Signature Theatre’s Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Leads 28th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations

Congratulations to Signature Theatre’s Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, which has been nominated for 6 Lucille Lortel Awards including Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Director for Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Outstanding Lead Actress for Roslyn Ruff, Outstanding Lead Actor for Brandon J. Dirden, Outstanding Featured Actor for Chuck Cooper, and Outstanding Lighting Design for Rui Rita.

Eric Lenox Abrams, Roslyn Ruff, Alexis Holt and James A. Williams in Signature’s revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Photo by Joan Marcus

Signature’s Off-Broadway Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, helmed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, runs October 30 -December 9, 2012

Bill Irwin, Nellie McKay and David Shiner at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York for the opening night party of their show Old Hats on March 4, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

This year the Outstanding Body of Work Award, which recognizes a significant contribution to Off-Broadway, will be presented to Theatre Development Fund. Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience has been awarded to Signature Theatre’s Old Hats, created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner, with music by and featuring Nellie McKay.

This year’s special award recipients include Todd Haimes, Artistic Director of the Roundabout Theatre Company, who will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Neil LaBute, who will be inducted onto the famed Playwrights’ Sidewalk in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre. A cocktail reception honoring the nominees will take place on Monday, April 22, 2013 from 5:00 – 7:00pm EST at The Library at The Public, 425 Lafayette Street.

The Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00pm EST, and hosted by acclaimed stage and screen actors Aasif Mandvi and Maura Tierney. This year’s event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

Complete List of 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations
Outstanding Play
Bethany
Produced by Women’s Project Theater
Written by Laura Marks
Cock
Produced by Stuart Thompson, Jean Doumanian, Royal Court Theatre, William Berlind, Scott Delman,
Dena Hammerstein, Jon B. Platt, Scott Rudin, Ted Snowdon, True Love Productions
Written by Mike Bartlett
Detroit
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Lisa D’Amour
The Flick
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Annie Baker
The Whale
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Samuel D. Hunter

The cast of Giant at The Public. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Musical
Dogfight
Produced by Second Stage Theatre
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Book by Peter Duchan
Giant
Produced by The Public Theater in association with The Dallas Theater Center
Book by Sybille Pearson, Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Based on the novel by Edna Ferber
Murder Ballad
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
Conceived by and with Book and Lyrics by Julia Jordan, Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash
The Other Josh Cohen
Produced by Amas Musical Theatre in association with Scandobean Productions, LLC
Book, Music and Lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen
Skippyjon Jones
Produced by TheatreworksUSA
Book and Lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila, Music by Eli Bolin

Signature’s revival of Athol Fugard’s My Children!, My Africa!, starring James A. Williams, Allison Gallerani and Stephen Tyrone Williams and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, has been nominated for Outstanding Revival. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Revival
All In The Timing
Produced by Primary Stages in association with Jamie deRoy
Written by David Ives
My Children! My Africa!
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Athol Fugard
Passion
Produced by Classic Stage Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine
The Piano Lesson
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by August Wilson
Talley’s Folly
Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company
Written by Lanford Wilson

Outstanding Solo Show
All the Rage
Produced by piece by piece productions, Rising Phoenix Repertory in association with The Barrow Group
Written and Performed by Martin Moran
Jackie
Produced by Women’s Project Theater
Written by Elfriede Jelinek, Performed by Tina Benko
Title and Deed
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Will Eno, Performed by Conor Lovett

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Outstanding Director
Sam Gold, The Flick
Anne Kauffman, Belleville
Tina Landau, A Civil War Christmas
James Macdonald, Cock
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson

Bobby Steggert as Jordy Jr., Natalie Cortez as Juana and Raul Aranas as Polo in Giant at The Public. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Choreographer
George De La Peña, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Christopher Gattelli, Dogfight
Kyle Mullins, TRIASSIC PARQ: The Musical
Alex Sanchez, Giant
Doug Varone, Murder Ballad

