Gearing Up for the Boston Theatre Marathon

From Sam Lasman, Literary Professional Intern

This weekend (May 11 and 12), Boston Playwrights’ Theatre presents the 15^th annual Boston Theater Marathon and the associated Warm-Up Laps reading series.  The Warm-Up Laps, now in their fourth year, present free, public readings of new plays by area playwrights, and the Marathon showcases ten hours of ten-minute plays by local writers, each produced by a different New England theatre company. Actors and directors volunteer their time, and all ticket proceeds go to the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, a non-profit organization that provides financial relief for theatre artists and organizations who face dire need and require financial assistance.

As you might expect, a huge number of Huntington staff members, 

associated artists, and other friends are involved in the fifty plays that comprise the Marathon and the three Warm-Up Labs, both of which will take place at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (the Huntington donates the venue each year). The Warm-Up Laps are on Saturday at 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm in the Deane Rehearsal Hall. The following day, the Marathon itself runs from 12pm – 10pm in the Wimberly Theatre. 
Five ten-minute plays run each hour, followed by a ten-minute break.

Amongst the Huntington affiliates whose work will be presented this weekend is 2010-2012 Huntington Playwriting Fellow Miranda Craigwell, whose Shelter will be read on Saturday at 2pm. It is directed by the Huntington’s Associate Producer, M. Bevin O'Gara. Learn more.

The Huntington’s entry in the Marathon, Saturday Matinee by Allan Appel, will perform in the 5pm hour of plays on Sunday. It is directed by yours truly, Sam Lasman (Literary Professional Intern), produced by Ali Leskowitz (Artistic Producing Professional Intern), and features Our Town actors Nicholas Carterand Jay Ben Markson.

Other plays with Huntington staff involvement include:

• Drive by James Wilkinson, produced by the Boston Children’s Theatre in the 2pm group and featuring Robert Orzalli (Calderwood Pavilion Professional Intern)
• Cleavage by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich, produced by The Lyric Stage Company in the 6pm group, directed by Anna Trachtman (General Management Professional Intern) and featuring Paul Melendy from the cast of Ryan Landry’s “M”
• Rocky Road by Elisabeth Burdick, produced by Nora Theatre Company in the 8pm group, directed by Vicki Schairer (Assistant to the Artistic Director).

The work of many Huntington Playwriting Fellows will also appear in the Marathon, including:

• Joyce Van Dyke’s White Hole, produced by the Boston Center for American Performance, in the 12pm group
• John Kuntz’s The Nice Hotel, produced by Happy Medium Theatre Company, in the 1pm group
• Patrick Gabridge’s Curse the Darkness, produced by New Repertory Theatre, in the 3pm group
• Sinan Ünel’s Last Flight Out, produced by Provincetown Counter Productions, in the 4pm group
• Ronan Noone’s Boyfriend, produced by the Salem Theatre Company, in the 6pm group
• Lila Rose Kaplan’s The Chapel Play, produced by the American Repertory Theatre, in the 9pm group

Bad Habit Productions, helmed by Daniel Morris (BU Theatre House Manager) and Meg O’Brien (Manager of Education Operations)  is producing Red Drink by Obehi Janice, directed by Jeff Mosser, in the 12pm group.

And, of course, the entire Marathon is organized by HPF Kate Snodgrass, who is now  Artistic Director at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre.

Learn more about the Marathon and get your tickets on BostonTheatreScene.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

It's Been A Week

So. It's been a week.

Or technically it's been a lot of weeks but more specifically it's this past week that has been particularly exciting for all of us here at the Huntington -- following, of course, one of the scariest weeks as Bostonians that most of us have ever lived through. But as we continue to heal from that tragedy, perhaps its a confluence of events that has made our own victories all the more sweet.

On Monday, April 22 we held our Spotlight Spectacular, our annual gala / fundraiser, at the Park Plaza Castle. The event, which honored Our Town director David Cromer along with production sponsorships / all around fantastically supportive people Judi & Douglas Krupp, raised over (cue close-up as I put my pinky to my mouth) ONE MILLION DOLLARS, making it our most successful event of all time. The night also included a sneak preview of our upcoming production of The Jungle Book, along with entertainment from the Tony-nominated stars of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway, Santino Fontana & Laura Osnes. Here they are performing an updated version of Cole Porter's "You're The Top" with additional lyrics by Robert Berliner, in honor of the Krupps.

Oh yeah, that's the other thing. We received a Tony Award. Though technically reserved for Broadway productions, the Tonys recognize a different regional theatre each year in recognition of their contributions to the performing arts. I believe Michael Maso is offering every one a staff exactly 3 opportunities to use "I have a Tony Award!" as a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card*, but we're still waiting on the official numbers. The Tony Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, June 9 in New York City, and those of us who are unable to attend (hey, we still have jobs to do!) still plan on having our own black tie screening in the BU Theatre.

