| Second Stage's NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL Returns This Winter | |
| Last Edit: Official_Press_Release 05:06 pm EST 11/14/24 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 05:00 pm EST 11/14/24 | |
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Polk and Co. Matt Polk, Tom D'Ambrosio, Lauren Duffy, Kathryn Weakland SECOND STAGE THEATER'S NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS WINTER January 27 – March 10 On The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center Four Programs Focusing on the Work of Early Career Playwrights: The Festival Production: On the Evolutionary Function of Shame By D.A. Mindell Directed by Jess McLeod The Judith Champion Reading Series Three New Plays Presented in One Night Only Readings The Nancy Denovan Musical Reading A New Musical Receiving a One Night Only Presentation The Lark Playwrights Workshop at 2ST Continuation of the Acclaimed Lark Playwrights Workshop Led By David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph, and May Adrales * * * * * * * * November 14, 2024 -- Second Stage Theater (Bennett Leak, Interim Artistic Director; Lisa Lawer Post, Executive Director) has announced the lineup for its 2nd NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL, consisting of four distinct programs dedicated to supporting early career playwrights, which will take place this winter on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). THE NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL, which launched last year with the acclaimed production of Kate Douglas' play, The Apiary, formalizes Second Stage Theater's artistic pipeline, providing support at crucial early moments in a playwright's development - from writers with partial drafts to early career playwrights ready for their New York debuts. "Last year's inaugural NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL was a resounding success, with the world premiere play, The Apiary, receiving an acclaimed, extended run, as well as three sold out one-night-only play presentations and a fourth for the musical Eighty-Sixed," said Interim Artistic Director Bennett Leak. "We are especially excited to have one of the plays from last year's Judith Champion Reading Series – On the Evolutionary Function of Shame – be this year's centerpiece Festival Production, illustrating Second Stage's ongoing development of new American plays and playwrights. We look forward to welcoming our audiences to the Next Stage Festival this winter for what promises to be another invigorating, thought-provoking slate of new works from the next generation of theater artists." THE NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL will officially kick off on January 27th, 2024, with The Nancy Denovan Musical Reading, a one-night-only reading of the new musical, INSIDE VOICES, with music and lyrics by Ross Golan and a book written by Golan and co-written by Danielle Koenig, directed by Michael Mayer. The Festival's centerpiece will once again bring the model of Second Stage's Uptown Series to midtown with the fully staged, world premiere production of D.A. Mindell's play, On the Evolutionary Function of Shame, directed by Jess McLeod, running on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center. Like last season's critically acclaimed production of The Apiary, On the Evolutionary Function of Shame will receive a full production, running from February 12th to March 9th, officially opening February 26th. The NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL is made possible in part by the New American Voices Fund, which was established in 2016 by a lead gift from David Stone. THE NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL's Judith Champion Reading Series will feature three new plays developed over a week of rehearsal with experienced directors, top-notch casts and targeted design support. Each play will receive a one-night-only presentation on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center. The 2025 plays are Keiko Green's You are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, directed by Zhailon Levingston; Jay Stull's The Singularity Play, directed by Keenan Tyler Oliphant; and Aurora Real de Asua's Wipeout. Once again, this year's Festival will include the invaluable work of the Lark Playwrights Workshop, which will continue under the auspices of Second Stage Theater – five playwrights will be mentored by David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph, and May Adrales. The six private sessions that comprise this program occur every 2-3 weeks beginning March 31st. Casting for all events, as well as additional creative team members, will be announced at a later date. More detailed information on the plays and writers is below. All events will take place on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd street). Second Stage Champion level donors and all subscribers receive early access to the Next Stage Festival. The Nancy Denovan Musical Reading and The Judith Champion Reading Series are complimentary, though seats must be reserved in advance. Tickets for On the Evolutionary Function of Shame will go on sale at a later date. THE NANCY DENOVAN MUSICAL READING Inside Voices – Monday, January 27 Music, lyrics, book by Ross Golan Co-Book by Danielle Koenig Directed by Michael Mayer In 1828 Germany, a 16-year-old boy mysteriously appears in Nuremberg's town square. He doesn't move. He doesn't speak. Is he a thief? Is he a freak? From societal outcast to the most famous prodigy