In the spirit of our recent visits to regional theatre home pages, we delve into websites associated with theatres specifically devoted to the development of new works. This week:
Founded in 1971 and originally located at the Clark Center Y by
Robert Moss, Playwrights
Horizons has grown to become one of the most highly regarded
and largest developmental theatre in the world. As "the only
theater in New York City dedicated solely to the creation and
production of new American plays and musicals," they've showcased
the work of hundreds of writers, from Jon Robin Baitz to Wendy
Wasserstein, Randy Courts to Stephen Sondheim. (You'll find a
much more complete listing on their "Famous Names" and
"Our History" pages.) Among the many highly regarded
productions that received early hearings are Lynn Ahrens and Steven
Flaherty's Once On This Island, Christopher Durang's Sister
Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and Betty's Summer
Vacation, William Finn's Falsettos, Adam Guettel and
Tina Landau's Floyd Collins, A.R. Gurney's Later Life,
Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room, Stephen Sondheim and James
Lapine's Sunday in the Park With George, Jeanine Tesori
and Brian Crawley's Violet, Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss
Daisy, and Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles (for
many more see their "Our History" page). And
the list of well-known actors and directors who've appeared there
is endless. They currently reside on 42nd Street's Theater Row.
Following in the footsteps of previous artistic directors André Bishop (now at Lincoln Center Theater) and Don Scardino, Tim Sanford assumed leadership in 1996. He brings an amazing current season which already has seen a production move to Broadway. The 1999-2000 seasons consists of The Dead (by Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey, Directed by Jack Hoffsis, and choreographed by Sean Curran), Lobster Alice (by Kira Obolensky, directed by Maria Mileaf), The Moment When (by James Lapine, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg), and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (by Kirsten Childs, directed by Wilfredo Medina, and choreographed by A.C. Ciulla).
Beyond what you'll find at their mainstage, The Anne G. Wilder Theater, Playwrights also presents several projects as part of their New Theater Wing series. They also present more than twenty readings a year and award commissions to "a group of writers whose work we already know and wish to encourage."
Playwrights is also known for their Playwrights Horizons Theater School (one of the NYU-Tisch School of the Arts studios), their internship program, and for their Ticket Central, a box office for sales of tickets to many off-Broadway productions.
You'll find much more about them -- as well as being given opportunities to subscribe to their season, volunteer your services, or make large donations -- at their website at http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/.
| Previous regional theatre views: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY Alley Theatre - Houston, TX Alliance Theatre Company - Atlanta, GA American Repertory Theatre - Cambridge, MA Arena Stage - Washington D.C. Center Stage - Baltimore, MD Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park - Cincinnati, OH Cleveland Play House - Cleveland, OH Coconut Grove Playhouse - Miami, FL Goodman Theatre - Chicago, IL Goodspeed Opera House - East Haddam, CT Huntington Theatre Company - Boston, MA Indiana Repertory Theatre - Indianapolis, IN Old Globe Theatre - San Diego, CA Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Ashland, OR Paper Mill Playhouse - Millburn, NJ Perseverance Theatre - Douglas, AK Pioneer Theatre Company - Salt Lake City, UT The Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA Trinity Repertory Company - Providence, RI |
Previous developmental theatre
views: Manhattan Theatre Club - New York, NY |
Originally published at Suite101.com Theatre, 4/3/00
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