The Public Theater may be looking for prop interns. Check CL for info.
Note: Always be careful of posts on CL & elsewhere when you are replying to an anonymous e-mail address. Whatever else it says in the ad, you don't really know who is on the receiving end of the e-mail. Never send confidential information until you know that you are sending it in a secure way to a known receiver.
(Yes, I once sent a resume to an anonymous address and it turned out to be my boss -- who was not pleased that I was looking around for another job.)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
EST MARATHON 2010
The Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST)'s Short Play Marathon is one of the most important dramatic events of the year. (Note: At 32, it's an upstart youngster compared to The Samuel French Short Play Festival which is a mature 35.)
The Marathon consists of two collections of short plays: Series A begins on May 21 and runs through June 29. Series B runs from June 5 through the 26th.
EST Productions usually feature excellent acting, skillful direction, and outstanding plays, performed on a set with simple stage design. The theater itself is informal, not very big (it can sell out early) and friendly.
SERIES A --
Matthew and the Pastor’s Wife
by Robert Askins
directed by John Giampietro
Matthew is a small town sinner. Dorothy is the pastor’s wife. She’s trying to save his soul. He’s trying to let her. Then he forgets his bible. Then she leans in. When they kiss the world starts to fly apart and it’s gonna take something awful to put it back together.
Safe
by Ben Rosenthal*
directed by Carolyn Cantor
Halloween night. A recently widowed rug salesman must bail his stepson out of jail after the boy assaults a girl at a party. In the aftermath the two must get to the bottom of it all before it is too late – for both of them.
Turnabout
by Daniel Reitz
directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel*
An actor in trouble summons the courage to invite his bitter ex-boyfriend for coffee, not in search of closure or rekindling but to ask a tremendous favor of his ex’s newfound wealth. What dire circumstances would push him to such an act, and if the favor is granted, what strings will be attached?
Where the Children Are
by Amy Fox*
based on an original story by Caitlin Shetterly and Amy Fox
directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*
Where the Children Are interweaves the voices of five parents who have children serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The play tracks these parents as they pack hot sauce and snuff into care packages, watch hours of CNN, and take responsibility for grandchildren, somehow managing to support their children and hold onto hope.
Wild Terrain
by Adam Kraar
directed by Richmond Hoxie*
At an outdoor sculpture garden, two scrappy seniors battle over love, art and the relativity of memory. In the uncharted territory of later life, Henry and Marion lose their way – yet persist in navigating their fiery relationship.
SERIES B --
Airborne
by Laura Jacqmin
director TBA
During Private Margaret Jensen’s airborne training, something goes horribly wrong – and she won’t let her CO forget it. A play with a parachute.
Amateurs
by David Auburn*
directed by Harris Yulin*
A young woman confronts the political operative whom she believes destroyed her father’s career.
Anniversary
by Rachel Bonds
directed by Linsay Firman
While grappling with a significant loss, Penelope attempts to function in a world that seems to speed ahead without her; as she embarks on the beginnings of a new relationship, she confronts the promises of time pushing forward and the persistent tug of memories left behind.
Interviewing Miss Davis
by Laura Maria Censabella*
directed by Kel Haney
NYC, mid-1980s. Bette Davis–Miss Davis to you–is post-stroke and recovering nicely, thank you. She’s even acting again. But all goes south when she discovers her beloved assistant Jacqueline is leaving her for good, and a new girl has the audacity to take her place. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night…
They Float Up
by Jacquelyn Reingold*
director TBA
A white woman of a certain age, buys a young, African-American man a drink, or two, then asks if he’ll pay a dollar to see her tits. Will he? A funny-sad play about topless dancing in New Orleans, getting old in the Finger Lakes, and how to move on after you’ve lost what you most love.
* denotes EST Member
Here's the schedule:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/134
The Marathon consists of two collections of short plays: Series A begins on May 21 and runs through June 29. Series B runs from June 5 through the 26th.
EST Productions usually feature excellent acting, skillful direction, and outstanding plays, performed on a set with simple stage design. The theater itself is informal, not very big (it can sell out early) and friendly.
SERIES A --
Matthew and the Pastor’s Wife
by Robert Askins
directed by John Giampietro
Matthew is a small town sinner. Dorothy is the pastor’s wife. She’s trying to save his soul. He’s trying to let her. Then he forgets his bible. Then she leans in. When they kiss the world starts to fly apart and it’s gonna take something awful to put it back together.
Safe
by Ben Rosenthal*
directed by Carolyn Cantor
Halloween night. A recently widowed rug salesman must bail his stepson out of jail after the boy assaults a girl at a party. In the aftermath the two must get to the bottom of it all before it is too late – for both of them.
Turnabout
by Daniel Reitz
directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel*
An actor in trouble summons the courage to invite his bitter ex-boyfriend for coffee, not in search of closure or rekindling but to ask a tremendous favor of his ex’s newfound wealth. What dire circumstances would push him to such an act, and if the favor is granted, what strings will be attached?
Where the Children Are
by Amy Fox*
based on an original story by Caitlin Shetterly and Amy Fox
directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*
Where the Children Are interweaves the voices of five parents who have children serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The play tracks these parents as they pack hot sauce and snuff into care packages, watch hours of CNN, and take responsibility for grandchildren, somehow managing to support their children and hold onto hope.
Wild Terrain
by Adam Kraar
directed by Richmond Hoxie*
At an outdoor sculpture garden, two scrappy seniors battle over love, art and the relativity of memory. In the uncharted territory of later life, Henry and Marion lose their way – yet persist in navigating their fiery relationship.
SERIES B --
Airborne
by Laura Jacqmin
director TBA
During Private Margaret Jensen’s airborne training, something goes horribly wrong – and she won’t let her CO forget it. A play with a parachute.
Amateurs
by David Auburn*
directed by Harris Yulin*
A young woman confronts the political operative whom she believes destroyed her father’s career.
Anniversary
by Rachel Bonds
directed by Linsay Firman
While grappling with a significant loss, Penelope attempts to function in a world that seems to speed ahead without her; as she embarks on the beginnings of a new relationship, she confronts the promises of time pushing forward and the persistent tug of memories left behind.
Interviewing Miss Davis
by Laura Maria Censabella*
directed by Kel Haney
NYC, mid-1980s. Bette Davis–Miss Davis to you–is post-stroke and recovering nicely, thank you. She’s even acting again. But all goes south when she discovers her beloved assistant Jacqueline is leaving her for good, and a new girl has the audacity to take her place. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night…
They Float Up
by Jacquelyn Reingold*
director TBA
A white woman of a certain age, buys a young, African-American man a drink, or two, then asks if he’ll pay a dollar to see her tits. Will he? A funny-sad play about topless dancing in New Orleans, getting old in the Finger Lakes, and how to move on after you’ve lost what you most love.
* denotes EST Member
Here's the schedule:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/134
Friday, May 14, 2010
SAMUEL FRENCH OOB SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL
The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival started in 1975 and is Manhattan’s oldest, continuous short play festival.
This year’s festival will be held at THEATRE ROW, in the LION THEATRE (410 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036).
The festival runs July 13th to 18th, 2010.
The complete 2010 schedule of the Final Forty participating plays will be posted in late May 2010. (Check the Samuel French website just below.) For more about the festival:
http://oob.samuelfrench.com/index.php/about-2/
Here is a list of the FORTY selected plays. Click on the links for more about the authors and descriptions of the plays:
#4 by Harley Adams
A MAP OF OUR COUNTRY by Andrew Kramer
THE TRAGIC DEATH OF EMILY BROWN by Mohammad Yousuf
ANTIPASTO by Bryan Harnetiaux
THE BEAR (A TRAGEDY) by E.J.C. Calvert
BLACK MEAT by Trey Tatum
CAUTION by Lauren Yee
CHRISTIANS HAVING SEX IN SILENCE by Paul David Young
CLIMB THE SMALLEST MOUNTAIN by Michael Gordon Shapiro
THE COMPLICATED by Jessica Lafrance and Andrew L. Smith
THE CONCRETE WALL by J.C. Svec
DANCE LESSONS by Josh Koenigsberg
DELPHINIUM MANSION by Libby Leonard
A DIFFERENT KIND OF ANIMAL by Thomas Higgins
EUROPEANS KISS ON THREE CHEEKS by Tom Grady
FACING THE WINDOW by Tom Matthew Wolfe
FAN-BOY by Megan Sass
FLOOD by Kirby Fields
FOR THE WINTER by Michael Ross Albert
GUN METAL BLUE BAR by K. Frithjof Peterson
A HISTORY OF KITES by Josh Beerman
THE INCIDENT REPORT by EM Lewis
KNUCKLEHEADS by James McLindon
LAID PLANS by Josh Sohn
THE MAGICIAN AND THE MEMORY by Michael Vukadinovich
MIND CONTROL by Debbie Lamedman
THE MORE-THAN ONE by Rebecca Lynne Fullan
THE MUD IS THICKER IN MISSISSIPPI by Dennis A. Allen II
THE PEACEKEEPER by Edward Pomerantz
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER by Joshua Cole
PERFECT WEATHER by Eric Fallen
PIGSKIN by Gabriel Dean
SCHWARZ! (HANSEL UND GRETEL) by J. Julian Christopher
SKIN DEEP by Mary Lynn Dobson
SMART PHONE by Nick Jones
UGLY COUPLES IN LOS ANGELES by Cameron Michael Porsandeh
WHAT DIES INSIDE US WHILE WE LIVE by Jessica Hinds
WHITE EMBERS by Saviana Stanescu
WIPE AWAY by Mark Snyder
YA HEARD ME by Daniella Shoshan
.
.
.
DUTCH MASTERS & PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHE
Development Productions IN REP!
Performances begin TONIGHT!
DUTCH MASTERS
by Greg Keller
directed by Brian Roff
featuring: Amari Cheatom & Seth Numrich
It's 1992. What do a black kid and a white kid riding an uptown D train
have in common? Too much.
PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHÉ
by Craig "muMs" Grant
directed by Sarah Sidman
featuring: Sheldon Best, Suzette Azariah Gunn, Warner Miller, Sidney Williams
A lyrical love story about CEEZ and SMILES who are forced to examine the
truth about themselves. In doing so, they dive deeper into what they are
trying to escape. Deep.
***
Performances begin TONIGHT!
DUTCH MASTERS
by Greg Keller
directed by Brian Roff
featuring: Amari Cheatom & Seth Numrich
It's 1992. What do a black kid and a white kid riding an uptown D train
have in common? Too much.
PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHÉ
by Craig "muMs" Grant
directed by Sarah Sidman
featuring: Sheldon Best, Suzette Azariah Gunn, Warner Miller, Sidney Williams
A lyrical love story about CEEZ and SMILES who are forced to examine the
truth about themselves. In doing so, they dive deeper into what they are
trying to escape. Deep.
***
PRIZE GIVEAWAYS for FULL PRICE TICKET BUYERS !!!
