SEJONG SOLOISTS and Paula Zahn perform at Annual Gala Concert at CARNEGIE HALL

SEJONG SOLOISTS PERFORMED ANNUAL GALA CONCERT TO SOLD-OUT AUDIENCE

ZANKEL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL, FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 9, 2018

Sejong Soloists presented their Annual Gala Concert to a sold-out audience, featuring music from Vivaldi to contemporary. The musical theme was peace and hope, and guest artists included wind and brass faculty members from the Juilliard School and Curtis Institute. Vivaldi’s Chamber Concerto in C Major opened the concert. The virtuoso soloists were Sooyun Kim, flute, Roni Gal-Ed, oboe, Adrian Morejon, bassoon, and Stephen Kim, violin. Composer Augusta Read Thomas talked about her Plea for Peace, a 2017 commission by the University of Chicago to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the world’s first nuclear reactor. Sejong Soloists and soprano Hyunah Yu gave a powerful, gut-wrenching performance.

TV journalist Paula Zahn, a long-time supporter of Sejong Soloists, was this year’s Honoree.  Nine-time Emmy Award winner and co-host of WNET’s weekly program “NYC Arts” Ms. Zahn’s joined the orchestra 18 years ago as Gala Master of Ceremonies.  Special guest Neal Shapiro, WNET President, highlighted Zahn’s dedication to Sejong and to the arts, her financial support, and her humanitarian causes. Yo-Yo Ma sent a video greeting with spoken tribute and brief Bach performance, which was shown to the audience.

The glorious Baltimore-based soprano Hyunah Yu, who performed the Plea for Peace vocalise, joined Paula Zahn and the Sejong cellists for the Aria from Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.  This was followed by A Poem of Hope, concertino for cello and strings, written by New York composer Eric Ewazen in 2007 and dedicated to Paula Zahn, who performed the solo. An accomplished cellist, her performances have become a tradition at Sejong’s gala concerts. Finally, the Wagner Siegfried Idyll closed the program.

The audience of friends, music lovers, and supporters included distinguished members of the diplomatic community from the United Nations. Ambassadors from 15 nations: Albania, China, Cyprus, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, Russia, South Korea, Tunisia, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan.

About Sejong Soloists

Hailed as “one of the top ensembles of today” by CNN, Sejong Soloists is a first-class string orchestra renowned for its exceptional dynamic style, with ranges of quartet-like precision to full orchestra resonance. Founded by Hyo Kang, artistic director, it is highly praised for its diverse performances, documentaries, television broadcasts, and recordings. Sejong Soloists has performed in over 120 cities around the world, collaborating with renowned solo artists, such as violinists Gil Shaham, Vadim Repin, pianists Leon Fleisher and David Fray, Vladimir Feltsman, and singers David Daniels, Christophe Dumaux, Kathleen Kim, and Sasha Cooke.  In March 2018 Sejong Soloists was presented with Vadim Repin in Moscow and Siberia by the Trans-Siberian International Art Festival. This was followed by Hic et Nunc International Festival in South Korea, and a Hong Kong debut.

Founded over twenty years ago, Sejong has a deep commitment to advancing the artistry and leadership of its members, with successful results.  Currently, eight former Sejong leaders and soloists hold concertmaster positions throughout North America including the NY Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Sejong’s highly-praised documentaries, television broadcasts, recordings, youth development activities, as well as philanthropic endeavors worldwide are integral to the mission of this unique orchestra.

DANIEL J. WATTS' THE JAM: ONLY CHILD Returns to Joe's Pub Monday, December 3rd

November 1, 2018 (New York) – Daniel J. Watts (Hamilton, TBS’ “The Last O.G.,” Signature Theatre’s The Death of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World) and WattsWords Productions present Daniel J. Watts' The Jam: Only Child, an evening of music, dance, spoken word, and storytelling on Monday, December 3rd at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street).  Doors open at 6pm, the show begins at 7pm. 

Only Child marks the reunion between Watts and director Lileana Blain-Cruz (The House That Will Not Stand, Pipeline) who received an Obie Award for her direction of The Death of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, in which Watts played the title character. Only Child also features Jam mainstay DJ Duggz, aka Preston Dugger III (Motown the Musical, Memphis), spinning through the evening.  

All advance general admission tickets are $30. Tickets are $40 day of and can be purchased by visiting JoesPub.com. 

“This Jam is the product of 2 years of therapy”, said artist and activist Watts.  “I have an analogy about therapy suggesting that it’s like inviting a stranger to the attic of your mind and having them help you clean it out. I realized that being an only child and a latch key kid in a single parent home contributed to excess storage in my attic and therapy helped me sift through a lot of it and, ultimately, let some things go.  By sharing my story I hope to inspire others to go through their attics in an effort to both examine the cost of holding on and experience the healing power of letting go.”

A play-on-words, The Jam pays homage to Watts’ great-grandmother who, after making jam from scratch, would share with others what she was unable to consume herself.  The Jam is Watts’ continuation of that legacy blending elements of stand-up comedy and compelling storytelling with his original spoken word, often set to music and/or dance.  This is Watts’ fourth instillation of The Jam: Only Child after sold out performances at Joe’s Pub in the famed Public Theater, NoHo’s new staple SubCulture, the and as one of the final acts to play the historic Webster Hall. 

In 2016, galvanizing cast members from Hamilton, On Your Feet, and Shuffle Along, Watts played to a packed house in Webster Hall’s Marlin Room with The Jam: Love Terrorists - A Benefit for Orlando. The event raised $7500 for the LGBT community in Orlando after the horrific attack at Pulse Night Club.

WattsWords Productions is dedicated to developing original programming including live performances, web content, and demonstrations written by Daniel J. Watts in an effort to urge communities to actively engage in focusing on their social similarities opposed to their differences.

Daniel J. Watts in The Jam: Only Child, Photo Credit - Simply Greg

BIOS

DANIEL J. WATTS has appeared in eight Broadway shows including Hamilton, In The Heights and Memphis. Off Broadway he has starred in Suzan-Lori Parks' The Death of the Last Black Man in the Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead (Signature Theatre) and the world premiere of Whorl Inside A Loop (2nd Stage). He currently appears as Felony in Tracy Morgan's new comedy series “The Last OG” on TBS.  Other TV credits include recurring roles on NBC's “Blindspot” and “Smash”; HBO's “Vinyl,” “The Deuce,” “The Night Of,” and “Boardwalk Empire”; “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods” and “Person of Interest” on CBS; “Odd Mom Out” on Bravo; and “Broad City” on Comedy Central. Film: Breakup at a Wedding, Among Brothers and Freedom.

An accomplished spoken word artist, in 2012 Watts launched WattsWords Productions.  Daniel J. Watts' The Jam, an homage to his great grandmother who made homemade jam from scratch and gave away what she couldn't eat herself, is a spoken word/storytelling experience fusing a live band, song, dance and multimedia where Watts encourages audiences to focus on social similarities opposed to differences. Most recently, his work is featured in the young adult anthology How I Resist edited by New York Times Best Seller Maureen Johnson for Wednesday Books/Macmillan. 

An educator, Watts has also served as an adjunct professor of NYU's Tisch New Studio. He teaches his own course on how to truly engage in one's self in order to contribute meaningful and personal artistic work. 

Watts is a BFA Graduate of Elon University’s Music Theatre Program and a 2011 Young Alumnus Award Recipient. For original work visit www.wattswords.com @dwattswords

 LILEANA BLAIN-CRUZ is a director from New York City and Miami, and a recent recipient of an Obie Award for directing The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead at Signature Theater.  Recent projects include Lucas Hnath's Red Speedo at NYTW; Alice Birch's Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again at Soho Rep; Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' War at LCT3 and Yale Rep; Henry IV Part 1 and Much Ado About Nothing at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; The Bluest Eye at The Guthrie;  Christina Anderson’s Hollow Roots which premiered in the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater; Project Realms an electric pop opera performed at La Sala; a new translation of The Bakkhai at the Fisher Center of Performing Arts at Bard College; and A Guide to Kinship and Maybe Magic, a collaboration with choreographer Isabel Lewis and playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Dance New Amsterdam.  

She received her MFA in directing from the Yale School of Drama, where she directed the opera Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, The Taming of the Shrew, Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys, Buffalo Maine, Cavity and lastly Fox Play as part of the Carlotta Festival of New Plays. She was one of the co-artistic directors of the 2011-2012 Yale Cabaret, where she directed Funnyhouse of a Negro, Vaska Vaska Glöm, and SALOME. She received both the Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize and the Pierre-Andre Salim Prize for her leadership and directing.  She was an Artistic Associate of The Exchange and The Orchard Project, a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, and an Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage.  She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she is currently working on a new play GURLS as part of the opening of the new Lewis Center for the Arts. Upcoming projects include Actually at MTC, Water by the Spoonful at CTG, and The House That Will Not Stand at NYTW. 

PRESTON DUGGER, aka DJ DUGGZ, is a Washington, DC native that began performing in theatre and television at an early age and has appeared in Broadway shows such as Memphis and Motown, as well as on television in “Smash” and “Flesh and Bone.” Preston has had a passionate desire to make sure crowds enjoy themselves when on a stage, on screen or behind turntables.  “It is my mission to go above and beyond and make sure my clients receive the best experience visually and sonically.”

