Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Douglas Carter Beane, Lewis Flinn, David Henry Hwang, David Ives on Drama Desk Panel to Discuss 'Anatomy of a Breakout'

The Drama Desk and the Fordham University Theatre Program will present a special panel discussion at 6:30 pm Sunday, Nov. 13 titled “Anatomy of a Breakout,” reflecting the remarkable trend of breakthrough productions and breakout performances on the New York stage.

The panelists include (in alphabetical order): Douglas Carter Beane (book writer, LYSISTRATA JONES), Lewis Flinn (composer/lyricist, LYSISTRATA JONES), David Henry Hwang (playwright, CHINGLISH), David Ives (playwright, VENUS IN FUR), Samuel L. Jackson (actor, THE MOUNTAINTOP), Dan Knechtges (director/choreographer, LYSISTRATA JONES), Kenny Leon (director, THE MOUNTAINTOP and STICK FLY), Jennifer Lim (actor, CHINGLISH), and Leigh Silverman (director, CHINGLISH).

This special panel discussion will be moderated by Randy Gener, the George Jean Nathan Award winning editor/critic, and Leslie (Hoban) Blake, the Drama Desk’s Vice President.
It will be held at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus (Pope Auditorium, 113 W. 60th Street, corner of Columbus Avenue). The backdrop will be Matthew Maguire’s production of “The Marriage of Figaro” by Pierre Beaumarchais, which performs Nov 9-11 and Nov 17-19 at 8:00 PM.
A surprising bulk of the Fall 2011 New York theater season consists of new plays and new musicals that have received great critical acclaim, major awards and successful productions at major venues across the country prior to their emergence on Broadway:
  • CHINGLISH, the new comedy by Tony Award winner and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist David Henry Hwang, is making its Broadway premiere, starring Jennifer Lim and directed by Leigh Silverman, following its run at the Goodman Theatre of Chicago
  • David Ives’s comedy VENUS IN FUR had a critically acclaimed life Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company prior to its Broadway premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club
  • THE MOUNTAINTOP, directed by Kenny Leon, written by Katori Hall and starring Samuel L. Jackson, was awarded the coveted 2010 Olivier Award for Best Play after it received critical acclaim in a three-week premiere at Theatre 503 in June 2009, followed by a West End transfer in London.
  • Lydia R. Diamond’s STICK FLY, staged by Leon, was developed in a co-production last year between Huntington Theatre Company in Boston and Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. The play had its world premiere at Chicago’s Congo Square Theatre Company in 2006 and was performed at theatres including McCarter Theatre in 2007 and Matrix Theatre Company in L.A. in 2009.
  • LYSISTRATA JONES opened to rave reviews in a Transport Group production at the Gym at Judson in Greenwich Village; this critically acclaimed musical comedy show will transfer to Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre in December.
Ticket prices:
General Admission: $20 Drama Desk members and their Guests: $15; Fordham Faculty, Alumni, Staff: $10; Students* & Senior Citizens: $5 (*from any school with valid ID)
Reservations are requested. Send RSVPs with first and last names plus number of guests to DramaDeskRSVP@aol.com.
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Gracewell Prodiuctions

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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