*** LAByrinth will be selecting full price ticket buyers ***
at random, each performance
*** to win exciting prizes! ***
Prizes like: an Ellen Burstyn signed TENN99 poster, Stephen Adly Guirgis signed script, Signed Daphne Rubin-Vega CD's, Autographed books by Father James Martin, 8x10 (never seen before) Eric Bogosian autographed photo, Signed Megan Mostyn-Brown script, 1/2 hour reflexology or massage from Wilemina Olivia-Garcia, signed Jose Rivera scripts, Vocal coaching session with Andrea Haring ... the list goes on and on!
BUY full price TICKETS TO QUALIFY!!
***
Craig "muMs" Grant and Greg Keller are actors who are emerging playwrights. Here's an interview...
Schedule:
May 14-16 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 19-22 and May 26-29 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 23 & 30 DUTCH @4:00pm PARADOX @7:00pm
May 14-30, 2010
The Cherry Pit Theater 155 Bank Street NYC (between Washington & West Side Hwy.)
Tickets: $15 for one $25 for both
http://www.labtheater.org/
Ticket Central:
(212) 279-4200
May 14-16 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 19-22 and May 26-29 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 23 & 30 DUTCH @4:00pm PARADOX @7:00pm
May 14-30, 2010
The Cherry Pit Theater 155 Bank Street NYC (between Washington & West Side Hwy.)
Tickets: $15 for one $25 for both
http://www.labtheater.org/
Ticket Central:
(212) 279-4200
Sunday, May 9, 2010
AGAMEMNON (IN GREEK) AT CAMBRIDGE UNIV, UK
The fortieth Cambridge Greek Play, to be staged 13-16 October 2010 at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, will be Aeschylus’ masterpiece, Agamemnon.
http://www.cambridgegreekplay.com/node/1
Three years ago I saw Medea performed in Greek at Cambridge University in England. It was an exceptionally interesting experience. The power of the sound of the language (without understanding Greek) was formidable. This year, they'll be doing Aeschylus’ Agamemnon.
"Directed by Helen Eastman and with an original score by Alex Silverman, this promises to be an exciting collaboration between cutting edge theatre practitioners and the students of Cambridge University.
"The tradition of performing a play in Greek every three years at the University extends back to 1882 and boasts impressive alumni, from Rupert Brooke to Ralph Vaughan Williams; it is fifty years since Agamemnon has been a Cambridge Greek Play. This will be a fabulous opportunity to hear the extraordinary language and witness the violent drama of this play.
"At a time when the story of an army returning from ten years’ war could not be more pertinent, this production asks timeless questions about conflict, betrayal and leadership. With full surtitling (titles in English above the stage), this production is for all theatre-goers, students of classics, students of theatre – and for those just curious."
http://www.cambridgegreekplay.com/node/1
Three years ago I saw Medea performed in Greek at Cambridge University in England. It was an exceptionally interesting experience. The power of the sound of the language (without understanding Greek) was formidable. This year, they'll be doing Aeschylus’ Agamemnon.
"Directed by Helen Eastman and with an original score by Alex Silverman, this promises to be an exciting collaboration between cutting edge theatre practitioners and the students of Cambridge University.
"The tradition of performing a play in Greek every three years at the University extends back to 1882 and boasts impressive alumni, from Rupert Brooke to Ralph Vaughan Williams; it is fifty years since Agamemnon has been a Cambridge Greek Play. This will be a fabulous opportunity to hear the extraordinary language and witness the violent drama of this play.
"At a time when the story of an army returning from ten years’ war could not be more pertinent, this production asks timeless questions about conflict, betrayal and leadership. With full surtitling (titles in English above the stage), this production is for all theatre-goers, students of classics, students of theatre – and for those just curious."
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Coming: LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
THE YORK SHAKESPEARE COMPANY production of
Eugene O’Neill’s
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
Directed by Seth Duerr.
Working in the classical Actor-Manager system, Seth Duerr directs and performs in Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical drama about a family addicted to drugs, alcohol, and hurting one another. The action covers a fateful day in their lives at their New England summer home in 1912. Drunken confessions and scathing humor in an escalating cycle of addiction and dysfunction, groping in the darkness to find their way back home.
Note: Eugene O'Neill is one of our greatest modern playwrights, and Long Day's Journey Into Night one of his most important plays. To be frank, I've seen this play a couple of times and read it also, and I really don't know what the fuss is about. I find it just kind of murky. Not the kind of people I worry too much about, either. Lots of words. Judge for yourself!
Lion Theater @ Theatre Row: 410 West 42nd Street
Performances begin Friday, May 28 and continue thru Saturday, June 12
Running Time: 2 hours 45 minutes (including one ten-minute intermission.).
Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Thursdays at 8 p.m. Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sundays at 3 p.m.
There is an additional performance on Tuesday June 8th at 7pm.
Tickets are $18 and are now available online at http://www.ticketcentral.com/
or by calling 212-279-4200.
Tickets may also be purchased in-person at
the Theatre Row Box Office, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
TDF vouchers accepted
Website: http://www.yorkshakespeare.org/
Coming: CHILDREN OF EDEN
From the Company that presented last-year’s
RAGTIME
Astoria Performing Arts Center's production of the Stephen Schwartz musical
CHILDREN OF EDEN
Choreography by Christine O’Grady
Musical Direction by Lilli Wosk and
Directed by Tom Wojtunik.
Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and John Caird's (Les Miserables) Children of Eden is an inspirational musical about forgiveness. Loosely based on the story of Genesis, this frank, heartfelt, and often humorous examination of the timeless conflict between parents and children has been presented across the world since its London premiere in 1991.
"An expansive, ambitious musical - a rich score [with] pageantry and sweep." - L.A. Times
"An affectionate show with a large heart -- Stylish, entertaining and often moving." - Roanoke Times
Performances begin Thursday, May 6 and continue through Saturday, May 22.
Thursdays at 8 p.m. Fridays at 8 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Running Time: 150 minutes
Tickets are $18, available online at http://www.apacny.org/
or by calling 866-811-4111.
Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Box Office, 30 minutes prior to the performance.
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY 11102. Entrance on 30th Road.)
Directions to the theatre: Take the N or W Subway to 30th Avenue. Walk down 30th Ave. to Crescent St. (Mount Sinai Hospital is on the corner.) Walk one block South to 30th Road.
Thursdays at 8 p.m. Fridays at 8 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Running Time: 150 minutes
Tickets are $18, available online at http://www.apacny.org/
or by calling 866-811-4111.
Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Box Office, 30 minutes prior to the performance.
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY 11102. Entrance on 30th Road.)
Directions to the theatre: Take the N or W Subway to 30th Avenue. Walk down 30th Ave. to Crescent St. (Mount Sinai Hospital is on the corner.) Walk one block South to 30th Road.
Monday, May 3, 2010
OFF-OFF BROADWAY CELEBRATION: CABARETION
THE INNOVATIVE THEATRE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
CABARETION!
Contribution, Performance, and Celebration
of the Off-Off Broadway community.
CABARETION!
Contribution, Performance, and Celebration
of the Off-Off Broadway community.
The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, is pleased to announce CABARETION! [KA-ba-'RAY-sh-un !] , noun - The fusion of contribution, performance, and celebration of the Off-Off Broadway community.
Join the foundation on Monday, May 17, 2010 from 6 - 9 pm at Carolines on Broadway (1626 Broadway) for an evening of celebration and performance to benefit The Innovative Theatre Foundation! Tickets are $45 and available at http://www.nyitawards.com/cabaretion
Hosted by Broadway star and comedienne Jackie Hoffman, CABARETION! brings together an amazing roster of performers to honor the organization that celebrates and advocates on behalf of Off-Off Broadway. The evening features performances by the sensational Taylor Mac, roguishly delightful magician Jeff Grow, singer/songwriter Justin Utley, the mischievously clever band The Reynaldo The Ensemble, and many more...
Plus! The presentation of the first ever Innovative Theatre Luminary Award to a very exciting special guest and, as always, fantastic raffle prizes.
Drink, laugh and enjoy!
In addition to the show, your $45 ticket includes:
1 hour of passed hors d'oeuvres
3 hours of open beer & wine bar
and one hell of a fantastic evening.
Monday, May 17, 2010
6 pm - 9 pm
Carolines on Broadway
America's premier comedy nightclub
1626 Broadway New York, NY 10019
BOX OFFICE: 212-757-4100
http://www.carolines.com/
BIOGRAPHIES
Jeff Grow has been featured in award winning films, national and international commercials and his stage shows have been presented in venues throughout New York City and Europe. Jeff’s most recent show, Creating Illusion, received two 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Awards (Outstanding Solo Performer & Outstanding Performance Art Production). He consults on film, commercials and theatre, including recent productions for Arena Stage and Long Wharf Theatre. His elegant sleight of hand and surreal mind reading mix together to explore the diverse facets of the art of illusion.
Jackie Hoffman worked for eight years as an actress and comedian at the Second City Theater in Chicago. She has performed in many solo shows on, Off and Off-Off-Broadway including Chanukah at Joe's Pub, The Kvetching Continues, and Jackie Hoffman's Scraping the Bottom. Hoffman also played in the Broadway productions of Xanadu and Hairspray and is currently playing Grandmama in the upcoming Broadway production The Addams Family. Not only a veteran of the stage, Hoffman has appeared in films such as Garden State, Legally Blonde II, and Kissing Jessica Stein and on television shows like 30 Rock, One Life to Live, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She is the recipient of many awards for her Broadway and off-Broadway work.
Taylor Mac is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, and sometime director and producer. TimeOut New York has called him, “One of the most exciting theater artists of our time” while American Theater Magazine says, “Mac is one of this country’s most exciting, heroic and disarmingly funny playwrights.” His most recent plays are THE LILY’S REVENGE, THE YOUNG LADIES OF, RED TIDE BLOOMING, and THE BE(A)ST OF TAYLOR MAC. He has performed his plays at The Sydney Opera House, The San Francisco MOMA, New York’s Public Theater, Stockholm’s Sodra Teatern, The Spoleto Festival, The Bumbershoot Festival, The Time Based Arts Festival, Dublin’s Project Arts Center, London’s Soho Theater, and literally hundreds of other theaters, museums, music halls, cabarets, and festivals around the globe. Go to www.taylormac.net for more information.
New York City rock group The Renaldo The Ensemble are bizarre, compelling, and often compared to Tom Waits and Talking Heads. This classically-trained band of mischief-makers’ inventive songs and comedic live shows are a staple of the downtown scene. There’s the sexy French maid, the jealous valet, the priest, the rival bandleader, the scientist and Renaldo The, a buffoonish aristocrat with a pencil-thin mustache. Something of a miniature orchestra, The Renaldo The Ensemble holds a bi-weekly residency at downtown Manhattan venue The Living Room. Their shows are part rock concert, part absurdist theatre; Perez plays the penny whistle with his nose, pops water balloons in his pants and molests a rubber chicken.
The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience. http://www.nyitawards.com/
Sponsors: Kampfire Films PR and United Stages
Friday, April 30, 2010
DUTCH MASTERS & PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHE
LAByrinth Theater Company Development Productions IN REP!
DUTCH MASTERS
by Greg Keller
directed by Brian Roff
featuring: Amari Cheatom & Seth Numrich
It's 1992. What do a black kid and a white kid riding an uptown D train have
in common? Too much.
PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHÉ
by Craig "muMs" Grant
directed by Sarah Sidman
featuring: Sheldon Best, Suzette Azariah Gunn, Warner Miller, Sidney Williams
A lyrical love story about CEEZ and SMILES who are forced to examine the
truth about themselves. In doing so, they dive deeper into what they are
trying to escape. Deep.
May 14-30, 2010
The Cherry Pit Theater 155 Bank Street NYC (between Washington & West Side Hwy.)
Tickets: $15 for one $25 for both
http://www.labtheater.org/
Ticket Central:
http://www.ticketcentral.com/
(212) 279-4200
Schedule:
May 14-16 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 19-22 and May 26-29 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 23 & 30 DUTCH @4:00pm PARADOX @7:00pm
DUTCH MASTERS
by Greg Keller
directed by Brian Roff
featuring: Amari Cheatom & Seth Numrich
It's 1992. What do a black kid and a white kid riding an uptown D train have
in common? Too much.
PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHÉ
by Craig "muMs" Grant
directed by Sarah Sidman
featuring: Sheldon Best, Suzette Azariah Gunn, Warner Miller, Sidney Williams
A lyrical love story about CEEZ and SMILES who are forced to examine the
truth about themselves. In doing so, they dive deeper into what they are
trying to escape. Deep.
May 14-30, 2010
The Cherry Pit Theater 155 Bank Street NYC (between Washington & West Side Hwy.)
Tickets: $15 for one $25 for both
http://www.labtheater.org/
Ticket Central:
http://www.ticketcentral.com/
(212) 279-4200
Schedule:
May 14-16 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 19-22 and May 26-29 DUTCH @7:00pm PARADOX @9:00pm
May 23 & 30 DUTCH @4:00pm PARADOX @7:00pm
Sunday, April 25, 2010
FIREBIRD RESTAURANT AFTER A BROADWAY SHOW
I've always liked the Firebird restaurant on 47th Street. It's a great place for an after-theater snack with caviar or zakuska (mixed Russian appetizers) and vodka.
Or a full dinner.
Every time I go there -- most recently a few days ago, after seeing Donald Margulies' excellent "Collected Stories" on Broadway (a block away)-- I've left happy.
They have a wide selection of caviar, from the freshest salmon roe at a very reasonable price... to special caviars that will impress any VIC (Very Important Client) or VHD (Very Hot Date) and put a dent in even a hedge fund manager's wallet.
I like their honey vodka. They also have their own ginger infused vodka, and a spicy horseradish infused vodka.
It's a comfortable setting, and excellent service.
Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara and Olivia Thirlby in EVE.
A short film by Natalie Portman
On location at the Firebird Restaurant.
Links:
Restaurant Website: http://www.firebirdrestaurant.com/
Or a full dinner.
Every time I go there -- most recently a few days ago, after seeing Donald Margulies' excellent "Collected Stories" on Broadway (a block away)-- I've left happy.
They have a wide selection of caviar, from the freshest salmon roe at a very reasonable price... to special caviars that will impress any VIC (Very Important Client) or VHD (Very Hot Date) and put a dent in even a hedge fund manager's wallet.
I like their honey vodka. They also have their own ginger infused vodka, and a spicy horseradish infused vodka.
It's a comfortable setting, and excellent service.
A short film by Natalie Portman
On location at the Firebird Restaurant.
Links:
Restaurant Website: http://www.firebirdrestaurant.com/
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
MACBETH
Photo by Katie
Shakespeare's MACBETH oozes a miasma of blood, murder, greed, ambition, revenge, madness and witchcraft. And an evil marriage. No wonder that even saying the name "Macbeth" superstitiously evokes bad luck and even disaster:
To be successful, the whole acting company must embrace the darkness of evil... and court disaster. To attempt to avoid this fate by creating a comfortable environment for the players and the audience guarantees a pallid, failed presentation: MACBETH has dashed many a celebrity actor's hopes of a brilliant Shakespearean career.
The Frog And Peach Company, a young and independent company, promises a new approach to Shakespeare.
A young company, with a vigorous, modern approach to Shakespeare could bring new power and fresh insight to this most powerful drama.
In one scene, the production succeeds. Macbeth emerges from the murder of Duncan naked and slathered in blood, under dim lighting that evokes the blackness of murder. But he has not completed the assassination as it was planned. Lady Macbeth strips off her night clothes, enters the king's chamber and finishes the job, emerging naked and bloody in the dark night.
In this one scene, the director, Lynnea Benton, with Moti Margolin as Macbeth, and Caitlin Large as Lady Macbeth, produce a powerful moment of the play as it could be.
Unfortunately, not much of the rest of the play lives up to this moment. With the exception of Kevin G. Shinnick as Duncan, the king, Todd Butera as Macduff, and Amy Francis Quint as Lady Macduff (in one of the production's best scenes), few of the performers convey the beauty of Shakespeare's language. (Ah! In their most successful moment, with our attention concentrated on the visuals, we are not listening closely to how Macbeth and his Lady are speaking.)
Also interesting is the attention given to the witches. They are the driving force in the play. The wyrd sisters (the anglo-saxon word "wyrd" means fate) foretell all the major events. And they are given special prominence in this production. Although they are strongly portrayed, however, they are not convincingly menacing. The witches' brew scene is stylized and unreal, and a (should-be ???)seductive (???) scene with Hecate (???) (normally a woman, but here played confusingly by a man) is vamped rather than sexualized.
Several choices make the production somewhat confusing: Hecate is "disguised as Seyton, a Porter" which makes for confusing doubling. The actor that plays Duncan the king, later doubles as his own cousin, and one of the (female) witches doubles as a young boy. Doubling (unless it clearly illustrates an illuminating association between two characters) always has the potential to be confusing.
The names Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Macbeth, Macduff, and the shifting alliances can be very confusing. The costumes could and should, but do not help alleviate confusion. They are disorganized and mostly ugly. (King Duncan's outfit looks like a parody of something a British espionage agent might wear in a pre-WW2 spy movie. And his crown looks like it came from a "princess kit" at a toy store.) Good costumes (even simply co-ordinated outfits in a zero-budget production) should be used to help sort out the factions, and within factions help sort out the rank of the characters.
Similarly, the fight sequences are ambitiously staged by Ian Marshall, but somewhat tentatively executed, and made confusing by the fact that it's impossible to tell who is who. (The first fight scene occurs before we know the characters. And there is no costume-cueing to sort out what armies are fighting, or to distinguish the generals from the soldiers on the battle field.)
The slogan on the Frog and Peach website reads:
"MACBETH, one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies, and FROG & PEACH delivers the goods with all the excitement, humor and grown-up fun audiences have come to expect."
When you try to create a "fun Macbeth," instead of a tragic hero, you get an oxymoron.
But in the best scenes, Lynnea Benson demonstrates that Frog and Peach is capable of producing excitement, humor, and grown-up fun. I'm looking forward to other work by this company. They've got promise, verve, energy, and ambition.
"LOVE SICK" by KRISTINA POE - LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY READING
LAByrinth Theater Company 29 Hour Development Workshop Series:
The second FREE reading:
LOVE SICK
by Kristina Poe
directed by Mimi O'Donnell
Monday, April 26
at 4pm
A play about heartbreak, love, sex, public restrooms, group therapy, lusty mothers... and how you should never, ever, piss off a woman with a gun.
featuring Cara Akselrad, Maggie Burke, Elizabeth Canavan, Charles Goforth, Scott Hudson and Felix Solis...with stage directions read by Beth Cole
at The Cherry Pit
155 Bank St.
between Washington & West Side Hwy.
RESERVATIONS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
please email:
willie@LABtheater.org
or
phone 212.513.1083
COMING UP:
May 14-30 -
LAB Development Productions in Rep
PARADOX OF THE URBAN CLICHÉ by Craig "muMs" Grant
DUTCH MASTERS by Greg Keller
June 2010 -
reading of
FUQ (frequently unasked questions) by Daphne Rubin-Vega
www.LABtheater.org
Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell and Yul Vázquez
Sunday, March 28, 2010
TENN99 - 24 HR 3 DAY - FREE - TENNESEE WILLIAMS BIRTHDAY PARTY!
Check out the LABYRINTH THEATER CO'S 24/3 3-day ALL day TENN 99 birthday party for Tennessee Williams --
Until Midnight Sunday 3/28.
I went Sat night to 4 AM Sunday and enjoyed it all. Excellent reading of Orpheus Descending.
And a terrific "Canary" in The Case Of The Crushed Petunias!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Coming: GRAPES OF WRATH - THE OPERA - CONCERT VERSION
Here's info about an unusually interesting event:
THE COLLEGIATE CHORALE
James Bagwell, Music Director
Presents The World Premiere Two Act Concert Version of
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
March 22, 2010 at 8pm at Carnegie Hall
The Collegiate Chorale, led by Music Director James Bagwell, presents the World Premiere Two Act Concert Version of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie's musical version of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck's epic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath, on March 22, 2010 at 8pm at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Ted Sperling with Jane Fonda as the narrator. Tickets are $25-$160 and are available through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, or online at www.carnegiehall.org. For more information visit www.collegiatechorale.org.
An all-star cast from Broadway and the classical world comes together to present a rare mingling of opera and theatre in The Grapes of Wrath. Originally commissioned and produced by the Minnesota Opera and called "The great American opera" by Musical America, Gordon and Korie's new work melds popular musical styles of the '20s and '30s (song-and-dance, soaring love songs, banjo ballads, jazz choruses, and a barbershop quartet) with the classic drama of grand opera, all to a heart-wrenching yet uplifting effect. The composer (Gordon) and librettist (Korie) have crafted a special concert version of their original opera with narration written especially for this presentation. The starry cast includes Jane Fonda (narrator), Victoria Clark, Christine Ebersole, Nathan Gunn, Elizabeth Futral, Anthony Dean Griffey, Peter Halverson, Steven Pasquale, Stephen Powell, Andrew Wilkowske and Matthew Worth and the role of Tom Joad's young sister, Ruthie, will be sung by Nathan Gunn's daughter Madelyn Gunn. Music by Ricky Ian Gordon and libretto by Michael Korie. Featuring the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ted Sperling. Directed by Eric Simonson with lighting design by Frances Aronson and projection design by Wendall Harrington.
"In this concert version, we convey the story of the Joad family's journey across America in approximately two hours. We have retained many of the big musical set pieces, arias and choral ensembles, and we have eliminated much of the recitative, replacing it with a narrator who reads sections from the novel, allowing segues from those powerful passages seamlessly into music that continues the drama without loss of suspense or momentum. In addition, this version will feature music never heard in the original full staging of the opera. This is not only a concert version of the full opera, but a different version," said Michael Korie.
"We are honored to be presenting this richly textured work of soaring passion and devastating beauty. Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's commitment to premiering or showcasing exceptional American works such as Ricky Ian Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath. Gordon and librettist Michael Korie have given a musical voice to this quintessentially American novel in a lyrical language which draws from opera and American musical theater idioms. The choral writing and casting of soloists reflect this cross-over nature. I think both opera and Broadway lovers alike will be moved by this remarkable work," said James Bagwell, music director of The Collegiate Chorale.