  So that was Friday evening. And then this past Monday, April 29, was the 2013 IRNE Awards, which are awarded to theatre productions across the gamut by the Independent Reviewers of New England for shows within the calendar year (so any show produced in 2012, as opposed to Fiscal or school-year-type seasons). While sure, okay, Tony Awards sound like a big fancy deal, what makes the IRNE Awards so exciting is that they recognize the entire Boston theatre community, from Broadway In Boston to the smallest black boxes and community groups, and they give everyone an equal chance to win. We walked away on Monday night with 7 IRNE Awards: 

• Best New Play - Large Company for Kirsten Greenidge's Luck of the Irish;
• Best Ensemble - Large Company for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom;
• Best Costume Design - Large Company for Clint Ramos on Ma Rainey's Black Bottom;
• Best Supporting Actor (Play) - Large Company for Nael Nacer as Simon Stinson in Our Town;
• Best Actor (Play) - Large Company for Jason Bowen as Levee in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom;
• Best Director (Play) - Large Company for David Cromer and Our Town; and
• Best Play - Large Company for Our Town.

Here's Associate Producer M. Bevin O'Gara along with many of the townsfolk of Grover's Corners accepting the award for Best Play:

Meanwhile, members of our Education team are down in DC for the National Finals of Poetry Out Loud supporting MA State Champion Courtney Stewart, Ryan Landry's "M" had its final performance on Sunday, and rehearsals are now underway for our upcoming production of Gina Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn, which starts performances on May 24.

So like I said. It's been a week.

*Totally kidding here. I'm the only one who can use that line and get away with it because I've already changed my nametag to read "Tony Award-winning Web & New Media Manager."

"Two Plays, One House" — A Special One-Night-Only Event

Huntington Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage Company, and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events will collaborate to present Two Plays: One House: A Raisin in the Sun & Clybourne Park at Dorchester’s Strand Theatre on Wednesday, February 20 at 7pm. Hosted by Karen Holmes Ward, WCVB-TV’s Director of Public Affairs and Community Services and host and executive producer of “CityLine,” the evening will feature performances of scenes from each of the two plays and a panel conversation moderated by Ward with directors Liesl Tommy (A Raisin in the Sun) and M. Bevin O’Gara (Clybourne Park) about the issues of racism and gentrification raised in the plays. The evening is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are encouraged at huntingtontheatre.org/StrandRSVP.

Set in Chicago in the 1950s, the landmark A Raisin in the Sun depicts an African-American family whose struggle to achieve the American Dream leads them to purchase a house in a predominantly white neighborhood. Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize,Clybourne Park picks up where Raisin leaves off. In the first act, nervous community leaders try to stop the sale of the home to the family from Raisin. The second act fast-forwards the action 50 years as a white couple that plans to demolish and rebuild the house faces parallel opposition from the now African-American neighborhood association.

“A Raisin in the Sun’s incredible legacy shines on Clybourne Park,” says Boston Mayor, the Honorable Thomas M. Menino. “These powerful plays explore themes such as racism, neighborhood identity, and the search for home in complex ways that resonate in our community today. I commend the Huntington Theatre Company and SpeakEasy Stage Company on this partnership to inspire meaningful discourse, and I look forward to welcoming them to the beautiful Strand Theatre for what promises to be a terrific evening.” 

Two Plays: One House is the continuation of the Huntington’s longstanding tradition of bringing its work beyond its homes on the Avenue of the Arts and in the South End to Boston’s neighborhoods and communities, including past events at the Strand Theatre (Breath, Boom; 2003) Roxbury Community College (Gem of the Ocean, 2004; Radio Golf, 2006; Fences, 2009), and Hibernian Hall (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, 2012). The event also continues SpeakEasy Stage’s series of public forums to further discourse on important cultural matters. Past SpeakEasy events include panel discussions on the challenges of readjusting to society after imprisonment in conjunction with its production of The Motherf**cker with the Hat and the effects of mental illness on both patients and caregivers during Next to Normal.

SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris plays March 1 – 30 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. Tickets and more information are available at speakeasystage.com/clybournepark.

The Huntington Theatre Company’s production of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry plays March 8 – April 7 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. Tickets and more information at huntingtontheatre.org/raisin.

Find more information on the event at huntingtontheatre.org/Strand or speakeasystage.com/Strand.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

M. Bevin O’Gara (Clybourne Park director) has previously directed For You for Me For You and Love Person (Company One), Matt and Ben (Central Square Theater), The Pain and the Itch (Company One, IRNE Award nomination for Best Director and Best Ensemble), Two Wives In India and Gary(Boston Playwrights Theatre, Elliot Norton Award nomination for Best Production), 2.5 Minute Ride(Downstage @ New Rep, IRNE Award nomination for Best Solo Performance), Othello and The Crucible (New Rep On Tour), Melancholy Play (Holland Productions), Bat Boy: The Musical (Metro Stage), Tattoo Girl, Painting You, and Artifacts (Williamstown Theatre Festival Workshop), and ANTI-KISS (3 Monkey’s Theatrical Productions). Other companies include New Repertory Theatre, the Gaiety Theatre of Dublin, and the Actor’s Center of Australia. Ms. O’Gara is associate producer at the Huntington Theatre Company. She has a BFA from Boston University in Theatre Studies.

