Shannon to Lead Wright's MISTAKES WERE MADE at Barrow Street; Opens 11/14
By: Jessica Lewis Oct. 20, 2010
Producers Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian and Tom Wirtshafter, who presented the critically acclaimed landmark production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, will next present the New York premiere of the new comedy, Mistakes Were Made, by Craig Wright with direction by Dexter Bullard. The two-character play features Academy Award-nominee Michael Shannon as producer Felix Artifex and Mierka Girten as his assistant Esther, and reunites the creative team of the Off-Broadway smash hit Bug (Bullard, Shannon and Barrow Street). The 16- week limited engagement will begin performances Friday, November 5, 2010 at the Barrow Street Theatre. Opening night is set for Sunday evening, November 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Mistakes Were Made is an hilarious, but also deeply moving character study of a man seeking redemption, but inescapably creating destruction. Felix Artifex, a B-list Off-Broadway producer, gets in way over his fast-talking head when he takes on a gargantuan epic about the French Revolution which he thinks is going to be his ticket to professional and personal reclamation. While trying to land a big star for the lead role, he uses all his powers of persuasion, seduction and intimidation to strong-arm the writer into massively rewriting his play. At the same time, he attempts to reconnect with his estranged wife and untangle himself from a mess involving sheep in a distant war-torn country.Barrow Street Theatre is located at 27 Barrow Street at 7th Avenue South in the heart of Greenwich Village. Nearby subway stops are the 1 at Christopher Street (walk 1 block South on 7th Avenue to Barrow) and the A, C, E, B, D, F and M at West 4th (walk West on 4th Street, left on Barrow).
Michael Shannon (Felix Artifex), an Academy Award-nominee, is making his mark working with many of the industry's most honored talents and treading the boards in the world's most respected theatres. Currently, he can be seen in Martin Scorsese's HBO new series, "Boardwalk Empire," playing opposite Steve Buscemi and in production on David Koepp's Premium Rush opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Shannon will next begin production on Marc Forster's Machine Gun Preacher opposite Gerard Butler and Michelle Monaghan. Most recently, he was seen in a supporting role in Revolutionary Road, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. With over thirty roles in film, his credits include Jimmy Hayward's Jonah Hex, Floria Sigismondi's The Runaways, Werner Herzog's My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done and Bad Lieutenant, Sydney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, William Friedkin's Bug, Curtis Hanson's Lucky You, Michael Bay's Bad Boys II, Curtis Hanson's 8 Mile ? David McNally's Kangaroo Jack, Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor, John Waters' Cecil B. DeMented, Noah Buschel's The Missing Person and Shana Feste's The Greatest. For all his roles on screen, Shannon has maintained a connection to theatre and credits include Our Town (Barrow Street Theatre), Lady (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), The Metal Children (Vineyard Theater), The Little Flower of East Orange (Public Theater), The Pillowman (Steppenwolf Theater), Bug (Barrow Street Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre and Gate Theatre), Man From Nebraska (Steppenwolf Theatre), Mr. Kolpert (A Red Orchid Theatre), Killer Joe (Soho Playhouse, Next Lab and Vaudeville Theatre), The Idiot (Looking Glass Theatre), Killer (A Red Orchid Theatre) and Woyzeck (Gate Theatre). Mierka Girten (Esther) was last seen in Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party at A Red Orchid Theatre in her hometown of Chicago. She originated the role of Esther in Craig Wright's Mistakes Were Made, which had its premiere in Fall 2009 (at A Red Orchid Theatre). Favorite Chicago credits include: The Walls and Psalms of a Questionable Nature (Rivendell Theater Ensemble), Weapon of Mass Impact (A Red Orchid Theatre), A View From The Bridge (American Theatre Company), The Book Of Liz (Roadworks), A Blood Wedding (The Hypocrites), Into The Woods (Porchlight Musical Theatre), Joy Of The Desolate (Appletree), Golf (Circle Theatre), and Dear Jackie (Livebait Theater). She has toured around the country in The Secret Garden and has been heard nationally, both as an announcer and jingle singer on radio and television commercials. Film credits include The Manson Family and The Lake at Evening. Mierka is the founder of The Mookie Jam Foundation, which benefits artists with Multiple Sclerosis. With or Without Wings, Mierka's original one-woman show that chronicles her life with Multiple Sclerosis, has been performed all over Chicago. She is a proud member of A Red Orchid Theatre, which was recently named "Best Theatre in Chicago" by Chicago Magazine. Craig Wright (Playwright) Productions, commissions and prizes: Mistakes Were Made was most recently seen at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago with Academy Award-nominee Michael Shannon starring and Dexter Bullard directing (Jeff Award nominations for play and actor) and, playing in a separate production, at Hartford Stage with Will Lebow starring and Jeremy Cohen directing. Craig is currently writing a play for Hartford Stage and a musical for Playwrights Horizons. He received the 2009 Horton Foote Excellence in American Playwriting Award from Baylor University. Recent productions: Blind at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Gray Sisters at Third Rail Rep, The Unseen at the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Road in LA (directed by the
author) and at The Cherry Lane in NYC by the American Actor's Company. Lady, which was commissioned by and received its world premiere from Northlight Theatre, was also seen at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Stages Rep, Asolo Rep and The Road Theater, in Los Angeles. Grace premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theatre where it was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play. It was subsequently seen in a critically-acclaimed production at Northlight Theater, the Furious Theatre (three LA Drama Critic's Circle Awards including Best Play), Pacific Theatre in Vancouver (two Jesse Richardson Awards) amongst others. Recent Tragic Events also debuted at Woolly and was produced by Playwrights Horizons with Heather Graham in the lead and has been produced around the country. It was a finalist for the American Theatre Critics New Play Award and the Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play. Melissa Arctic, a contemporary adaptation of The Winter's Tale, premiered at the Folger Theatre and won the 2005 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play. It was recently produced at Two Rivers Theater Company, again directed by Aaron Posner. Other productions: Main Street was commissioned and premiered by the Great American History Theatre. Orange Flower Water has been produced around the country, including Steppenwolf in an extended engagement that led the Chicago Sun-Times to name it one of the Best of the Year. It was seen in New York at the Edge Theatre under the direction of Carolyn Cantor. Molly's Delicious had its debut at the Arden Theatre where it received a Barrymore nomination for Best New Play. The Pavilion has received dozens of productions around the country including an extended run at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York under the direction of Lucie Tiberghien where it received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding New Play. Mr. Wright received an Emmy nomination for his "Six Feet Under" episode "Twilight" and a WGA nomination for his episode "Falling Into Place." He has served as writer and producer for the JJ Abrams series "Lost" and the ABC series "Brothers & Sisters." He was the creator and Executive Producer of his own series, "Dirty Sexy Money" which aired on ABC for two seasons starring Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh. He is currently turning the documentary "Must Read After My Death" into a feature film with Alan Poul. He is also developing multiple television pilots.
