The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) and Signature Theatre Company (Founding Artistic Director James Houghton; Executive Director Erika Mallin) announced today that the New York premiere of Tony Kushner's THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES will be presented in the 2010-2011 season in a co-production between The Public Theater and Signature Theatre Company, in association with the Guthrie Theater. Michael Greif, who directed the world premiere at the Guthrie in April, 2009, will direct the New York premiere, which will play March 22-June 12, 2011 at The Public Theater. Casting will be announced at a later date.
The Public Theater and Artistic Director Oskar Eustis have a long history with Tony Kushner, dating back to 1986 when Eustis, then Artistic Director of the Eureka Theater in San Francisco, directEd Kushner's first professional production, A Bright Room Called Day (later seen at The Public Theater), and commissioned Angels in America, which he then directed in its world premier at the Mark Taper Forum. The Public Theater also developEd Kushner's musical Caroline, or Change and then transferred it to Broadway in 2004. In 2006, Kushner's translation of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children was presented at Shakespeare in the Park.
Signature Theatre Company is the first theatre company to devote an entire season to the work of a single playwright, including re-examinations of past writings as well as New York and world premieres. By championing in-depth explorations of a living playwright's body of work, the Company delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright's singular vision. Signature's 20th Anniversary Season, devoted to Tony Kushner, also includes the first New York revival of Angels in America and another production to be announced.
Signature was in residence at The Public Theatre for two seasons in 1995-1997, but THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE marks the first time the two theatres have partnered to present a co-production.
In the summer of 2007, Gus Marcantonio, a retired longshoreman, summons his children to the family's Brooklyn brownstone for a series of shocking announcements. THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES explores revolution, radicalism, marriage, sex, prostitution, politics, real estate, unions of all kinds and debts both repaid and unpayable.
Tony Kushner commented, "I have a long relationship to The Public Theater, beginning of course as an audience member when I first arrived in New York and then as a playwright, through A Bright Room Called Day, produced by Joe Papp and directed by Michael Greif; The Dybbuk, produced by George C. Wolfe; Caroline, or Change, which George produced and directed; and Mother Courage and Her Children, produced by Oskar Eustis. Oskar and I have been working together closely since the start of my career. The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide, or as I've been abbreviating it, iHo, has deep roots in an ongoing conversation with Oskar about life, politics and art that's essential to my thinking and writing. Since I began working on it, this play has felt to me like it belonged at The Public."
"There's no theater on earth I admire more than the Signature, both for its faith in American Playwrights and for its magnificent productions of our plays. Jim Houghton has enormous talent and daring, a man of marvelous collegiality and seriousness of purpose. I'm thrilled and honored to have been offered a Signature season. Now that it's almost here, I'm also terrified, but in the nicest way. Since I began working on this play, I felt it would make a perfect choice for the new play slot in my Signature season. iHo opening in New York as part of both The Public's and Signature's season, co-produced by Oskar and Jim, feels so much like having my cake and eating it too that I'm embarrassed by my good fortune, and very happy."