The Collegiate Chorale, among New York's foremost vocal ensembles, has added to the richness of the city's cultural fabric for more than 65 years. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale achieved national and international prominence under the leadership of Robert Bass. The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as commissions and premieres of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. In the summer of 2009, The Chorale performed for the fourth season at Switzerland's Verbier Music Festival. In July 2008, The Chorale toured with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem.
The mission of The Collegiate Chorale is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble. Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's belief that choral music is a compelling collaboration that creates a powerful, shared experience unifying listeners and musicians of all backgrounds, beliefs and ages.
Music Director James Bagwell maintains an active schedule throughout the United States as a conductor of choral, operatic, and orchestral music. He has recently been named Principal Guest Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra in New York. Since 2003, he has been Director of Choruses for the Bard Music Festival, conducting and preparing choral works during the summer festival at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. He has also prepared The Concert Chorale of New York for performances with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Mostly Mozart Festival (broadcast nationally in 2006 on Live from Lincoln Center), all in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. He was Music Director of The Dessoff Choirs for the past five season, and in 2009 he prepared the Dessoff Symphonic Choir for the New York Philharmonic performances of both Mahler's Eighth Symphony and Britten's War Requiem for Lorin Maazel's final concerts as Music Director.
James Bagwell has trained choruses for a number of major American and International orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Japan), St. Petersburg Symphony, The American Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with noted conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Louis Langrée, Leon Botstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Raymond Leppard, James Conlon, Jesús López-Cobos, Erich Kunzel, Leon Fleischer, and Robert Shaw.
For eleven seasons, he has been Music Director for the May Festival Youth Choir in Cincinnati, which was recently featured on the radio program From the Top. He has conducted some 25 productions as Music Director of Light Opera Oklahoma, including Candide, Sweeney Todd, and The Merry Widow, among others. At Bard SummerScape he has led numerous theatrical works, most notably Copland's The Tender Land, which received unanimous praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Opera News. He frequently appears as guest conductor for orchestras around the country and abroad, including the Jerusalem Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. For three seasons he was Artistic Director of The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. He holds degrees from Birmingham-Southern College, Florida State University, and Indiana University. He has taught since 2000 at Bard College, where he is Director of the Music Program.
For more information, visit www.collegiatechorale.org.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ricky Ian Gordon's (Music) credits include Dream True; States of Independence; and Stonewall/Night Variations with Tina Landau; The Tibetan Book of the Dead with Jean Claude Van Itallie; Only Heaven with Langston Hughes and Nancy Rhodes; Autumn Valentine; Sweet Song; and Morning Star with William Hoffman. He was part of the American Songbook Series in Bright Eyed Joy/The Music of Ricky Ian Gordon at Lincoln Center and at The Guggenheim. Recordings include Audra McDonald's Way Back to Paradise, Bright-Eyed Joy, Of Eternal Light (Water Music), Only Heaven and Genius Child (a song cycle for Harolyn Blackwell). Awards: The National Institute for Music Theater Award, The Stephen Sondheim Award, The Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Music Theatre Foundation Award, The Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, The Constance Klinsky Award, The Richard Rodgers Award.
Michael Korie (Libretto) was nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Grey Gardens. He and composer Scott Frankel received the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. Also with Frankel are two musicals in development, Doll and Meet Mister Future. With composer Ricky Ian Gordon, his libretto to The Grapes of Wrath premiered to acclaim at Minnesota Opera, with upcoming productions at Utah Opera, Houston Grand Opera and Pittsburgh Opera. His librettos for operas composed by Stewart Wallace include Harvey Milk (San Francisco Opera) and Hopper's Wife (Long Beach Opera), both directed by Christopher Alden; Kabbalah (Next Wave Festival); and Where's Dick?, directed by Richard Foreman (Houston Grand Opera). He co-wrote lyrics with Amy Powers to composer Lucy Simon's Zhivago, book by Michael Weller, directed by Des McAnuff (La Jolla Playhouse).
Jane Fonda's (Narrator) work on stage and screen has earned her numerous nominations and awards, including Oscar Awards (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home) and an Emmy Award for her performance in "The Dollmaker." Her credits include Monster-in-Law, Georgia Rule, Coming Home, The China Syndrome, Julia, Barefoot in the Park, Nine to Five, On Golden Pond, "The Dollmaker" and four Broadway plays including Invitation to a March and There Was a Little Girl (Theatre World Award). In May 2005, Random House published Fonda's memoirs, My Life So Far. She has long been known for activism and advocacy on environmental issues, human rights and the empowerment of women and girls.
Nathan Gunn (Tom Joad) recently created the roles of Alec Harvey in André Previn's Brief Encounter at the Houston Grand Opera and Father Delura in Peter Eötvös' Love and Other Demons at the 2008 Glyndebourne Opera Festival. Other engagements this season include his returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Die Zauberflöte, the Dallas Opera for Malatesta in Don Pasquale and the Los Angles Opera for Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L'Elisir d'Amore. He also makes his debut in Bilbao as the title role in Billy Budd. Mr. Gunn has appeared in internationally renowned opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), Paris Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels.
Victoria Clark (Ma Joad) received the 2005 Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as a Drama League honor for her luminous portrayal of protective but domineering mother Margaret Johnson in the critically-acclaimed Craig Lucas-Adam Guettel musical The Light in the Piazza directed by Bartlett Sher at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater. Her virtuoso performance in the Tony Award-winning musical has made her a favorite among audiences and critics, including The New York Times' Ben Brantley, who called Clark's work in Piazza "the best musical performance by an actress this season." She garnered equally enthusiastic reviews for her performance at Chicago's Goodman Theater in 2004, earning the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award. Last season, Clark was reunited with her colleagues Craig Lucas and Bartlett Sher for the Playwrights Horizons production of A Prayer for My Enemy.
Christine Ebersole (Mae / Waitress) received the Tony Award, Obie Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Special Citation from NY Drama Critics and the Drama League Award for Performance of the Year for her dual roles as Edith and Edie Beale in Grey Gardens. Her Broadway credits include Steel Magnolias, Dinner at Eight (Tony and Outer Critics Circle noms.), 42nd Street (2001 Tony and Outer Critics Circle awards), The Best Man, Getting Away With Murder, Harrigan 'n Hart, Camelot (opposite Richard Burton and Richard Harris), Oklahoma!, On the Twentieth Century, I Love My Wife and Angel Street. Off-Broadway credits include Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (2003 Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards, Drama Desk nom.), Three Sisters, Geniuses and four Encores! concerts. Regional credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Old Globe), Mame, Evita, My Fair Lady, The Marriage of Bette and Boo and Laughing Wild. Films include Tootsie, Amadeus, Dead Again, Richie Rich, Black Sheep, Folks!, True Crime, Till There Was You, My Favorite Martian, Thief of Hearts and My Girl 2.
Elizabeth Futral (Rosasharn) has established herself as one of the major coloratura sopranos in the world today, with a diverse repertoire that includes Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Glass, and Previn. Ms. Futral has garnered raves at the world's greatest opera houses in such roles as Gilda, Juliette, Lakmé, Lucia, Nanetta, Mélisande, Romilda, and Violetta. She dazzled audiences and critics with her debut at the Los Angeles Opera as Cleopatra in Francisco Negrin's acclaimed production of Handel's Giulio Cesare. This was followed by her highly anticipated return to the New York City Opera, where she starred in the title role of the company's new production of Douglas Moore's classic American opera, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey (Jim Casy) has captured critical and popular acclaim on opera, concert and recital stages around the world. He has performed leading roles at the great international opera houses including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Glyndebourne, the Opera National de Paris, and the Teatro Comunale di Firenze. A regular guest of the world's orchestras, Mr. Griffey has collaborated with many of today's pre-eminent conductors, including James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Andrew Davis, Esa Pekka Salonen, Alan Gilbert, Kurt Masur, Donald Runnicles, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, James Conlon, and Charles Dutoit.
Baritone Peter Halverson (Pa Joad) has performed throughout the United States, distinguishing himself on the dramatic stage and in concert. A versatile performer, he has more than fifty roles to his credit including the title roles in Pelléas et Mélisande, Eugene Onegin, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Gianni Schicchi, The Man of La Mancha and Phantom. He has been a frequent guest artist with the Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, North Star Opera, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center Mozart Festival, Oregon Bach Festival and San Luis Osbispo Mozart Festival. In addition, he has sung with the Florentine Opera, Berkshire Opera, Madison Opera, Tacoma Opera, Chattanooga Opera, National Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and New Mexico Symphony.
American baritone Stephen Powell (Uncle John) brings his handsome voice, elegant musicianship, and robust stage presence to a wide range of music, from Monteverdi and Handel through Verdi and Puccini to Sondheim and John Adams. In 2009-10, Stephen Powell appears as Ford in Verdi's Falstaff with Pittsburgh Opera; sings as soloist in Szymanowski's Stabat Mater with Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Christoph Eschenbach conducting; in Messiah with the Huddersfield Choral Society in England; in the Brahms Requiem with Baltimore Symphony, as well as the Dutch Radio Orchestra at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Holland, both with Marin Alsop conducting; in Carmina Burana with Cincinnati Symphony, Paavo Jarvi conducting; appears in recital with wife Barbara Shirvis in Dallas, Texas; and sings 2 gala concerts with the North Carolina Symphony, Grant Llewellyn conducting. He also makes his Asian debut in La Traviata at the Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing, China, Lorin Maazel conducting.
Andrew Wilkowske (Noah) whose voice has been described as "nimble," with an "impressively open top," is one of the most versatile performers on the stage today. A gifted actor as well as singer, Wilkowske's Papageno in The Magic Flute "stole the show" according to the Washington Post, and was a "lusty-voiced fellow," according to Opera News. Engagements this season include a series of Figaros, making his debut as Rossini's Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Skylight Opera. He returns to Skylight later this season in the title role of Le Nozze di Figaro to complete Skylight's Figaro Cycle. In addition, Wilkowske reprises Mozart's Figaro with the Green Mountain Opera Festival (under the baton of Maestro Jacques Lacombe), Ashlawn Opera, and the Acadiana Symphony. Wilkowske's experiences are documented in his award-winning 'a year of figaro' blog.
Steven Pasquale
(Al) most recently starred on Broadway in Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty. A regular on the theater scene, Pasquale's credits include Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden (World AIDS Day Concert), Henrik in A Little Night Music (opposite Victor Garber, Natasha Richardson and Venessa Redgrave), Captain Taylor in A Soldier's Play (Second Stage, opposite Taye Diggs), Tom in the Neil LaBute off-Broadway hit, Fat Pig, Robbie in the Ahrens/Flahrety/McNally musical A Man of No Importance (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Beautiful Child, The Spitfire Grill, Spinning Into Butter, Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party and he created the role of Fabrizio in Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' The Light in the Piazza. Television audiences have followed him for five seasons as Sean Garrity on the FX hit show "Rescue Me." His other television credits include a recurring role on HBO's Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning drama "Six Feet Under" and Sofia Coppola's "Platinum."