Karen Pittman (left to right), Erik Jensen, Heidi Armbruster and Aasif Mandvi in Disgraced. Photo by Erin Baiano

Outstanding Lead Actor
Danny Burstein, Talley’s Folly
Brandon J. Dirden, The Piano Lesson
Daniel Everidge, Falling
Shuler Hensley, The Whale
Aasif Mandvi, Disgraced

Sharon Washington and Colman Domingo in a scene from “Wild With Happy,” at The Pubilc, which Domingo also wrote. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Lead Actress
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Neva
America Ferrera, Bethany
Vanessa Redgrave, The Revisionist
Roslyn Ruff, The Piano Lesson
Sharon Washington, Wild With Happy

Chuck Cooper, Jason Dirden, Brandon Dirden and Roslyn Ruff in Signature’s revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Photo by Joan Marcus

Outstanding Featured Actor
David Wilson Barnes, Don’t Go Gentle
Chuck Cooper, The Piano Lesson
Zach Grenier, Storefront Church
Jake Gyllenhaal, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet
Mark Nelson, My Name Is Asher Lev

Outstanding Featured Actress
Eisa Davis, Luck of the Irish
Annie Funke, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet
Rebecca Naomi Jones, Murder Ballad
Amanda Quaid, Luck of the Irish
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, What Rhymes with America

Outstanding Scenic Design
Beowulf Boritt, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet
Miriam Buether, Cock
Clint Ramos, Wild With Happy
Louisa Thompson, Detroit
Mark Wendland, Murder Ballad

Costume designer Anita Yavich has been nominated for Outstanding Costume Design for Signature’s revival of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child. Photo by Lia Chang

Outstanding Costume Design
Toni-Leslie James, A Civil War Christmas
Jessica Pabst, The Whale
Clint Ramos, Wild With Happy
Emily Rebholz, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Anita Yavich, Golden Child

Outstanding Lighting Design
Jane Cox, The Flick
Rui Rita, The Piano Lesson
Ben Stanton, Belleville
Ben Stanton, Murder Ballad
Scott Zielinski, A Civil War Christmas

Outstanding Sound Design
Leah Gelpe, Slowgirl
Bray Poor, The Flick
Shane Rettig, Detroit ’67
Jane Shaw, Jackie
Matt Tierney, Detroit

SPECIAL AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award
Todd Haimes

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Neil LaBute

Outstanding Body of Work Award
Theatre Development Fund

Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience
Old Hats
Created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner
Music by and featuring Nellie McKay
Produced by Signature Theatre

The Off-Broadway League’s Lortel Awards Producing & Administration Committee (Terry Byrne, Denise Cooper, Margaret Cotter, George Forbes, Melanie Herman, Catherine Russell and Steven Showalter) produces the Lortel Awards Ceremony. Acclaimed writer and director Michael Heitzman returns to direct the Lortel Awards for the fourth consecutive year. The Lucille Lortel Awards is produced by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support provided by Theatre Development Fund. Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, in addition to theatre journalists, academics and other Off-Broadway professionals, serve on the Voting Committee.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the ceremony. General public tickets are $75.00 and will be available via phone at 212.352.3101, online at www.nyuskirball.org and in person at the Skirball Center’s Shagan Box Office at 556 LaGuardia (Tuesday – Sunday from 12 – 6pm).
For updates and news about the ceremony, please visit www.LortelAwards.org. For general inquiries and eligibility requirements, please contact the Off-Broadway League at 212.924.2817 x212 or email at info@offbroadway.org. Follow the Lortel Awards on Twitter at
https://twitter.com/LortelAwards
and become a fan on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/LortelAwards
.

ABOUT THE LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS
The Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway were created in 1985 by the Off-Broadway League. The Lortel Awards recognize excellence Off-Broadway by honoring the invaluable contribution of artists to the theatre community. Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals serve on the Voting Committee.The awards may be given in the following categories: Play, Musical, Solo Show, Revival, Alternative Theatrical Experience, Director, Choreographer, Lead Actor and Actress, Featured Actor and Actress, Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Design. The following honorary awards may also be given: Lifetime Achievement, Body of Work (awarded to an institution), the Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence, Service to Off-Broadway Award and induction onto the Playwrights’ Sidewalk in front of the historic Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City. For more information, please see www.LortelAwards.org.

