Harriet D. Foy and Joniece Abbott-Pratt in the HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND, Photo by Joan Marcus Board of Trustees Dear Friends
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2017/18 ANNUAL REPORT Harriet D. Foy and Joniece Abbott-Pratt in THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND, Photo by Joan Marcus Board of Trustees Dear friends- James C. Nicola As we sit and reflect on New York Theatre Workshop’s 2017/18 season, we are humbled by all that our ARTISTIC DIRECTOR community of artists, staff, supporters and audiences brought into the world. We are living in a moment of great uncertainty and cannot express enough gratitude for the artists who have taken this uncertainty head Jeremy Blocker on, grappling with questions of how we move forward both as individuals and as a collective. MANAGING DIRECTOR These questions are daunting and have no single answer. Each individual and community brings their own Barbara Warner Howard CHAIR perspective and imagination. For the first time in many years, we expanded our production capacity from four to five productions, making space for more artists to contend with these pressing questions. And it was a true Kelly Fowler Hunter honor to welcome back four women who have long been part of the NYTW family to helm these ambitious PRESIDENT projects. Allan S. Gordon The season began with Amy Herzog’s deeply human MARY JANE. Anne Kauffman’s quietly stunning VICE CHAIR production celebrated a resilient mother and the power of both fleeting and sustained human connection. As the days grew shorter, we were graced with the haunting and healing melodies of Shaun and Abigail Bengon’s Jack Bamberger VICE PRESIDENT HUNDRED DAYS, reminding us that love and hope bring light in fearful times. Noel E. D. Kirnon Tow Playwright-in-Residence Hammaad Chaudry’s AN ORDINARY MUSLIM brought West London to East 4th TREASURER Street. With the Bhattis, Hammaad gave life to a multifaceted family, complicating the monolithic picture of Islam dominant in Western culture. We were overjoyed for Rachel Chavkin to stage Caryl Churchill’s LIGHT Kathleen Yoh SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. The play celebrates the collective will for a better world while contemplating SECRETARY the possibility of true liberation outside the spiritual realm. And the potential perils of liberation reverberated from 17th century England to 19th century New Orleans, as Beartrice Albans did all she could to protect her Stephen Graham FOUNDING TRUSTEE daughters in Marcus Gardley’s lyrical THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND. Ayad Akhtar In addition to these five glorious productions, we also instituted a number of new initiatives to further live Claudia Caffuzzi our ambitions. We activated the beautiful renovation of our Fourth Street Theatre with NEXT DOOR at NYTW, Barbara Cutler which provides a home for companies and artists who are producing their own work. This initiative provides Janet Harckham each project with subsidized resources and space for development and performance. We also launched our Hans Humes 2050 Administrative Fellowship, a sister program to our longstanding 2050 Artistic Fellowship, welcoming Susan Peterson Kennedy twelve emerging theatre administrators into our community. Lisa Cleff Kurtz Anthony E. Napoli Heather Randall In writing on LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, critic Miram Felton-Dansky, of the sadly defunct Scott Shay Village Voice, described the production in a way that rings true of the greatest aspiration of New York Brian Vollmer Theatre Workshop: Doug Wright “It’s an argument for theater as a place to think out loud, find common cause with people very unlike In Memoriam ourselves, and take the long view of historical change.” Bokara Legendre We are grateful for all of those who make these aspirations a reality and have faith that artists will continue to see us through these uncertain times. Gratefully, James C. Nicola Jeremy Blocker Artistic Director Managing Director 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS MISSION & HISTORY 4 SEASON BY THE NUMBERS 5 17/18 SEASON 6 PRODUCTIONS ARTIST WORKSHOP 11 NEXT DOOR 12 2050 FELLOWSHIP 13 PROGRAMS READINGS, WORKSHOPS 15 AND PRESENTATIONS EDUCATION INITIATIVES 16 PUBLIC PROGRAMS 18 2018 SPRING GALA 19 SUPPORTERS 20 NYTW BOARD & STAFF 25 Sanjit De Silva in AN ORDINARY MUSLIM, Photo by Suzi Sadler Abigail Bengson, Reggie D. White, and Shaun Bengson in HUNDRED DAYS, Photo by Joan Marcus MISSION & HISTORY NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP believes that when we collaborate to create and experience art, we come to better know each other and to better understand the world around us. Since our founding by Stephen Graham in 1979, NYTW has empowered visionary theatre-makers through our productions and Artist Workshop Programs as well as nurtured ongoing conversations about living in our contemporary moment through our Education and Community Engagement Initiatives. Each year, NYTW presents a season of five plays that encourages our nearly 50,000 audience members to ask the critical questions of our day. Six of our productions have transferred to Broadway after having their debut at the Workshop: RENT, DIRTY BLONDE, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, ONCE, and this spring, HADESTOWN and WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME. Our work has been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize, 17 Tony Awards and numerous Obie, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel Awards along with the Lilly Award for commitment to gender equality. 