Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes staged the productions, which were presented through a joint venture between BAM, The Old Vic and Mendes' Neal Street Productions. Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard was the first to get underway on Jan. 2, followed by Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, which began repertory performances Feb. 10.

Inhabiting the works is a company of actors culled from stage veterans on both sides of the Atlantic, including Simon Russell Beale, Sinead Cusack, Rebecca Hall, Richard Easton, Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke, Paul Jesson, Aaron Krohn, Dakin Matthews, Mark Nelson, Hannah Stokely, Michael Braun, Selina Cadell, Morven Christie, Charlotte Parry, Gary Powell, Tobias Segal and Jessica Pollert Smith.

Following the BAM engagement, the Bridge Project company will play the Singapore Repertory Theatre, Auckland New Zealand's EDGE Performing Arts Centre, Madrid's Teatro Español and Germany's Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, before arriving at The Old Vic in London for a May–August 2009 run.

Designing the Bridge Project works are Anthony Ward (set design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Paul Pyant (lighting design), Paul Arditti (sound design) and Mark Bennett (music). Shrek choreographer Josh Prince choreographs with musical direction by Dan Lipton.

For further information visit BAM.