ABOUT THE LUCILLE LORTEL FOUNDATION
Lucille Lortel Foundation was created by Lucille Lortel to foster excellence and diversity in the theatre, as
well as to faithfully preserve the rich history and support the continued prosperity of Off-Broadway. The Foundation has several major programs, including its general operating support program that has provided millions of dollars to small to mid-size theatres in New York City, universities, and theatre service organizations. The Foundation created and maintains the Internet Off-Broadway Data Base (www.lOBDB.com). For a listing of all of the Foundation’s programs, previous Lortel Award nominees and recipients, information on the Lucille Lortel Theatre and Playwrights’ Sidewalk, and much more, please visit www.LortelAwards.org.

ABOUT THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND (TDF)
THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND was created in the conviction that the live theatrical arts afford a unique expression of the human condition that must be sustained and nurtured. It is dedicated to developing diverse audiences for live theatre and dance, and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. Since 1968, TDF’s programs have provided over 83 million people with access to performances at affordable prices and have returned over $2.2 billion to thousands of productions. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths (now in its 40th year of service in Times Square), TDF’s membership, outreach, access (including its newly formed Autism Theatre Initiative) and education programs — as well as its Costume Collection — have introduced thousands of people to the theatre and helped make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone, including students and people with disabilities. Recent TDF honors include a 2011 Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture, a 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence for its Open Doors Arts Education Program and a 2012 New York Innovative Theatre Award for its support of the off-Off Broadway community.
http://www.tdf.org/
.

ABOUT NYU SKIRBALL CENTER
The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and
performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU’s mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center’s mission is to build
young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.nyuskirball.org.

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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, starring Colman Domingo & Scott Shepherd in The Alice Griffith Jewel Box at The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 11, 2012

BLOOD KNOT's Colman Domingo, dialect coach Barbara Rubin and Scott Shepherd at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on February 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Last night, I attended a very special performance of BLOOD KNOT, written and directed by Athol Fugard and starring Tony Award-nominee Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys) as Zachariah and Obie Award-winner Scott Shepherd (Gatz) as Morris, in the Signature Theatre Company’s (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) spectacular new space, The Pershing Square Signature Center, designed by Frank Gehry, located at 480 West 42nd Street between Dyer and 10th Avenues in New York. BLOOD KNOT is Signature’s inaugural production in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, and is the first play in the Residency One: Athol Fugard Series, runs January 31 – March 11, 2012 with a February 16th opening night. BLOOD KNOT is the first of three Fugard shows Signature will present this season.

After the curtain call, Fugard joined his cast Colman Domingo and Scott Shepherd onstage, calling their performances “gentle, courageous and brave,” and was surprised with a cake to commemorate 50 years since the play was staged at Labia Theatre, Cape Town on February 12, 1962.

Between patchwork walls in a one-room shack, two biracial South African brothers grapple with crippling poverty and lonely isolation. Morris, the punctilious force that keeps their room tidy, is light-skinned enough to pass for white, but dark-skinned Zach feels imprisoned by his job at a whites-only park. When they find themselves on some dangerous new ground, the brothers must come face to face with the blood knot between them. Athol Fugard’s revolutionary breakthrough play is a searing indictment of apartheid and one of his most celebrated works.

The design team includes Christopher H. Barreca (Set Design), Susan Hilferty (Costume Design), Stephen Strawbridge (Lighting Design), Brett Jarvis (Sound Design) and Barbara Rubin (Dialect Coach). The Production Stage Manager is Pamela Salling and Assistant Stage Manager is Maggie Swing. Casting is by Telsey + Company.

