Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Tony Award Nominations Are In

Amber Gray and the Broadway cast of Hadestown. Photo:Matthew Murphy


The company of The Ferryman. Photo: Joan Marcus
Nominations for the 2019 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play

Choir Boy
Author: Tarell Alvin McCraney

The Ferryman
Author: Jez Butterworth

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Author: Taylor Mac

Ink
Author: James Graham

What the Constitution Means to Me
Author: Heidi Schreck

Best Musical

Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Beetlejuice

Hadestown

The Prom


Tootsie


Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller's All My Sons
The Boys in the Band
Burn This
Torch Song
The Waverly Gallery
Best Revival of a Musical
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Best Book of a Musical
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Dominique Morisseau
Beetlejuice
Scott Brown and Anthony King
Hadestown
Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom
Bob Martin & Chad Beguelin
Tootsie
Robert Horn

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Be More Chill
Music and Lyrics: Joe Iconis
Beetlejuice
Music and Lyrics: Eddie Perfect
Hadestown
Music and Lyrics: Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom
Music: Matthew Sklar
Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
To Kill a Mockingbird
Music: Adam Guettel
Tootsie
Music and Lyrics: David Yazbek

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, Arthur Miller's All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O'Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller's All My Sons

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
André De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Ephraim Sykes, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Jan Versweyveld, Network

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Peter England, King Kong
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
David Korins, Beetlejuice

Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Clint Ramos, Torch Song
Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paul Tazewell, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Ink
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
Howell Binkley, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Bradley King, Hadestown
Peter Mumford, King Kong
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

Best Sound Design of a Play

Adam Cork, Ink
Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Eric Sleichim, Network

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
Peter Hylenski, King Kong
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Drew Levy, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
Simon Hale, Tootsie
Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
Daniel Kluger, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Harold Wheeler, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Rosemary Harris
Terrence McNally
Harold Wheeler 

Special Tony Awards
Marin Mazzie
Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company
Jason Michael Webb

Regional Theatre Tony Award
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Palo Alto, CA

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Judith Light

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Broadway Inspirational Voices - Michael McElroy, Founder
Peter Entin
FDNY Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9
Joseph Blakely Forbes

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Drama Desk Nominations Are In


2019 DRAMA DESK NOMINATIONS:

Outstanding Play
Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Soho Rep
The Ferryman, by Jez Butterworth
Lewiston/Clarkston, by Samuel D. Hunter, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
Usual Girls, by Ming Peiffer, Roundabout Theatre Company
What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck, New York Theatre Workshop andBroadway
Outstanding Musical
Be More Chill
The Hello Girls, Prospect Theater Company
The Prom
Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, Ars Nova
Tootsie
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine, Signature Theatre
Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts, National Asian American Theatre Company
Our Lady of 121st Street, Signature Theatre
Summer and Smoke, Classic Stage Company/Transport Group
The Waverly Gallery
Uncle Vanya, Hunter Theater Project

