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

MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Photo by Lia Chang

Manhattan Theatre Club’s upcoming Broadway production of a new version of Henrik Ibsen’s AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt, The Royal Family, The Whipping Man, Defiance), and starring Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines (The Columnist, Contact, The Heidi Chronicles) as ‘Dr. Thomas Stockmann’ and Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (Race, Democracy, Fifth of July) as ‘Mayor Peter Stockmann’ begin previews tonight at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street in New York. Opening night is Thursday, September 27, 2012.
The cast of AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE also includes Maïté Alina (Broadway debut) as ‘Petra Stockmann,’ Gerry Bamman (The Merchant of Venice) as ‘Aslaksen,’ Kathleen McNenny (Death of a Salesman) as ‘Catherine Stockmann,’ Randall Newsome (Inherit The Wind) as ‘Horster,’ John Procaccino (Blood and Gifts) as ‘Hovstad,’ Michael Siberry (Mrs. Warren’s Profession) as ‘Morton Kiil,’ and James Waterston (Parents Evening) as ‘Billing.’

Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas star in MTC’s Broadway production of An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street in New York.

When Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Boyd Gaines) discovers toxic contamination in the water used at the local baths, he expects to be hailed as a hero. But since the baths are the town’s main source of revenue, the community fights to silence him… and Dr. Stockmann learns that there are forces more powerful than truth. An incisive tale about the high price of free expression, AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE makes a timely return to the New York stage in this bold new version by one of Britain’s most exciting writers, Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

The creative team for AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE includes: John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Ben Stanton (lighting design), David Van Tieghem (original music & sound design), J. David Brimmer (fight direction), and Tom Watson (hair & wig design).

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over the past three decades, MTC productions have earned a total of 18 Tony Awards and six Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). Renowned MTC productions include Venus in Fur; Master Class; Good People; The Whipping Man; Time Stands Still; The Royal Family; Ruined; The American Plan; Come Back, Little Sheba; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; A Small Family Business; Sylvia; Putting It Together; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain’t Misbehavin’.

The Performance schedule for AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE is Tuesday & Wednesday @ 7pm, Thursday & Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 2pm & 7pm. Beginning October 1: Tuesday @ 7pm, Wednesday @ 2pm & 7pm, Thursday & Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 2pm. Tickets are on sale through November 11, 2012. Dates & Times Exceptions include a time change on Wednesday, September 19 @ 8pm, Thursday, September 27 @ 6:45pm (Opening night). Subscriptions for MTC’s 2012-2013 season are now available by calling (212) 399-3050 (Monday through Friday NOON – 10 PM, Saturday 3-6:30 PM) or online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

BIOGRAPHIES
HENRIK IBSEN (Playwright; 1828-1906). In addition to An Enemy of the People, his plays include Hedda Gabler, A Doll’s House, Ghosts, The Lady From the Sea, Peer Gynt, Pillars of Society, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, Master Builder, Little Eyolf, John Gabriel Borkman, and When We Dead Awaken.

REBECCA LENKIEWICZ (Adaptation). Lenkiewicz’s plays include The Night Season, National Theatre (Critics Circle Most Promising Playwright Award, 2004); Soho – A Tale of Table Dancers (Arcola Theatre / British Council tour, 2000); Shoreditch Madonna (Soho Theatre, 2005); Blue Moon Over Poplar (NYT / Soho Theatre, 2006); The Soldier’s Tale (Old Vic Theatre, 2006); An Enemy of the People (Arcola, 2008); Faeries (Royal Opera House, 2008); Her Naked Skin (Olivier, Royal National Theatre, 2008, The first play to be performed on the Olivier stage by a living female playwright); Ghosts (adaptation, ATC/Arcola Theatre, 2009); The Lioness (Tricycle Theatre, 2010); The Typist (Sky Arts Live at the Riverside Studios, 2010); Stars Over Kabul (NYT, Glasgow, 2010); That Almost Unnameable Lust (Clean Break Theatre Co. at Soho Theatre, 2011) and The Painter (Arcola Theatre, 2011).