All regularly priced single tickets ($75) for the initial run of both shows will be made available for $25 through The Signature Ticket Initiative: A Decade of Access. Tickets and season subscriptions can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 212-244-7529 or online at www.signaturetheatre.org.

Barbara Rubin and Gordana Rashovich Photo by Lia Chang

2011-2012 SEASON OVERVIEW
RESIDENCY ONE – ATHOL FUGARD SERIES
BLOOD KNOT
Written and Directed by Athol Fugard
January 31 – March 11, 2012

MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!
By Athol Fugard
Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
May 1 – June 10, 2012
Written in 1989 shortly before the end of apartheid, My Children! My Africa! presents an honest and unflinching portrait of a country on the brink of revolution, and is a testament to the power and potential of youth, hope, and ideas.

THE TRAIN DRIVER *** NEW YORK PREMIERE ***
Written and Directed by Athol Fugard
August 14 – September 23, 2012

Based on a true story, The Train Driver is a soulful exploration of guilt, suffering and the powerful bonds that grow between strangers.

LEGACY PROGRAM
EDWARD ALBEE’S THE LADY FROM DUBUQUE
Directed by David Esbjornson
February 14 – March 25, 2012

At a late night party, Sam and Jo entertain their friends with a round of Twenty Questions and another round of drinks. When an unexpected guest and her mysterious companion arrive, the question “Who are you?” gains a whole new and desperate meaning. Tony Award-winner Jane Alexander will play the title role.

RESIDENCY FIVE
HURT VILLAGE *** WORLD PREMIERE ***
By Katori Hall
Directed by Patricia McGregor
February 7 – March 18, 2012

It’s the end of a long summer in Hurt Village, a housing project in Memphis, Tennessee, and a government Hope Grant means relocation for many of the project’s residents. A bold, gritty and devastating work, Hurt Village earned Katori Hall the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, given annually to an outstanding female playwright.

Featuing Marsha Stephanie Blake (The Merchant of Venice; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone), Nicholas Christopher(Rent, In the Heights), Corey Hawkins (Suicide, Incorporated), Charlie Hudson III (The Piano Lesson, Mother Courage), Ron Cephas Jones (Gem of the Ocean, The Bridge Project), Joaquina Kalukango (Godspell), Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change; “All My Children”), Saycon Sengbloh (Fela!, Hair) and Lloyd Watts (“Treme,” Mother Courage.)

TITLE AND DEED *** U.S. PREMIERE ***
By Will Eno
Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett
In association with Gare St. Lazare Players Ireland
May 8 – June 3, 2012

A nameless traveler from a far off place searches for connection and solace in an unknown country in this funny and sad meditation on mortality, loneliness, innocence, home, family, love, funerals, words, and the world. A provocative new work by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Horton Foote Prize winner Will Eno, whom The New York Times called “a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation.”

A NEW PLAY BY KENNETH LONERGAN *** WORLD PREMIERE ***
May 15 – June 24, 2012

Kenneth Lonergan, acclaimed playwright (This is Our Youth, Lobby Hero, The Starry Messenger) and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter (You Can Count on Me), shares a new work with Signature audiences.

About SIGNATURE THEATRE
Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, Signature Theatre exists to honor and celebrate the playwright. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright’s body of work, and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process. Signature is the first theatre company to devote an entire season to the work of a single playwright, including re-examinations of past writings as well as New York and world premieres. By championing in-depth explorations of a living playwright’s body of work, the Company delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision.

Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, the historic Negro Ensemble Company, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, August Wilson and Lanford Wilson. Signature remains deeply committed to season-long residencies, and during the company’s tenth and fifteenth anniversaries, Signature introduced the Legacy Program. The Legacy Program invites past Playwrights-in-Residence back to Signature through two series: the Signature Series, which presents “signature,” or more well-known works; and the Premiere Series, which presents New York and world premieres.