Hailed by the Dallas Morning News for his "dashing, fine bright baritone" and the New York Times for a voice that is "fully powered and persuasively expressive," Matthew Worth (Ragged Man / Connie Rivers / Truck Driver) was recently the featured "Sound Bites" artist in Opera News, and is enjoying successes on both the operatic and concert stages, in all styles from the Renaissance to new repertoire. Matthew Worth's engagements in 2009-10 include a return to Chicago Opera Theater as Charlie in Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with New Orleans Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Virginia Opera, Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld with Central City Opera, Messiah at University of Richmond, in concert performances of The Grapes of Wrath with New York's Collegiate Chorale, as soloist in a holiday concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and in Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Runnicles.
Ted Sperling (Conductor) won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations of The Light in the Piazza, for which he was also music director. Broadway credits as music director/conductor/pianist: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Angels in America, My Favorite Year, Falsettos, Drood, Les Miserables, Roza and Sunday In the Park With George. Mr. Sperling was also an original cast member of the Broadway musical Titanic. Off-Broadway credits as music director: A Man of No Importance, Wise Guys, A New Brain, Saturn Returns, Floyd Collins, Falsettoland, and Romance in Hard Times. As a stage director Charlotte: Life? Or Theater? and Striking 12, as well as a revival of Lady in the Dark starring Andrea Marcovicci. Mr. Sperling conducted the musical scores for the films The Manchurian Candidate, Everything Is Illuminated, and directed the short musical film Love, Mom, starring Tonya Pinkins.
Eric Simonson's (Director)plays and adaptations at Steppenwolf, where he is a member of the ensemble, include Nomathemba (written with Ntozake Shange and Joseph Shabalala), Carter's Way and, most recently, Honest (for First Look). Other plays include The Last Hurrah, Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright (with Jeffrey Hatcher), Edge of the World, Lombardi: The Only Thing and Speak American. His work has been produced in Japan and throughout the United States at theaters including The Huntington Theatre Company, L.A. Theatre Works, City Theatre of Pittsburgh, The Kennedy Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Arizona Theatre Company, Madison Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Crossroads Theatre Company. His adaptation of Moby Dick at Milwaukee Repertory was chosen as one of Time Magazine's top ten productions of 2002. Eric is also an accomplished theatre, film and opera director. His production of Steppenwolf's The Song of Jacob Zulu received six Tony® Award nominations, including one for best direction. He received the 2006 Academy Award for his documentary short A Note of Triumph, as well as the 2005 Princess Grace Statue Award for sustained artistic achievement. His adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five (originally produced at Steppenwolf) recently received its Off-Broadway premiere at New York's 59E59 Theater.
The American Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski. Under the music direction of Leon Botstein since 1992, the American Symphony has pioneered the performance of thematically organized concerts, linking music to the visual arts, literature, politics, and history. In addition, the American Symphony Orchestra performs in a lecture/concert series with audience interaction called Classics Declassified at Peter Norton Symphony Space. It is also the resident orchestra of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where it performs an annual concert series as well as in Bard's annual SummerScape Festival and the Bard Music Festival. ASO maintains an award-winning music education program which is presented at numerous high schools through New York, New Jersey, and Long Island. Among the American Symphony's recent recordings are music by Copland, Sessions, Perle, and Rands for New World Records, and music of Ernst von Dohnányi for Bridge Records. Its recording of Richard Strauss's opera Die ägyptische Helena with Deborah Voigt and of Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae were made for Telarc. Other recordings with Leon Botstein include Franz Schubert: Orchestrated on the Koch International label, with works by Joachim, Mottl, and Webern, and, on the Vanguard Classics label, Johannes Brahms's Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 (1860). The American Symphony inaugurated São Paolo's new concert hall and has made several tours of Asia and Europe. It has performed with the Peer Gynt Theater Company of Norway in Central Park, and has a long history of appearing in charitable and public benefits for such organizations as Sha'are Zedek Hospital, the Jerusalem Foundation, and PBS. The American Symphony Orchestra has had an illustrious history of music directors and guest conductors. Succeeding Leopold Stokowski, who directed the Orchestra from 1962 to 1972, were Kazuyoshi Akiyama (1973-1978), Sergiu Comissiona (1978-1982), Moshe Atzmon and Guiseppe Patane (co-directors 1982-1984), John Mauceri (1985-1987), and Catherine Comet (1990-1992). Notable guest conductors have included Leonard Bernstein, Karl Böhm, Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, Aram Khachaturian, James Levine, André Previn, Yehudi Menuhin, James de Priest, Gunther Schuller, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Sir William Walton.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE CHORALE'S 2009-10 SEASON
For season subscriptions please contact The Chorale office at 646.202.9623 or visit www.collegiatechorale.org.
CHORAL CLASSIC
Israel in Egypt at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 8pm
Music by George F. Handel
featuring
Sari Gruber, soprano
Brian Asawa, alto
Rufus Muller, tenor
The American Symphony Orchestra
James Bagwell, Conductor
THE COLLEGIATE CHORALE
James Bagwell, Music Director
Presents The World Premiere Two Act Concert Version of
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
March 22, 2010 at 8pm at Carnegie Hall
The Collegiate Chorale, led by Music Director James Bagwell, presents the World Premiere Two Act Concert Version of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie's musical version of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck's epic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath, on March 22, 2010 at 8pm at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Ted Sperling with Jane Fonda as the narrator. Tickets are $25-$160 and are available through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, or online at www.carnegiehall.org. For more information visit www.collegiatechorale.org.
An all-star cast from Broadway and the classical world comes together to present a rare mingling of opera and theatre in The Grapes of Wrath. Originally commissioned and produced by the Minnesota Opera and called "The great American opera" by Musical America, Gordon and Korie's new work melds popular musical styles of the '20s and '30s (song-and-dance, soaring love songs, banjo ballads, jazz choruses, and a barbershop quartet) with the classic drama of grand opera, all to a heart-wrenching yet uplifting effect. The composer (Gordon) and librettist (Korie) have crafted a special concert version of their original opera with narration written especially for this presentation. The starry cast includes Jane Fonda (narrator), Victoria Clark, Christine Ebersole, Nathan Gunn, Elizabeth Futral, Anthony Dean Griffey, Peter Halverson, Steven Pasquale, Stephen Powell, Andrew Wilkowske and Matthew Worth and the role of Tom Joad's young sister, Ruthie, will be sung by Nathan Gunn's daughter Madelyn Gunn. Music by Ricky Ian Gordon and libretto by Michael Korie. Featuring the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ted Sperling. Directed by Eric Simonson with lighting design by Frances Aronson and projection design by Wendall Harrington.
"In this concert version, we convey the story of the Joad family's journey across America in approximately two hours. We have retained many of the big musical set pieces, arias and choral ensembles, and we have eliminated much of the recitative, replacing it with a narrator who reads sections from the novel, allowing segues from those powerful passages seamlessly into music that continues the drama without loss of suspense or momentum. In addition, this version will feature music never heard in the original full staging of the opera. This is not only a concert version of the full opera, but a different version," said Michael Korie.
"We are honored to be presenting this richly textured work of soaring passion and devastating beauty. Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's commitment to premiering or showcasing exceptional American works such as Ricky Ian Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath. Gordon and librettist Michael Korie have given a musical voice to this quintessentially American novel in a lyrical language which draws from opera and American musical theater idioms. The choral writing and casting of soloists reflect this cross-over nature. I think both opera and Broadway lovers alike will be moved by this remarkable work," said James Bagwell, music director of The Collegiate Chorale.
The Collegiate Chorale, among New York's foremost vocal ensembles, has added to the richness of the city's cultural fabric for more than 65 years. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale achieved national and international prominence under the leadership of Robert Bass. The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as commissions and premieres of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. In the summer of 2009, The Chorale performed for the fourth season at Switzerland's Verbier Music Festival. In July 2008, The Chorale toured with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem.
The mission of The Collegiate Chorale is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble. Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's belief that choral music is a compelling collaboration that creates a powerful, shared experience unifying listeners and musicians of all backgrounds, beliefs and ages.
Music Director James Bagwell maintains an active schedule throughout the United States as a conductor of choral, operatic, and orchestral music. He has recently been named Principal Guest Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra in New York. Since 2003, he has been Director of Choruses for the Bard Music Festival, conducting and preparing choral works during the summer festival at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. He has also prepared The Concert Chorale of New York for performances with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Mostly Mozart Festival (broadcast nationally in 2006 on Live from Lincoln Center), all in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. He was Music Director of The Dessoff Choirs for the past five season, and in 2009 he prepared the Dessoff Symphonic Choir for the New York Philharmonic performances of both Mahler's Eighth Symphony and Britten's War Requiem for Lorin Maazel's final concerts as Music Director.
James Bagwell has trained choruses for a number of major American and International orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Japan), St. Petersburg Symphony, The American Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with noted conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Louis Langrée, Leon Botstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Raymond Leppard, James Conlon, Jesús López-Cobos, Erich Kunzel, Leon Fleischer, and Robert Shaw.
For eleven seasons, he has been Music Director for the May Festival Youth Choir in Cincinnati, which was recently featured on the radio program From the Top. He has conducted some 25 productions as Music Director of Light Opera Oklahoma, including Candide, Sweeney Todd, and The Merry Widow, among others. At Bard SummerScape he has led numerous theatrical works, most notably Copland's The Tender Land, which received unanimous praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Opera News. He frequently appears as guest conductor for orchestras around the country and abroad, including the Jerusalem Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. For three seasons he was Artistic Director of The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. He holds degrees from Birmingham-Southern College, Florida State University, and Indiana University. He has taught since 2000 at Bard College, where he is Director of the Music Program.
For more information, visit www.collegiatechorale.org.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ricky Ian Gordon's (Music) credits include Dream True; States of Independence; and Stonewall/Night Variations with Tina Landau; The Tibetan Book of the Dead with Jean Claude Van Itallie; Only Heaven with Langston Hughes and Nancy Rhodes; Autumn Valentine; Sweet Song; and Morning Star with William Hoffman. He was part of the American Songbook Series in Bright Eyed Joy/The Music of Ricky Ian Gordon at Lincoln Center and at The Guggenheim. Recordings include Audra McDonald's Way Back to Paradise, Bright-Eyed Joy, Of Eternal Light (Water Music), Only Heaven and Genius Child (a song cycle for Harolyn Blackwell). Awards: The National Institute for Music Theater Award, The Stephen Sondheim Award, The Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Music Theatre Foundation Award, The Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, The Constance Klinsky Award, The Richard Rodgers Award.
Michael Korie (Libretto) was nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Grey Gardens. He and composer Scott Frankel received the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. Also with Frankel are two musicals in development, Doll and Meet Mister Future. With composer Ricky Ian Gordon, his libretto to The Grapes of Wrath premiered to acclaim at Minnesota Opera, with upcoming productions at Utah Opera, Houston Grand Opera and Pittsburgh Opera. His librettos for operas composed by Stewart Wallace include Harvey Milk (San Francisco Opera) and Hopper's Wife (Long Beach Opera), both directed by Christopher Alden; Kabbalah (Next Wave Festival); and Where's Dick?, directed by Richard Foreman (Houston Grand Opera). He co-wrote lyrics with Amy Powers to composer Lucy Simon's Zhivago, book by Michael Weller, directed by Des McAnuff (La Jolla Playhouse).