Liesl Tommy (A Raisin in the Sun director) previously directed Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom for the Huntington Theatre Company and Ruined for the Huntington/Berkeley Repertory Theatre/La Jolla Playhouse. Other credits include Peggy Pickett Sees the Face of God by Roland Schimmelpfennig (world premiere, Luminato Festival/Volcano Theatre); Ruined by Lynn Nottage (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Eclipsed by Danai Gurira (world premiere, Yale Repertory Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre); and Angela’s Mixtape by Eisa Davis (world premiere, Synchronicity Performance Group, New Georges). She was awarded the NEA/TCG Directors Grant and the New York Theatre Workshop Casting/Directing Fellowship and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. She has also been a guest director and teacher at The Juilliard School, Trinity Rep/Brown University’s MFA Directing and Acting Program, and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is a graduate of Newton North High School and a native of Cape Town, South Africa.

Karen Holmes Ward (Host) is the Director of Public Affairs and Community Services as well as host and executive producer of “CityLine,” WCVB-TV’s weekly magazine program which addresses the problems, concerns, and accomplishments of people of color living in Boston and its suburbs. “CityLine" was recognized as the recipient of the Associated Press Massachusetts/Rhode Island ‘Best’ Public Affairs program in 2008. Holmes Ward also oversees WCVB’s public service and community outreach efforts including the station’s work with Habitat for Humanity and “Extreme Makeover: My Hometown” and WCVB’s first-of-its-kind web-based initiative, Commonwealth 5, nominated for a National Emmy Award for the 2004/2005. A graduate of Boston University’s School of Public Communications (now COM), Holmes Ward has received numerous awards for her work in the community including the Boston Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award; National Association of Black Journalists Region I Journalist of the Year; Big Sister of Greater Boston Achievement Award; Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts President’s Award; Women of Courage and Conviction Award from the Greater Boston Section National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Karen is a Board member of the Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center and a past Board President.

ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY

Since its founding in 1982, the Huntington Theatre Company has developed into Boston’s leading theatre company. Bringing together superb local and national talent, the Huntington produces a mix of groundbreaking new works and classics made current. Led by Artistic Director Peter DuBois and Managing Director Michael Maso, the Huntington creates award-winning productions, runs nationally renowned programs in education and new play development, and serves the local theatre community through its operation of the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. The Huntington is in residence at Boston University. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.

ABOUT THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF ARTS, TOURISM & SPECIAL EVENTS

The Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events fosters the growth of the cultural community; promotes public participation in the arts and public celebrations; and advances cultural tourism in Boston. Learn more at cityofboston.gov/ARTS.

ABOUT SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY

Founded in 1992 by Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault, SpeakEasy Stage Company is Boston’s premier theater staging Boston premieres. Its mission is to connect, inspire, and challenge its audiences with the most socially-relevant theatrical premieres featuring the most talented artists in Boston. SpeakEasy’s mainstage is the forum for the Boston premieres of new musicals and plays, showcasing works never before produced in the area. In addition, the company contributes a unique artistic perspective to the Boston theatre community and creates a nurturing environment for artists, audiences, and arts administrators. Through its programs, SpeakEasy makes Boston's South End neighborhood an artistic and cultural destination, keeps vibrant, high-quality theatre thriving in Greater Boston, and provides jobs for locally-based actors, directors, designers, technicians, and administrators.speakeasystage.org.

Desire and Transformation at the Museum of Fine Arts

by Rebecca Bradshow, Stone Artistic Producing Intern

Audiences at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston have been admiring one of the most intriguing and powerful goddesses of the ancient world. “Aphrodite and the Gods of Love” features exquisite sculptures, mosaics, and paintings from the ancient world. In collaboration with the MFA, the Huntington has created an additional interactive element in experiencing such beauty.


Working in collaboration between Christine Kondoleon (Senior Curator of Greek and Roman Art for the MFA) and M. Bevin O’Gara (the Huntington's Associate Producer), the two institutions have crafted an audio tour incorporating dramatic readings from texts by Ancient Greek philosophers and poets. Each piece of audio is paired with one of the many vases or sculptures to tell a story or reveal an emotion, allowing for a deeper artistic connection to the work as visitors walk through the exhibit. By molding visual storytelling with its audio counterpart, the exhibit comes alive.


On top of the audio tour, the culmination of a larger collaboration will occur tonight. Alongside fringe theater company, Whistler in the Dark, the Huntington has created a theatrical event focusing on love’s many manipulations entitled, “Desire and Transformation: An Evening in Greece”. The evening highlights the text of Ovid with pieces from Whistler’s IRNE Award-winning production, “Tales from Ovid”, as well as readings from Ovid’s collection of love letters. This special performance invites a modern interpretation to the texts while seducing its audience with Ovid’s captivating voice.


On behalf of the Huntington, Marie Polizzano and Dennis Staroselsky will be performing this evening alongside Whistler members Jennifer O’Connor, Aimee Rose Ranger , and Mac Young.


Tonight’s performance will begin at 7:30pm after a reception in and throughout the exhibit. For more information or to buy tickets, please visit huntingtontheatre.org/ovid.