In pursuit of its goal to build new audiences and remove the price barrier to those interested in experiencing live theatre, Signature has provided $20 tickets to all of its productions since 2005 through its groundbreaking Signature Ticket Initiative. Providing unprecedented access to world class theatre, this innovative program has served as a model for theatres and performing arts organizations across the country. The program’s next phase, A Decade of Access, will continue for the next ten years, making all regularly-priced single tickets ($75) during the initial announced run available for $25. Signature is committed to raising the funds needed for A Decade of Access and continues to pursue lead corporate sponsorship. Generous seed support has been provided by Marma Foundation, Time Warner Inc., The Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the New York City Council.

Signature, its productions and its resident writers have been recognized with a Pulitzer Prize, fourteen Lucille Lortel Awards, sixteen Obie Awards, six Drama Desk Awards and twenty-two AUDELCO Awards, among many other distinctions. The National Theatre Conference recognized the company as the 2003 Outstanding National Theatre of the Year. For more information on Signature please visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

AboutThe Pershing Square Signature Center
Opening in January 2012, The Pershing Square Signature Center is the new, permanent home of Signature Theatre. Spanning an entire city block at 42nd Street between Dyer and 10th Avenue, the Frank Gehry-designed The Pershing Square Signature Center will feature three intimate theatres, a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, and a public café and bookstore and will serve as both a theatre community hub and neighborhood destination. Working hand-in-hand with Signature leadership and architect of record H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture LLC, Gehry’s design has been carefully calibrated to foster interaction among playwrights, artistic collaborators and the public. The Pershing Square Signature Center will allow the 20-year old Company, critically acclaimed for its programs that celebrate the playwright’s body of work, to expand and enhance its programming, introduce new initiatives, and build audiences.

At The Pershing Square Signature Center, the Company’s programming will include: Residency One, the continuation of Signature’s core program which provides audiences with an immersive exploration of the work of a singular playwright; Residency Five, a new artistic initiative which provides five-year residencies and guarantees three full productions for multiple playwrights to support the creation and staging of new work; and the Legacy Program, which honors the lifetime achievement of artists who have previously been in residence at Signature with stagings of new plays and signature works. The Pershing Square Signature Center will serve as the artistic home for as many as 9 playwrights at any one time, fostering a dynamic creative community where playwrights will engage directly with audiences and one another.

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Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. In 2010, the Library of Congress established The Lia Chang APA Theater Portfolio in the Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian Pacific American Islander Collection.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachangphotography.com.

Lia Chang: Daniel Morgan Shelley to portray Nat Turner in Lucy Thurber’s The Insurgents at the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF)

Daniel Morgan Shelley © 2011 Lia Chang

Daniel Morgan Shelley is rehearsing in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, for the world premier of Lucy Thurber’s The Insurgents, in which he portrays slave rebellion leader Nat Turner and a character named Jonathan. In addition to Shelley, the cast of The Insurgents features Cassie Beck as Sally, Cary Donaldson as Jimmy/Timothy McVeigh, John Ottavino as Peter/John Brown and Stacey Sargeant as Harriet Tubman/Susan.

Directed by Lear deBessonet, The Insurgents runs in repertory at the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University, along with new plays by Kyle Bradstreet, David Mamet, Sam Shepard and Tracy Thorne. The four-week festival, consisting of 93 performances, will be held July 8 – 31, 2011.

Daniel Morgan Shelley © 2011 Lia Chang

Performances for The Insurgents are at Frank Center Stage, 260 University Drive in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The performance schedule for The Insurgents is Wednesday, July 6 @ 8pm (Preview — no advance tickets sold), Friday, July 8 @ 8pm (Opening Night), Saturday, July 9 @ 2pm, Sunday, July 10 @ 6pm, Thursday, July 14 @ 8pm (post-show discussion), Saturday, July 16 @ 8pm, Sunday, July 17 @ 1:30pm,Wednesday, July 20 @ 2pm & 8pm, Friday, July 22 @ 8pm, Saturday, July 23 @ 2pm, Sunday July 24 @ 6pm, Thursday, July 28 @ 8pm, Saturday, July 30 @ 8pm, Sunday, July 31 @ 1:30pm.

Single ticket prices to the 2011 repertory are $52. Four-show and five-show ticket packages (CATCards) are available, ranging from $100-$225. Discounts for students, seniors, active military personnel, and groups are also offered. For the Theater Festival Box Office, which is open off-season Monday to Friday from Noon to 5 p.m., call 800-999-CATF (2283) or visit www.catf.org.

Jennifer Blood (Desdemona) and Daniel Morgan Shelley (Othello) in Oberon Theatre Ensemble’s OTHELLO at Off-Broadway’s Kirk Theatre @Theatre Row, directed by Cara Reichel. Photo by Ann Bartek

I sat down with the Chicago native to talk about his career path in New York, where he has resided for eight years since first moving to the East Coast to attend The Juilliard School’s Drama Division.

Shelley discovered his love for acting at Thornwood High School in South Holland, IL. “In my sophomore year of high school, I had an English teacher named John Knight who liked my voice and encouraged me to join the Speech Team, specifically the event of Radio-Speaking,” said Shelley. “It was not my forte and I gravitated towards humorous acting instead. I auditioned for other things and began my acting training with coaches Darcelle Williams, Cheryl Frazier and Knight.”

He attended Columbia College for a year while pursuing an acting career in Chicago. A friend who had been accepted to Julliard suggested that he audition.

“After two attempts, I was accepted,” said Shelley. “I knew how high the stakes were. I thought it was going to make me the greatest actor in the world and give me more of a foundation for my craft.”

“Juilliard conducted showcases for the graduating class in New York and LA, and I got an agent right out of school,” said Shelley.

Joan Valentina and Daniel Morgan Shelley The Public Theatre’s production of The Old Settler in Lewiston, Maine. Photo by Janet Mitchko.

While training at Julliard, some of his favorite credits were Eugene Smith in Black Russian directed by Marion McClinton, Romeo in The Listener, directed by Mark Wing-Davey, Snug/Cobweb in Joe Dowling’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Duke Senior in As You Like It, directed by Ralph Zito.

After graduating with his BFA from Juilliard, Shelley made his professional acting debut and got his Equity Card for his role as Husband Witherspoon in The Public Theatre’s production of John Henry Redwood’s The Old Settler, directed by Janet Mitchko, in Lewiston, Maine. New York theater credits include the Music Theatre Group’s workshop of Susie Ibarra and Yusef Komunyakaa’s experimental opera Saturnalia, directed by Daniel Fish, in which he plays Paul Bolivia, a U.S. marine who returns to Bangkok with his fellow Marine who saved his life after an attack in Ramadi; Clinton in HATER, Sam Buggeln’s adaptation of Moliere’s The Misanthrope at the Ohio Theatre (Soho Think Tank’s Ice Factory Festival), the title role in Othello, directed by Cara Reichel (Oberon Theatre Ensemble). Regional theater credits include Thami in My Children! My Africa!, by Athol Fugard, directed by Ralph Zito (Chautauqua Conservatory Theatre Company); Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, directed by Christopher Edwards (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival); Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet and Blindman/Con in Ain’t Supposed to Die A Natural Death, both directed by Alfred Preisser (Classical Theatre of Harlem; and Sam in the National Tour of Addy: An American Girl Story with Seattle Children’s Theatre, directed by Linda Hartzell. On TV, he played an ESU officer on “Law & Order.”

Daniel Morgan and Shannon L. Dorsey in The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller. © 2010 Lia Chang

In February, he appeared in the Off-Broadway production of the New York Times Critic’s Pick The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller, a new play by Jeff Cohen, based on the short story by Christopher Stokes, and directed by Alfred Preisser.

New York Times critic Rachel Saltz called Shelley’s portrayal of a troubled artist cannibal headhunter on a remote island in Papua New Guinea, “excellent.” Martin Denton of nytheatre.com said, “the ensemble is excellent, anchored by a strong, sympathetic performance by Daniel Morgan Shelley as Designing Man. The New York Post said The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller was “well-acted, particularly by the charismatic Shelley.”