As the co-leader of the alternative rock band, The Tropicals, Mr. Wright has toured with Grammy- nominated Semisonic, and The Tropicals' first release, Live At The Jungle, was named one of the Top 10 local releases by every leading Twin Cities' newspaper and weekly. As a member of the band Kangaroo he has released two albums, Phantom and Skyscraper Spaceship. Mr. Wright is a graduate of United Theological Seminary. Dexter Bullard (Director) is an award-winning director dedicated to directing new plays and creating original improvisational and experimental theater for Chicago and beyond. Recent directing credits include Reverie with Second City at The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Mistakes Were Made at A Red Orchid Theatre, Lady at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Brett Neveu's Gas for Less at the Goodman Theatre, the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championship Opening Ceremonies at the Chicago Theatre, The Butcher of Baraboo with Steppenwolf's First Look Rep, and Craig Wright's Grace at Northlight Theater. In 2004, Dexter was awarded the Lucille Lortel Award for Tracy Letts' Bug at The Barrow Street Theater, as well as a Drama Desk Nomination. In 1995 Dexter co-founded Plasticene Physical Theater, whose critically-acclaimed experimental works have been featured at The Steppenwolf Studio, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Storefront Theatre, Performing Arts Chicago, MCA, and in New York City. With the Plasticene company, he has directed and collaboratively created fourteen original works including The Palmer Raids (2003) and From A Fading Light (2010). Since 1996, Dexter has also directed with The Second City, developing revues at E.T.C. Chicago and at Second City Detroit. For three years, he led a Second City National Touring Company to many destinations including Vienna and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston. Back in 1990, Dexter founded The Next Lab at The Next Theatre where he directed Bouncers, for which he received a Jefferson Citation and an After Dark award for his direction. As Associate Artistic Director at Next Theatre, he directed and/or created eight shows for mainstage and Lab. He has also directed projects for Famous Door Theatre, American Theatre Company, Hartford Stage Company, several times for A Red Orchid Theatre. Dexter is the Head of Graduate Acting and teaches acting, improvisation, and directing at The Theatre School at DePaul University. Scott Morfee (Producer) is an independent producer whose past productions include the recent production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town (Barrow Street Theatre), Adding Machine: A Musical (Minetta Lane Theatre), Gone Missing, No Child..., Orson's Shadow, Bug, TJ & Dave, Eat the Taste (all at Barrow Street Theatre); Underneath the Lintel (SoHo Playhouse), and Killer Joe (SoHo Playhouse; Theatre 2851, Chicago), Edinburgh productions include finer noble gases by Adam Rapp and Flash and Blood and Fish and Fowl by Geoff Sobelle and Charlotte Ford (Fringe Firsts).Jean Doumanian (Producer) Based in New York City, Jean Doumanian Productions produces
works for film and theatre. Upcoming Broadway includes the 2010 Olivier Award-winning play The
Mountaintop and the musical Book of Mormon. Jean Doumanian Productions was a lead producer
on August: Osage County on Broadway, winner of five 2008 Tony ® Awards including Best Play and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, and is also developing it into a feature film with The Weinstein Company. Other Broadway credits include Tom Stoppard's Jumpers, Michael Frayn's Democracy, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and Amour. Off-Broadway highlights include the recent landmark production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, When the Rain Stops Falling at Lincoln Center, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Fuddy Meers, Bat Boy the Musical, Things You Shouldn't
Say Past Midnight, Dinah Was, and Death Defying Acts. Under the leadership of Ms. Doumanian,
the company has produced films by David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner), David Gordon Green (All
the Real Girls), Woody Allen (Bullets Over Broadway, Everyone Says I Love You, Mighty Aphrodite,
Deconstructing Harry, Sweet and Lowdown, Celebrity, and Small Time Crooks), Barbara Kopple
(Wild Man Blues), and Jason Alexander (Just Looking). The company's productions have been
nominated for multiple Academy and Golden Globe Awards, including Sven Nykvist's The Ox, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Tom Wirtshafter (Producer) Past productions include the recent landmark production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town (Barrow Street Theatre), Adding Machine: A Musical (Minetta Lane Theatre), Gone Missing, No Child..., TJ & Dave, Orson's Shadow, Bug, Eat the Taste (all at the Barrow Street Theatre), Sarah Jones' Bridge and Tunnel (Culture Project and on Broadway - Tony Winner 2005), White Chocolate (Century Center for Performing Arts), Underneath the Lintel (Soho Playhouse), and Stars in Your Eyes (Cherry Lane Theatre).
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