 Preston has DJ’ed such high-profile events as The Democratic National Committee for Hillary Clinton, and at Radio City Music Hall, Webster Hall, The Watergate Hotel, and Cipriani Wall Street. @DJDUGGZ

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail Present Freestyle Love Supreme (Limited Engagement)

THOMAS KAIL, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, JON STEINGART & JILL FURMAN PRESENT

JANUARY 30-MARCH 2 ONLY AT GREENWICH HOUSE THEATER 

SURPRISE (AND SPONTANEOUS) GUESTS PLANNED AT SELECT PERFORMANCES DURING STRICTLY LIMITED RUN


Back by popular demand, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Steingart and Jill Furman announced a strictly limited return engagement of FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME, the high-energy show that is a blend of hip-hop, improvisational theater, music, and vocal stylings, all backed by live music from keyboards and beats.  Conceived of by Kail, Miranda and Anthony Veneziale, FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME begins previews on January 30 with an official opening on February 12 at the Greenwich House Theater, 27 Barrow Street. Tickets on sale now at www.freestylelovesupreme.com.

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME features six talented performers providing non-stop action throughout this fast-paced evening, spinning cues from the audience into humorous bits, instantaneous songs and riffs, and fully realized musical numbers.  The electrifying vocals of the performers – from singing to rapping to beat-boxing with harmonies and freestyle flow – are backed by tight tunes from keyboards and human percussion.

“When Lin and I were developing In the Heights, our friend Anthony kept grabbing Lin during breaks from rehearsal and freestyling. When I heard them, I knew they were on to something special,” said Producer/Director Thomas Kail. “We spent years crafting the show after that, and many of our favorite, and most hilarious memories, are from Freestyle Love Supreme shows.  We've been waiting for just the right moment to bring the show back to New York.  It's time!”  

“Freestyle Love Supreme is the most exciting thing I’ve ever been a part of in my life. There is nothing like a live hip-hop show that is improvised from the first moment til the final curtain, and the skill set required to pull it off has introduced me to this deep bench of multi-hyphenate genius musician emcees,” said Producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. “No two shows are the same, each show its own experience. I’m so thrilled to get the band back together; and even though I’m a co-producer this time around, I selfishly hope they let me jump onstage a couple of times over the course of the run. FLS for life.”

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME features Andrew Bancroft AKA “Jelly Donut,” Arthur Lewis AKA “Arthur The Geniuses,” Bill ShermanAKA “King Sherman,” Chris Sullivan AKA “Shockwave,” Anthony Veneziale AKA “Two-Touch,” and Utkarsh Ambudkar AKA “UTK.”  

Special surprise guests are planned for select performances during the run which could include, in addition to Miranda, FLS members Chris Jackson, James Monroe Iglehart and Daveed Diggs. All audience cell phones will be checked at the door for a truly memorable and personal experience.

 

In name and beyond, FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME pays homage to John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", with a nod to musical roots in jazz, soul, blues and hip-hop.  FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME was originally developed and produced in 2004 by Ars Nova in association with Jill Furman.

The 80 minute show is directed by Thomas Kail and features set design by Beowulf Boritt; costume design by Lisa Zinni; lighting design by Jeff Croiter; and sound design by Nevin Steinberg. General Management provided by Baseline Theatrical. 

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME runs January 30 to March 2, 2019 for a strictly limited run at the Greenwich House Theater, 27 Barrow Street.  Schedule varies so please check the website. Tickets are on sale now.  For tickets, check out www.freestylelovesupreme.com.

Mariah MacCarthy's "Honors Students" at the Wild Project Oct 26 - Nov 11

Honors Students

by Mariah MacCarthy

directed by Leta Tremblay

Performances Oct 26 – Nov 11 at Wild Project

New York, NY —

Kora and Minnie are best friends. And honors students. (Duh.) They are as smart as they are mischievous. And yes they are plotting a scheme involving a lot of money and a little blood. But when their volatile relationship is threatened by Minnie’s friendship with awkward YouTube sensation Megan, all bets are off. In the tradition of Heathers and The Virgin Suicides, Mariah MacCarthy’s new play Honors Students asks one question: Who will survive?

“We were drawn to Mariah’s play Honors Students because it puts the ambiguities of female friendships and the extremes of being a teenage woman front and center,” says Olivia Levine, who plays Minnie.

Mariah MacCarthy, whose plays Mrs. Mayfield’s Fifth-Grade Class of ’93 20-Year Reunion and The Foreplay Play played in New York City apartments and whose show Baby Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People has been viewed over 42,000 times on YouTube, has a growing reputation as one of downtown’s most dauntless writers. MacCarthy’s stories feature women who are raw, flawed, honest, ambitious, complex, and searching for themselves in the midst of chaotic circumstances.

Running time is 90 minutes

Honors Students features Arielle Goldman, Chris Harcum, Olivia Levine and Thanh Ta. Honors Students is written by Mariah MacCarthy, directed by Leta Tremblay with lighting design by Cha See; sound design by Jeanne Travis; costume design by Iliana Paris; blood effects by Stephanie Cox-Williams; fight direction by Jesse Geguzis, stage management by Michelle Navis assistant direction by Dylan Hoffman and produced by Hope Chavez.

Praise for Mariah MacCarthy:

“Sweet and boisterous…The show can’t boast the square footage or the design budget or the top-shelf liquor of an extravaganza like Sleep No More, but Mrs. Mayfield’s still feels like an adventure and an event.”

—The New York Times

“MacCarthy doesn’t pull any punches…funny, moving and unapologetically candid.”

—Time Out New York

“f*cking brilliant!”

—Kate Bornstein

“I really can’t recommend this play enough—as it will likely be a highlight of your theatrical year.”

—Theatre Is Easy

“You'll laugh out loud at this fun and fascinating show... this is the one to see.”

—BroadwayWold

Performance Schedule:

Friday Oct 26 at 8PM

Sat Oct 27 at 8PM

Sun Oct 28 at 2PM *matinee

Sun Oct 28 at 8PM

Mon Oct 29 at 8PM

Thurs Nov 1 at 8PM

Fri Nov 2 at 8PM

Sat Nov 3 at 8PM

Sun Nov 4 at 2PM *matinee

Sun Nov 4 at 8PM

Mon Nov 5 at 8PM

Thurs Nov 8 at 8PM

Fri Nov 9 at 8PM

Sat Nov 10 at 2PM *matinee

Sat Nov 10 at 8PM

Sun Nov 11 at 2PM *matinee

Location:

Wild Project is located at 195 E 3rd Street (b/w Avenues A and B). F train to 2nd Ave stop.

More info at: www.thewildproject.com

Tickets: $20

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Mariah MacCarthy (playwright) is a creatrix-of-all-trades. Work developed/presented at: Ensemble Studio Theatre, Rattlestick, Primary Stages, Culture Project, New Dramatists, Theatre Row, La MaMa, HERE, Dixon Place, The Brick, Atlantic Stage 2, Fringe NYC. Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award, Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences, Indie Theater Hall of Fame, PoNY nominee. Plays: Mrs. Mayfield’s Fifth-Grade Class of ’93 20-Year Reunion ("a lot of fun " -The New York Times), Baby Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People (Ensemble Studio Theatre, viewed over 41,000 times on YouTube), The Foreplay Play (two NYIT Award nominations), Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story (twenty Looking Glass Forum Awards, FringeNYC “Outstanding Performance”), The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret(“f*cking brilliant” -Kate Bornstein). Executive Artistic Director of Caps Lock Theatre, Associate Artistic Director-at-Large of The Brick, writer-in-residence of The Propulsion Lab, member of Youngblood and Lather/Rinse/Repeat. http://www.mariahmaccarthy.com/

Leta Tremblay (director) is a Theatrical Director based in New York City who strives to create space for Intersectional Feminism, Queer Voices, and Revolution in her artistic pursuits. The New York Times called her work; “Sweet and boisterous… an adventure and an event.” She assisted acclaimed SITI Company Artistic Director Anne Bogart on Kurt Weill’s musical opera LOST IN THE STARS at CAP UCLA. Leta is a graduate of Smith College and the Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute, where she now returns as a teacher and mentor. She is the Producing Artistic Director of Caps Lock Theatre and an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. www.letatremblay.com

Hope Chavez (producer) is a creative producer, arts administrator, and activist in New York City. She is a co-founder of Lyra Theater, dedicated to serving early-career artists across New York City. Hope currently serves as the Programs Coordinator at A.R.T./New York creating programming for and serving more than 400 non-profit theaters in New York. As the Managing Producer of The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, Hope leads this developmental program occurring every summer in NYC for theatre artists 25 and younger from across the US. Select producing credits: KEEN TEENS 2016, 2017, 2018 (Keen Company), SALTY (Lyra Theater), THE 24 HOUR PLAYS OFF-BROADWAY (Roundabout), MY HEART IS IN THE EAST (La MaMa), THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI (Lyra Theater), THE UNUSUAL TALE OF MARY & JOSEPH’S BABY (FringeNYC), THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: BROADWAY 2015, 2016, 2017 (The 24 Hour Plays), LUCKY CHICK (Fringe Encore Series). Upcoming: PUSSY GRABBER PLAYS (Joe’s Pub).

DANIEL J. WATTS Brings THE JAM: ONLY CHILD to SubCulture on Monday, October 15th

DANIEL J. WATTS DEBUTS AT SUBCULTURE WITH

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH

September 18, 2018 (New York) – Daniel J. Watts (Hamilton, TBS’ “The Last O.G.,” Signature Theatre’s The Death of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World) and WattsWords Productions present Daniel J. Watts' The Jam: Only Child, an evening of music, dance, spoken word, and storytelling on Monday, October 15th at new NoHo stapleSubCulture (45 Bleecker Street). Doors open at 7pm, the show begins at 8pm.