in Europe, Inside Voices tells the heart-pounding and epic tale of Kasper Hauser's controversial rise and harrowing fall. By multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ross Golan, Inside Voices is a New Alt Rock musical based on true events about the strength of survival, the power of love, the cost of fame, and the legacy we leave behind. Ross Golan (Music, Lyrics, Co-Book Writer) is a multi-platinum songwriter, artist, podcast host, and advocate. He studied music at the University of Southern California and has since released songs with artists including Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, One Direction, Idina Menzel, Nelly, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Cee Lo Green, 5 Seconds of Summer, Snoop Dogg, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammer, James Blunt, Big Sean, Travis Barker, Lukas Graham and Skylar Grey amongst many others. He was awarded 2016 BMI Songwriter Of The Year. As an artist, his concept album The Wrong Man was released on Interscope Records and opened off-Broadway in 2019. His podcast And The Writer Is… with Ross Golan has approximately 1.5 million downloads and has become the perennial songwriting podcast. Each episode is a conversation between Ross and a venerable songwriter discussing their journey in the music industry. As an advocate, he coauthored the proposal to get songwriters added to the Album of the Year award at The Grammys. He has also been a leading voice in passing the Music Modernization Act alongside NSAI, SONA, NMPA, and RIAA. Danielle Koenig (Co-Book Writer) is a queer writer, actor, and comedian based in Brooklyn and Los Angeles who tends to write and perform in gay stuff because of the way they are. Their work has been developed with Second Stage, York Theatre, TheatreNOW, and Syracuse University, and has been seen regionally in Los Angeles, CA, Minneapolis, MN, and Syracuse, NY. They have been commissioned by FUSE Theatre and thrice by the Brooklyn Children's Theater and are a proud graduate of NYU's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and member of UNTITLED Musical Writers Group. Their standalone songs have been seen at theatrical venues across New York City including Joe's Pub, Rattlestick Playwright's Theater, 54 Below, Lincoln Center, and more. IG: @danielle_koenig | DanielleKoenig.com Michael Mayer (Director) has worked in a broad spectrum of media from theatre and opera to television and film. Theatre credits include: the new Broadway musical Swept Away, the long-awaited Broadway revival of Funny Girl, the Neil Diamond bio-musical A Beautiful Noise, the hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors, Adam Driver and Keri Russell in Burn This, Head Over Heels (featuring the songs of The Go-Go's), Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award, Best Musical revival, also National Tour), Spring Awakening (Tony Award/Best Musical and Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Director; also London, National Tour, Vienna, Tokyo, and Seoul productions), Green Day's American Idiot (also co-author, Drama Desk Award for Best Director; also US, UK and Asia tours), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award/Best Musical also London and National Tour), Side Man (Tony Award/Best Play also London and Kennedy Center Productions), A View from the Bridge (Tony Award/Best Revival), Michael Moore's The Terms of My Surrender, Everyday Rapture, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Triumph of Love. Off-Broadway credits include Lin-Manuel Miranda's 21 Chump Street (BAM), Chess (Kennedy Center), Love, Love, Love (Roundabout), Brooklynite (Also co-author, Vineyard), Whorl Inside A Loop (with Dick Scanlan, Second Stage), 10 Million Miles (Atlantic): Angels in America. Film: A Home at the End of the World (Excellence in filmmaking, National Board of Review, GLAAD nomination), Flicka, The Seagull. He was featured in the documentary Broadway Idiot. Television credits Include: "Smash" (Pilot, producing director: Season One), two seasons of "Alpha House" (Amazon), Executive Producer on 27 Dresses and for the HBO film Wig. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut with a celebrated new production of Rigoletto, followed by world premiere co-production (with the English National Opera) of Nico Muhly's Marnie, and a new production of La Traviata, which broke box office records. Additional awards and fellowships: the inaugural Daryl Roth Creative Spirit, Drama League, Jefferson, Ovation, Alan Schneider, and Carbonell awards; Fox Foundation Fellowship, Two Drama League Fellowships, TCG/NEA Directing Fellowship. He serves on the Boards of New York Stage and Film and the Arthur Miller Foundation. THE FESTIVAL PRODUCTION On the Evolutionary Function of Shame – February 12 – March 9 Written by D.A. Mindell Directed by Jess McLeod Opening night is February 26 In the beginning, two people got kicked out of a garden for eating fruit. Many years later, Adam—a transgender man expecting a child—meets with his twin sister, Eve, a pioneering scientist. She offers her brother prenatal services from her cutting-edge practice. But what exactly does that entail? And does Adam even want Eve's help? Written by bold new talent D.A. Mindell and helmed by the refreshingly innovative director Jess McLeod, On the Evolutionary Function of Shame is a compelling exploration of identity, family, and the courage it takes to live authentically, no matter the expectations of society—or those closest to you. D.A. Mindell is a playwright and