| ABINGDON THEATRE CO. to launch 26th season with CLOSER THAN EVER Gala event honoring DONNA MURPHY, and new play by DAVID GREENSPAN | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 05:55 pm EDT 08/27/18 | |
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| Abingdon Theatre Company (Tony Speciale, Artistic Director; Denise Dickens, Producing Director) will launch their 26th season with a special one-night-only gala event on Monday, October 22 at The Edison Ballroom. The evening honors two-time Tony winner Donna Murphy (Hello, Dolly!; Passion; Wonderful Town). The event will begin at 6PM with a cocktail reception, dinner, honoree tribute and live auction, followed by an all-star concert performance of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire's award-winning musical revue Closer Than Ever. (Casting to be announced.) Closer Than Ever will feature choreography by Deidre Goodwin, musical direction by Kevin David Thomas, and direction by Chad Austin. Individual Gala tickets, starting at $500, include access to the cocktail reception, dinner, honoree tribute and live auction at 6PM, followed by orchestra seating for Closer Than Ever at 8PM. A limited number of $125 performance-only tickets are also available, which include general admission with open bar for the 8PM performance. Doors open at 7:30PM for performance-only tickets. Both Individual Gala tickets and performance-only tickets are available at abingdontheatre.org or by calling 212-868-2055, ext. 2. Additionally, Abingdon Theatre Company has announced the first main stage production of its 2018-2019 season. Abingdon Theatre Company will collaborate with The Bushwick Starr to present The Things That Were There, a new play by award-winning playwright and performer David Greenspan (I'm Looking for Helen Twelvetrees at Abrons Arts Center, Go Back To Where You Are at Playwrights Horizons, The Myopia at The Foundry Theatre). Directed by Lee Sunday Evans (Dance Nation, [PORTO],Caught), The Things That Were There runs October 10 - November 3 at The Bushwick Starr Theater, 207 Starr Street, Brooklyn, NY (between Irving and Wyckoff Streets). Opening night is Saturday October 13 at 8PM. Performances are Mondays - Saturdays at 8PM. Tickets will be available starting September 11 at www.thebushwickstarr.org. Visit the website for more information. Featuring Evander Duck, Jr., David Greenspan, Caitlin Morris, Cesar J. Rosado and Mary Shultz, The Things That Were There is a memory play and a meditation on loss. Set on the occasion of a celebratory dinner the play dramatizes the events and relationships of a family over many years - as past incidents are recalled and at times relived. Certain scenes begin again with slight or significant variation as a means of investigating family relationships through a continually shifting lens and exploring the tragic and comic potential of each event. The Things That Were There features scenic and costume design by Carolyn Mraz and lighting design by Barbara Samuels. "We're thrilled to be honoring the incomparable Donna Murphy at this year's gala," says Tony Speciale, Artistic Director, Abingdon Theatre Company. "I have been a huge fan of hers for years, having grown up listening to the original Broadway cast album of Passion. To be able to celebrate her extraordinary talents with this riveting song cycle by the legendary Maltby and Shire is a dream come true.We're also excited to collaborate with The Bushwick Starr in presenting David Greenspan's The Things That Were There as our season opener. I have long been an admirer of David's innovative work and this particular family drama is especially poignant." Abingdon Theatre Company is dedicated to developing and producing new American work by emerging and established artists. Under the artistic direction of Tony Speciale, the company provides an intimate home where artists can collaborate within a supporting and nurturing environment. Abingdon searches for stories about the human experience that bravely reflect, challenge and celebrate the ever-evolving world in which we live. To date, the company has collaborated with more than 200 playwrights, produced 92 New York and world-premieres, presented more than 700 readings, staged over 175 ten-minute plays, and commissioned 6 one-act plays. Notable artists who have worked at Abingdon include Carl Andress, Bryan Batt, Reed Birney, Anne Bogart and SITI Company, Robert Brustein, Mario Cantone, Jeff Croiter, Maxwell Caulfield, Dick Cavett, Jocelyn Clarke, Philip Dawkins, Eve Ensler, John Epperson, Jane Greenwood, Chisa Hutchinson, Arthur Kopit, James