Only Child marks the reunion between Watts and director Lileana Blain-Cruz (The House That Will Not Stand, Pipeline) who received an Obie Award for her direction of The Death of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, in which Watts played the title character. Only Child also features Jam mainstay DJ Duggz, aka Preston Dugger III (Motown the Musical, Memphis), spinning through the evening.

All advance general admission tickets are $30 through October 7th. Tickets are $40 October 8th through October 15th and can be purchased by visiting SubCultureNewYork.com/event/the-jam-only-child. Standing room tickets will be available upon sold out general admission.

“Each time I put together a new edition of The Jam, it is inspired by what is happening in the world, in my world, or in my life,” said artist and activist Watts. “This Jam has a coming of age feel. It follows my journey through the experiences that have shaped my perceptions and influenced my decision-making as I investigate the cost of holding on, and the freedom of letting go.”

A play-on-words, The Jam pays homage to Watts’ great-grandmother who, after making jam from scratch, would share with others what she was unable to consume herself. The Jam is Watts’ continuation of that legacy featuring his original spoken word, often set to music and/or dance. This is Watts’ third instillation of The Jam: Only Child after sold out performances at Joe’s Pub in the famed Public Theater, and as one of the final acts to play the historic Webster Hall.

In 2016, galvanizing cast members from Hamilton, On Your Feet, and Shuffle Along, Watts played to a packed house in Webster Hall’s Marlin Room with The Jam: Love Terrorists - A Benefit for Orlando. The event raised $7500 for the LGBT community in Orlando after the horrific attack at Pulse Night Club.

WattsWords Productions is dedicated to developing original programming including live performances, web content, and demonstrations written by Daniel J. Watts in an effort to urge communities to actively engage in focusing on their social similarities opposed to their differences.

# # #

Daniel J. Watts in The Jam: Only Child, Photo Credit - Simply Greg

BIOS

DANIEL J. WATTS has appeared in eight Broadway shows including Hamilton, In The Heights and Memphis. Off Broadway he has starred in Suzan-Lori Parks' The Death of the Last Black Man in the Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead (Signature Theatre) and the world premiere of Whorl Inside A Loop (2nd Stage). He currently appears as Felony in Tracy Morgan's new comedy series “The Last OG” on TBS. Other TV credits include recurring roles on NBC's “Blindspot” and “Smash”; HBO's “Vinyl,” “The Deuce,” “The Night Of,” and “Boardwalk Empire”; “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods” and “Person of Interest” on CBS; “Odd Mom Out” on Bravo; and “Broad City” on Comedy Central. Film: Breakup at a Wedding, Among Brothers and Freedom.

An accomplished spoken word artist, in 2012 Watts launched WattsWords Productions. Daniel J. Watts' The Jam, an homage to his great grandmother who made homemade jam from scratch and gave away what she couldn't eat herself, is a spoken word/storytelling experience fusing a live band, song, dance and multimedia where Watts encourages audiences to focus on social similarities opposed to differences. Most recently, his work is featured in the young adult anthology How I Resist edited by New York Times Best Seller Maureen Johnson for Wednesday Books/Macmillan.

An educator, Watts has also served as an adjunct professor of NYU's Tisch New Studio. He teaches his own course on how to truly engage in one's self in order to contribute meaningful and personal artistic work.

Watts is a BFA Graduate of Elon University’s Music Theatre Program and a 2011 Young Alumnus Award Recipient. For original work visit www.wattswords.com @dwattswords

LILEANA BLAIN-CRUZ is a director from New York City and Miami, and a recent recipient of an Obie Award for directing The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead at Signature Theater. Recent projects include Lucas Hnath's Red Speedo at NYTW; Alice Birch's Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again at Soho Rep; Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' War at LCT3 and Yale Rep; Henry IV Part 1 and Much Ado About Nothing at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; The Bluest Eye at The Guthrie; Christina Anderson’s Hollow Rootswhich premiered in the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater; Project Realms an electric pop opera performed at La Sala; a new translation of The Bakkhai at the Fisher Center of Performing Arts at Bard College; and A Guide to Kinship and Maybe Magic, a collaboration with choreographer Isabel Lewis and playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Dance New Amsterdam.

She received her MFA in directing from the Yale School of Drama, where she directed the opera Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, The Taming of the Shrew, Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys, Buffalo Maine, Cavity and lastly Fox Play as part of the Carlotta Festival of New Plays. She was one of the co-artistic directors of the 2011-2012 Yale Cabaret, where she directed Funnyhouse of a Negro, Vaska Vaska Glöm, and SALOME. She received both the Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize and the Pierre-Andre Salim Prize for her leadership and directing. She was an Artistic Associate of The Exchange and The Orchard Project, a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, and an Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she is currently working on a new play GURLS as part of the opening of the new Lewis Center for the Arts. Upcoming projects include Actually at MTC, Water by the Spoonful at CTG, and The House That Will Not Stand at NYTW.

PRESTON DUGGER, aka DJ DUGGZ, is a Washington, DC native that began performing in theatre and television at an early age and has appeared in Broadway shows such as Memphis and Motown, as well as on television in “Smash” and “Flesh and Bone.” Preston has had a passionate desire to make sure crowds enjoy themselves when on a stage, on screen or behind turntables. “It is my mission to go above and beyond and make sure my clients receive the best experience visually and sonically.”

Preston has DJ’ed such high-profile events as The Democratic National Committee for Hillary Clinton, and at Radio City Music Hall, Webster Hall, The Watergate Hotel, and Cipriani Wall Street. @DJDUGGZ

SATELLITE COLLECTIVE PRESENTS ECHO & NARCISSUS

New York, NY (September 10, 2018) – Satellite Collective will present Echo & Narcissus, their seventeenth interdisciplinary work, at BAM Fisher (321 Ashland Pl, Brooklyn, NY) this Friday, September 14th at 8 PM and Saturday, September 15 at 7:30 PM. Written by Satellite Artistic Director Kevin Draper and composed by Aaron Severini, Echo & Narcissus is directed by Philip Stoddard and features choreography by Norbert De La Cruz III. The evening will seamlessly intertwine a myriad of artforms, including live chamber performance, visual art, ballet, digital multimedia, and opera, in order to literally immerse the audience in art. Echo & Narcissus will showcase an incredible ensemble of acclaimed and accomplished dancers, including Matteo Fiorani, Timothy Stickney, Joslin Vezeau, and Tara Youngmen, along with singers Christine Taylor Price and Philip Stoddard. Tickets are now available.

“We work at the intersection of dance, visual art and music - and we use architects and poets as the glue,” said Founding Artistic Director Kevin Draper. “Echo & Narcissus will be our first, focused, evening-length work where group action has to resonate in service to the story. We're crafting a pretty high level of intensity for the audience.”

New York, 1971. Narcissus, a rebellious yet charismatic outsider, hunts alone in the city at night. He's come south from his father's kingdom on the city's outer coast. Echo, a young nymph and socialite, falls for Narcissus and they hook up. Her brother and the other nymphs fail in their attempt to separate her from Narcissus and one night the two commit an irrevocable crime. Echo's brother tries with more urgency to separate the two but is instead drawn into an adventure that ends with tragedy.

Satellite Collective, led by Artistic Director Kevin Draper, was founded in 2010 with members of the New York City Ballet, visual artists, writers, and composers from across the United States. Since then, the Collective has produced five seasons of multi-disciplinary work in New York City, Michigan and the Pacific Northwest. With the belief that artists of all mediums should collaborate as equals, globally and virtually, Satellite has fearlessly fused dance, music, film, and spoken word into their unique vision. An artistic incubator at the highest level, and an “admirably cooperative endeavor” (New York Times), the Collective has served as a launching pad for young choreographers, composers, film makers, poets and visual artists. With an ever-growing and impressive roster of artists from the New York City Ballet, The Juilliard School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Bowery Poetry Club, “Satellite Collective aims to open up the stage to diverse artistic practice, producing alternate channels for performance to envelop their audiences while channeling theatrical and choreographic gesture, film, stagecraft, and storytelling into a total artwork” (New York Observer).

The production team for Echo & Narcissus also includes lighting designer Brandon Stirling Baker, film maker Lora Robertson, production designer Kevin Draper, projection designer Simon Harding, and live music by ShoutHouse.

Tickets for Echo & Narcissus are $25 and are available online at www.SatelliteCollective.org.

The Satellite Collective is proud to receive support from BAM, Jerome Robbins Foundation, Frey Foundation, Nestle, SAP, 92Y, DeVos Institute of Arts Management, Brooklyn Arts Council, and many other government, public and private supporters.

