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.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Kelvin Moon Loh and More Set for World Premiere of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public, April 2 – May 19, 2013
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Chuck Cooper, Austin Pendleton, Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Grantham Coleman, Jeremy Pope, and Wallace Smith Set for MTC’s World Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, June 18- July 21, 2013
Orville Mendoza is currently appearing as Sergeant Lombardi in Classic Stage Company’s Passion through April 19, 2013
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre extends David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad starring Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu through March 24, 2013
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Hold These Truths Opening Night at Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre with Daniel Dae Kim, Joel de la Fuente and Jeanne Sakata
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
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

Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season

Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 season features plays by Edward Albee, David Henry Hwang, Will Eno, Regina Taylor, August Wilson, Martha Clarke and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at the company’s Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). All subscriber tickets for the 2013-14 Season are $25 each as part of the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. Subscription packages start at just $125.

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

The Residency One: David Henry Hwang Series continues during the 2013-14 season with the previously announced world premiere of his latest work Kung Fu, directed by Leigh Silverman. Residency One is the continuation of Signature’s core Playwright-in-Residence program that produces a series of plays from the body of work of one accomplished writer.

Signature’s Legacy Program, a homecoming for past Signature Playwrights-in-Residence, will feature the world premiere of Edward Albee’s new play Laying an Egg, directed by David Esbjornson. Signature devoted its 1993-94 Season to Edward Albee, with the world premiere of Fragments, New York premieres of Marriage Play, Counting the Ways and Listening, Sand: Box, The Sandbox, and Finding the Sun. Albee returned to Signature in the 2001-2002 10th Anniversary Season for the presentation of Edward Albee’s Occupant, later also staged in the 2007-2008 Season. His play The Lady from Dubuque was presented at the new Pershing Square Signature Center as part of the Inaugural 2012 season and was extended for three weeks.

Edward Albee. Photo by Lia Chang

The Legacy Program will also include the New York premiere of How I Learned What I Learned by August Wilson. Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who directed Signature’s acclaimed production of Wilson’s The Piano Lesson this fall, will appear in Wilson’s one-man show, with Todd Kreidler directing. Signature’s 2006-07 Season was devoted to the late August Wilson, with productions of his plays Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running and King Hedley II. Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson was presented in the 2012-13 season and was extended for six weeks.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Residency Five is Signature’s newest program, a groundbreaking program that provides a group of playwrights with the full range of Signature’s resources for a period of five years to create and produce new work, and guarantees each playwright a minimum of three world premieres at The Pershing Square Signature Center. Residency Five enables a diverse community of playwrights to build bodies of work, and provides them with a significant cash award, full health benefits and a stipend to attend theatre. Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and Regina Taylor are the program’s current playwrights.

The 2013-14 Season will feature the previously announced World Premiere of Regina Taylor’s —- and potatoes, which will be directed by the playwright, along with the world premiere of Cheri, conceived, directed and choreographed by Martha Clarke, and new plays from Will Eno, whose Title and Deed was extended for two weeks during Signature’s Inaugural Season at The Pershing Square Signature Center, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Mare Winningham, James Houghton and Lois Smith at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York for the opening night party of Old Hats, starring Bill Irwin, David Shiner and Nellie McKay, on March 4, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

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

Founding Artistic Director James Houghton says “We are thrilled to announce our 2013-2014 season of all-premiere works. The season offers an exciting cross-section of our three Residency programs as we introduce new artists and collaborators and welcome home Signature veterans. It is a rich and rewarding season, and we look forward to sharing it with our growing community here at The Pershing Square Signature Center.”

Signature’s current season continues with The Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang (extended through March 24), Old Hats created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner (extended through May 9) and The Mound Builders by Lanford Wilson, which has been extended through April 14.

Subscriptions to the 2013-14 Season are on sale now by calling the Box Office at 212-244-7529 or visiting www.signaturetheatre.org.