DOUG HUGHES (Director). Previous Manhattan Theatre Club productions include The Whipping Man, the Tony nominated revival of The Royal Family, Mauritius, An Experiment with an Air Pump, Defiance and Doubt, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Director. Other recent Broadway productions include Born Yesterday, Elling, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Oleanna, A Man for All Seasons, the Tony nominated revival of Inherit the Wind, A Touch of the Poet and Frozen. Following An Enemy of the People he will direct the Broadway revival of The Big Knife. He has also worked extensively Off-Broadway and at most of the nation’s leading resident theaters. He has been awarded the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics’ Circle, Lucille Lortel, Obie and Callaway Awards for his productions.

BOYD GAINES (Dr. Thomas Stockmann) most recently starred opposite John Lithgow in the Broadway production of The Columnist. Gaines was seen previously opposite James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave in the Broadway and West End productions of Driving Miss Daisy, at Lincoln Center with Kate Burton in The Grand Manner (Drama Desk nomination), and on Broadway with Patti LuPone in Gypsy for which he received his fourth Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. Other Broadway credits: Pygmalion, Gypsy (City Centers Encores!), Journey’s End (Tony nominee, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), Twelve Angry Men, Contact (Tony Award, Lucille Lortel Award), Cabaret, The Show Off, She Loves Me (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), Company, The Heidi Chronicles (Tony Award). Off-Broadway: Bach at Leipzig, Major Barbara, The Shawl, Comedy of Errors, The Extra Man, The Maderati, The Winter’s Tale, Barbarians, A Month in the Country (Theatre World Award). Regional: Williamstown, Westport Playhouse, Yale Rep, Center Stage, Long Wharf, Guthrie, Kennedy Center. Film: Funny Games, Lovely by Surprise, Second Best, I’m Not Rappaport, Heartbreak Ridge, The Sure Thing, Porky’s, Fame. TV: “The Good Wife,” “Angela’s Eyes,” “The Confession,” “Piece of Cake,” “One Day at a Time,” “L.A. Law,” “Frasier,” “Law & Order.” Training: Juilliard.

Richard Thomas. (Photo by Lia Chang)

RICHARD THOMAS (Peter Stockmann) entered the public’s heart starring in the Emmy Award-winning series, “The Waltons.” He has continued to star in series, films, plays, and over 50 movies for television.

Thomas first entered Stephen King territory with his lead role in the miniseries Stephen King’s “It.” He revisited this world in the 2006 miniseries “Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.” His other television movie and miniseries credits include “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “The Silence,” “The Red Badge of Courage,” “The Master of Ballantrae,” “Johnny Belinda,” “Berlin Tunnel 21,” “Living Proof: The Hank Williams Story,” “Hobson’s Choice,” “Roots: The Next Generation,” “Go Toward the Light,” “In the Name of the People,” “The Christmas Secret,” “The Miracle of the Cards,” “Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder,” “Anna’s Dream,” “Annie’s Point” and “Wild Hearts.”

On the big screen, Thomas has appeared in such movies as The Wonder Boys, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Todd Killings, Last Summer, Winning and the Ang Lee feature Taking Woodstock.

Thomas has been seen on such series as “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Just Cause,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “It’s A Miracle” and “The Practice.” As a producer, Thomas has worked on such television projects as “Summer of Fear,” “What Love Sees” and “For All Time.” Most recently, he was seen in the Hallmark Channel’s film “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.”

On stage, he has been called “one of the leading classical actors of his generation,” (Newsday). His Broadway career began at age 7 with 1958’s Sunrise at Campobello, and has continued with such shows as Fifth of July, The Seagull, The Front Page, Tiny Alice, Peer Gynt, Richard II, Richard III, Hamlet, and The Stendhal Syndrome. Other stage credits include Broadway’s Democracy, A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, the national tour of the acclaimed Broadway revival of Twelve Angry Men and Unusual Acts of Devotion. Recent productions include the Broadway production of Race opposite David Alan Grier, James Spader, and Kerry Washington, the Public Theatre’s production of Timon of Athens (in the title role), and Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays for the Minetta Lane Theatre.

