Second Stage Theater

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Second Stage Theatre

Overview

Director Carole Rothman and actress Robyn Goodman founded Second Stage Theatre in 1979 to give 'second stagings' to contemporary American plays that originally failed to find an audience due to scheduling problems, inappropriate venues or limited performance runs. Since then, Second Stage has evolved from a small theatre into an Off-Broadway institution dedicated to developing plays, artists and audiences.

Second Stage Theatre gives new life to contemporary American plays through 'second stagings;' provides emerging authors with their Off-Broadway debuts; and produces world premieres by America's most respected playwrights. Through both the production of new plays and long-term residencies that focus on artistic process rather than product, artists find a supportive environment in which to try new roles, production designs and writing techniques. Audiences are an essential factor in program development at Second Stage Theatre, which is nationally known for its dedication to building future audiences by educating teens about the art of contemporary theatre and encouraging their participation in the cultural life of New York City.

For nearly three decades, Second Stage Theatre productions have launched the successful careers of numerous directors, actors, playwrights and artists, many of whom regularly return to work at Second Stage. The company's mission also has expanded to the commissioning of a body of multigenerational plays; the creation of a training base for young directors and a home base for mid-career directors; and the development of educational projects that are integrated with the ongoing artistic work at the theatre.

In 1999, Second Stage moved from their uptown location of 20 years, into their new home on the corner of West 43rd Street and Eighth Avenue. Previously a bank, the 1929 structure was redesigned for the stage by world renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

Second Stage Theatre. 43rd St. & 8th Ave.

Current Season

Second Stage's 2006-2007 season kicked off with an energetic "second staging" of Eric Bogosian's SubUrbia. Among the cast were Kieran Culkin, Jessica Capshaw & Gaby Hoffman.

The second show of the season was The Scene by Second Stage perenial Theresa Rebeck. This New York premiere had a cast of familiar faces and many Emmys. Tony Shalhoub (three Emmys for Monk and a favorite from Wings) joins fellow Emmy winner Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) for Rebeck's hilarious black comedy about the NYC entertainment "scene." The show opened to rave reviews and garnered much praise for all cast members.

The third show was Some Men, a new play by four-time Tony Award winning playwright Terrence McNally and directed by Trip Cullman.

The final show of Second Stage's 2006-07 season is the New York premeire of Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice, directed by Les Waters. The show was previously produced at Yale Repertory Theatre and the Second Stage production will retain the same director, cast, and team of designers that were all involved in the Yale production. The show opened on May 30th.

Uptown Series

Overview

The summer seies was created as a program to help develop and provide exposure for the voices of a new generation of theatre artists. It has helped launch and advance the careers of several up-and-coming playwrights, including Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, Adam Bock, Rajiv Joseph, and Dan O'Brien.

The series seeks to develop the skills of emerging playwrights, to provide early-career artists with the support of a major artistic institution and to create new plays for the American Theatre.

The plays are presented in Second Stage's original and intimate theatre, the McGinn/Cazale , on Broadway and 76th Street on New York City's Upper West Side.

Current Summer Series

The first show of the 2007 summer series is Marisa Wegrzyn's The Butcher of Baraboo. The show is directed by Judith Ivey, and stars That '70s Show actress Debra Jo Rupp, Ashlie Atkinson, Michael Countryman, Ali Marsh, and Welker White. The show opened May 24th. It takes place in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Rupp plays, Valerie, the butcher, suspected in playing a role in her husband's disappearance.

The second show of the 2007 summer series is Josh Tobiessen's Election Day. It is directed by Jeremy Dobrish and opens on July 16th.

Notables

Plays/Playwrights

• Tiny Alice by Edward Albee
• The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry
• Little Murders by Jules Feiffer
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin
• A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller
• Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe
• Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and On the Stem by Ricky Jay
• Living Out by Lisa Loomer
• This Is Our Youth and The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan
• Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy
• Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim
• Crowns by Regina Taylor
• Privilage by Paul Weitz
• Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein
• Spoils of War by Michael Weller
• Before It Hits Home, Jar the Floor, and Birdie Blue by Cheryl L. West
• Jitney by August Wilson
• Lemon Sky, Serenading Louie, and Sympathetic Magic by Lanford Wilson
• Metamorphoses and The Notebooks of Leornardo da Vinci by Mary Zimmerman

Actors

Over the years, many notable actors have brought their talent to Second Stage. For some, it was a launching pad to a successful career on stage and screen. For others it has served as an inviting place to return to the stage after years away. Among the many actors who have been through the doors include:

• Actor (Season, Production)

• Kevin Bacon (81-82 Flux; 91-92 Spike Heels)
• Angela Bassett (85-86 Black Girl)
• Annette Bening (86-87 Coastal Disturbances; 87-88 Spoils of War)
• Kate Burton (05-06 Water's Edge)
• Phoebe Cates (85-86 Rich Relations)
• Kieran Culkin (06-07 subUrbia)
• Jeff Daniels (79-80 The Shortchanged Review; 85-86 Lemon Sky)
• Taye Diggs (05-06 A Soldier's Play)
• Laurence Fishburne (84-85 Short Eyes; 87-88 Loose Ends)
• Johnny Galecki (05-06 The Little Dog Laughed)
• Tony Goldwyn (05-06 The Water's Edge))
• Harriet Harris (89-90 What a Man Weighs)
• John Michael Higgins (00-01 Tiny Alice)
• Carol Kane (83-84 Linda Her and the Fairy Garden)
• Nathan Lane (87-88 Film Society; 88-89 In a Pig's Valise)
• Camryn Manheim (95-96 Sin)
• James McDaniel (91-92 Before It Hits Home; 05-06 A Soldier's Play)
• Alyssa Milano (83-84 All Night Long)
• Esai Morales (84-85 Short Eyes)
• Cynthia Nixon (85-86 Lemon Sky; 87-88 Moonchildren)
• Rosie Perez (04-05 Reckless)
• Ving Rhames (84-85 Short Eyes)
• Mark Ruffalo (98-99 This Is Our Youth)
• Debra Jo Rupp (06-07 The Butcher of Baraboo - Uptown)
• Bob Saget (04-05 Privilege)
• Marian Seldes (82-83 Painting Churches)
• Ally Sheedy (03-04 The Triple Happiness - Uptown)
• Christian Slater (83-84 Landscape of the Body)
• Daniel Stern (80-81 How I Got That Story)
• Marisa Tomei (95-96 Dark Rapture)
• Julie White (91-92 Spike Heels; 93-94 The Family of Mann; 05-06 The Little Dog Laughed)
• Diane Wiest (83-84 Serenading Louie; 89-90 Square One)

Awards and Mentions

The company's more than 125 citations include the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucile Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 23 Obie Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, five Theatre World Awards, 11 Lucile Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 15 AUDELCO Awardss.

External Links

• www.secondstagetheatre.com