A Kennedy Center spokesperson confirmed that Ryan will portray Stella in the upcoming mounting of the Tennessee Williams classic. Ryan joins the previously announced Patricia Clarkson (Blanche Du Bois) and Brían F. O'Byrne (Mitch). 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.

Amy Ryan was Tony-nominated for her performance in the 2000 revival of Uncle Vanya; her other Broadway credits include The Women and The Sisters Rosensweig. On screen she has been seen in "I'll Fly Away," "A Will of Their Own," "Roberta," "You Can Count On Me" and "The Wire."

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.