A representative for the actor confirmed to Playbill On-Line that O'Byrne will portray Mitch in the upcoming mounting of the Tennessee Williams classic. O'Byrne joins the previously announced Patricia Clarkson, who will star as Blanche Du Bois. A Streetcar Named Desire will open the Kennedy Center's festival of Tennessee Williams works, "Tennessee Williams Explored," playing April 27-May 16, 2004, at the Center's Eisenhower Theater. Garry Hynes, the first woman to receive a Best Director of a Play Tony Award (for her work on The Beauty Queen of Leenane), will direct the production about the fragile Blanche Du Bois and her tragic downfall.

Brían F. O'Byrne received Tony nominations for his performances in The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lonesome West; he also appeared on Broadway in The Sisters Rosensweig. He will soon be seen with Swoosie Kurtz in the MCC production Frozen, which begins performances Feb. 25.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2700 F. Street, NW in Washington, D.C. Tickets for "Tennessee Williams Explored" will go on sale Feb. 7, 2004. For more information about the Center’s many productions, go to www.kennedy-center.org.