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Carmen Jones, Classic Stage Company
Fiddler on the Roof, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Off-Broadway
Kiss Me, Kate, Roundabout Theatre Company
Merrily We Roll Along, Fiasco Theater/Roundabout Theatre Company
Oklahoma!, Bard Summerscape/St. Ann's Warehouse and Broadway
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Jeff Biehl, Life Sucks
Edmund Donovan, Lewiston/Clarkston
Raúl Esparza, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Russell Harvard, I Was Most Alive With You
Jay O. Sanders, Uncle Vanya
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Midori Francis, Usual Girls
Zainab Jah, Boesman and Lena
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie
Steven Skybell, Fiddler on the Roof
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Rebecca Naomi Jones, Oklahoma!
Anika Noni Rose, Carmen Jones
Stacey Sargeant, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Charles Browning, Fairview
Arnie Burton, Lewiston/Clarkston
Hampton Fluker, All My Sons
Tom Glynn-Carney, The Ferryman
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Harriett D. Foy, The House That Will Not Stand
Megan Hill, Eddie and Dave
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill A Mockingbird
Ruth Wilson, King Lear
Alison Wright, Othello
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Corbin Bleu, Kiss Me, Kate
André De Shields, Hadestown
Sydney James Harcourt, Girl from the North Country
George Salazar, Be More Chill
Patrick Vaill, Oklahoma!
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Stephanie Hsu, Be More Chill
Leslie Kritzer, Beetlejuice
Soara-Joye Ross, Carmen Jones
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Oklahoma!
Outstanding Director of a Play
Sarah Benson, Fairview
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, The Jungle
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Tyne Rafaeli, Usual Girls
Taylor Reynolds, Plano
Jeff Wise, Life Sucks
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Noah Brody, Merrily We Roll Along
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
Joel Grey, Fiddler on the Roof
Outstanding Choreography
presented by LaDuca Dance Shoes
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
Lorin Latarro, Twelfth Night
Rick and Jeff Kuperman, Alice by Heart
David Neumann, Hadestown
Outstanding Music
presented by Music Theatre International
Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Joe Iconis, Be More Chill
Peter Mills, The Hello Girls
Mark Sonnenblick, Midnight at the Never Get
Shaina Taub, Twelfth Night
David Yazbek, Tootsie
Outstanding Lyrics
presented by Music Theatre International
Chad Beguelin, The Prom
Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Joe Iconis, Be More Chill
Peter Mills, The Hello Girls
David Yazbek, Tootsie
Outstanding Book of a Musical
presented by Music Theatre International
Scott Brown and Anthony King, Beetlejuice
Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Robert Horn, Tootsie
Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, The Prom
Dominique Morisseau, Ain't Too Proud
Outstanding Orchestrations
Larry Blank, Fiddler on the Roof
Simon Hale, Girl from the North Country
Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma!
Charlie Rosen, Be More Chill
Daryl Waters, The Cher Show
Outstanding Music in a Play
Paul Castles and Jongbin Jung, Wild Goose Dreams
Justin Ellington, Mrs. Murray's Menagerie
Justin Ellington, The House That Will Not Stand
Nick Powell, The Lehman Trilogy
Jason Michael Webb and Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, The Jungle
Es Devlin, Girls & Boys
Maruti Evans, The Peculiar Patriot
Mimi Lien, Fairview
Matt Saunders, "Daddy"
Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
presented by Hudson Scenic
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Oklahoma!
Laura Jellinek, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
David Korins, Beetlejuice
Rae Smith, Girl from the North Country
Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Dede M. Ayite, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Dede M. Ayite, If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka
Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Mrs. Murray's Menagerie
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Nicole Slaven, Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bobby Frederick Tilly II, Be More Chill
Michael Krass, Hadestown
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paloma Young, Alice by Heart
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Amith Chandrashaker, Boesman and Lena
Amith Chandrashaker, Fairview
Jiyoun Chang, Slave Play
Jon Clark, The Jungle
Simon Cleveland, Spaceman
Yi Zhao, The House That Will Not Stand
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
presented by Production Resource Group
Adam Honoré, Carmen Jones
Bradley King, Hadestown
Jamie Roderick, Midnight at the Never Get
Barbara Samuels, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Scott Zielinski, Oklahoma!
Outstanding Projection Design
Peter England, King Kong
Katherine Freer, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Luke Halls, The Lehman Trilogy
Alex Basco Koch, Be More Chill
Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice
Joshua Thorson, Oklahoma!
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Tyler Kieffer, Plano
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Jane Shaw, I Was Most Alive with You
Mikaal Sulaiman, Fairview
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Simon Baker, Girl from the North Country
Drew Levy, Oklahoma!
Brian Ronan, Tootsie
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown
Mikaal Sulaiman, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Outstanding Wig and Hair Design
Campbell Young Associates, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus  
Cookie Jordan, Eddie and Dave
Paul Huntley, Tootsie
Charles G. LaPointe, Beetlejuice
Charles G. LaPointe, The Cher Show
Outstanding Solo Performance
Mike Birbiglia, The New One
Carey Mulligan, Girls & Boys
Liza Jessie Peterson, The Peculiar Patriot, National Black Theatre/Hi-Arts
Erin Treadway, Spaceman, Loading Dock Theatre
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Unique Theatrical Experience
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

O'Neill Center Announces Summer Season

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center announced today the 2019 summer season of plays, musicals, and other works in development at theNational Music Theater ConferenceNational Playwrights ConferenceCabaret & Performance Conference, and National Puppetry Conference
“This summer in Waterford, CT, the O'Neill, the Launchpad of the American Theater, will continue our work with exciting new musicals, plays, puppetry, & cabaret. I'm delighted to welcome audiences from around the world to experience these vital new works during our 55th anniversary season.”  O’Neill Executive Director Preston Whiteway continues, “I am grateful to each of our Artistic Directors for their bold vision in selecting these pieces and artists that will impact the field for decades to come.”