PUBLIC THEATER NEWS! 2018-19 Season Announced

THE PUBLIC THEATER ANNOUNCES 2018-19 SEASON

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY CONOR MᴄPHERSON
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY BOB DYLAN

MOTHER OF THE MAID BY JANE ANDERSON, DIRECTED BY MATTHEW PENN
FEATURING GLENN CLOSE

EVE’S SONG BY EMERGING WRITERS GROUP ALUM PATRICIA IONE LLOYD
DIRECTED BY JO BONNEY

WILD GOOSE DREAMS BY PUBLIC STUDIO ALUM HANSOL JUNG
DIRECTED BY LEIGH SILVERMAN

SEA WALL / A LIFE WRITTEN BY SIMON STEPHENS AND NICK PAYNE
RESPECTIVELY
DIRECTED BY CARRIE CRACKNELL, FEATURING TOM STURRIDGE AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL, RESPECTIVELY

WHITE NOISE BY PUBLIC MASTER WRITER CHAIR SUZAN-LORI PARKS
DIRECTED BY OSKAR EUSTIS

AIN’T NO MO’ BY PUBLIC STUDIO ALUM JORDAN E. COOPER
DIRECTED BY STEVIE WALKER-WEBB

SOCRATE BY TIM BLAKE NELSON
DIRECTED BY DOUG HUGHES

MOJADA BY LUIS ALFARO
DIRECTED BY CHAY YEW

JOE’S PUB CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

15th ANNUAL UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL

FREE MOBILE UNIT TOURS TO FIVE BOROUGHS
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM DIRECTED BY JENNY KOONS
THE TEMPEST DIRECTED BY LUCAS CALEB ROONEY

Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham announced the line-up today for The Public’s 2018-19 Season at their landmark home on 425 Lafayette Street. The iconic New York destination, which includes five theaters and Joe’s Pub, as well as The Library restaurant, has been home to over 50 years of revolutionary theater, and continues this season with new work by Emerging Writers Group alum and 2017-18 Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence Patricia Ione Lloyd, Public Studio alumni Hansol Jung and Jordan E. Cooper, Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks, Conor McPherson, Simon Stephens, Nick Payne, Jane Anderson, Tim Blake Nelson, and Luis Alfaro, as well as the continuation of year-round and community engagement programming: Mobile Unit, Public Works, Under the Radar Festival, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Shakespeare Initiative, Emerging Writers Group, and the beloved Free Shakespeare in the Park.

“This is a season of spectacular, ambitious projects, highlighted by a burst of young playwrights,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “Patricia Ione Lloyd, Hansol Jung, and Jordan E. Cooper will be making their Public Theater mainstage debuts. Public Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks has written a brilliant and disturbing reflection on our current state of race relations, White Noise; masters Jane Anderson, Luis Alfaro, Conor McPherson, and Bob Dylan are working at the height of their powers; and actors Glenn Close, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tom Sturridge will light up Astor Place.”

Joe’s Pub at The Public celebrates 20 years of extraordinary programming this fall. In addition to presenting cutting-edge performances year-round, Joe’s Pub continues its Vanguard Residency with Nona Hendryx, featuring a new show commissioned with Carrie Mae Weems titled Refrigerated Dreams; presents a new commission in the fall with Murray Hill; ongoing residencies with Pub favorites Shaina Taub, This Alien Nation, Isaac Oliver, Mx Justin Vivian Bond, The Illustrious Blacks, Public Forum, Public Shakespeare Initiative, and more; as well as Joe’s Pub national and international projects in Philadelphia, Long Island, Washington, D.C., and Edinburgh this year.

Hamilton, the acclaimed Public Theater production, can be seen on Broadway, London’s West End, and on tours nationally, while the Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home will play at the Young Vic in London this fall. Public Works continues to expand its global reach with continuing partnerships in Dallas, presenting The Winter’s Tale at the end of summer 2018; and in Seattle, presenting As You Like It in fall 2019. In London, The National Theatre will present a Public Works-inspired production ofPericles in August 2018, developed by their own community-based initiative, PUBLIC ACTS.

Patrons who join The Public Theater as a donor starting with a gift of $65 gain early access to tickets for shows and events throughout the year. To find out how you can support The Public by joining one of the donor programs, visitwww.publictheater.org/support or call 212-967-7555. Tickets for the 2018-19 season will go on sale later this year.

The Library at The Public continues to be open nightly for food and drinks, beginning at 5:30 p.m., with an American menucreated by Chefs Andrew Carmellini and John Ramirez, featuring local ingredients and New York influence.

THE PUBLIC THEATER’S 2018-19 SEASON:

North American Premiere
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
Written and Directed by Conor McPherson
Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan
September 11 - November 4, 2018

Following a critically acclaimed, sold-out run at London’s Old Vic and a West End transfer, the astonishing new show from Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Conor McPherson and music icon Bob Dylan will make its North American premiere at The Public with an American cast. Dylan’s inimitable songbook is authentically transformed into this achingly beautiful story of a down-on-its-luck community on the brink of change in Dylan’s hometown, Duluth, Minnesota, in 1934. Named “one of the greatest playwrights working today” by Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times, McPherson has created a mythical new show, weaving the music of our greatest poet-singer-songwriter into a piercing drama about home, heart, and the searching determination of the American soul.

 

New York Premiere
MOTHER OF THE MAID
Written by Jane Anderson
Directed by Matthew Penn
Featuring Glenn Close
September 25 - November 18, 2018

Six-time Academy Award nominee and three-time Tony and Emmy Award winner Glenn Close returns to The Public in a breathtaking new play by Emmy winner Jane Anderson. MOTHER OF THE MAID tells the story of Joan of Arc’s mother (Glenn Close), a sensible, hard-working, God-fearing peasant woman whose faith is upended as she deals with the baffling journey of her odd and extraordinary daughter. This riveting play is an epic tale told through an unexpected and remarkable new perspective. Emmy nominee Matthew Penn directs this deeply moving drama about the glories and challenges of raising an exceptional child.

World Premiere
EVE’S SONG
Written by Patricia Ione Lloyd
Directed by Jo Bonney
October 23 - December 2, 2018
Developed in residence as the Tow Playwright-in-Residence at The Public Theater

From The Public’s Emerging Writers Group alum and 2017-18 Tow Playwright-in-Residence Patricia Ione Lloydand Obie Award-winning director Jo Bonney comes a stunning, genre-bending new drama about the haunting of a black family in America. In the aftermath of a messy divorce and a daughter coming out as queer, Deborah is trying to keep things normal at home. But as black people continue to be killed beyond their four walls, the outside finds its way in, blurring the lines between family dynamics, politics, and the spirit world. How long can family dinners keep the dangers outside at bay? Filled with dark humor and boiling suspense, EVE’S SONG examines our present racial climate through the eyes of a regular American family.


New York Premiere

WILD GOOSE DREAMS

Written by Hansol Jung

Directed by Leigh Silverman

October 30 - December 9, 2018

A co-production with La Jolla Playhouse

 

After its initial run in The Public’s Public Studio, Hansol Jung’s fascinating and unforgettable new play WILD GOOSE DREAMSreturns in a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse, where it had a critically acclaimed run last season. Minsung is a “goose father,” a South Korean man whose wife and daughter have moved to America for a better life. Deeply lonely, he escapes onto the internet and meets Nanhee, a young defector forced to leave her family behind in North Korea. Amidst the endless noise of the modern world, where likes and shares have taken the place of love and touch, Minsung and Nanhee try their best to be real for each other. But after a lifetime of division and separation, is connection possible? Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman directs this strikingly original play with music about two people, from two cultures, forced to choose between family and freedom.


FREE Mobile Unit: Fall

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Jenny Koons

Sit-down run at The Public Theater: October 29 - November 18, 2018

Following a three-week tour in the five boroughs


This fall, a classic New York City block party becomes the enchanted setting where fairies work their mischief in Shakespeare’s beloved play A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. Acclaimed director Jenny Koons takes you to the royal wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, where a celebratory play is being rehearsed. But the real drama is unfolding in the concrete jungle of fairy King Oberon. There, four young New Yorkers discover the course of true love runs anything but smooth, as supernatural sprites and the lovable Puck conspire to reveal what fools we mortals be, and draw us all into the collective dream of romance and merriment.


15th Edition
UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL
January 3-13, 2019


Curated by UTR Director Mark Russell, the 15th edition of this highly-anticipated downtown winter festival will bring together exciting artists from around the world who are redefining the act of making theater.

FRANKENSTEIN (First Show Announced of the Festival)
By Manual Cinema

Two hundred years ago, 18-year-old Mary Shelley conceived a ghost story about birth, creation, and abandonment that would become the world’s first science-fiction masterpiece. Internationally renowned multimedia company Manual Cinema stitches together the classic story of Frankenstein with Mary Shelley's biography to create a full-length, unexpected story about the beauty and horror of creation. Using an ingenious “laboratory" of cameras, overhead projectors, actors, and puppets—and accompanied live by a chamber ensemble—Manual Cinema’s FRANKENSTEIN assembles music, theater, and silent film to create a Frankenstein like you’ve never seen before. Full UTR line-up to be announced in the fall.

New York Premiere
SEA WALL / A LIFE
Written by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne, respectively
Directed by Carrie Cracknell
Featuring Tom Sturridge and Jake Gyllenhaal, respectively
January 26 - March 24, 2019

Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Tony Award nominee Tom Sturridge make their Public Theater debuts in an unforgettable and incredibly intimate evening of theater. Sturridge, in his third collaboration with Tony and Olivier Award winner Simon Stephens, performs SEA WALL, an astonishing monologue about love and the human need to know the unknowable. Gyllenhaal continues his artistic collaboration with Olivier Award-nominated playwright Nick Payne in A LIFE, a meditation on how we say goodbye to those we love most. Directed by Carrie Cracknell, this heart-filled exploration of the beauty of life and the meaning of love, SEA WALL / A LIFE is an evening of dramatic storytelling at its best.