Daniel Morgan Shelley as Mercutio in the Classical Theatre of Harlem's Romeo & Juliet. Photo by Ruth Sovronsky

“I have worked with Daniel before on two other projects, Romeo and Juliet and Ain’t Supposed to Die A Natural Death,” says director Alfred Preisser. “I’ve been impressed by his work and the way he approaches it. Putting him in the role of Designing Man meant that the play would rise and fall based on the way he created that character, since 40% of the dialogue is his, and the play is seen entirely through his character’s eyes. I love what he’s done with the character; he’s fused the ultra-modern concept of a sensitive artist with the archetype of Rousseau’s “Noble Savage”. Dan’s acting is understated and real, the audiences feel him and as a result, the play works.”

Helmar Augustus Cooper as Mr. M, Daniel Morgan Shelley as Thami Mbikwana and Vanessa K. Wasche as Isabel in My Children! My Africa! by Athol Fugard at the Chautauqua Conservatory Theatre Company, directed by Ralph Zito. Photo courtesy of Daniel Morgan Shelley

What has been your favorite role?
My favorite role so far was Thami Mbikwana in My Children! My Africa! by Athol Fugard at the Chautauqua Conservatory Theatre Company, directed by Ralph Zito. It’s without a doubt, my favorite Fugard play. The character has an abundant wealth of intelligence but also rage at the injustices that surround him and his people. This conflict manifests itself in the relationships with the other two characters of the play: his teacher, Mr. M and his friend/partner in an English Literature Quiz, Isabel. It was such a roller coaster ride to play Thami who is stifled in his ability to communicate with his black teacher who he feels doesn’t understand him or the struggles of their people, but can communicate with his white female teammate…who he feels doesn’t understand him or the struggles of his people. It’s a beautiful story, full of people who love each other and can’t express it.

Merritt Wever, Nick Dillenburg, Noah Weisburg (back of his head), Colby Chambers, Zoë Winters, Daniel Morgan Shelley in Hater at the Ohio Theatre, writer/director Samuel Buggeln's fresh, contemporary adaptation of Moliere's The Misanthrope. Photo courtesy of Samuel Buggeln

What are your dream roles?
Orlando in As you Like It. I want to play one of the princes in Titus. Cory in Fences. Any of the male characters in the Brother/Sister Plays, Young Blood in Jitney, Citizen Barlow in Gem of the Ocean. August Wilson is my favorite contemporary playwright. Stephen Adly Gurgis is my favorite living contemporary playwright.

Who are the directors you would like to work with?
Kenny Leon, Edward Hall, Liesl Tommy, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Julie Taymor, Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, Michael Mayer, Clint Eastwood, and Michael Grief

What are you most passionate about?
I love the theatre. Be it live or on-camera, I am absolutely in love with the connections that actors have with an audience. It’s my passion – to connect. I love that I am a part of the centuries old tradition of the Thespian, the Griot, the Jyrau, the Bard, the Ashik. Storytellers. Carriers of the Oral Tradition so that the people remember who they are and where they come from. Without that, how do we grow? Theatre is society’s mirror and I thrive on being a part of that mirror. Giving Life to characters – a voice – a body – an existence – a fully realized person for the purpose of telling a story and connecting to an audience. Theatre is a community practice with the potential for a circular exchange of energy between audience and actor. An intimate relationship is established with an audience. It is entertaining and it is healing. Theatre is Magic – to genuinely create living, breathing characters who only existed on paper before I gave them life and having an audience connect to that character is Magic. And I will do this until I die.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Working Theater’s Production of Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex through March 11, 2012
Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX
Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, starring Colman Domingo & Scott Shepherd in The Alice Griffith Jewel Box at The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 11, 2012
Linsanity: Sport Illustrated Cover Guy New York Knicks Starting Point Guard Jeremy Lin
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
The Dish on Susur Lee and Shang
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Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

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