Lecesne, Ralph Macchio, Roberta Maxwell, Charles Mee, Jason O'Connell, Nancy Opel, Austin Pendleton, Sam Pinkleton, Lanie Robertson, Marcia Rodd, Mfoniso Udofia and Michael Weller. Abingdon's 2014 production of Brian Richard Mori's Hellman v. McCarthy was filmed and presented by WNET as part of its inaugural Theatre Close Up series. abingdontheatre.org The Bushwick Starr is an Obie Award winning non-profit theater that presents an annual season of new performance work. We are an organization defined by both our artists and our community, and since 2007, we have grown into a thriving theatrical venue, a vital neighborhood arts center, and a destination for exciting and engaging performance. We provide a springboard for emerging professional artists to make career-defining leaps, and we are a sanctuary where established performance companies come to experiment and innovate. We are also a neighborhood playhouse, serving our Bushwick, Brooklyn community's diverse artistic needs and impulses. Our past seasons have included new work from groundbreaking artists such as Heather Christian, Darian Dauchan, The Mad Ones, Clare Barron, Dave Malloy, The Debate Society, and the TEAM. www.thebushwickstarr.org Directions to The Bushwick Star Theater: Via Subway take the L Train to Jefferson Street, exit at Starr Street, walk against traffic on Starr, and the theater is 3/4 of a block on the right. Note that there are scheduled MTA service interruptions on the L Train throughout our Season. We recommend taking the M Train to Central Ave., which is about a 10-minute walk to our theater. For detailed driving directions visit: www.thebushwickstarr.org/DIRECTIONS ABOUT THE PARTICIPATING ARTISTS DONNA MURPHY (2018 Abingdon Theater Company Gala Honoree) is one of the most beloved and honored stage actresses of her generation, recognized for the depth and range of her work. A two-time Tony Award winner for Passion and The King and I, she delighted audiences with her Tony nominated and Drama Desk, Astaire and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning comic tour-de-force in Wonderful Town, received a Tony nomination and Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her portrayal of Lotte Lenya in Manhattan Theater Club's LoveMusik, earned Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her work in Roundabout Theatre Company's The People in the Picture, and recently shared the iconic role of Dolly Levi with the legendary Bette Midler in the critically acclaimed revival of Hello, Dolly! Her work off-Broadway includes her Drama Desk Award nominated performances in Song of Singapore, Lincoln Center Theater's Hello Again and Twelve Dreams and the Shakespeare in the Park production of Into the Woods, as well as three of the most successful productions in City Center Encores! history: Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, and Wonderful Town. For her extensive contributions to the New York theater, she was honored with the Drama League's Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater Award, and was named a "Living Legend of the Theater" by New York Magazine. Murphy's versatility extends to the large and small screens, garnering her international praise as a gifted character actress, and earning her a Daytime Emmy Award. Some film and television highlights include her performances in PBS' "Mercy Street," TNT's "The Day Lincoln Was Shot," HBO's "Someone Had to be Benny," Vera Farmiga's Higher Ground, Todd Solondz's Dark Horse, The Bourne Legacy, Center Stage, The Nanny Diaries, Spider Man 2, Star Trek: Insurrection, and the voice of Mother Gothel in Disney's animated mega-hit Tangled. Her recordings include the Grammy Award winning cast recording of Passion, as well as Wall to Wall Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein's Broadway, and Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project. She is proud member of the Actors Fund Artist Committee, and the Advisory Councils for the Berwin Lee Foundation, Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, the Drama League, and Epic Theatre Ensemble. Murphy also donates her time and efforts to the Single Parents Resource Center, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, and the Worldwide Orphans Foundation. CHAD AUSTIN (Director, Closer Than Ever) is honored to be Abingdon Theatre Company's Associate Director. Recent credits include Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert NBC, And the World Goes 'Round honoring Bebe Neuwirth, Alone in the U.S.A. Lady L'Amours' Final Bow, Who Are You?, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, Down