ANCHOR PECTORIS is a neurological term for depression, and is a title Thomas originally intended for a play at the National Theater in London, where he is presently living and working. Workshops will begin in Early February at La MaMa, from whi ch the play will be developed.

Thomas' La MaMa productions include: AAALL STRANGE AWAY by Samuel Beckett (1984), 3 PIECES BY SAMUEL BECKETT (1985) and A PROCESS, with score by Philip Glass (1988).

Mr. Thomas is Artistic Director of the Gerald Thomas Dry Opera Company and over a twenty-year period, has achieved a distinctive place as an enfant terrible of world theatre. His website (www.geraldthomas.com) reports, in part:

"Born in 1954,Gerald Thomas has spent his life between England, Brazil,Germany and the United States, graduating as a reader of Philosophy and beginning his life in the theater at La MaMa Experimental Theater. There, Thomas adapted and directed 19 world premiere Samuel Beckett prose and dramatic pieces. In the early eighties, Thomas began working with Beckett in Paris, adapting newfiction by the author. Of these, the more notorious were 'All Strange Away' and 'That Time' staring the legendary Living Theater founder, Julian Beck in his only stage acting role outside of his own company.

"In the mid-eighties, Thomas became involved with German author Heiner Müller, directing his works in the US and in Brazil, and began a long term partnership with American composer Philip Glass.

"In 1985 Thomas formed and established his Dry Opera Company, in São Paulo, Brazil.It has, since, performed in 15 countries with yearly returns. With the Dry Opera Company, Thomas has written and directed Eletra Com Creta, The Kafka Trilogy, Carmem Com Filtro, Mattogrosso, The Flash and Crash Days, The Trilogy of the B.E.A.S.T. and M.O.R.T.E, performed worldwide at several prestigious venues, such as Lincoln Center in New York, The Munich State Theater, Vienna's Wiener Festwochen, The Taormina Festival and others. Most of the productions were televised by the national networks of the respective countries.

"In 1987, Thomas directed his first opera, Wagner's 'Flying Dutchman' at Rio de Janeiro's Opera House. Brazil had never seen such an efervescent uproar. Public and critics alike were divided into profound love and hatred over Thomas' unconventional staging. Discussions over Thomas' placement of the story at the Berlin Wall occupied entire pages of newspapers and hour-long television debates, for months.The last performance was televised live to Germany and later broadcast in 5 different countries.

"What followed was a complete turn of events in Thomas' life. Soon he completed a new work withPhilip Glass, 'Mattogrosso', and accepted invitations to work with international companies at several European opera and heater houses. Thomas and Glass have worked on 8 different pieces together. In 1990, Thomas wrote and directed 'Sturmspiel' for the Cuvlli Theater, with the Munich State Company and premiered 'Perseus and Andromeda', by Salvatore Sciarrino, at the Stuttgart State Opera. Also in 1991, Thomas wrote and directed 'The Said Eyes of Karlheinz Öhl' for the Pontedera Theatre Company,the home of Jersy Grotowski in Italy, and re-staged Beckett's'Waiting for Godot' at the Munich State Theater.

"In 1993, Thomas toured 'The Flash and Crash Days', 'The Empire of Half Truths' and 'Unglauber' around the world. In 1994, he directed the world premiere of the opera 'Narcissus', by Beat Furrer, at the Graz Opera, in Austria. Later in 94, Thomas directed a new version of 'Don Juan', by Brazilian author Otavio Frias Filho. In October of 95 Thomas opened Busoni's 'Doktor Faustus' at the Graz Opera….

"In January of 1996, Thomas premiered a new work in Copenhagen, 'Chief Butterknife, and the hauting spirit of his archenemy, kryptodick'with the Danish theater company Dr. Dante's Aveny. His Dry Opera Company was back in Copenhagen in September 96, premiering a new work,'Battleship Faust'….

"Gerald Thomas is the recipient of three Moliere Prizes, and eighteen other awards, and has been the subject of television documentaries for the German network NDR 3, the Brazilian network TV Cultura, USA's public network PBS and Austrian TV, ORF. Three books on Thomas' work are due to be published early next year by Chigago University Press and Perspectiva Publishers, of Brazil. Gerald Thomas writes regularly for the Brazilian newspaper O Globo…."

Mr. Thomas' most recent production, in November, 2003, was a controversial production of "Tristan und Isolde" at Teatro Municipal in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.