MAÏTÉ ALINA (Petra). Regional credits include Esperanza Rising, Cephalopod, Marisol, A Room Embodied, Reckless, and Flesh and Blood. Television credits include “The Good Wife” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

GERRY BAMMAN (Aslaksen) received Obie and Drama League awards and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Richard Nixon in Nixon’s Nixon. He was a founding member of the Manhattan Project, one of the foremost experimental theater companies of the 1970′s, directed by Andre Gregory. Their production of Alice in Wonderland received an Obie award and was performed over 500 times in New York and around the world. He has appeared in many New York productions, on Broadway and off, and regional theaters. His most recent work was in The Merchant of Venice on Broadway and the American premieres of J. B. Priestley’s The Glass Cage, Bartleby the Scrivener, Jean-Claude Carriere’s Encounter at Valladolid, the title role in Ward Just’s Lowell Limpet, Robert Moses in Shakespeare, Moses, and Joe Papp – which won the Helen Hayes award for Best New Play – and A.R. Gurney’s Mrs. Farnsworth. Films: Runaway Jury, Two Family House, Passion of Mind, Home Alone 1 and 2, Lorenzo’s Oil, The Secret of My Succe$s, Bodyguard, True Believer, Pink Cadillac, and – awaiting release – My Father’s Will and Nous York. Many appearances on “Law & Order.”

KATHLEEN McNENNY (Catherine Stockmann) was most recently seen on Broadway in Mike Nichols’ production of Death of a Salesman. Other selected credits include: Broadway: Coram Boy, The Constant Wife, After the Fall, A Few Good Men. Off-Broadway: Gates of Gold, Mind Game, Three Travelers, Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale. Regional: Equus(Guild Hall), Moon for the Misbegotten (McCarter), Richard III (New Jersey Shakespeare Festival), Beyond Therapy, Good German (Westport Playhouse-Connecticut Critics nomination for Best Actress), Twelfth Night, As You Like It (Long Wharf), Candida, (Yale Rep.), The Skin of Our Teeth (Cal Shakespeare), Sylvia, Sight Unseen, Human Events (George Street), Othello (Philadelphia Drama Guild), The Importance of Being Earnest (Huntington Theater), My Children of Africa (Baltimore Center Stage). Television: “New Amsterdam,” “Law & Order” original, CI and SVU, “Third Watch.” Pennsylvania Miners Story MOW, numerous failed pilots. Films: Morning Glory, Music and Lyrics, School of Rock, Life with Mikey, It Could Happen to You. McNenny is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama.

RANDALL NEWSOME (Horster). Broadway: Inherit the Wind, A Touch of the Poet. Off-Broadway: New York Theatre Workshop, Irish Repertory Theatre. Regional: Steppenwolf Theatre Co., Goodman, McCarter, Alliance Theatre. Film and Television: Straw Dogs, I Love You Phillip Morris, Oliver Stone’s W, Sangre de Mi Sangre (Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner), Love Happens, Highlander II, Big Fat Liar, Benji: Off the Leash, Tremors, “Boardwalk Empire” (recurring), “The Good Wife,” “Royal Pains” (recurring), “Person of Interest,” “Law & Order,” “Guiding Light,” “Ed.” Upcoming: David Chase’s Not Fade Away (Paramount).

JOHN PROCACCINO (Hovstad). Broadway: An American Daughter, A Thousand Clowns, Conversations with My Father, Art (understudy/Alan Alda), and Blood and Gifts (Lincoln Center). National tour: The Light in the Piazza. Off-Broadway: New York Shakespeare Festival. Arena Stage: Broadway revival, The Normal Heart. Regional: Art, Good Boys and True (Steppenwolf); Death of a Salesman (Old Globe Theatre); A Prayer for My Enemy, Down the Garden Paths, Sylvia, A Moon for the Misbegotten, and We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! (Long Wharf Theatre); All the Kings Men, Arms and the Man, and The Singing Forest (Intiman Theatre); Tartuffe, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Two Gentleman of Verona, and Long Day’s Journey into Night (Seattle Repertory), and The Night of the Iguana, Dinner with Friends, Side Man, Grand Magic, and The Crucible (ACT Theatre). Film and television: The Runner Stumbles, Three Fugitives, Born to Be Wild, “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue,” “Northern Exposure,” “Rose Red,” and “Smash.”