Playwright David Henry Hwang is flanked by his The Dance and The Railroad stars Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu. Photo by Lia Chang

David Henry Hwang Articles:
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre extends David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad starring Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu through March 24, 2013
Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad, February 5 – March 17, 2013
Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge Star in David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at South Coast Repertory, January 25 – February 24, 2013
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child; Extended Run Ends December 16, 2012
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 16, 2012
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for other articles on David Henry Hwang.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Hold These Truths Opening Night at Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre with Daniel Dae Kim, Joel de la Fuente and Jeanne Sakata
Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider Join the Cast of the World Premiere of Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre, February 28 – April 13, 2013
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
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

Lia Chang Photos: Laila Robins, Sean Dugan, C.J. Wilson, Peter Francis James, Bill Irwin, Maggie Lacey and Tricia Paoluccio at Signature Theatre Company’s revival of Edward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque

Edward Albee. Photo by Lia Chang

Last night, I saw an alumni night preview performance of Signature Theatre’s (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) riveting revival of Edward Albee’s The Lady from Dubuque, directed by David Esbjornson, and featuring Tony Award winner Jane Alexander in the title role, with Catherine Curtin (Love, Janis) as Lucinda, Michael Hayden (Festen, Cabaret) as Sam, Peter Francis James (The Merchant of Venice) as Oscar, Tricia Paoluccio (A Strange and Separate People) as Carol, Laila Robins (Frozen) as Jo, Thomas Jay Ryan (In the Next Room or the vibrator play) as Edgar and C.J. Wilson (Festen, Henry IV) as Fred.

The Lady from Dubuque castmembers Laila Robins, C.J. Wilson, Tricia Paoluccio and Peter Francis James. Photo by Lia Chang

The production began preview perfomances on February 14, with a March 5 opening night, and has been extended through April 1, 2012 as the inaugural production in The End Stage Theatre at the Company’s dazzling new Frank Gehry-designed home The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between Dyer and 10th Avenues).

Laila Robins and Sean Dugan. Photo by Lia Chang

After the performance, there was a delightful cocktail and dessert reception with the castmembers in the cafe. Thanks to James Houghton, Erika Mallin, Allison Bressi and the entire staff of Signature Theatre for a lovely evening at the theater in their new home.

In The Lady from Dubuque, Sam and Jo are entertaining their friends during a late night party 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.

The design team includes John Arnone (Scenic Design), Elizabeth Hope Clancy (Costume Design), David Lander (Lighting Design), John Gromada (Sound Design) and Rick Sordelet (Fight Direction). The production stage manager is David H. Lurie and the stage manager is Andrew C. Gottlieb. Casting is by Telsey + Company.

Peter Francis James and Gordana Rashovich. Photo by Lia Chang

Tickets to all productions of Signature’s inaugural season at The Pershing Square Signature Center are $25, part of the groundbreaking Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, a program that guarantees affordable and accessible tickets to every Signature production for the next 20 years.

Tickets and season subscriptions can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 212-244-7529 or online at www.signaturetheatre.org.

Laila Robins, C.J. Wilson and Tricia Paoluccio. Photo by Lia Chang

Serving as a model for theatres and performing arts organizations across the country, the Initiative was founded in 2005 and is made possible by a lead gift from The Pershing Square Foundation with supplemental support from the Ford Foundation, Margot Adams, Time Warner Inc., the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

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.

Bill Irwin and Lia Chang. Photo by Christine Lin

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 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.

Playwright Sam Shepard and director Joe Chaikin in rehearsal for Signature Theatre's production of Chicago at 42nd Rehearsal Studios in September 1996. Photo by Lia Chang

I am a proud alumni of the Signature Theatre Company, having appeared in Sam Shepard’s Chicago, directed by Joe Chaikin at The Public in Signature Theatre’s Sam Shepard season in 1996. A selection of my rehearsal photographs taken during that production are in Signature Theatre Company’s limited edition book, “Signature Theatre Company The First 20 Years: A Celebration,” which features a treasure trove of rehearsal, portrait and production images of the plays produced during the first 20 years of The Company.