4 2017/18 SEASON “A heartbreaker for anyone human” -The New York Times BY THE MARY JANE NUMBERS: Carrie Coon, Susan Pourfar in MARY JANE, Photo by Joan Marcus “Shines a light in the darkness” 47,980 -New York Magazine Total Audience Members HUNDRED DAYS Abigail and Shaun Bengson in HUNDRED DAYS, Photo by Joan Marcus “AMBITIOUS 267 Performances in & AUDACIOUS” -Time Out New York the 2017/18 Season AN ORDINARY MUSLIM Sanjit De Silva and Ranjit Chowd-hry in AN ORDINARY MUSLIM, Photo by Suzi Sadler 14 “One of the Awards and hottest political Nominations plays in New York.” -Theatermania Mikéah Ernest Jennings, 113 LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Artists Matthew Jeffers, Evelyn Spahr, Gregg Mozgala, Rob Campbell in LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, Photo by Joan Marcus Collaborated with for “A flash of Productions wondrousness” -The New York Times THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND Lynda Gravatt, Marie Thomas in THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND, Photo by Joan Marcus 5 “CARRIE COON OBIE AWARDS Playwriting Amy Herzog HAS QUICKLY Directing Anne Kauffman ESTABLISHED Performance Carrie Coon HERSELF AS AN DRAMA DESK AWARD NOMINATIONS UNCOMMONLY Outstanding Play Outstanding Actress in a Play Carrie Coon GIFTED ACTRESS, LUCILLE LORTEL NOMINATIONS conveying the Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Liza Colón-Zayas Outstanding Scenic Design Laura Jellinek broadest Outstanding Lighting Design Japhy Weideman spectrum of emotions without LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS Outstanding Director Anne Kauffman flourish or Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play Carrie Coon embellishment.” Outstanding Sound Design Leah Gelpe - Deadline Carrie Coon in MARY JANE, Photo by Joan Marcus by Photo JANE, Coon in MARY Carrie MARY JANE September 6 – October 29, 2017 By Amy Herzog CREATIVE TEAM Directed by Anne Kauffman SCENIC DESIGN Laura Jellinek COSTUME DESIGN Emily Rebholz 60 performances for a total of 11,768 audience members LIGHTING DESIGN Japhy Weideman SOUND DESIGN Leah Gelpe PROPERTIES DESIGN Kathy Fabian & Propstar The 2017/18 season opened with the New York premiere of MARY JANE written WIG, HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGN Dave Bova & J. Jared Janas by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog and directed by two-time Obie-winning STAGE MANAGER Lisa Ann Chernoff Anne Kauffman, two longtime members of our artistic community. MARY JANE is a powerful new play that follows a young mother who navigates the realities CAST (in alphabetical order): of caring for her chronically ill son, from contending with apartment building regulations to facing the intricacies of America’s healthcare system. SHERRY/DR. TOROS Lisa Colon-Zayas MARY JANE Carrie Coon Celebrated by audiences and critics alike, MARY JANE was selected as a New AMELIA/KAT Danaya Esperanza York Times and Time Out New York Critics’ Pick and extended for an additional two weeks. New York Times Critic Jesse Green called it, “the most profound BRIANNE/CHAYA Susan Pourfar and harrowing of Ms. Herzog’s plays, a heartbreaker for anyone human.” RUTHIE/TENKIE Brenda Wehle 6 Abigail Bengson, Jo Lampert, Colette Alexander, Shaun Bengson in HUNDRED DAYS, Photo by Joan Marcus “A LUMINOUS MUSICAL MEMOIR that celebrates and laments the elusive radiance of a shared life.” - The New York Times HUNDRED DAYS November 15 – December 31, 2017 Book by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher Music & Lyrics by The Bengsons Directed by Anne Kauffman 53 performances for a total of 9,325 audience members Folk-punk duo The Bengsons’ bring audiences HUNDRED DAYS, an uncensored, CREATIVE TEAM exhilarating, and heartwarming music theatre piece that tells the true story of MOVEMENT DIRECTION Sonya Tayeh how Abigail and Shaun Bengson met and fell in love, and how that love unleashed their terror of mortality. Existing somewhere between a musical and rock CO-SCENIC DESIGN Kris Stone & PROPS DESIGN concert HUNDRED DAYS, which is also directed by Anne Kauffman, serves as an evocative parable about how our fears can prevent us from living and loving COSTUME DESIGN Sydney Gallas fully. Selected as a New York Times Critics’ Pick, Ben Brantley described it as, CO-SCENIC & Andrew Hungerford “A luminous musical memoir.” LIGHTING DESIGN SOUND DESIGN Nicholas Pope Produced by special arrangement with Erica Rotstein, Seaview Productions, and Z Space. STAGE MANAGER Lindsey Turteltaub HUNDRED DAYS was originally commissioned, developed and produced by Z CAST (in alphabetical