Michael Siberry (Morton Kiil). Theatre: i, Man and Boy, Death Takes a Holiday, Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Roundabout), When the Rain Stops Falling (Lincoln Center), Spamalot (Tour & Broadway), Journey’s End ( London), The Frogs (Lincoln Centre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (London), The White Devil (Sydney Theatre Company at BAM), House and Garden (National Theatre), Chicago (London), The Sound of Music (Broadway), Nicholas Nickleby (RSC Broadway). Television includes: “Rosemary and Thyme,” “The Grand,” “Silent Witness” (BBC); “Jeeves and Wooster” and “House of Cards.”

JAMES WATERSTON (Billing). New York theater credits include: Parents Evening opposite Julianne Nicholson (Flea Theater), Buffalo Gal (Primary Stages), Brooke Berman’s A Perfect Couple (WET), Jack in Sir Peter Hall’s The Importance of Being Earnest with Lynn Redgrave (BAM), Orlando in As You Like It (Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park, Mark Lamos directing), Another Time with Malcolm McDowell, Joan Copeland, Marian Seldes and Michael Lombard (AJT). Recent and favorite regional theater includes: Originating role of Daniel in the world premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish (Goodman Theatre, Leigh Silverman directing), Elyot in Private Lives (Maria Aitken directing at the Huntington Theatre), Randy in A.R. Gurney’s Children (Williamstown Theater Festival), Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night (Jack O’Brien, Old Globe), Iago in Othello opposite Seth Gilliam (CSC), Edmund in Long Day’s Journey Into Night (with Elizabeth Franz, John Slattery, and father Sam Waterston), Konstantin in The Seagull (with Pamela Payton-Wright at The George Street Playhouse). International theater: Waterston continues involvement in a production of Julius Caesar that began at A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA and has since traveled on several tours in France and South America. He has played Mark Antony, Brutus, and Cassius for this production.
Film/TV: “Treme” (HBO), “Unforgettable” (CBS), “The Good Wife” (CBS), “Six Feet Under” (recurring, HBO), “Law & Order,” CI and SVU, “Christy” (miniseries Hallmark), “Live from Baghdad” (HBO), “ER” (NBC), “Certainty” (by Mike O’Malley), Visiting (Charles Evered directing), Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir directing), Little Sweetheart (BBC Films). Upcoming: the new drama on ABC “666 Park Avenue.” In addition, Waterston plays New Orleans piano and has spent many of the last 14 summers in Norway.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines to star in An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Jennifer Lim, Julyana Soelistyo, Greg Watanabe Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
Sean Dugan Set for West Coast Premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-Winning Production of The Normal Heart at A.C.T., September 13 – October 7, 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
LA Premiere of $upercapitalist on August 31st with Derek Ting, Kathy Uyen, Rachel Tan, Paul Sheehan and Joyce Yung at LAEMMLE Noho 7; Photos of NY Premiere
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
West Coast Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at Berkeley Rep stars Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, August 24-October 7, 2012
Theater of the Stars Presents The King and I Starring Ronobir Lahiri, Victoria Mallory, Raul Aranas, Ali Ewoldt, Josh Dela Cruz, Jee Hyun Lim and Raphael Aranas, Helmed by Baayork Lee on Tour through September 11, 2012
George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paolo Montalban star in the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical at The Old Globe, September 7 – October 21, 2012
World Premiere Screening of Lil Tokyo Reporter Starring Chris Tashima at Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, September 14-16, 2012
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Emmy Award Winner Richard Thomas Hosts Give Kids a Shot! National Meningitis Association Gala 2012 at the New York Athletic Club
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
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
Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
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.
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 liachangpr@gmail.com