Jane Fonda's (Narrator) work on stage and screen has earned her numerous nominations and awards, including Oscar Awards (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home) and an Emmy Award for her performance in "The Dollmaker." Her credits include Monster-in-Law, Georgia Rule, Coming Home, The China Syndrome, Julia, Barefoot in the Park, Nine to Five, On Golden Pond, "The Dollmaker" and four Broadway plays including Invitation to a March and There Was a Little Girl (Theatre World Award). In May 2005, Random House published Fonda's memoirs, My Life So Far. She has long been known for activism and advocacy on environmental issues, human rights and the empowerment of women and girls.
Nathan Gunn (Tom Joad) recently created the roles of Alec Harvey in André Previn's Brief Encounter at the Houston Grand Opera and Father Delura in Peter Eötvös' Love and Other Demons at the 2008 Glyndebourne Opera Festival. Other engagements this season include his returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Die Zauberflöte, the Dallas Opera for Malatesta in Don Pasquale and the Los Angles Opera for Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L'Elisir d'Amore. He also makes his debut in Bilbao as the title role in Billy Budd. Mr. Gunn has appeared in internationally renowned opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), Paris Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels.
Victoria Clark (Ma Joad) received the 2005 Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as a Drama League honor for her luminous portrayal of protective but domineering mother Margaret Johnson in the critically-acclaimed Craig Lucas-Adam Guettel musical The Light in the Piazza directed by Bartlett Sher at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater. Her virtuoso performance in the Tony Award-winning musical has made her a favorite among audiences and critics, including The New York Times' Ben Brantley, who called Clark's work in Piazza "the best musical performance by an actress this season." She garnered equally enthusiastic reviews for her performance at Chicago's Goodman Theater in 2004, earning the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award. Last season, Clark was reunited with her colleagues Craig Lucas and Bartlett Sher for the Playwrights Horizons production of A Prayer for My Enemy.
Christine Ebersole (Mae / Waitress) received the Tony Award, Obie Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Special Citation from NY Drama Critics and the Drama League Award for Performance of the Year for her dual roles as Edith and Edie Beale in Grey Gardens. Her Broadway credits include Steel Magnolias, Dinner at Eight (Tony and Outer Critics Circle noms.), 42nd Street (2001 Tony and Outer Critics Circle awards), The Best Man, Getting Away With Murder, Harrigan 'n Hart, Camelot (opposite Richard Burton and Richard Harris), Oklahoma!, On the Twentieth Century, I Love My Wife and Angel Street. Off-Broadway credits include Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (2003 Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards, Drama Desk nom.), Three Sisters, Geniuses and four Encores! concerts. Regional credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Old Globe), Mame, Evita, My Fair Lady, The Marriage of Bette and Boo and Laughing Wild. Films include Tootsie, Amadeus, Dead Again, Richie Rich, Black Sheep, Folks!, True Crime, Till There Was You, My Favorite Martian, Thief of Hearts and My Girl 2.
Elizabeth Futral (Rosasharn) has established herself as one of the major coloratura sopranos in the world today, with a diverse repertoire that includes Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Glass, and Previn. Ms. Futral has garnered raves at the world's greatest opera houses in such roles as Gilda, Juliette, Lakmé, Lucia, Nanetta, Mélisande, Romilda, and Violetta. She dazzled audiences and critics with her debut at the Los Angeles Opera as Cleopatra in Francisco Negrin's acclaimed production of Handel's Giulio Cesare. This was followed by her highly anticipated return to the New York City Opera, where she starred in the title role of the company's new production of Douglas Moore's classic American opera, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey (Jim Casy) has captured critical and popular acclaim on opera, concert and recital stages around the world. He has performed leading roles at the great international opera houses including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Glyndebourne, the Opera National de Paris, and the Teatro Comunale di Firenze. A regular guest of the world's orchestras, Mr. Griffey has collaborated with many of today's pre-eminent conductors, including James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Andrew Davis, Esa Pekka Salonen, Alan Gilbert, Kurt Masur, Donald Runnicles, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, James Conlon, and Charles Dutoit.
Baritone Peter Halverson (Pa Joad) has performed throughout the United States, distinguishing himself on the dramatic stage and in concert. A versatile performer, he has more than fifty roles to his credit including the title roles in Pelléas et Mélisande, Eugene Onegin, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Gianni Schicchi, The Man of La Mancha and Phantom. He has been a frequent guest artist with the Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, North Star Opera, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center Mozart Festival, Oregon Bach Festival and San Luis Osbispo Mozart Festival. In addition, he has sung with the Florentine Opera, Berkshire Opera, Madison Opera, Tacoma Opera, Chattanooga Opera, National Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and New Mexico Symphony.
American baritone Stephen Powell (Uncle John) brings his handsome voice, elegant musicianship, and robust stage presence to a wide range of music, from Monteverdi and Handel through Verdi and Puccini to Sondheim and John Adams. In 2009-10, Stephen Powell appears as Ford in Verdi's Falstaff with Pittsburgh Opera; sings as soloist in Szymanowski's Stabat Mater with Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Christoph Eschenbach conducting; in Messiah with the Huddersfield Choral Society in England; in the Brahms Requiem with Baltimore Symphony, as well as the Dutch Radio Orchestra at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Holland, both with Marin Alsop conducting; in Carmina Burana with Cincinnati Symphony, Paavo Jarvi conducting; appears in recital with wife Barbara Shirvis in Dallas, Texas; and sings 2 gala concerts with the North Carolina Symphony, Grant Llewellyn conducting. He also makes his Asian debut in La Traviata at the Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing, China, Lorin Maazel conducting.
Andrew Wilkowske (Noah) whose voice has been described as "nimble," with an "impressively open top," is one of the most versatile performers on the stage today. A gifted actor as well as singer, Wilkowske's Papageno in The Magic Flute "stole the show" according to the Washington Post, and was a "lusty-voiced fellow," according to Opera News. Engagements this season include a series of Figaros, making his debut as Rossini's Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Skylight Opera. He returns to Skylight later this season in the title role of Le Nozze di Figaro to complete Skylight's Figaro Cycle. In addition, Wilkowske reprises Mozart's Figaro with the Green Mountain Opera Festival (under the baton of Maestro Jacques Lacombe), Ashlawn Opera, and the Acadiana Symphony. Wilkowske's experiences are documented in his award-winning 'a year of figaro' blog.
Steven Pasquale
(Al) most recently starred on Broadway in Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty. A regular on the theater scene, Pasquale's credits include Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden (World AIDS Day Concert), Henrik in A Little Night Music (opposite Victor Garber, Natasha Richardson and Venessa Redgrave), Captain Taylor in A Soldier's Play (Second Stage, opposite Taye Diggs), Tom in the Neil LaBute off-Broadway hit, Fat Pig, Robbie in the Ahrens/Flahrety/McNally musical A Man of No Importance (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Beautiful Child, The Spitfire Grill, Spinning Into Butter, Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party and he created the role of Fabrizio in Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' The Light in the Piazza. Television audiences have followed him for five seasons as Sean Garrity on the FX hit show "Rescue Me." His other television credits include a recurring role on HBO's Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning drama "Six Feet Under" and Sofia Coppola's "Platinum."
Hailed by the Dallas Morning News for his "dashing, fine bright baritone" and the New York Times for a voice that is "fully powered and persuasively expressive," Matthew Worth (Ragged Man / Connie Rivers / Truck Driver) was recently the featured "Sound Bites" artist in Opera News, and is enjoying successes on both the operatic and concert stages, in all styles from the Renaissance to new repertoire. Matthew Worth's engagements in 2009-10 include a return to Chicago Opera Theater as Charlie in Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with New Orleans Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Virginia Opera, Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld with Central City Opera, Messiah at University of Richmond, in concert performances of The Grapes of Wrath with New York's Collegiate Chorale, as soloist in a holiday concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and in Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Runnicles.
Ted Sperling (Conductor) won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations of The Light in the Piazza, for which he was also music director. Broadway credits as music director/conductor/pianist: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Angels in America, My Favorite Year, Falsettos, Drood, Les Miserables, Roza and Sunday In the Park With George. Mr. Sperling was also an original cast member of the Broadway musical Titanic. Off-Broadway credits as music director: A Man of No Importance, Wise Guys, A New Brain, Saturn Returns, Floyd Collins, Falsettoland, and Romance in Hard Times. As a stage director Charlotte: Life? Or Theater? and Striking 12, as well as a revival of Lady in the Dark starring Andrea Marcovicci. Mr. Sperling conducted the musical scores for the films The Manchurian Candidate, Everything Is Illuminated, and directed the short musical film Love, Mom, starring Tonya Pinkins.
Eric Simonson's (Director)plays and adaptations at Steppenwolf, where he is a member of the ensemble, include Nomathemba (written with Ntozake Shange and Joseph Shabalala), Carter's Way and, most recently, Honest (for First Look). Other plays include The Last Hurrah, Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright (with Jeffrey Hatcher), Edge of the World, Lombardi: The Only Thing and Speak American. His work has been produced in Japan and throughout the United States at theaters including The Huntington Theatre Company, L.A. Theatre Works, City Theatre of Pittsburgh, The Kennedy Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Arizona Theatre Company, Madison Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Crossroads Theatre Company. His adaptation of Moby Dick at Milwaukee Repertory was chosen as one of Time Magazine's top ten productions of 2002. Eric is also an accomplished theatre, film and opera director. His production of Steppenwolf's The Song of Jacob Zulu received six Tony® Award nominations, including one for best direction. He received the 2006 Academy Award for his documentary short A Note of Triumph, as well as the 2005 Princess Grace Statue Award for sustained artistic achievement. His adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five (originally produced at Steppenwolf) recently received its Off-Broadway premiere at New York's 59E59 Theater.
The American Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski. Under the music direction of Leon Botstein since 1992, the American Symphony has pioneered the performance of thematically organized concerts, linking music to the visual arts, literature, politics, and history. In addition, the American Symphony Orchestra performs in a lecture/concert series with audience interaction called Classics Declassified at Peter Norton Symphony Space. It is also the resident orchestra of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where it performs an annual concert series as well as in Bard's annual SummerScape Festival and the Bard Music Festival. ASO maintains an award-winning music education program which is presented at numerous high schools through New York, New Jersey, and Long Island. Among the American Symphony's recent recordings are music by Copland, Sessions, Perle, and Rands for New World Records, and music of Ernst von Dohnányi for Bridge Records. Its recording of Richard Strauss's opera Die ägyptische Helena with Deborah Voigt and of Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae were made for Telarc. Other recordings with Leon Botstein include Franz Schubert: Orchestrated on the Koch International label, with works by Joachim, Mottl, and Webern, and, on the Vanguard Classics label, Johannes Brahms's Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 (1860). The American Symphony inaugurated São Paolo's new concert hall and has made several tours of Asia and Europe. It has performed with the Peer Gynt Theater Company of Norway in Central Park, and has a long history of appearing in charitable and public benefits for such organizations as Sha'are Zedek Hospital, the Jerusalem Foundation, and PBS. The American Symphony Orchestra has had an illustrious history of music directors and guest conductors. Succeeding Leopold Stokowski, who directed the Orchestra from 1962 to 1972, were Kazuyoshi Akiyama (1973-1978), Sergiu Comissiona (1978-1982), Moshe Atzmon and Guiseppe Patane (co-directors 1982-1984), John Mauceri (1985-1987), and Catherine Comet (1990-1992). Notable guest conductors have included Leonard Bernstein, Karl Böhm, Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, Aram Khachaturian, James Levine, André Previn, Yehudi Menuhin, James de Priest, Gunther Schuller, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Sir William Walton.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE CHORALE'S 2009-10 SEASON
For season subscriptions please contact The Chorale office at 646.202.9623 or visit www.collegiatechorale.org.