World Premiere
WHITE NOISE
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Oskar Eustis
February 19 - March 31, 2019

Following her critically acclaimed trilogy Father Comes Home From The Wars, Parts 1, 2, & 3, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and The Public’s Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks returns with a world premiere play about race, friendship, and our rapidly unraveling social contract. Long-time friends and lovers Leo, Misha, Ralph, and Dawn are educated, progressive, cosmopolitan, and woke. But when a racially motivated incident with the cops leaves Leo shaken, he decides extreme measures must be taken for self-preservation. The Public’s Artistic Director Oskar Eustis directs this fierce new drama about what happens when the unspoken and the unspeakable come head-to-head.

World Premiere
AIN’T NO MO’
Written by Jordan E. Cooper
Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb
March 12 - April 21, 2019

AIN’T NO MO’, first seen in The Public’s Public Studio, is a vibrant satirical odyssey portraying the great exodus of black Americans out of a country plagued with injustice. In a kaleidoscope of scenes of the moments before, during, and after this outrageous departure, Jordan E. Cooper’s masterful new work explores the value of black lives in a country hurtling away from the promise of a black president. Stevie Walker-Webb directs this wildly imaginative and emotionally charged play.

 

World Premiere
SOCRATES
Written by Tim Blake Nelson
Directed by Doug Hughes
April 2 - May 19, 2019
In collaboration with the Onassis Cultural Center NY, with support of Onassis Foundation USA


SOCRATES is a witty and endlessly fascinating new drama about a complicated man who changed how the world thought. This powerful new play by actor, director, and writer Tim Blake Nelson is an intellectual thrill ride from the philosopher’s growing prominence in democratic Athens through the military and social upheavals that led to one of the most infamous executions in Western history. Tony Award winner Doug Hughes directs SOCRATES, a timely and timeless new work that serves as a passionate tribute to the man who continues to inspire us to question authority and defend freedom of belief.

FREE Mobile Unit: Spring

THE TEMPEST
Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Lucas Caleb Rooney

Sit-down run at The Public Theater: April 29 - May 19, 2019
Following a three-week tour in the five boroughs

 

Magic and mayhem continue their wicked work in THE TEMPEST, directed by Obie Award winner Lucas Caleb Rooney. When a storm shipwrecks King Alonso and his royal entourage on the island home of Prospero and his daughter Miranda, secrets and suspicions lead to drunken distrust and murderous plots. But love plays games with revenge, and the stuff of nightmares becomes the stuff of dreams in this magical comedy about the human heart, lost at sea.   

New York Premiere
MOJADA

Written by Luis Alfaro

Directed by Chay Yew

July 2 - August 11, 2019

 

MacArthur Genius Award-winning playwright Luis Alfaro returns with the New York premiere of his stirring drama about love, immigration, and sacrifice, inspired by the Ancient Greek story of Medea. Helmed by Chay Yew, this play masterfully combines ancient storytelling with the most pressing issues facing our country today, following a young Mexican mother who gives up everything to bring her son to America, only to find America demands even more. Alfaro’s Oedipus El Rey, produced last season in collaboration with The Sol Project, was hailed by The New York Times as a “dynamic reminder that we are living in a political moment when stories matter.” With great poetry, humor, and heart, MOJADA is a bold new telling of a story as old as tragedy itself.

 

ONGOING PROGRAMS AT THE PUBLIC THEATER:

DEVISED THEATER INITIATIVE at The Public is one of the first of its kind in the U.S., providing support and resources to the next generation of independent artists and ensembles. The Public Theater has been a strong supporter of the devised theater movement and has helped promote the work of prominent and emerging devised theatermakers. Through The Public’s annual Under the Radar Festival and year-round downtown season at Astor Place, many examples of this inventive art form have been brought to the attention of audiences in New York and around the world.

EMERGING WRITERS GROUP is a component of The Public Writers Initiative, a long-term program that provides key support and resources for writers at every stage of their careers. In just 10 years, it has nurtured numerous playwrights who have gone on to have their plays staged at The Public and elsewhere around the country. Time Warner is the Founding Sponsor of the Emerging Writers Group, and provides continued program support through the Time Warner Foundation.

 

FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is one of the cornerstones of The Public Theater’s mission. Since 1962, over five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals. This summer, The Public presents OTHELLO (May 29-June 24), directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson; and TWELFTH NIGHT (July 17-August 19), a reimagining of the 2016 Public Works production, with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub and directed by The Public’s Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Kwame Kwei-Armah. Lead support for Free Shakespeare in the Park provided by Bank of America and The Jerome L. Greene Foundation.

 

JOE’S PUB AT THE PUBLIC, named for Public Theater founder Joseph Papp, opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community, and artistic freedom. The organization also offers opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that helps musicians develop original theater works; Joe’s Pub Working Group, an artist development initiative; The Vanguard Award & Residency, a yearlong series that celebrates the career of a prolific and influential artist; and nationwide programming partnerships. Commissioned artists have included Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, Daniel Alexander Jones, Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Allen Toussaint, and more. The venue’s food and beverage partner is the venerated Noho Hospitality Group, helmed by acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. Support for New York Voices provided by the National Endowment of the Arts.

THE LIBRARY AT THE PUBLIC is open nightly for dinner and cocktail service. Chefs Andrew Carmellini and John Ramirez have created an American menu of bar snacks, shareable appetizers, sandwiches, dinner plates, and desserts sourcing local ingredients and New York influence that is available in both The Library and Joe’s Pub.

MOBILE UNIT is a reinvention of Joseph Papp’s Mobile Shakespeare program, beginning in 1957 with the simple idea that theater belongs to everyone, evolving into the New York Shakespeare Festival and ultimately becoming The Public Theater. Now in its eighth year, the Mobile Unit meets audiences where they are by presenting world-class Shakespeare and other works in recreation centers, prisons, senior centers, schools, and other community gathering places across the five boroughs. The Mobile Unit has already toured Henry V, The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, Pericles, Measure for Measure, Richard III, and Much Ado About Nothing. The Mobile Unit is made possible with the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Tow Foundation, The Herbert McLaughlin Children's CLUT, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and JetBlue Airways. Additional support provided by Susan & David Edelstein and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

PUBLIC FORUM, now in its ninth season, brings together surprising combinations of artists, audiences, and experts to explore the issues and ideas raised on our stages. Through one-of-a-kind events and our digital engagement platform Digiturgy, Public Forum engages both the world of our plays and the world at large with some of the most original thinkers of today.

PUBLIC SHAKESPEARE INITIATIVE offers a wide range of programming which includes larger Public Shakespeare Presents evenings, blending incisive commentary by scholars and other thinkers with compelling live performances by artists of all disciplines; intimate Public Shakespeare Talks, giving audiences unique insight into the artistic and intellectual processes of leading Shakespeare practitioners working in the theater; Artist Development Programs, to cultivate some of the most visionary artistic minds working on Shakespeare today; and Education Programs, specifically the Hunts Point Children’s Shakespeare Ensemble, which The Shakespeare Society co-founded with the Hunts Point Alliance for Children over a decade ago, and which has offered hundreds of elementary and middle school students the opportunity to develop their confidence, knowledge, and creativity through the transformative experience of bringing Shakespeare’s words to life onstage in the 10 Shakespeare productions the Ensemble has presented.


PUBLIC STUDIO is a performance series dedicated exclusively to developing the work of emerging writers. In a laboratory environment, writers rehearse with actors and a director, incorporate bare-bones design elements, and open the process to an audience over a series of performances. More than a reading or workshop, but not a full production, this middle step affords early career writers the important opportunity to deepen their experience of working collaboratively over an extended rehearsal period and to see their work staged in front of an audience. Previous Public Studio plays include Ain’t No Mo’ by Jordan E. Cooper, Masculinity Max by MJ Kaufman, On the Grounds of Belonging by Ricardo Pérez González, Wild Goose Dreams by Hansol Jung, Pretty Hunger by Patricia Ione Lloyd, Teenage Dick by Mike Lew, Ping Pong by Rogelio Martinez, Fidelis by Christina Gorman, Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle, and The Urban Retreat by A. Zell Williams. Each year one Public Studio production is designated The Lisa Quiroz Emerging Writers Group/Public Studio Production, in honor of former Public Theater Trustee Lisa Garcia Quiroz, who, as Chief Diversity Officer and SVP of Cultural Investments at Time Warner, was instrumental in forming EWG and Public Studio. Public Studio was founded with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Time Warner Foundation. Continued support for Public Studio is provided by Time Warner Foundation.

PUBLIC WORKS, now in its sixth year, is a major initiative of The Public Theater that seeks to engage the people of New York by making them creators and not just spectators. Working with community partners in all five boroughs, Public Works invites members of New York City communities to participate in theater workshops, attend classes, attend productions, and become involved in the daily life of The Public. Founded by Resident Director Lear deBessonet and currently led by Public Works Director Laurie Woolery, Public Works deliberately blurs the line between professional artists and community members, creating theater that is not only for the people, but by and of the people as well. The community partner organizations of Public Works are Brownsville Recreation Center (Brooklyn), Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), DreamYard Project (Bronx), The Fortune Society (Queens), Military Resilience Foundation (all boroughs), and alumni partners Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education (Bronx), Children’s Aid (Manhattan), and Domestic Workers United (all boroughs). Lead support for Public Works is provided by The Ford Foundation, The Hearst Foundations, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and The Tow Foundation. Additional support is provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., The One World Fund, David Rockefeller Fund, The SHS Foundation, New York Community Trust, and New York State Council on the Arts. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL, over the past 14 years, has presented over 229 companies from 42 countries. It has grown into a landmark of the New York City theater season and is a vital part of The Public's mission, providing a high-visibility platform to support artists from diverse backgrounds who are redefining the act of making theater. Widely recognized as a premier launching pad for new and cutting-edge performance from the U.S. and abroad, UTR has presented works by such respected artists as 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Elevator Repair Service, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, Belarus Free Theatre, Guillermo Calderón, and Young Jean Lee. These artists provide a snapshot of contemporary theater: richly distinct in terms of perspectives, aesthetics, and social practice and pointing to the future of the art form. 

ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER:

 

THE PUBLIC is theater of, by, and for all people. Artist-driven, radically inclusive, and fundamentally democratic, The Public continues the work of its visionary founder Joseph Papp as a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation’s first nonprofit theaters, The Public has long operated on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. The Public’s wide breadth of programming includes an annual season of new work at its landmark home at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, The Mobile Unit touring throughout New York City’s five boroughs, Public Forum, Under the Radar, Public Studio, Emerging Writers Group, Public Works, Public Shakespeare Initiative, and Joe’s Pub.  Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public continues to create the canon of American Theater and is currently represented on Broadway, in London and around the country by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Their programs and productions can also be seen nationally and internationally across the country and around the world. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 170 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Desk Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. publictheater.org

American Lyric Theater Announces 2016-2017 Season Featuring Three New Operas in Development

  • The Halloween Tree - Based on the Novel by Ray Bradbury

Music by Theo Popov; Libretto by Tony Asaro

  • The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing

Music by Justine F. Chen; Libretto by David Simpatico

  • Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant

Music by Evan Meier; Libretto by E.M. Lewis

American Lyric Theater (ALT) - founded by Lawrence Edelson in 2005 to build a new body of operatic repertoire by nurturing composers and librettists and providing an incubator for their collaborations - announces its 2016-2017 Season. The season begins with the InsightALT series, providing an insider's look at how new operas are made, featuring concert readings of operas in development at ALT, including The Halloween Tree, The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing, and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant. The season concludes with the return of the critically acclaimed ALT Alumni: Composers & Librettists in Concert, celebrating the success of prominent alumni of American Lyric Theater's innovative Composer Librettist Development Program. Tickets are available at www.altnyc.org.

"This season, we are very excited to share three exciting new operas being developed under the auspices of the Composer Librettist Development Program at ALT, as well as to showcase the work of our alumni who are creating new operas for companies across the country," stated Edelson. "These operas range from an adaptation of a classic Ray Bradbury novel for family audiences, to a historical fantasia on one of the most brilliant mathematicians of the 20th Century. We are looking forward to building upon our relationships with Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Concert Hall and MasterVoices for the presentation of our InsightALT series; and to our new partnership with the Morgan Library & Museum to present our Alumni concert in Gilder Lehrman Concert Hall. Through these partnerships, more audiences than ever before will be able to get a glimpse behind the process of creating new operas, and enjoy some of the most exciting new works being written today."

"The essential contemporary opera lab." - The New Yorker 

AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER'S 2016-2017 SEASON: 

  • InsightALT

Presented by American Lyric Theater and Kaufman Music Center at Merkin Concert Hall

The InsightALT series provides an insider's look at how new operas are made. Each event features a concert reading of a new opera in development at American Lyric Theater, with guest singers from the world's leading opera houses, followed by a discussion with the composer and librettist of each work, moderated by ALT's Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Lawrence Edelson.

  • The Halloween Tree

Presented in partnership with MasterVoices

October 30, 2016 at 3pm

Location: Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center - 129 W. 67th Street, New York, NY  

Based on Ray Bradbury's classic novel that explores the origins of Halloween, composer Theo Popov and librettist Tony Asaro take us on an epic journey as a group of children search for their friend Pipkin who has mysteriously disappeared on Halloween night. Conductor: Adam Turner. Featuring: Emma Grimsley, Shirin Eskandani, Brian Wallin, Michael Kelly, and Jarrett Porter with members of MasterVoices.

  • The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing

Presented in partnership with MasterVoices

January 12, 2017 at 7:30pm

Location: Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center - 129 W. 67th Street, New York, NY

With music by Justine F. Chen and libretto by David Simpatico, this opera is a historical-fantasia inspired by the life of the groundbreaking computer scientist, Alan Turing. Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya. Featuring Jonathan Michie as Alan Turing, with Keely Futterer, Elise Quagliata Andrew Bidlack, Jack Swanson,Joseph Beutel and Thomas Shivone, with members of MasterVoices.

  • Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant

March 26, 2017 at 3pm

Location: Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center - 129 W. 67th Street, New York, NY  

A mash-up honoring the classic detective stories of Sherlock Holmes in a romp through a fairy tale world to solve a mystery unlike any Holmes and Watson have encountered before. With a playful libretto by E.M Lewis and mysterious score by Evan Meier, the game's afoot! Conductor: Ari Pelto. Featuring: Sharleen Joynt, Jennifer Black, Steven Eddy, and David Kravitz.

The 2016-2017 season will conclude in April with ALT Alumni: Composers & Librettists in Concert, presented by American Lyric Theater and The Morgan Library & Museum. This concert celebrates the success of prominent alumni of American Lyric Theater's innovative Composer Librettist Development Program, singers from the country's leading opera houses perform excerpts of recently premiered operas and works in development.

  • ALT Alumni: Composers & Librettists in Concert

Presented by American Lyric Theater and The Morgan Library & Museum

April 23, 2017 at 3pm

Location: Morgan Library & Museum in the Gilder Lehrman Hall - 225 Madison Ave, New York, NY

Excerpts from JFK by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek*, After the Storm by David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleischmann*, Steal a Pencil for Me by Gerald Cohen* and Deborah Brevoort*, and The Copper Queen by Clint Borzoni* and John de los Santos.(*denotes CLDP alumni)

For more information, please visit:

AMANDA SELWYN DANCE THEATRE presents White Night 2016 - Costumes and Cocktails

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presents the annual White Night 2016 - Costumes and Cocktailson Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 6:30 pm at 401 East 34th Street, 2nd floor, NYC, 10016.  White Night 2016 will celebrate and honor long-time collaborator Anna-Alisa Belous and the many designs she has created for Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre. The evening will include delicious food and drink, live dance performance, live music, a fashion show, a wine auction, giveaways, and much, much more. Regular tickets are $75, and Patron tickets are $150, and are available at http://amandaselwyn.notesinmotion.org/?event_code=116. The attire will be white and black festive attire.

At White Night 2016 - Costumes and Cocktails, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre will preview a new developing work, Refuge.  Refuge will develop into an evening-length dance theatre piece that embodies the drama of solitude, the power of connection, the quiet and the noise of the self and the other. Inspired by Francesco Clemente's Encampment, Refuge will magnify humanity through character, relationships, and motif. Selwyn will develop this work throughout 2016 and early 2017, with open rehearsals, studio performances, and work-in-progress showings at NYC public schools in partnership with our arts education arm. 

Refuge will include Six dancers; costumes, scenery, and props designed by Anna Alisa Belous; sound design by Joel Wilhelmi; projection design by Zachary Ludescher; and lighting design by Dan Ozminkowski. The choreography and production design will explore isolation and inner reflection. When seeking personal refuge, we go deep inside ourselves and begin an internal journey of transformation and enlightenment. Selwyn will translate this personal journey into a vocabulary of immediate, athletic, sensuous, and raw movement that has come to define her work. The piece will include a progressive series of solos and duets punctuated by group sections that magnify the personal experience into a shared one.

For more information, please visit: www.amandaselwyndance.org

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET presents Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Florence Gould Hall

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Keith Michael's The Nutcracker from December 11-13, 2015 at Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, NYC (between Park and Madison Avenues). Performances are Friday at 12pm; Saturday at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm; and Sunday at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm. Tickets are $24 for children 12 and under and $34 for adults, and are available online at www.nytb.org, via Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787, or in person at the Florence Gould Hall box office at (212) 355-6160. For group sales: 212-679-0401 or email groups@nytb.org.

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns for a fifth year of Keith Michael's The Nutcracker, an enchanting holiday ballet. From clockwork imps to a luminous owl that flies above the audience, mice dressed in polka dots and dancers dancing with huge chopsticks, this timeless re-imagined classic bursts with energy and excitement. This holiday ballet, danced to Tchaikovsky's beloved score, is set in Art Nouveau style circa 1907 with innovative choreography by long-time NYTB choreographer, Keith Michael, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith, and costumes by Metropolitan Opera's Resident Costume Designer Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan. This one-hour ballet is perfect for ages 3 and up! 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

  • Friday, December 11, 2015 at 12 pm
  • Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm
  • Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm

For more information, visit: www.nytb.org

NYTB's BALLET SCHOOL NY announces 2015-16 training program beginning Monday, Sep 21

Ballet School NY, the official training school of New York Theatre Ballet, is pleased to announce its 2015-16 training program, beginning Monday, September 21, 2015 at NYTB's home studio, located at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 E. 10th Street, 2nd Floor, New York City. Classes will be offered Monday through Saturday. Cost ranges from $1,075 to $3,940 per year, depending on the age and level of the student. An annual recital on June 11, 2016 will conclude the 2015-16 training program.