Sam Shepard and the cast of Chicago at The Public Theater in October, 1996. Photo by Lia Chang

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. Check out www.signaturetheatre.org.

Christine Lin, Debargo Sanyal, C.J. Wilson and Nick Choksi. Photo by Lia Chang

About THE PERSHING SQUARE SIGNATURE CENTER
The Pershing Square Signature Center is the new, permanent home of Signature Theatre. Spanning an entire city block at 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue, the Frank Gehry-designed The Pershing Square Signature Center features 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.

Maggie Lacey, Gordana Rashovich and Julia Gibson. Photo by Lia Chang

At The Pershing Square Signature Center, the Company’s expanded 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, which provides five-year residencies for multiple playwrights, guaranteeing three full productions of new work over the course of each playwright’s residency; and the Legacy Program, which honors the lifetime achievement of playwrights who have previously been in residence at Signature through the production of a premiere or earlier play. 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.

Lia Chang and C.J. Wilson. Photo by Gordana Rashovich

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.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, Smartmoney.com The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.



All text, graphics, articles & photographs: ©2000-2012 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@backstagepasswithliachang.com.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Yellow Face Reading & Book Signing w/ David Henry Hwang, Kathryn Layng, Francis Jue, w/ guest Edward Albee
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
Tony award-winning actor BD Wong stars in NBC’s Awake; video preview and interview
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
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
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: Working Theater’s CALL ME WALDO
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: Chinglish in Rehearsal
broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre presents Knock Me A Kiss
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish
Extended through 8/23- “In Rehearsal” Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Featuring Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, Thom Sesma as Scar in The Lion King Las Vegas
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Project1Voice’s Multiple Staged Readings of Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind features André De Shields, Peter Coyote, Roger Robinson, Leslie Uggams, LaChanze, John Mahoney, Bill Irwin, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Irma P. Hall on June 20

André De Shields Photo by Lia Chang

From New York to Los Angeles on Monday, June 20, 2011, Project1Voice’s inaugural event –1 Voice, 1 Play, 1 Day will feature multiple staged readings of Alice Childress’ classic play Trouble in Mind. André De Shields, Leslie Uggams, LaChanze and Bill Irwin will appear in the New York reading directed by Charles Randolph‐Wright. Peter Coyote and John Mahoney are cast in the San Francisco and Chicago productions respectively. LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Roger Robinson are slated for the Los Angeles event while Irma P. Hall will head the cast in DeSoto, TX. Petronia Paley will direct the reading at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ.

Project1Voice, founded by New York‐based actor/producer Erich McMillan McCall (Chicago, The Who’sTommy) is an organization created to preserve the legacy of African‐American theatres and playwrights.

1Voice, 1Play, 1Day is a national day of celebration that not only honors the late great playwright’s seminal work, but also highlights African‐American theatre companies that are struggling for their very existence.

Written in 1955, TROUBLE IN MIND is a powerfully incendiary and satiric drama based on the conflict of not compromising one’s artistic integrity. This play within a play follows the journey of a mixed‐raced cast in 1957 as they embark upon rehearsals for a racially charged play. Childress shows the actors’ complaints, directors’ frustration and even with the well‐meaning efforts of theater professionals to overcome their racial feelings. As the play unfolds each character is revealed, along with their cavalier approach to the scripts they hold. There is so much humor that the playwright’s theme within the theme will leave today’s modern audience marveling at how insightful and fresh the play feels today. Trouble in Mind was scheduled to make it to Broadway before A Raisin in the Sun. However the project was shelved when Childress refused to make the ending more upbeat and therefore more palatable for white audiences. The play has still to today, never gone to Broadway. In addition to featuring nationally renowned artists, the 1Voice, 1Play, 1Day readings of Trouble in Mind will also showcase the talents of local actors at eighteen (18) participating theatres in the following cities:

New York, NY
Theatres: American Performing Arts Collaborative, New Federal Theatre, New Professional Theatre,
The Billie Holiday Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company
Cast: Andre De Shields, Bill Irwin, La Chanze, Justine Lupe‐Schomp, Malachy McCourt, Tim McGeever, Alano Miller, Don Stephenson, Leslie Uggams.
Director: Charles Randolph‐Wright
Venue: American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street, between 8th and Broadway.
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: $50 Orchestra $25 Mezzanine. www.project1voice.org,or 866-811-4111
For more information: 646-409-5175.

New Brunswick, NJ
Theatre: Crossroads Theatre Company
Cast: TBA
Director: Petronia Paley
Venue: Crossroads Theatre Company, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 732‐545‐8100

Philadelphia, PA
Theatre: Freedom Theatre.
Dr. Kimmika Williams‐Witherspoon, poet, playwright and Associate Professor of Theatre at Temple University will host the evening.
Cast: CeCelia Birt, Mets Suber, Lee Colston, Cathy Simpson, Brian Wilson, Amanda Schoonover, Tom McCarthy, Peter Pryor, Michael J. Pastorok, Fatimah Ali
Venue: Freedom Theatre, 1346 North Broad Street
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $10 Students with ID. http://www.freedomtheatre.org , 215‐978‐8497
Box Office –Hours: Tues‐Fri , 12 noon to 6pm.
For more information: 215‐765‐2793

Pittsburgh, PA
Theatre: Kuntu Repertory Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh
Details TBA

Washington, DC
Theatre: African Continuum Theatre Company with assistance from Howard University
Cast: Jewell Robinson, David Berkenbelt, Nickolas Vaughn, Lolita Clayton, Thomas Howell, Laura GodfreyDunlop, Michael Kramer, Joshua Morgan, Jim Esptein
Director: Shirley Basfield Dunlap
Venue: Howard University Ira Aldridge Theatre, 2455 6th Street, NW
Time: 8:00pm
Tickets: $15.00 www.boxofficetickets.com
For more information: 202‐529‐5763

Cleveland, OH
Theatre: Rainey Institute in association with Karamu House
Cast: Conni Blair, Peter Lawson Jones, Mariama Whyte, Antuane Rogers, Skip Corris, Brian Pedaci, George Roth, Hannah Stofan, Anthony Nickerson
Director: Dale Ricardo Shields
Venue: Debra Ann November Theater at Rainey Institute 1705 E. 55th Street
Time: 7:00pm TALK BACK after performance
Tickets: $35.00
For more information: 216‐881‐1766

Chicago, IL
Theatre: Congo Square Theatre Company.
This reading of Trouble in Mind is the center piece of its anniversary celebration.
Cast: TarRon Patton, Alfred Wilson, Anthony Irons, Ericka Ratcliff, Aaron Todd Douglas, Katie Jeep, Jonathan Weir, Shawn Douglass, Danny Goldring, John Mahoney
Director: Ann Joseph Douglass
Venue: Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green
Time: Reception ‐ 6:00pm, Reading – 8:00pm
Tickets: $100 – 773‐296‐0830
For more information: 773‐296‐0830, www.congosquaretheatre.org
Milwaukee, WI
Theatre: Uprooted with assistance from Youngblood Theatre Company
Cast: Sherry Williams‐Panell, Bobby Spencer, Keantre Gill, Tiffany Cox, Allen Edge, T. Stacy Hicks, Andrew
Voss, John Kishline, Stage Directions: Michael Coty
Director: Marti Gobel
Venue: Ten Chimneys South 43, West 31575 Genesee,Wisconsin
Time: TBA
Tickets: TBA
For more information: www.uprootedmke.com or www.tenchimneys.org
Phone- 262‐968‐4110

Birmingham, AL
Theatre: Aldridge Repertory Theatre
Cast: Tommie “Tonea” Stewart, John Mark Magaha, Yvette Jones‐Smedley, Amanda Graham, Neil David
Siebel, Dane Peterson, Rodney Clark
Venue: Virginia Samford Theatre, 1116 26th Street, South
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 205-538-1828

Dallas, TX
Theatre: African American Repertory Theater
Cast: Irma P. Hall, Willie Minor, Vince Davis, Jack O’Donnell, Shucky Ducky, Christopher
Piper, Yolanda Williams, Emily Wood Bowron
Venue: Black Academy of Arts and Letters nn650 S. Griffin Street Dallas, Texas 75202
(At the corner of Canton and Akard Streets)
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10 – $50
For more information: 972‐572‐0998

Fort Worth, TX
Theatre: Jubilee Theatre
Cast: Barbara Woods, Lloyd Barnes, Altie Jenkins, Stormi Demerson,Douglas Carter, Alicia Miller, David
Ellis,Michael Raines,Bob Allen
Venue: 506 Main Street, Fort Worth, Texas
Details: 817‐338‐4411

Houston, TX
Theatre: The Ensemble Theatre
Cast: Brenda Wilson, Kendrick Brown, Cynthia Brown, Ron Jones, Paul Drake, Wayne DeHart, Bob Morgan.
Director: Wayne DeHart
Venue: The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main Street
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 713‐520‐0055

Los Angeles, CA
Theatre: Ebony Repertory Theatre
Cast: LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Roger Robinson, Leslie Odom Jr.
Venue: Nate Holden Performing Arts Center 4718 W. Washington Blvd
Details: www.ebonyrep.org
San Francisco, CA
Theatre: Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Cast: Margo Hall, Geoff Hoyle, Tobie Windom, Alan Taylor, Peter Coyote.
Director: Steven Anthony Jones
Venue: Zeum Theater in Children’s Museum at Yerba Buena Gardens
Time: TBA
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 415‐345‐3980

About the playwright
Born in Charleston, SC in 1912 and raised in Harlem, playwright Alice Childress began her career as an actress with the American Negro Theatre. She wrote over 17 plays including Florence, Gold Through The Trees, Wine in the Wilderness, Trouble In Mind, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story In Black And White and Let’s Hear It For The Queen. For a brief period Childress expanded her writing from plays to novels. She wrote three children’s novels, A Hero Ain’t Nothing but a Sandwich, which was made into a film in 1978, Rainbow Jordan and Those other People. After a lifetime of giving the American Theatre work grounded in social justice that offered authentic portraits of African Americans, particularly African American women, Childress died of cancer in 1994. (Permission to perform Trouble in Mind is granted by Flora Roberts, Inc. 275 Seventh Ave. New York,
NY 10001).

For more information about Project1Voice; 1Voice, 1Play, 1Day; Trouble in Mind and Alice Childress visit www.project1voice.org.

Articles on Andre De Shields:
André De Shields in Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at the Victory Gardens Biograph through June 12
André De Shields set for Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at the Victory Gardens Biograph
Photos: De Shields, McClendon, Elisa, Glasco, Nemser, Phillips, Thompson at The Sovereign State of Boogedy Boogedy Reading
Spend Valentine’s Day with André De Shields in The Sovereign State of Boogedy Boogedy at the Abingdon Theatre
André De Shields and Charlayne Woodard are featured in Red Bull Theater’s Off Broadway Production of The Witch of Edmonton
André De Shields leads cast of Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss at Abrons Arts Center
Andre Dé Shields is having a Devilishly Good Time in Damn Yankees at The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport
Photos of André De Shields in Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory: From Douglass to Deliverance
Achieving the American Dream, Professional Charmer Andre De Shields Sees Theater is a Way to Life
André De Shields Celebrates Black History Month Starring in The Working Theater’s Production of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory at The Abingdon in February 2010
Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe, MTC’s Ruined are Top Winners at 2009 Audelcos
Multimedia: Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe Opening Night Party Photos
Multimedia: Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe
André De Shields and Reg E. Cathey Star in Cato at The Flea
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

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

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.