CHORAL CLASSIC
Israel in Egypt at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 8pm
Music by George F. Handel
featuring
Sari Gruber, soprano
Brian Asawa, alto
Rufus Muller, tenor
The American Symphony Orchestra
James Bagwell, Conductor
Friday, February 12, 2010
RED BULL THEATER BURNING
A reading of a play is a strange thing. It must be clear, moving, emotional, funny, powerful, understandable, interesting, convincing, etc, using words alone, and usually not that many rehearsals. No stage design, no sets, no costumes, no body language, no weeks of rehearsal... neither to deepen the actors' understanding of the play and the character, nor to help the audience understand the play and enjoy the eye candy of great sets and costumes.
Burning, Burning, Burning, Burning by David Bar Katz managed to be funny, and powerfully moving, just on the strength of words alone in a reading at the Red Bull Theater. It is a meditation on ways that humans react when assaulted by unspeakable horror committed by fellow humans. And it's funny. But not at the end.
Burning, Burning, Burning, Burning by David Bar Katz managed to be funny, and powerfully moving, just on the strength of words alone in a reading at the Red Bull Theater. It is a meditation on ways that humans react when assaulted by unspeakable horror committed by fellow humans. And it's funny. But not at the end.
The acting, by Eric Bogosian and the entire cast, was excellent.
The story takes place during a time of horrible and repeated pogroms against Jews by their neighbors, when one member of the Jewish community returns after having been convinced that the Messiah has come and will save them all. The play is specific to its place and time (Poland 1666) and community and situation. But the subject -- how victims of sustained violence, massacres and atrocities against their ethnic, religious, racial, political, class or economic community deal with their situation -- is universal.
Red Bull Theater is currently developing a production of Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, which opens Feb 23. (See below for a description.)
Very interestingly, in conjunction with this play, they have scheduled readings of other versions of the story of the Duchess (The Red Bull Theater has a very active program of play readings):
Monday March 15th, 7:30pm
THE STEWARD OF THE DUCHESS OF AMALFI
by Lope de Vega
A lyrical, haunting tragedy of tortured desire, class conflict and revenge - written a few years after Webster's version.
newly translated by Álvaro Mendoza
Directed by Michael John Garcés
Featuring Zabryna Guevara and Alfredo Narciso
Post-play Bull Session
Monday March 22nd, 7:30pm
BRECHT’S DUCHESS OF MALFI
Adapted by Bertolt Brecht and W.H. Auden
Brecht’s version of Webster’s masterpiece for a 1946 Broadway production intensifies the original’s dark undercurrents.
Directed by Ian Strasfogel
Featuring Francesca Faridany
Post-play Bull Session
Here's a little more information from Red Bull about their production of Webster's Duchess of Malfi:
Very interestingly, in conjunction with this play, they have scheduled readings of other versions of the story of the Duchess (The Red Bull Theater has a very active program of play readings):
Monday March 15th, 7:30pm
THE STEWARD OF THE DUCHESS OF AMALFI
by Lope de Vega
A lyrical, haunting tragedy of tortured desire, class conflict and revenge - written a few years after Webster's version.
newly translated by Álvaro Mendoza
Directed by Michael John Garcés
Featuring Zabryna Guevara and Alfredo Narciso
Post-play Bull Session
Monday March 22nd, 7:30pm
BRECHT’S DUCHESS OF MALFI
Adapted by Bertolt Brecht and W.H. Auden
Brecht’s version of Webster’s masterpiece for a 1946 Broadway production intensifies the original’s dark undercurrents.
Directed by Ian Strasfogel
Featuring Francesca Faridany
Post-play Bull Session
Here's a little more information from Red Bull about their production of Webster's Duchess of Malfi:
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
BY JOHN WEBSTER
DIRECTED BY JESSE BERGER
ABOUT THE PLAY
A great romance turns to horror as the Duchess of Malfi seeks true love in a world of forbidden passions. A play for our time as much as its own, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi examines sexual repression, honor, class, and the true value of the human spirit, in this explosive drama of Italian intrigue. Red Bull Theater’s production is the first Off Broadway revival of this Jacobean masterpiece in over 50 years.
CAST
Heidi Armbruster, Jason C. Brown, Clark Carmichael, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Matthew Greer, Carol Halstead, Eric Hoffmann, Patrick Page, Matthew Rauch, Christina Rouner, Gareth Saxe, and Haynes Thigpen.
PRODUCTION
Designs by Beowulf Boritt, Emily DeCola, Jared B. Leese, Nathan Leigh, Erin Kennedy Lunsford, Jason Lyons, Sèan McArdle, and Jessica Scott. Casting by Stuart Howard, Music by Scott Killian, Voice and Speech by Shane Ann Younts, Choreography by Tracy Bersley and Stage Violence by J. David Brimmer. Stage Manager: Rebecca C. Monroe. General Manager: Lisa Dozier. Publicist: David Gersten & Associates. Directed by Jesse Berger.
A great romance turns to horror as the Duchess of Malfi seeks true love in a world of forbidden passions. A play for our time as much as its own, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi examines sexual repression, honor, class, and the true value of the human spirit, in this explosive drama of Italian intrigue. Red Bull Theater’s production is the first Off Broadway revival of this Jacobean masterpiece in over 50 years.
CAST
Heidi Armbruster, Jason C. Brown, Clark Carmichael, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Matthew Greer, Carol Halstead, Eric Hoffmann, Patrick Page, Matthew Rauch, Christina Rouner, Gareth Saxe, and Haynes Thigpen.
PRODUCTION
Designs by Beowulf Boritt, Emily DeCola, Jared B. Leese, Nathan Leigh, Erin Kennedy Lunsford, Jason Lyons, Sèan McArdle, and Jessica Scott. Casting by Stuart Howard, Music by Scott Killian, Voice and Speech by Shane Ann Younts, Choreography by Tracy Bersley and Stage Violence by J. David Brimmer. Stage Manager: Rebecca C. Monroe. General Manager: Lisa Dozier. Publicist: David Gersten & Associates. Directed by Jesse Berger.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
MANIGMA
at the opening night party of MANIGMA
at the Clurman Theater on Theater Row
Michael Aronov is a terrific actor, bringing energy, humor and a distinctive personality to each of the characters he portrays in his one-man show, Manigma, currently playing (for just a few more days! scheduled to close on Feb 6) at the Clurman Theater on Theater Row (West 42nd Street in New York).
There will be no spoilers here. I won't even tell you what "manigma" means. And I urge you not to look it up until after the show. For the evening is full of surprises as each character's monolog provides a different perspective, all illuminating the essence of manigma. Better to let the evening come at you.
I will mention that Aronov has had many awards, and distinguished leading roles, including Dionysus in The Bacchae, where his portrayal infused his own sense of the masculine and feminine duality of the Greek god into the performance.
Manigma is being produced by a young and strong team including Jonathan Blitstein (whose film, Let Them Chirp Awhile -- The Movie , has just become available on Netflix) and Jennifer Makholm, a playwright and actress, as well as producer; her play "Faith in Humanity" is part of "The Required Reading Series," first readings of new plays. (Note: Originally scheduled for Jan-Mar, the Reading Series has been postponed and is being rescheduled.)
After you've seen the show (!) here's the meaning of "manigma:" http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Manigma
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
JUDE LAW AS HAMLET (& WATSON)
Jude Law is a terrific Hamlet.
He is clear, understandable, and looks just right.
Before I saw the show (the Donmar Warehouse production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, directed by Michael Grandage), I was skeptical of casting Jude Law as Hamlet: I've sometimes found him underwhelming in films; yet, he is a movie star. So I was afraid he might look wrong: too old, too movie-star-ish; and sound wrong: not have the vocal charisma to carry the role.
It was exactly the opposite.
Although he is six feet tall, he somehow looks young and small, at least compared to the "broad-framed" Kevin R. McNally who was cast as his uncle Claudius, the new king. So he seemed appropriate physically. And vocally he was commanding and completely understandable.
By the way, although Hamlet is said to be away at University, so we might think of him as quite young -- in his twenties or younger -- the Gravedigger says that Yorick has "lain in the earth three and twenty years," and Hamlet says he " knew him... a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times." Let's say Hamlet was 6 when Yorick died, give or take three years, that would make Hamlet somewhere between 26 and 32. So, in fact, a thirty-something actor is at an appropriate age to play this part.
The production as a whole is quite excellent. One of the clearest, simplest and most straightforward I've ever seen. I had only a few small problems with it. I was mystified by the reason for having the Player King and Ghost of Hamlet's father played by the same actor. It confused the meaning of the ghost (and the play), and added nothing. Also, I found the physical relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet weak. Especially since this version seemed strong (verbally) in describing their relationship: Though Polonius (but not Hamlet or Gertrude) feared that Ophelia was too much a "commoner" to be an acceptable queen for Hamlet, both Hamlet and Gertrude thought Ophelia and Hamlet had loved each other (before Hamlet left for the University). Gertrude thought they would marry. Yet, somehow, Hamlet never behaved with Ophelia convincingly as his one-time love, and Ophelia never behaved like a potential queen.
Despite these two minor issues, I enjoyed the play, and came out of this production with a much clearer understanding and appreciation of it. All in all, Jude Law and the director, Michael Grandage, and the whole Donmar company, created an especially well thought out and played presentation of this most difficult yet brilliant play.
Jude Law has a number of films currently in the pipeline. I'm looking forward to seeing him as Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes:
in "Sherlock Holmes".
Photo by Alex Bailey from WARNER BROS.
Guy Ritchie's casting, with Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock, and Jude Law as Watson, is certainly revisionist casting, after the "standard" films with a lean Basil Rathbone as Sherlock and a portly Nigel Bruce as Watson.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
STELLAR CHARADES AT LABYRINTH THEATER BENEFIT
The Seventh Annual Benefit for the LAByrinth Theater Company features a stellar collection of celebrities scheduled to appear and compete in CELEBRITY CHARADES! "(all subject to continuing availability)" ... including Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz, Cupid himself (Bobby Cannavale), and not just one, but TWO Julias: Julia Stiles (now appearing on Bway in Mamet's Oleanna) and Julia Roberts.
Julia Stiles
Now in Oleanna
Is scheduled to compete in Celebrity Charades
Photo by Eric Roffman
(Taken at the Tribeca Film Festival)
Here's the announcement:
Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis,
Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vázquez
and the Board of Directors of
THE LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY
invite you to the seventh annual benefit featuring
CELEBRITY CHARADES
JACKPOT!
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
VIP COCKTAILS
The 2009 Dave Hoghe Award
will be presented to
Time Warner Inc.