to Me, (Beirut, Lebanon) Chess (A.T.A NYC) Peter and the Wolf (Hampton Ballet Theatre), Alice in Wonderland (Kyone Ballet Brazil) Spring Awakening, The Wedding Singer, and the musical movies Walk the Walk, Landed, and Winning New York (official section 2016 young film maker series). Chad was last seen on stage in Doric Wilson's award-winning Drama Street Theatre (Tosos NYC). Chad originated the role of Edonis in the Off-Broadway comedy Play About the Naked Guy (Emerging Artists Theatre). Other NYC and Regional include; Cinderella (Lincoln Center), The Man That Came to Dinner, Cabaret, Forever Under, Murder Uncensored, Valentino the Musical, Street Scene, and A Chorus Line. TV: CBS's "Guiding Light." Chad made his Metropolitan Opera Ballet Debut in John Adam's and Peter Sellar's Grammy Award winning Doctor Atomic, and performed in over 15 new Metropolitan Opera productions! Chad is also the Artistic Director of Shake Hands Musical Theatre School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. DEIDRE GOODWIN (Choreographer, Closer Than Ever) has been in 8 Broadway shows including A Chorus Line (Shelia Bryant), Chicago (Velma Kelly) and Nine (Our Lady of the Spa). Her films credits include the Oscar winning Chicago (SAG 2003 Best Ensemble Award), Across the Universe, Ocean's 8, The First Purge, It's Complicated, Magic Mike XXL and Every Little Step. TV appearances include "Madam Secretary", "Search Party", "Broad City", "30 Rock", "Elementary", "Pose" and "Law & Order SVU." In addition to performing, she is also an educator and choreographer. Connect with Deidre via Instagram and twitter @dababadoo. KEVIN DAVID THOMAS (Music Director, Closer Than Ever) Broadway: A Tale of Two Cities (Asst. to Music Supervisor), A Little Night Music starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury (actor; Cast Recording), Les Miserables (actor; 1st revival). International: Once on this Island (Music Director; Moscow, Russia), The Watercoolers (MD). National Tour: Little House on the Prairie starring Melissa Gilbert (Asst. Music Supervisor), Les Miserables (actor; 3rd National). Regional: It Happened in Key West (MD; Fulton Theater), My 80 Year-Old-Boyfriend (MD; world premiere; Merrimack Rep), Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On (Music Supervisor; world premiere; cast recording), A Little Night Music (MD; Palm Beach Dramaworks). Upcoming: Bloody Bloody Jessica Fletcher (MD). TV: "Becoming Us" with wife, Sutton Crawford (docu-series on ABC Family/Freeform). Co-host and co-creator of the acclaimed podcast, Behind the Curtain: Broadway's Living Legends. DAVID GREENSPAN (Playwright, The Things That Were There) has been a distinctive presence on the New York stage for almost three decades. Over the years, he has appeared in works by such playwrights as Terrence McNally, Richard Foreman, Sarah Ruhl, Mac Wellman, and Adam Rapp, and last season he appeared at The Bushwick Starr in Milo Cramer's Cute Activist. Greenspan has also appeared in his own plays, most notably Dead Mother, She Stoops to Comedy, Go Back to Where You Are, I'm Looking for Helen Twelvetrees, his adaptation of Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey and his solo plays The Argument and The Myopia; performed solo renditions of Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude, Barry Conners' The Patsy, Gertrude Stein's lecture Plays, a program of two Stein lectures and a playlet Composition...Masterpieces...Identity. He has received Guggenheim, Lortel and Fox fellowships, Alpert, Lambda Literary, and Helen Merrill Playwriting awards. He is the recipient of six Obie Awards, including a 2010 Obie for Sustained Achievement. LEE SUNDAY EVANS (Director, The Things That Were There) is a director and choreographer. Recent Credits include: Dance Nation by Clare Barron (Playwrights Horizons), The Winter's Tale (The Public Theater), Bull in a China Shop by Bryna Turner (LCT3), [Porto] by Kate Benson (The Bushwick Starr / WP Theater), Caught by Christopher Chen (Play Co.), Macbeth (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), Wellesley Girl by Brendan Pelsue (Humana Festival), D Deb Debbie Deborah by Jerry Lieblich (Clubbed Thumb), A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes by Kate Benson (OBIE Award - New Georges/Women's Project). Her work has been presented/developed at: Baryshnikov Arts Center, Sundance Theater Lab, BAX, CATCH, LMCC, Robert Wilson's Watermill Center, Juilliard. Lee received the 2016 Susan Stroman Directing Award from The Vineyard Theater. |
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