National Music Theater ConferenceAlexander Gemignani, Artistic DirectorReadings: June 22 - July 12> More Info
Since its founding in 1978, the National Music Theater Conference has developed more than 125 new musicals, including early works of award-winning writers and composers such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, Andrew Lippa, Tan Dun, Robert Lopez, Duncan Sheik, Kirsten Childs, Adam Gwon, Steven Sater, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Maury Yeston, Michael R. Jackson, and Jeanine Tesori.  Each musical will undergo the O’Neill’s signature development process, employing professional creative teams including acclaimed directors, dramaturgs, actors, and musicians.. Selected from 320 submissions, the following three new musicals will be developed:
Borderline
Book by Aryanna Garber
Music & Lyrics by Benjamin Velez
 
JEANNETTE
Book by Lauren M. Gunderson
Music & Lyrics by Ari Ayesha Afsar
Undesirables
Book & Lyrics by Hansol Jung
Lyrics & Music by Brian Quijada
NMTC Artistic Director Alexander Gemignani shares this about his second season: “The three musicals we’ve chosen exemplify the idea of innovation and serve as a reminder of how powerful the art form of music theater can be. I am thrilled that the O’Neill will be ushering these pieces along on this step of their journey. I cannot wait to get started with these groundbreaking and brilliant writers.”

National Playwrights ConferenceWendy C. Goldberg, Artistic DirectorReadings: July 3-27> More Info
The O’Neill’s founding program will present eight new works this summer season by a broad mix of brand new, mid-career, and established writers. Each play will undergo the O’Neill’s signature development process, employing professional creative teams, including acclaimed directors, dramaturgs, actors, and designers to bring new plays to life.  NPC has developed more than 750 new plays, including early works of award-winning writers such as Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Adam Bock, Kia Corthron, Christopher Durang, John Guare, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, David Lindsay-Abaire, Martyna Majok. Dominique Morisseau, Lynn Nottage, Robert O’Hara, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Wendy Wasserstein, August Wilson and Lanford Wilson.  The plays were chosen from 1,416 plays received through the O’Neill’s open submissions process. Isaac Gomez (The Way She Spoke) joins as writer-in-residence.
Craig Lucas - Death of the Republic
Zayd Dohrn - The Humanities
Charly Evon Simpson - it's not a trip it’s a journey
George Brant - Tender Age
Anna Ziegler - Antigones
Tearrance Chisholm - Black Dick
Kimber Lee - Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play
Laura Neill - Winter People
NPC Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg shares this about her 15th season: “I am excited to welcome these artists to the O'Neill community this summer. These storytellers are visionaries and sages for our culture and speak with great relevance to this moment in our nation's history. It is an honor to collaborate with them as we move these plays into the world."

Cabaret & Performance ConferenceJohn McDaniel, Artistic DirectorPerformances: July 31-August 10> More Info
The conference brings some of the biggest names in Cabaret Theater to perform at the O’Neill each summer, providing valuable development and performance training for select Cabaret Fellows (up-and-coming performers on the cabaret scene) as well as middle and high school students through the Junior Fellows program. Headliners for 2019 include:
Storytellers - Brad Simmons, with special guest Lennie Watts
Thirsty! - Tori Scott
Barb, Brel and more! - Barb Jungr
Carole Cook Tonight!
The Jam: Only Child - Daniel J. Watts
Artistic Director John McDaniel shares this about his seventh season: “This summer we are featuring everything from an old-school Broadway legend to an incredibly modern & hip sensation, with some downtown hilarity thrown in for good measure. It promises to be a season to remember!”
Atlantic Broadband is the premier sponsor of the 2019 Cabaret & Performance Conference.