educator based in Manhattan while pursuing his MFA at Columbia University. His work aims to contribute to a canon for transgender artists to explore the breadth and depth of opportunity that cis artists have been able to pursue for centuries. He is thrilled to be working with Second Stage again after participating in the 2024 Next Stage Reading Series. Recent recognition includes participation in the 2024 //dareCommission for Breaking the Binary Theatre, First Kiss Theatre's Summer 2024 Residency, and the 2023 Fair Play Initiative Commission through Florida Atlantic University. He wants to express his immense gratitude for his ability to share his work with the world, as well as his solidarity with those struggling to do so, including the artists of the Jenin Freedom Theatre. Jess McLeod is a first-generation Korean/Filipina/Scottish director & social justice advocate specializing in risky new work about America. NYCLU/Creatives Rebuild Artist-In-Residence; Roundabout Refocus Project Curator; Woolly Mammoth BOLD Resident Director; Resident Director, Hamilton Chicago. Recent NY credits include Atlantic, Roundabout, MTC, EST and Little Island. Regional credits include Steppenwolf, Woolly Mammoth, Alliance, Goodman, Lyric Opera of Chicago, IAMA, Victory Gardens, San Diego Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Long Wharf, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Chicago Shakes, The Gift, A Red Orchid Theatre and developmental work at the O'Neill, NAMT, WTF and The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep. Jess also works frequently at the intersection of art & activism, and has created operas with community groups (Lyric), the #STOPASIANHATE video campaign for NY Rep. Grace Meng's 3/26 Day of Action & Healing (co-creator) and curated Broadway Advocacy Coalition's inaugural Arts In Action Festival. She recently served as Co-Chair, with Michael Korie, of the Dramatists Guild Foundation's Musical Theatre Fellows and is currently under commission at La Jolla Playhouse. MFA, Northwestern. www.jess-mcleod.com | @mcjessmc THE JUDITH CHAMPION READING SERIES YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE END OF THE WORLD! – Monday, February 24 Written by Keiko Green Directed by Zhailon Levingston Since Greg's terminal diagnosis, he's felt a deep connection to the Earth. To save himself, he'll need to save the planet. His wife, Viv, desperately wants to savor every last minute with her husband. Meanwhile M, our emcee, searches desperately to find meaning in the chaos of the final year with their Dad. You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! is a heartfelt theatrical spectacle and a story as magical and strange as the world itself. Keiko Green (she/her) is a playwright, screenwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. Productions include You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! (upcoming - South Coast Rep), Empty Ride (upcoming - Old Globe), Gorgeous (upcoming - Raven Theatre), Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play (Old Globe; upcoming - San Francisco Playhouse), Hells Canyon (Theater Mu), Sharon (Cygnet Theatre), Hometown Boy (Actors Express; Seattle Public Theater), and Nadeshiko (Sound Theatre Company). Her plays have been developed by the Old Globe, the Kennedy Center, the National New Play Network, Playwrights Realm, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, and twice by the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. She currently holds commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club/Sloan Foundation and Seattle Children's Theatre/Kennedy Center. Awards/Honors: Kilroys List, San Diego Critics Circle Award (Outstanding New Play), Gregory Award (Outstanding New Play). As a screenwriter, she has worked on multiple projects, including Hulu's upcoming "Interior Chinatown" and Apple TV's upcoming "Margo's Got Money Troubles." As an actor, she has performed at theaters nationwide and originated the role of Connie in Lauren Yee's The Great Leap at the Denver Center and Seattle Rep. BFA: NYU Drama - Experimental Theatre Wing, MFA: UCSD Playwriting. Zhailon Levingston is a Louisiana-raised storyteller, and Director. He is a board member for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which received an honorary Tony Award in 2021. Zhailon is also the Artistic Director of Inheritance Theatre Project. Select credits include Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Broadway), Hadestown (Korea), The Wiz (Cincinnati Children's Theatre), Chicken and Biscuits (Broadway), Patience (Second Stage), Little Miss Perfect (Goodspeed), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Perelman Performing Arts Center), Table 17 (MCC Theater). THE SINGULARITY PLAY – Monday, March 3 Written by Jay Stull Directed by Keenan Tyler Oliphant At a tech company in Manhattan, a troupe of downtown theater actors and a director gather to develop and rehearse a play written by an advanced AI named "Denise." But how does one perform a reality born of experience when the playwright has not experienced reality? What even IS reality? The Singularity Play is a new workplace comedy about the last living generation of human beings. Jay Stull is a theatermaker whose work has been developed or produced by Ars Nova, The Alliance Theater, The Brick, NY City Center Off Center, NYTW, Joe's Pub, The Gym at Judson, The Jackalope Theater Company, The Mercury Store, PlayCo, Roundabout, and The Tank. He is an alumnus of the Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellowship, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and The Civilians R&D Group, and is a recipient of a Yaddo Fellowship and a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Grant for Playwriting. He has taught theater at Harvard College, NYU-Tisch, and the American Academy of Dramatic Art. MFA: Columbia. www.jaystull.com Keenan Tyler Oliphant is a Theatre-maker and Director from South Africa. Keenan's work is in the lineage of the communal theatre-making and storytelling traditions of South Africa. As a Theatre-maker Keenan recalls his traditional Southern African storytelling lineage by simultaneously exchanging with histories and futures to create spaces of healing, investigation, mourning and celebration through performance. Selected directing credits include Heather Christian's TERCE: A Practical Breviary, Will You Come With Me? (PlayCo May 2022), Jeesun Choi's To the Ends of the Earth (JACK), Jay Stull's The Singularity Play (Havard TDM; Alliance Theatre Reading), Sam Grabiner's People on Earth (Columbia University), Vivian Barnes' Intro To (Ensemble Stage Theatre), Live from Mount Olympus Podcast (The Team), Kyk Hoe Skyn Die Son [Look at How the Sun Shines] (Clubbed Thumb Winterworks), and Self-Combustion of a 30 Something Year Old... (New Ohio Producers Club). Keenan has developed work with Ars Nova, New York Theatre Workshop, The Vineyard Theatre and more. Keenan is an alumnus of the Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellow (2020-2021), the Drama League Directing Fellowship (2021-2022) and Columbia University MFA in Directing for Theatre program. WIPEOUT – Monday, March 10 Written by Aurora Real de Asua Three 70-year-old women who have never surfed. One 19-year-old hotrod instructor. The currents of the Pacific Ocean. What could possibly go wrong? A new play about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life, Wipeout is a septuagenarian surf comedy about what it takes to hang ten. Aurora Real de Asua is a playwright, filmmaker, and performer. Her play WIPEOUT received a rolling world premiere through the New Play Network in 2024, with productions at Rivendell Theatre, B Street Theatre, and Gloucester Stage Company, and was awarded NNPN's David Goldman Fund for New American Plays Award. Other productions include Constellations Stage and Screen, Alleyway Theatre, and Studio Theatre (upcoming). Other plays include WET (New Harmony's PlayFest, Playwright's Realm Scratchpad Series), The Pride Before (Beyond the Realm), and Aping Jane (Rivendell's Fresh Produce Series). Her work has been developed at Manhattan Theater Club, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the New Harmony Project, and the Old Globe. Her short film Heartsong debuted on Short of the Week and screened at various festivals. It is available to stream online. Aurora holds a BA in Theatre from Northwestern University and an MFA in film from Columbia University, where she was awarded the Jesse Thompkins III award for achievement in screenwriting. New Play Development at Second Stage is supported by a grant from the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Second Stage Theater's programs are made possible by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This season is supported by a grant from the Howard Gilman Foundation. * * * * * * ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATER Second Stage Theater is a non-profit theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman that produces work by living American writers both on and off Broadway. The current season is being programmed by Interim Artistic Director Bennett Leak. Incoming Artistic Director Evan Cabnet will begin programming in fall 2025. The company's more than 200 citations include the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for Branden Jacobs Jenkins' Appropriate, as well as Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Sarah Paulson and Best Lighting Design of a Play for Jane Cox; 2022 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for Take Me Out, as well as Best Featured Actor in a Play for Jesse Tyler Ferguson; six 2017 Tony Awards for Dear Evan Hansen (Best Musical; Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Ben Platt; Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Rachel Bay Jones; Best Book of a Musical; Best Original Score; Best Orchestrations); the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley, Next to Normal), Best Score (Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal), and Best Orchestrations (Tom Kitt and Michael Starobin, Next to Normal); the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed); the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, …Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, …Spelling Bee); the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses); the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 29 Obie Awards, 11 Outer Critics Circle Awards, four Clarence Derwent Awards, 20 Drama Desk Awards, 11 Theatre World Awards, one Dorothy Louden Award, 20 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 23 AUDELCO Awards. For more information, please visit www.2ST.com or follow Second Stage on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: @2stnyc ABOUT THE PERSHING SQUARE SIGNATURE CENTER The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and the Signature Café + Bar. For more information on renting the Center, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rent-our-space. |
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