Annie Potts and Richard Thomas star in ‘The Music Teacher’ A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere on August 11

Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award nominee Annie Potts(“GCB,” “Designing Women”) and Emmy(R) Award winner Richard Thomas(“The Waltons”) star in Hallmark Channel’s first movie musical, “The Music Teacher,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere, Saturday, August 11 (9pm ET/PT, 8C) featuring original songs and lyrics composed by Alan Ett. Potts plays a high school music teacher on the brink of losing her beloved afterschool program who learns the lasting bonds she’s made with her students has not only touched their lives, but forever changed hers. The film also stars Kerry James (“Heartland”), Emilie Ullerup (“Arctic Air”), Moneca Delain (“The Break-Up Artist”), Shawn Roberts (“Resident Evil: Retribution”), Peter-John Prinsloo (“Edgemont”) and Rukiya Bernard (“Christmas in Canaan”).

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

In Kansas City, Alyson Daley (Potts) is a high school music teacher whose afterschool program has taught dozens of students not only how to sing, but to gain confidence and build bright futures. Alyson has dedicated herself to changing her students lives for the better, a mission she began sixteen years ago when a tragic accident caused the deaths of her husband and son. Mourning the loss alone, Alyson used the program to distract herself, but is now devastated again when district budget cuts threaten to cancel the program for good. Hearing the news, her first class of students decides to reunite to put on a show-stopping musical to raise money and keep the program alive. Now adults, the cast and former friends look back on the lessons they learned as troubled high school students from Ms. Daley. As they rehearse, they begin to form new bonds – and repair old ones – just in time for opening night, and give their beloved teacher renewed strength to heal her heart.

Annie Potts recently returned to series television in the ABC drama “GCB,” based on the bestselling book Good Christian Bitches. Potts has created many famous female roles in her career, perhaps none better known that “Mary Jo Shively” from “Designing Women.” Potts was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in “Love & War” and she received two Screen Actors Guild nominations for her work on “Any Day Now.” Potts is also known for film roles “Pretty in Pink,” “King of the Gypsies,” “Ghostbusters I & II,” and many others. Annie Potts has a long list of Broadway credits, most recently taking over for Tony nominee Hope Davis in God of Carnage.

Richard Thomas has appeared in over 50 films for television include “The Red Badge of Courage,” “Roots: The Next Generations,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story,” “Common Ground” and “Andre’s Mother.” His TV series include “It’s a Miracle,” “Just Cause” and “The Waltons,” for which he received the Emmy Award. Thomas’ films include Winning, Last Summer, Red Sky at Morning, You’ll Like My Mother, 9/30/55, Battle Beyond the Stars, Wonder Boys, Taking Woodstock and The Beaver. Thomas has appeared on Broadway in David Mamet’s Race, Sunrise at Campobello, Strange Interlude, The Playroom, Everything in the Garden, Fifth of July, The Front Page, Democracy, and A Naked Girl On The Appian Way. His additional New York and US credits include As You Like It, The Seagull, Richard II, Richard III, Hamlet, Peer Gynt, Tiny Alice, Love Letters, Measure For Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Saint Joan, Merton of the Movies, Square One, The Count of Monte Cristo, Citizen Tom Paine, Streamers, Danton’s Death, Arms and the Man, The Barbarians, La Ronde, Vieux Carre, The Devil’s Disciple, The Lisbon Traviata, The Stendhal Syndrome, and Art (London). His most recent performances include Timons of Athens at the Public,Twelve Angry Men (National Tour), and Terrence McNally’s Unusual Acts of Devotion. He regularly performs around the country A Distant Country Called Youth and Blanche and Beyond, from the letters of Tennessee Williams. This fall, he will star in the Broadway run of An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season.

