Replete with a Greek chorus-like cast of colorful characters, the play is a boisterous and beautiful celebration of life and love. The production runs May 31st through June 18, 2023.

Though not attempted often, the play has enjoyed great success both on film and on stage. Winning the Tony Award for Best Play in 1951, along with a number of other Tony’s, the film also garnered numerous awards, including the Best Actress Oscar for Anna Magnani. Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte, who is directing this production, is thrilled to bring this play to STNJ’s audience for a multitude of reasons.

Ms. Monte has said this about directing the production, “I began my 33-year journey here at The Shakespeare Theatre with Shakespeare 'by my side' directing his masterpiece, The Tempest.  Ironically, I began my time here with a tale about departures, and I am now departing with a tale of new beginnings, now with Tennessee Williams by my side. Shakespeare and Williams are my two favorite playwrights, and it feels not only fitting but exhilarating to start my final season with this play for it is one that I have yearned to do for so many years. It is a massive undertaking, and I am so privileged to have a staff and Board who have encouraged and enabled me to do three shows this year that I have long wanted to direct. The Rose Tattoo has been generously sponsored by The S. Dillard and Adrienne Kirby Family Philanthropic Fund (CFNJ), and I could not be more grateful for their support, as it is allowing one of my theatrical dreams to come true.”

Ms. Antoinette LaVecchia was born in southern Italy and has had this role on her “want-to-do list” for many years. Her Broadway credits include Torch Song and A View From The Bridge. She has appeared in many other productions in New York City including shows at Playwrights Horizons, the Mint, Manhattan Theatre Club, Primary Stages, 59E59, and The Cherry Lane Theatre. She has also performed in prominent regional theatres across America including Hartford Stage, The Old Globe, Cleveland Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Two River Theatre. Her Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits have earned her multiple awards.  Along with theatre, she has worked on numerous television shows and films including the Mad About You 2019 reboot, Bull, The Deuce, FBI, Blindspot, L&O: SVU, Blue Bloods, and The Sopranos. Ms. LaVecchia has also received a Fox Fellowship award, Drama League Fellowship, and she is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild.

The production begins previews on May 31st and runs through June 18th. Single tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting ShakespeareNJ.org.

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company whose Main Stage is located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, it is New Jersey’s largest professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare’s canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for a diverse and contemporary audience.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, The Hearst Foundations, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, CTW Foundation, The Samuel H. Scripps Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Bank of America, Shakespeare in American Communities: National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, E.J. Grassmann Trust, Hyde and Watson Foundation, New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation, Union Foundation, The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, Turrell Fund, The Jack K. Ayre & Frank Ayre Lee Theatre Foundation, The John R. Eckel Jr. Foundation, and the Howard Gilman Foundation, as well as contributions from numerous other foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals.