Keen Teens

May 9, 10 & 11

Off-Broadway theatre company Keen Company,
in a partnership with Playscripts, Inc.
invites you to join its free theatre program for students,
KEEN TEENS.

http://www.keencompany.org/teens.html


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Dawn's Light

photo by Lia Chang

Thursday, May 1, 7pm

co-presented with the Lark Play Development Center and Epic Theatre Ensemble

DAWN'S LIGHT: THE JOURNEY OF GORDON HIRABAYASHI by Jeanne Sakata

Directed by Lisa Rothe
Featuring Thom Sesma

The Lark Studio, 939 8th Avenue

DAWN'S LIGHT is a one-person show inspired by the true story of Gordon Hirabayashi, a 24-year-old Japanese American Quaker college student, who, during World War II in 1942, openly defied and legally challenged governmental orders forcing over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry into desolate concentration camps without due process of the law. Throughout this shocking upheaval, his subsequent imprisonment and Supreme Court trial, Gordon struggles to arrive at a deeper understanding of his own experiences, his community's sufferings, and America's triumphs and failures.

"DAWN'S LIGHT: THE JOURNEY OF GORDON HIRABAYASHI" was originally commissioned by Center Theatre Group's Asian Theatre Workshop in 2003."

Ada - Chamber Opera

First Light Festival at EST

Friday, April 25, 2008
7:00 - 8:30 pm

ADA
Composed by Kim Sherman
Libretto by Margaret Vandenburg
Conceived/Directed by Lisa Rothe

We received a grant from the EST/SLOAN foundation to write an opera about Ada Byron. Come and listen to the first 40-45 minutes of material
sung by an incredible cast:

Christopher Burchett, Sarah Chalfy, John Ellison Conlee, Cherry Duke,
Malcolm Gets, David Schmidt, Abigail Shue, and Sarah Statler.

"Ada Byron, daughter of the famed Romantic poet Lord Byron, was one of the most spectacular characters in computer history. Like her father before her, Ada embarks on a Romantic quest very much at odds with the prevailing Victorian ethic of restraint. Her vision of mathematics transforms stark theorems and numerical figures into rich metaphors and linguistic constructions, thus paving the way for the invention of computer languages. "

Suggested donation - $10
For reservations, call 212-247-4982 (x20)

Ensemble Studio Theatre
549 West 52nd Street

Likeness

LIKENESS by David Caudle
Director: Lisa Rothe
Cast: Michael Emerson, Laura Heisler, Ryan Metcalf, Carrie Preston,
Nancy Robinette, Charles Semine

5 PM Monday, Feb 11 at

PRIMARY STAGES studios

307 W. 38 st, 15th Floor
RSVP (important-- space is limited)
tessa@primarystages .com

In Colonial Boston, young Edmund Farraday
gets a career-launching gig: the portrait of a wealthy
Loyalist's daughter. But there's more to the job than
meets the eye. LIKENESS was developed at the New
Harmony Project in 2006. The world premiere
production at Miami's New Theatre has just received a
Carbonell Award nomination for Best New Work.

Penelope

Just got back from LA where I was working with Ellen McLaughlin and composer Sarah Kirkland Snyder on a project at the Getty Villa. It is a beautiful new piece that was performed by Ellen and the LA based string quartet, Eclipse Ensemble.

from the Getty website:

Award-winning actor and playwright Ellen McLaughlin brings her one-woman theatrical/musical piece Penelope to the Getty Villa's Theater Lab. A woman's husband appears at her door after an absence of 20 years, suffering from brain damage. A veteran of a modern war, he doesn't know who he is and she doesn't know who he's become. While they wait together for his return to himself, she reads him The Odyssey, and in the journey of that book, she finds a way into her former husband's memory and the terror and trauma of war. McLaughlin combines her talents with those of composer Sarah Kirkland Snider and the Eclipse Ensemble under the direction of director Lisa Rothe to present a modern adaptation of this ancient text, which continues to resonate today.

Chautauqua

Currently in Chautauqua, New York directing Ah, Wilderness!



Equity Company: Marcia Debonis, Stuart Margolin, Paul Niebanck, Amy van Nostrand, David Warshofsky
Conservatory Company: Nick Carriere, Caitlin Clouthier, Kimiye Corwin, Gabriel Ebert, Jason Hois, Andrew Hovelson, Kate Hurster, Lena Hurt, Corey Jones and Charlie Murphy.

www.ciweb.org/Theater/about.html

New Harmony Project

Just spent 2 weeks in beautiful New Harmony working on a new play by Austin Bunn called TIMBERLAND. Had a fabulous time working with a great group of actors: Gary Bayer, Jonathan Dickson, Paul Kite, Katie Kreissler, Devin Norik, Darren Pettie, Amanda Sykes and Christia Ward. The dramaturg was Gavin Witt.

Check out the Project website at: www.newharmonyproject.org

The Common Swallow

PRIMARY STAGES' Fresh Ink Reading Series presents a reading of THE COMMON SWALLOW, a new play by David Caudle.

THE COMMON SWALLOW was developed in the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages.

Directed by Lisa Rothe.

With Catherine Curtin, Jeff Galfer, Annie Golden, John Magaro, Kim Martin-Cotton, Erin Raftery, Randy Ryan and Paul Savas.

Synopsis: A baker's dozen of Americans grapple with unraveling ties to home, humanity, andenvironment, while an idyllic community of swallows thrives unnoticed beneath the bridge in the heart oftheir mid-western river town.

59 E 59 Theatres

Thursday, April 26th3:00 PM.

For reservations, call Michelle at 212-840-9705.

365 Days/ 365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks

Epic Theatre Center's contribution to the Suzan-Lori Parks 365 DAYS / 365 PLAYS FESTIVAL: "WEEK 20".

www.365days365plays.com by Suzan-Lori Parks

Directed by Hal Brooks, Ben Klarich Kahn, Lisa Rothe, & Leigh Silverman

Featuring a company of professional and student actors including:Ariana Bernstein, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Sarah K. Chalmers, Lida Colon, Jeff dePicciotto, Joslyn Guijarro, Rachael Holmes, Desiree Idrogo, Matthew Malave, Reggie Manigault, Hope Mayes, Jacob Ming-Trent, Jessica Morris, Anna O'Donoghue, Teomily Pichardo, Yoneidy Reyes, Sofia Rodriguez, Shaquana Taylor, Godfrey L. Simmons Jr.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 31, 2007 at 4:00 p.m.

The Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)

There will also be two special presentations on Sunday, April 1, 2007, 3pm & 7pm at the Public Theatre

For Reservations for March 28-31: 212-239-1770 or EpicTheatreCtr@aol.com

For information on how to get tickets for the April presentations, go to www.publictheater.org/365.

Black Roses

Black Roses by Venezuelan American playwright Maria Alexandria Beech of the Columbia MFA Playwriting Program. Directed by Lisa Rothe.

February 16th, at 3 pm, at the Roy Arias Studios
300 W. 43rd St. (at 8th Avenue), on the 5th floor

Cast: Mary Bacon, Cathy Curtin, Ana del Valle, Mark L. Montgomery, Devin Norik & Susan O'Connor.

Likeness

Reading of Likeness by David Caudle

Monday, December 4th @ 4 pm

at Primary Stages

with

Jennifer Barnhart, John Magaro, Roger Rees, Charles Socarides, Sandra Shipley & Erin Wilhelmi

Stage Directions: Krystal O'Connor

Little Heart

Reading of Little Heart by Irene O'Garden

at Cap 21

18 West 18th Street, 6th floor

Monday, October 23 @ 7:30 pm

with Anney Giobbe, Peggy Cosgrave, Nance Williamson, Charles Hyman, Duncan Rogers, Lisa Datz, Cherise Boothe, Doan Ly

Seagull

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

with the 2nd Year Graduate Students at Yale School of Drama

Thursday, October 12 @ 4 pm
Friday, October 13 @ 4 pm
Saturday, October 14 @ 4 pm

Leaving

So, we are leaving tonight on a 10:30 pm flight. We will arrive in London tomorrow at 10:15 am, leave again at 1 pm and arrive in Addis Ababa the following morning around 1:30 am. Excited, nervous, thrilled. Next time I write, I will be there.

Midsummer

So, Antoinette and I went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream at the McCarter last weekend, directed by Tina Landau and starring our own Ellen McLaughlin as Titania/Hippolyta. It was terrific. Go see it when it moves to the Paper Mill Playhouse, April 19-May 21.

Success

The fundraiser was a huge success. Thanks to everyone involved, we reached our goal! Here is a photo of Adriane Lenox, & MC's David Costabile and Karl Kenzler (behind) . We leave for Ethiopia 2 weeks from today.

Fundraiser

An Evening of Entertainment,

Celebration and Giving

April 3, 2006

at

The Public Theatre
425 Lafayette Street
LuEsther Theatre

6:30 drinks and hors d’ouvres
7:30 performances

Tickets:

$100 (Angel)
$50 (Patron)

There will also be a raffle and silent auction.

Raising funds to support three New York artists in creating a theatre piece with HIV+ orphaned children at the Ahope Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

For more information, watch this video to learn more about Dr. Jane Aronson and her work: http://www.orphandoctor.com/wwo/film/index.html

Checks can be made out to:
Epic Theatre Center
(Memo: Ethiopian Orphanage Theatre Project)
PO Box 720 Planetarium Station New York, NY 10024

OR via Paypal at http://www.epictheatrectr.org/, with
“Ethiopian Orphanage Theatre Project” in the “Payment for” box.
All donations are tax deductible.

For reservations, please call 212-229-7871

Ethiopia

Something extraordinary is happening. I just found out that I am part of a creative team going to Ethiopia to make a theatre piece with orphans in Addis Ababa. I met an amazing woman, Dr. Jane Aronson, (www.orphandoctor.com) who has started an organization called the Worldwide Orphan Organization and has a beautiful dream of giving these children tools for creative expression. A team of four - Antoinette LaVecchia, James Haven, James Hallett and myself, will be leaving April 26th for one month. We will be having a fundraiser some time in the next 5-6 weeks, so please check back here for details.

Visiting Ours

Thursday, January 23rd at 7:30 pm

VISITING OURS by David Caudle
Directed by Lisa Rothe

When their troubled adult son is jailed for assault, a longtime Lesbian couple faces a struggle all parents dread: reconciling hope with the truth about the child they raised.

Featuring Tom Pelphrey, Cathy Curtin, Kate McCauley, Maggie Siff, and Gerry Sheridan

The Dramatists' Guild's Frederick Loewe Room
1501 Broadway, Suite 701 (Between 43 & 44 Streets)

Seating is limited. Please call (212) 875-4815 to reserve a seat or
send an e-mail to CaudleDB@aol.com

Stop Kiss

STOP KISS by Diana Son for NYU's Graduate Acting Program

The show opens Tuesday, January 31st and runs one week only for 7 performances.
Jan 31- Feb 5 @ 8 pm (plus 2 pm on Sun, Feb 5)

111 2nd Avenue 3rd floor (Atlas Room) between 6th &7th street

Set design - Brian Ireland
Costume design - KaibrinaSky Buck
Lighting design - Christopher Weston
Sound design - Emily Wright
Stage Manager- Sarah Izzo

For reservations call 212-998-1921