“The Music Teacher” is a Front Street Pictures Production in association with Alan Ett Creative Group. Ronald Parker, Jonathan Axelrod and Alan Ett are executive producers. Harvey Kahn is the producer. Ron Oliver directed from a script by Ronald Parker. Alan Ett composed original lyrics and songs for the film.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. The top-tier program service is distributed through approximately 5,500 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including “The Golden Girls,” “Frasier,” “Little House on the Prairie,” and “The Waltons.” Since 2010, Hallmark Channel has also been home to original daytime lifestyle programming and is debuting two new daily series, Home & Family and Marie!, on October 1, 2012. Hallmark Channel’s sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed HallMark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines to star in An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season
Emmy Award Winner Richard Thomas Hosts Give Kids a Shot! National Meningitis Association Gala 2012 at the New York Athletic Club
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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.
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 liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang: Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines to star in An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (Race, Democracy, Fifth of July) and four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines, currently appearing in MTC’s The Columnist (Contact, The Heidi Chronicles) will star in the American premiere of Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s new version of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt, The Royal Family, The Whipping Man, Defiance), the first offering of Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Broadway season this fall at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street in New York. Previews for MTC’s An Enemy of the People begin Sept. 4 with opening night slated for Sept. 27.

When Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Boyd Gaines) discovers toxic contamination in the water used at the local baths, he expects to be hailed as a hero. But since the baths are the town’s main source of revenue, the community fights to silence him… and Dr. Stockmann learns that there are forces more powerful than truth. An incisive tale about the high price of free expression, An Enemy of the People makes a timely return to the New York stage in this bold new version by one of Britain’s most exciting young writers, Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

Richard Thomas plays Peter Stockmann, mayor of the town and brother of Dr. Thomas Stockmann. Thomas has appeared on Broadway in David Mamet’s Race, Sunrise at Campobello, Strange Interlude, The Playroom, Everything in the Garden, Fifth of July, The Front Page, Democracy, and A Naked Girl On The Appian Way. His additional New York and US credits include As You Like It, The Seagull, Richard II, Richard III, Hamlet, Peer Gynt, Tiny Alice, Love Letters, Measure For Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Saint Joan, Merton of the Movies, Square One, The Count of Monte Cristo, Citizen Tom Paine, Streamers, Danton’s Death, Arms and the Man, The Barbarians, La Ronde, Vieux Carre, The Devil’s Disciple, The Lisbon Traviata, The Stendhal Syndrome, and Art (London). His most recent performances include Timons of Athens at the Public,Twelve Angry Men (National Tour), and Terrence McNally’s Unusual Acts of Devotion. He regularly performs around the country A Distant Country Called Youth and Blanche and Beyond, from the letters of Tennessee Williams. Over 50 films for television include “The Red Badge of Courage,” “Roots: The Next Generations,”“All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story,”“Common Ground” and “Andre’s Mother.” His TV series include “It’s a Miracle,” “Just Cause” and “The Waltons,” for which he received the Emmy Award. Thomas’ films include Winning, Last Summer, Red Sky at Morning, You’ll Like My Mother, 9/30/55, Battle Beyond the Stars, Wonder Boys, Taking Woodstock and The Beaver.

Additional casting and creative team for AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE will be announced shortly.

Subscriptions for MTC’s 2012-2013 season are now available by calling (212) 399-3050 (Monday through Friday NOON – 10 PM, Saturday 3-6:30 PM) or online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com. Single tickets to the productions will go on sale at a later date.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Emmy Award Winner Richard Thomas Hosts Give Kids a Shot! National Meningitis Association Gala 2012 at the New York Athletic Club
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Jarlath Conroy set for Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, June 12–July 15, 2012 at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington D.C.
C.J. Wilson navigates armor and swordplay in Signature Theatre Company’s World Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Play
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
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
Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
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
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
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.

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.
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 liachangpr@gmail.com

Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Photos: (3pm) with André Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more

Richard Thomas. Photo by Lia Chang

On March 11, 2012, regional theater companies across the country presented Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a series of benefit performances to raise funds for Japanese theater artists devastated by last year’s great earthquake (Shinsai).