Qualified children will perform with New York Theatre Ballet throughout the year in special roles created for student dancers. The studio trains in the Cecchetti method, a technique founded by Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti. The school teaches dance as a total art form, developing strong technical skill and discipline. Following the Cecchetti syllabus, classes emphasize music, theatricality, gesture and style. Well-trained Cecchetti dancers have purity of line and simplicity of style, which enables them to take their place in dance companies throughout the world. For the advanced students, a once-a-week workshop is part of the curriculum. Offerings, including jazz, theater dance, modern dance, partnering, change every six weeks.

"There is always a teaching assistant in every class and we teach to the individual child," said Diana Byer, Founder and Artistic Director of NYTB. "Every child gets personal attention in each class."

The Company's 2015/2016 season will include repertory performances at the Schimmel Center Pace University (September 19-20, 2015), Danspace (October 1-3, 2015), and New York Live Arts (February 24-27, 2016). NYTB maintains its association with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall (December 20, 2015), and the Company's Once Upon A Ballet series for children will continue at Florence Gould Hall throughout the year. NYTB will also continue to offer its Free Ticket Program for families who are unable to afford to attend performances.

For registration and more information, visit www.nytb.org/ballet-school-ny.

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET Announces 2015-16 Season

New York Theatre Ballet announces the 2015-16 season, which will include repertory performances at Schimmel Center at Pace University (September 19-20, 2015), Danspace Project (October 1-3, 2015), and New York Live Arts (February 24-27, 2016). NYTB maintains its association with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and the Company's Once Upon A Ballet series for children will continue at Florence Gould Hall throughout the year. NYTB will also continue to offer its Free Ticket Program for families who are unable to afford to attend performances.

New York Theatre Ballet's 2015-16 Season includes:

· September 19-20, 2015 - Schimmel Center at Pace University

· October 1-3, 2015 - Danspace Project

· December 6, 2015 - Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Tarrytown Music Hall

· December 11-13, 2015 - Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Florence Gould Hall

· December 19, 2015 - Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at The Colonial Theater

· December 20, 2015 - A Charlie Brown Christmas with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall

· February 24-27, 2016 - Glass Project at New York Live Arts

· April 10-11, 2016 - Cinderella at The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, Albany, NY

· April 17, 20156 - Cinderella at Florence Gould Hall

· April 28-29, 2016 - Legends & Visionaries at Keihin Auditorium, Tarboro, North Carolina

· May 1, 2016 - The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies at 92Y

New York Theatre Ballet at Schimmel Center at Pace University

September 19 and 20 at 7:30 (Legends & Visionaries) and September 20 at 3pm (Cinderella)

Tickets: $29 for the evening shows; $20 for Adults and $10 for Students for Cinderella

Box office: 212-346-1715; Ovation Tix 866-811-4111; www.schimmel.pace.edu

New York Theatre Ballet brings fresh insight into classic revivals paired with the modern sensibilities of both established and up-and-coming choreographers. Featured choreographers include Merce Cunningham, Nicolo Fonte, Agnes deMille,and Pam Tanowitz. Cinderella, a perennial favorite of NYTB audiences, features a dancing clock, two wacky stepsisters, and everyone's favorite rags to riches princess. This enchanting story, with choreography by Donald Mahler, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith, and costumes by Resident Costume Designer of the Metropolitan Opera, Sylvia Taalson Nolan, will delight the whole family.

New York Theatre Ballet at Danspace Project; Legends & Visionaries

October 1-3, 2015

Tickets: $20, $15 for Danspace Members

Box office: 866-811-4111; www.danspaceproject.org

New York Theatre Ballet performs a mixed bill at Danspace Project featuring Two Timing, Cross Currents, and Lois Bewley's PiR2.Based on Steve Reich's Clapping Music, Two Timing is choreographed by David Parker with costume designs by Pei-Chi Su and lighting design by Serena Wong. Merce Cunningham's Cross Currents is set to music by Conlon Nancarrow with lighting design by Beverly Emmons. These performances are presented through Community ACCESS, which provides subsidized off-season rental opportunities for Danspace Project community members.

New York Theatre Ballet performs Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Tarrytown Music Hall

December 6, 2015 at 2pm and 5pm

Box office: 877-840-0457; www.tarrytownmusichall.org

New York Theatre Ballet performs Keith Michael's The Nutcrackerat Florence Gould Hall

December 11 at 12pm, December 12 & 13 at 11am, 1pm, & 3:30pm

Tickets: $35 via www.ticketmaster.com; Group Sales: 212-679-0401 or email groups@nytb.org

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns with Keith Michael's The Nutcracker, an enchanting holiday ballet. From clockwork imps to a luminous owl that flies above the audience, mice dressed in polka dots and dancers dancing with huge chopsticks, this timeless, re-imagined classic bursts with energy and excitement. This holiday ballet, danced to Tchaikovsky's beloved score, is set in Art Nouveau style circa 1907 with innovative choreography by long-time NYTB choreographer, Keith Michael; set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith; and costumes by Resident Costume Designer of the Metropolitan Opera, Sylvia Nolan.  Ages 3-9. 

New York Theatre Ballet performs Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at The Colonial Theater

December 19 at 2pm and 5pm

Box office: 603-352-2033; www.thecolonial.org 

New York Theatre Ballet performs with The New York Pops in A Charlie Brown Christmas at Carnegie Hall

December 20, 2015 at 3pm

Tickets: $10, $18, and $25

Box office: 212-247-7800; www.carnegiehall.org

New York Theatre Ballet joins Steven Reineke, The New York Pops and John Bolton bringing holiday spirit to Manhattan with classic tunes from Charles M. Schulz's hit franchise.  

New York Theatre Ballet at New York Live Arts; Legends & Visionaries

February 24-27, 2016 at 7:30pm, February 27, 2016 at 2:30pm

Tickets: $30, $15 students/seniors

Box office: 212-924-0077; www.newyorklivearts.org

New York Theatre Ballet returns to New York Live Arts with its highly acclaimed Legends & Visionaries series. The program includes a world premiere choreographed by San Francisco choreographer Milissa Bradley and former New York City Ballet dancer Antonia Franceschi to live accompaniment of Piano Etudes by Philip Glass. NYTB will also present a revival of Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs, which had its premiere on February 2, 1984 at the New York State Theater. The performance will feature original lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, and original costume design by Florence Kotz. The return of Richard Alston's Such Longing, with music by Frederic Chopin, will conclude the evening.

New York Theatre Ballet at The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, Albany, NY; Cinderella

April 10, 2016 at 3pm; April 11 at 10:15am (school performance)

Box office: 518-473-1845; www.theegg.org 

New York Theatre Ballet at Florence Gould Hall

April 17, 2016 at 11am, 1pm, 3:30pm

New York Theatre Ballet at Keihin Auditorium, Tarboro, North Carolina; Legends & Visionaries

April 28-29, 2016

Box office: 252-823-5166, ext. 187; www.edgecombe.edu

New York Theatre Ballet at 92Y; The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies

May 1, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $35 adults, $25 children

Box office: 212-415-5500; www.92y.org

New York Theatre Ballet brings The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies with choreography by Keith Michael to 92Y! Follow Alice's adventures through Wonderland as she meets some of the most beloved characters in children's literature.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts 2015-16 Season: Dance

Featuring Step Afrika!, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, and Moscow Festival Ballet

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College is pleased to announce its 2015-16 World Dance series. Since the inception of the dance series in 1966, more than 175 regional, national and international companies have premiered new works as a part of this series. This year's lineup includes Step Afrika! featuring stepping dancers led by the artistic director Mfoniso Akpan, Nai-Ni Chin Dance Company performing a Lunar New Year Celebration, and Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite.These companies reflect the artistic excellence and cultural diversity to which Brooklyn Center is dedicated. Tickets to Brooklyn Center's World Dance series range from $20-$45 and can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

Brooklyn Center will also present an annual presentation of Dance Theatre in Westchester's family-friendly The Colonial Nutcracker.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2015-16 dance events include:

· Dance Theatre in Westchester's The Colonial Nutcracker

· Step Afrika!

· Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Monkey

· Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

The Colonial Nutcracker

Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18

An annual holiday favorite, Dance Theatre in Westchester performs its family-friendly, full-length version of Tchaikovsky's ballet set in wintry colonial Yorktown, complete with a red-coated mouse army, an enchanted nutcracker prince, and simultaneous narration to help young audience members enjoy this timeless classic. 

Step Afrika!

Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2pm

Tickets: $20

Experience Step Afrika!, the world's first professional company dedicated to stepping, a unique art form born at African American fraternities and based in rich African traditions. Incorporating intricate rhythmic patterns of kicks, stomps, claps, and chants, the dancers use their bodies as instruments, creating an enthralling, high-energy performance that has been praised by The Village Voice as "a jubilation of rhythm and spirit that harks back to the essence of dancing." 

Third Annual
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey

Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Brooklyn Center is thrilled to partner once again with the prestigious Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in an all-new celebration of Chinese arts and culture commemorating the Year of the Monkey, a year characterized by cleverness, curiosity, and playful mischief. Thrilling choreography, traditional music, and dazzling acrobats showcase the rich traditions of one of Brooklyn's most vibrant communities at this festive, family-friendly event. 

Moscow Festival Ballet

Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45
The power of love and the finality of death collide as two of the greatest tragic masterpieces of all time are reinvented in this double-bill of one-act ballets. The program begins with a new restaging of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and choreographed by legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko. This is followed by Alberto Alonso's fiery Carmen Suite, inspired by Bizet's sensuous and spirited opera.

Visit BrooklynCenter.org for a complete season lineup.