National Puppetry ConferencePam Arciero, Artistic DirectorPerformances: June 14 & 15> More Info
The National Puppetry Conference welcomes artists from around the globe to explore the range and power of the puppet, with rehearsals and workshops in puppet and mechanism building, writing, music, marionettes, and more.  As previously announced, artists leading Conference intensives this summer include: Tyler Bunch, Melissa Dunphy, James Godwin, Alice Gottschalk, Kurt Hunter, Jim Kroupa, Bobbi Nidzgorski, Jim Rose, Richard Termine, Fred Thompson, and Derron Wood. Guest artists include Polina Borisova (Body - Object - Space), Tracy Broyles (Unsettling: Unsettling: An Expulsion of Breath), Dan Hurlin (Reading/Misreading Action), and Hansol Jung & Lexy Leuszler (Little Red Writing Hood), The Conference concludes with  two public performances featuring an extraordinary mix of devised work from throughout the Puppetry Conference, led by guest artists, artists-in-residence, and a vast array of performance styles.
Artistic Director Pam Arciero shares this about his 17th season: “This summer our Conference is full of an international mix of creative artists who give our conference it's unique spark. We look forward to featuring works that explore the extraordinary range and power of the puppet.”

National Theater Institute - TheatermakersRachel Jett, Artistic DirectorFREE Performances: Mondays, June 17 - July 22> More Info
One of six programs from the O’Neill’s flagship educational program the National Theater Institute. Theatermakers Summer Intensive trains students in a credit-earning curriculum of acting, directing, and playwriting alongside the O’Neill’s professional artists. Join us each week as students share their works-in-progress with the public.


National Critics Institute
Chris Jones, DirectorJune 30- July 14> More Info
Chris Jones, critic and columnist at the Chicago Tribune, helms America's only boot camp for arts writers. NCI is a two-week residential workshop and conference, designed for writers and critics looking to strengthen their skills in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced industry. Past faculty members include: Mark Blankenship, Ben Brantley, Sarah Kaufman, Peter Marks, Michael Phillips, Tejal Rao, and Dan Sullivan.

Commercial Theater InstituteTom Viertel, CTI Executive Director & O’Neill Board ChairJuly 10-12> More Info
The Commercial Theater Institute’s three-day summer intensive focuses specifically on the producer as a creative force. CTI provides aspiring producers the unique opportunity to get close to the development process as it unfolds at the O’Neill. In this hands-on intensive, teams of participants develop plans for a several of the O’Neill’s plays and musicals through a mixture of sessions with working producers and theater professionals, interaction with writers and directors, and group discussion. The workshop culminates with the teams presenting their strategies to a panel of industry professionals. The program is led by Tom Viertel — CTI Executive Director, O’Neill Board Chair, and Tony Award-winning Broadway producer — along with an all-star faculty from the New York theater community. Applications for 2019 are due June 17. 

The O’Neill Box Office opens to the public June 5. Advance ticket sales are available to O’Neill members May 20.  For more information, visit www.theoneill.orgor call 860-443-5378.

The 2019 Summer Season is made possible by: The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Burry Fredrik Foundation, Connecticut Office for the Arts, Geraldine Stutz Trust, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Jane Henson Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Edward and Mary Lord Foundation, The Mohegan Tribe/Mohegan Sun, Dramatist Play Service, Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association, The Joseph C. and Esther Foster Foundation, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, Actors' Equity Foundation, Chester W. Kitchings Foundation, New London Education Foundation/Karl Kelly Fund, Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. and the support of individual O’Neill donors.

About the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Founded in 1964, the O’Neill is the country’s preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater, and named in honor of Eugene O’Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and America’s only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.  The O’Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and thousands more emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O’Neill have gone on to full production at theaters around the world. O’Neill programs include the National Playwrights ConferenceNational Music Theater ConferenceNational Critics InstituteNational Puppetry ConferenceCabaret & Performance Conference, and National Theater Institute – which offers six credit-earning undergraduate training programs. In addition, the O’Neill owns and operates Monte Cristo Cottage as a museum open to the public. The O’Neill is the recipient of two Tony Awards and National Medal of Arts. www.theoneill.org.

Gracewell Prodiuctions

Gracewell Prodiuctions
Producing Inspiring Works in the Arts
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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- 2022 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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