New York City’s leading theatre companies, including Atlantic Theater Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theater, joined forces to present performances at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, Seventh Street at Third Avenue in New York.

Thom Sesma and Paolo Montalban. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Barlett Sher. Photo by Lia Chang

Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) helmed a stellar lineup of artists. The cast of the 3pm performance featured Michi Barall, Cindy Cheung, Lisa Emery, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Kim, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jay O. Sanders, Thom Sesma, Jon Norman Schneider, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jade Wu, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen.

The ensemble of actors performed a series of ten minute plays and musical numbers by award-winning American and Japanese writers and composers including The Remaining by Shoki Kokami; A Few Stout Individuals by John Guare; Sayonara II by Oriza Hirata; Wind from the Northwest by Kumiko Shinohara; and Dropping by the House by Yoji Sakate. Playwrights Philip Kan Gotanda (Child is Father to Man), Richard Greenberg (Where Were We) and Suzan-Lori-Parks (The Length of this Play Has the Half Life of Uranium, a “forever play” for Japan on 3.11), contributed original work to the benefit which featured a segment from the 1976 musical Pacific Overtures revised especially for the occasion by its creators librettist John Weidman and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

Playwrights Suzan-Lori Parks, Philip Kan Gotanda, John Weidman and Kumiko Shinohara.
Photo by Lia Chang

With musical direction by Paul Gemignani, scenic design by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

All proceeds from the performances that day around the country, will be sent from the Dramatists Guild Fund to the Japan Playwrights Association, who will in turn distribute the monies to those members of Japan’s theatre community who were stricken by the earthquake.

James Yaegashi and Sab Shimono in CHILD IS FATHER TO MAN by Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Shinsai (SHEEN-sigh) means great quake in Japanese. The genesis of the event began shortly after the disaster when actor James Yaegashi, whose family is from a nearby area, called friends in New York theatre to say “We as a theatre community have to do something to help our fellow artists on the other side of the world.” This galvanized the various theatre professionals to whom Yaegashi reached out who in turn joined forces with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Cooper Union, Dramatists Guild Fund, Japan Playwrights Association, Japan Society, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center and Theatre Communications Group to present this nation-wide effort. The Dramatists Guild Fund is the fiscal sponsor for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, collecting donations on behalf of Japan Playwrights Association (JPA) through June 1, 2012 to help restore the conditions that surround the Japanese theater. Click here to donate now.

Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, James Yaegashi. Photo by Lia Chang

Olivia Oguma, Jennifer Lim, Cindy Cheung, Sab Shimono, Thom Sesma, Paolo Montalban, Peter Kim, Jon Norman Schneider and Angel Desai. Photo by Lia Chang

Angela Lin, director Barlett Sher, Lincoln Center Theater Dramaturg Anne Cattaneo, Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater, Jade Wu and playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Richard Thomas, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Olivia Oguma, Barlett Sher, Angela Lin, Jennifer Lim, Jon Norman Schneider, Peter Kim, Michi Barall and Kumiko Shinohara. Photo by Lia Chang

Jade Wu, Angel Desai, Philip Kan Gotanda, Sab Shimono and Michi Barall. Photo by Lia Chang

Jay O. Sanders, Jennifer Ikeda, John Guare, Mary Beth Hurt, Barlett Sher, Suzan-Lori Parks and Philip Kan Gotanda. Photo by Lia Chang

Click below for a slideshow of the 3pm performance.

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Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram and more
For additional information: visit www.tcg.org/shinsai. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHINSAI-Theaters-for-Japan/286171358070366

James Yaegashi, Pacific Overtures' librettist John Weidman, director Bartlett Sher and musical director Paul Gemignani. Photo by Lia Chang

Angela Lin, director Bartlett Sher and Lia Chang. Photo by Peter Kim

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
Thom Sesma, Patti LuPone, Cindy Cheung, Jennifer Lim, Sab Shimono, James Yaegashi and more set for Shinsai: Theaters for Japan Benefit on March 11 at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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