THE LIVE AUCTION
with John Patrick Shanley
Bid for our priceless packages,
including a chance to play Charades
with the stars and
CELEBRITY CHARADES!
with referee Eric Bogosian
PLAYERS WILL INCLUDE:
Ian Astbury
Bob Balaban
Bobby Cannavale
Erika Christensen
Tom Colicchio
Billy Crudup
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Padma Lakshmi
Jesse L. Martin
Christopher Meloni
John Ortiz
Julia Roberts
Sam Rockwell
Cynthia Rowley
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Julia Stiles
Justin Theroux
Yul Vázquez
David Zayas
(all subject to continuing availability)
Watch four celebrity teams bluff and bust
in a fearsome, hilarious no-limit charades tournament!
Be sure to check out the CHARADES WEBISODES
featuring our favorite celebrities as they try
their damnedest to find out the secret location
of this year's Celebrity Charades©.
More player announcements to come and
information at www.LABtheater.org
To Purchase Tables and Tickets
CALL (212) 513-1082
or
E-MAIL charades@LABtheater.org
THE HOUSE - $15,000
· Premium Table (seats 10) at
the VIP Cocktails and Celebrity Charades
· front page program credit,
press release and website acknowledgement*
· LAByrinth artist guest at table (optional)
**Very limited availability**
$14,000 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
THE PIT BOSS - $10,000
· Priority Table (seats 10)
at the VIP Cocktails and
Celebrity Charades
· program credit and website
acknowledgement*
· LAByrinth artist guest at table (optional)
$9,000 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
VIP - $1,100
· Priority table seating for 1
for VIP Cocktails and Celebrity Charades
$1,000 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
WINNERS' CIRCLE - $2,000
· Pedestal Table (seats 4) for
VIP Cocktails and Celebrity Charades
$1,800 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
CARD SHARK - $750
· Theater seating for 4 at
Celebrity Charades
$700 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
RAILBIRDS - $250
· Theater seating for 1 at
Celebrity Charades
$200 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
BANKROLL:
I cannot attend, but would like to
stake LAByrinth with a tax-deductible
contribution of $__________
*To appear in the program, names
must be received by Wednesday,
November 25
To Purchase Tables and Tickets
CALL (212) 513-1082
or
E-MAIL charades@LABtheater.org
or visit
https://secure.labtheater.org/charades.php
Now in Oleanna
Is scheduled to compete in Celebrity Charades
Photo by Eric Roffman
(Taken at the Tribeca Film Festival)
Here's the announcement:
Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vázquez
and the Board of Directors of
THE LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY
invite you to the seventh annual benefit featuring
CELEBRITY CHARADES
JACKPOT!
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
VIP COCKTAILS
The 2009 Dave Hoghe Award
will be presented to
Time Warner Inc.
THE LIVE AUCTION
with John Patrick Shanley
Bid for our priceless packages,
including a chance to play Charades
with the stars and
CELEBRITY CHARADES!
with referee Eric Bogosian
PLAYERS WILL INCLUDE:
Ian Astbury
Bob Balaban
Bobby Cannavale
Erika Christensen
Tom Colicchio
Billy Crudup
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Padma Lakshmi
Jesse L. Martin
Christopher Meloni
John Ortiz
Julia Roberts
Sam Rockwell
Cynthia Rowley
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Julia Stiles
Justin Theroux
Yul Vázquez
David Zayas
(all subject to continuing availability)
Watch four celebrity teams bluff and bust
in a fearsome, hilarious no-limit charades tournament!
Be sure to check out the CHARADES WEBISODES
featuring our favorite celebrities as they try
their damnedest to find out the secret location
of this year's Celebrity Charades©.
More player announcements to come and
information at www.LABtheater.org
To Purchase Tables and Tickets
CALL (212) 513-1082
or
E-MAIL charades@LABtheater.org
THE HOUSE - $15,000
· Premium Table (seats 10) at
the VIP Cocktails and Celebrity Charades
· front page program credit,
press release and website acknowledgement*
· LAByrinth artist guest at table (optional)
**Very limited availability**
$14,000 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
THE PIT BOSS - $10,000
· Priority Table (seats 10)
at the VIP Cocktails and
Celebrity Charades
· program credit and website
acknowledgement*
· LAByrinth artist guest at table (optional)
$9,000 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
VIP - $1,100
· Priority table seating for 1
for VIP Cocktails and Celebrity Charades
$1,000 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
WINNERS' CIRCLE - $2,000
· Pedestal Table (seats 4) for
VIP Cocktails and Celebrity Charades
$1,800 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
CARD SHARK - $750
· Theater seating for 4 at
Celebrity Charades
$700 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
RAILBIRDS - $250
· Theater seating for 1 at
Celebrity Charades
$200 is a tax-deductible
contribution to LAByrinth
BANKROLL:
I cannot attend, but would like to
stake LAByrinth with a tax-deductible
contribution of $__________
*To appear in the program, names
must be received by Wednesday,
November 25
To Purchase Tables and Tickets
CALL (212) 513-1082
or
E-MAIL charades@LABtheater.org
or visit
https://secure.labtheater.org/charades.php
INSTANT THEATER
As part of LAByrinth Theater Company's exemplary Master Class Program, an incredibly diverse group of 16 ACTOR-DIRECTOR-WRITER-PRODUCERs (yes, quadri-hyphenates all) were challenged last Monday (11/9) to write, rehearse, produce and PUT ON LIVE FOR A LIVE AUDIENCE a REAL THEATRICAL EVENT! before next Monday (11/16 -- yep, that's 7 days).
The show will be Sunday evening (11/15) 8:00 PM
at 31-08 Northern Boulevard in Long Island City FREE with refreshments & discussion with the artists to follow.
LAByrinth Theater Company Master Class November 2009 Presents:
Elegies, etc...
Scenes from a funeral parlor
Sunday Nov. 15th at 8pm
3108 Northern Blvd.
Long Island City
[closest subway: N or W to 39th Ave.]
Entrance is FREE, refreshments, a sumptuous Portuguese dinner and discussion with the artists will follow. Running time: approx. 45 minutes.
In a series of vignettes, the performance explores with introspection, wit and humor our reactions and relation to death and loss: why do we mourn and for whom? In ELEGIES, ETC… the parlor becomes the space where the heroes open their hearts in ways they never have before, proving that, indeed, funerals are for the living.
As part of a class project, the 16 young dynamic artists of the LAByrinth Theater Master class joined forces to create this performance from scratch in less than a week. This is your opportunity to watch passionate art in the making!
Written by: Ernio Hernandez, Geoff Schuppert and Jonathan Blitstein.
Directed and performed by the Ensemble: Anastasia Morsucci, Brandon Scott Hughes, Danielle DeVito, Aktina Stathaki, Eric Roffman, Giovanni Sanseviero, Greg Seel, Jack Barley, Katie Van Rensalier, Mia Mountain, Rachael Richman, Sara Kubida, Soraya Butler, Ernio Hernandez, Geoff Schuppert, Jonathan Blitstein
Produced by the Ensemble.
Poster Design by Katie Van Rensalier
Check the Facebook Group The LAByrinth Theater Master Class 2009 for more info.
at 31-08 Northern Boulevard in Long Island City
Watch this space for more news (Bookmark this address!)!!
LAByrinth Theater Company assembled for this Master Class a diverse team: Each member falls somewhere differently in the actor-director-writer-producer (artist, musician) spectrum, tho' all are challenged to contribute to any and all specialties, especially not their own.
Athletic ability ranges from near couch-potato to near super-athlete; experience and age range from younger and recently in college to older and taught in college; employers range from steak houses to gourmet restaurants to colleges to self-employed to unemployed; ethnicities and nationalities range all over the place; talent and enthusiasm range from very high to very high!
Here's the "official" announcement:
LAByrinth Theater Company Master Class November 2009 Presents:
Elegies, etc...
Scenes from a funeral parlor
Sunday Nov. 15th at 8pm
3108 Northern Blvd.
Long Island City
[closest subway: N or W to 39th Ave.]
Entrance is FREE, refreshments, a sumptuous Portuguese dinner and discussion with the artists will follow. Running time: approx. 45 minutes.
In a series of vignettes, the performance explores with introspection, wit and humor our reactions and relation to death and loss: why do we mourn and for whom? In ELEGIES, ETC… the parlor becomes the space where the heroes open their hearts in ways they never have before, proving that, indeed, funerals are for the living.
As part of a class project, the 16 young dynamic artists of the LAByrinth Theater Master class joined forces to create this performance from scratch in less than a week. This is your opportunity to watch passionate art in the making!
Written by: Ernio Hernandez, Geoff Schuppert and Jonathan Blitstein.
Directed and performed by the Ensemble: Anastasia Morsucci, Brandon Scott Hughes, Danielle DeVito, Aktina Stathaki, Eric Roffman, Giovanni Sanseviero, Greg Seel, Jack Barley, Katie Van Rensalier, Mia Mountain, Rachael Richman, Sara Kubida, Soraya Butler, Ernio Hernandez, Geoff Schuppert, Jonathan Blitstein
Produced by the Ensemble.
Poster Design by Katie Van Rensalier
Check the Facebook Group The LAByrinth Theater Master Class 2009 for more info.
Monday, November 9, 2009
FREE FOR ALL
Free For All is a truly great book.
It's extremely interesting and well written, with fascinating recollections of the foundation and development of The Public Theater (and the arts of producing, directing, and acting, as well as fundraising and theater construction) from Joe Papp and actors, directors, and lots of others that worked with him. The interviews were conducted long ago, but only recently was Kenneth Turan given the release to go ahead with publication.
At the "Free For All" Book Party
Photo by Eric Roffman
It should be the reading of choice for anyone interested in theater...
And required reading for:
- Anyone interested in producing for the theater
- Entrepreneurs
- Anyone involved with a cultural non-profit
- Anyone involved in public policy
- Business schools
- Acting and theater schools
- Actors, directors and producers
- Literature and drama classes
- Historians of New York in the late 20th century
- Everyone else
(Seriously, it has important contributions to all these areas of study... and more. And I hope that the original tapes/transcripts, etc will be donated to a museum, library or university because they will also be invaluable to future scholars -- in all these disciplines above... and more!)
Papp and The Public Theater were pioneers in developing experimental and off-Broadway theater, developing an American tradition of playing Shakespeare, and developing non-traditional casting.
(My own opinion is that this would be a great time to develop a new, vigorous, new-theater movement. Of course, there's currently lots and lots of theater in New York -- a truly amazing amount of theater -- but I haven't seen it breakout into a new aesthetic. This book gives some clues as to how one emerges.)
The book is filled with interesting gems. Here's theater critic Clive Barnes on how Papp believed in keeping The Public alive:
Clive Barnes: "Joe has always understood the necessity of expansion -- not the desirability of expansion but the actual necessity... An arts organization is a living organism..."
The Public Theater was sufficiently well established by Joe Papp that it survived its founding Director. (Something that's not that easy to accomplish.) The current Artistic Director (Papp, of course, was Everything Director), Oskar Eustis, is leading The Public in a rich and expanding program of activities very much in the spirit of the institution that Papp established.
Current Artistic Director of the Public Theater
At the "Free For All" Book Party
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