Multibuy discounts (four or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices (not applicable for Alexander, Who's Not... Going to Move). Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances. 50% discount for children ages 12 and under for select performances. Discounts also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College

2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue

Online orders: BrooklynCenter.org

Box Office: 718-951-4500, Tuesday-Saturday, 1pm-6pm

Groups of 15 or more: 718-951-4600 x3331

General Mischief Dance Theatre presents the World Premiere of Up and Away

General Mischief Dance Theatre presents the World Premiere of Up and Away - Dances for all Hours. Performances will take place on October 11 at 1pm and 6pm at the Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Family Auditorium, JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC.

Tickets: $25 ($20 in advance, $15 for students and seniors, $10 for children 10 and under), available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling (212) 714-4694.

The program highlight is a collaboration with actor and sculptor Kevin Reese, who shares his talents with schools and communities across the country. Reese will be designing and making an overhead mobile that General Mischief will assemble and then elevate in the course of the dance.  Thanks to generous support from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the mobile he produces is going to be built in Washington, D.C. by hundreds of volunteers as part of the Atlas Arts Center's "Mobilizing Our Community" project.

The piece is set to music by flautist/composer Donna Viscuso from San Francisco. Choreographer Emily Smyth Vartanian will use some of Viscuso's songs from Vnote as well as a score Viscuso wrote with General Mischief in mind, called Milo's Ballet.  The process will be guided by creative consultant and director Amanda Friou.

General Mischief Dance Theatre is dedicated to reinforcing the power that joy and laughter have in communicating ideas. The company's mission is to create and present theatrical dance works that engage audiences emotionally, socially, and kinesthetically. Combining aerial work with more earthbound forms of movement, the company removes spatial and physical limits from theatrical dance.

The program will also include a new suite of dances, The Love Trio, featuring the music of Paul Tillotson and Suite Shel, a one-act suite of dances inspired by the poems of Shel Silverstein, choreographed by Madeline Hoak, Celine Rosenthal, and Emily Smyth Vartanian, and set to the music of Lizzie Hagstedt.   The cast includes Jane Abbott, Ellen Henry, Madeline Hoak, Wendy Lechuga, Saki Masuda, Jaisson Restrepo, Andrea Steiner, and Emily Smyth Vartanian.

"Question: What's the difference between a performance by General Mischief Dance Theatre and entertainment at a child's birthday party? Answer: Nothing. Except that the party isn't just for children, the performers are highly competent dancers, and you go to see them at a theater. And it's much better... Intelligent silliness....entertainingly performed." - Ballet-Dance

Amanda Friou is a Brooklyn based director and multidisciplinary artist whose highly theatrical and intellectually rigorous work is distinguished by the organic and inclusive process by which she develops productions. She is particularly interested in non-traditional creative collaborations. Favorite directing projects include the NY premiere of Naomi Wallace's No Such Cold Thing and a site specific production of Martha Boesing's Pimp which she also designed. She has worked nationally at ART, La Jolla, CTG, The Guthrie, Asolo Rep, Geva Theatre Center, and the University of Iowa, and in NYC for Ars Nova, NYU, HERE, and Second Stage; including assisting directors Jo Bonney, Henry Wishcamper, and Tony winner Warren Carlyle. An accomplished puppet builder, she also frequently collaborates with puppeteer Basil Twist. In 2013, her production of Avenue Q was a KCACTF honoree. Friou is a 2011 Drama League Fall Directing Fellow, and is devising a puppetry infused dance/theatre piece as one of their 2015 Resident Artists.  She is also a member of the 2015-2016 St. Ann's puppet lab where she is collaborating with puppeteer Kate Brehm on an abstract puppet show about technology and theoretical math. Proud alum of Macalester College. Member SDC. 

Donna Viscuso is an experienced performer, composer and educator who has been part of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for over 20 years. Playing flute, alto saxophone and harmonica, Donna has performed, recorded and toured with many groups including The VNote Ensemble (formerly The Snake Trio); Jackeline Rago and The Venezuelan Music Project; Altazor; Wild Mango; the KTO project; Chelle and Friends; Violist Mimi Dye; Brazilian singer Adriana Moreno, Storyteller Diane Ferlatte and Chilean singer/songwriter Lichi Fuentes. She has composed music for several award-winning documentaries: My Home My Prison, Sex Is, and Chuck Solomon Coming of Age.  Her compositions can also be heard on the popular "Living Books" collection of educational CD-Roms including The ABC Book, Green Eggs and Ham, Harry and the Haunted House and Arthur's Reading Race. Since 2001 Donna has introduced San Francisco elementary school children to multi-cultural music experiences through the Adventures in Music (AIM) program, sponsored by the San Francisco Symphony. Donna studied music at San Francisco State University and Laney College and traveled to Venezuela to further her musical studies. While there, she performed and recorded with several renowned musicians including percussionist Alexander Livinalli and members of the Fundacion Bigott (Venezuela's Folkloric Institute). In addition she has recorded with Venezuelan musicians Aquiles Baez, Gonzalo Grau, Marco Granados, and Leo Blanco.

Emily Smyth Vartanian is a lifelong dancer and has produced dance events for over fifteen years. She loves moving, telling stories with movement, and merging different dance vocabularies to tell each story in the most effective way. Her training facilitates this multi-lingual approach; she is a graduate of the Dance Concentration in the World Arts and Cultures program at UCLA as well as a student of Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project, the Diavolo Intensive workshop, and the Oakland Ballet. Her choreography has been presented nationally at venues ranging from the Freud Playhouse, Kaufman Hall, Highways Performance Space, and the House of Blues Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to Manhattan Movement and Arts, the JCC, Alvin Ailey, the Connelly Theater, Theater for the New City, The Zipper Theater, Medicine Show Theater, and the Kumble Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Her work ranges from more grounded contemporary movement and body music to the airborne styles of Lindy Hop and rope harness and bungee. As a producer, she is a graduate of multiple Commercial Theater Institute programs, including the 14-Week Program, as well as a member of the production team for the 2009 Frankie 95 Celebration at the Manhattan Center and the New York residency of Kybele Dance Theater among other projects. She takes great pride in the company's efforts to make each General Mischief performance a positive adventure for both the performers and the audience.

Paul Tillotson is an acclaimed jazz pianist and has been celebrated for many successes - from his self produced recordings to his live shows.  He's performed across America with such renowned performers as Gene Harris, Lynn Seaton, Vernel Fournier, Mike Merritt (Conan O'Brien Show), James Wormworth (Conan O'Brien Show), Lew Soloff (Blood, Sweat & Tears), Chris Minh Doky, Luther Hughes, Paul Kreibich, Matt Wilson, Aton Fig (David Letterman Show), Shawn Pelton (Saturday Night Live Band), Mark Pender, Jerry Vivinno, Red Hollaway, Jimmy Norman (The Coasters), Ernie Watts and Dispatch. Paul has performed his music in The Montreux Jazz Festival,  The Den Haag Jazz Festival,  The Jazz in the Canyon Festival, The Gene Harris Jazz Festival, Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree, The Rochester International Jazz Festival, and Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble.

For more information, please visit www.generalmischief.com.

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presents GREEN AFTERNOON III - East Hampton, NY

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre announces Green Afternoon III, a performance and cocktail reception at the home of architects Marcia Previti and Peter Gumpel in East Hampton, NY on Saturday, August 15, 2015. The evening begins at 5 p.m. with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and several outdoor sitting rooms featuring performance installations, with performers dancing in tree houses, on outdoor sculptures, in and around the swimming pool, in the woods, and more. A more formal performance will begin at 5:50pm and will be followed by a reception. Green Afternoon III takes place at 230 Old Stone Hwy, East Hampton, NY 11937.

Tickets are $85 ($150 for Patron Tickets) and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-afternoon-iii-tickets-17150930896. 

Amanda Selwyn will present an excerpt of her newest work, Renewal, an evening-length piece that unpacks the state of being made fresh or strong again - dramatizing how we re-invent ourselves again and again over time. Renewal will be composed of a series of shorts that shift the physical and visceral present movement, re-starting, reclaiming, and revitalizing our experience of it. Each short will highlight signature structures and elements in Selwyn's style including gesture, partnering, virtuosic artistry juxtaposed with pedestrian movement, humor, character, and theatricality. With Selwyn's fresh and vibrant movement language of extended limbs, physical risk, athleticism, energy, release, touch, and balance, she will activate emotional expression and offer many in-roads for audiences to make meaning for themselves.

"Amanda Selwyn is a master at illustrating the symbiosis of sound and movement, the romance of motion and emotion - she had me laughing, crying, cringing and gasping all in the short 55-minute production." - Inside New York
"Amanda Selwyn's work is masterly and emotionally expressive, she is truly gifted in the art of dance making." - NYC Dance Stuff

Dancers: Adam Robert Dickerson, Manon Halley, Robert Moore, Torrey McAnena, and Sarah Starkweather. Costume Design: Anna-Alisa Belous, Lighting Design: Dan Ozminkowski, Sound Design: Joel Wilhelmi, Rehearsal Director: Jenny Gillan.

To get to the performance site from the center of East Hampton, take Montauk Highway/Route 27 to first traffic light past windmill. Turn left onto Accabonac Highway. Drive 4 miles to stop sign at forked intersection. Cross main road and turn right onto north-most fork, Old Stone Highway. Drive 0.25 mile to #230 (mailbox on tree). Please park on main road and walk up drive to first house on right.  

For more information, please visit: www.amandaselwyndance.org