Brooke Shields Among Second Stage Theater's New Trustees

Second Stage Theater, the preeminent home for American plays and living American Playwrights, has announced new Board of Trustees members Elin Nierenberg, Tamara Harris Robinson, Ira Schreck, Brooke Shields, Susan Wasserstein and Kara Young.

They join previously announced board member Kevin Brockman this season, as the company prepares to launch its inaugural Broadway season at the Hayes in 2018.

"We are thrilled to welcome seven new members with such boundless experience and passion," said Artistic Director Carole Rothman. "Their knowledge and leadership will be incredibly valuable to our Board of Directors during this exciting time for our company."

ELIN B. NIERENBERG presently volunteers at The Harlem Village Academy as an after school reading buddy and also at The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation where her husband Michael B. Nierenberg is the Chairman. She is the CEO of New Residential. She is a graduate of The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has a Masters in Early Childhood Education from NYU.

TAMARA HARRIS ROBINSON President of the Tamara L. Harris Foundation. Ms. Harris Robinson serves on the board of WNET and is a member of the Davis Museum Director's Council at Wellesley College. She earned dual master's degrees from the the Wagner School of Public Policy and NYU Silver School of Social Work, where she is currently an adjunct professor. She has worked with Family Connections, The Mental Health Association of Essex County, New Jersey Advocates for Education as the co-founder and former President, and has taught at Montclair State University's Center for Child Advocacy. She has also served on the advisory board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union County in NJ.

IRA SCHRECK has been practicing entertainment law for over 30 years. A member of both the New York and California bars, Ira is the managing partner of Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham, a firm of sixteen attorneys with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The firm specializes in the representation of the creative community - writers, directors and actors working in film, television and theater, and its clients include many of today's most prominent playwrights, composers and lyricists. He graduated as a Kent Scholar from Columbia Law School in 1980 and then clerked for U.S. District Judge H. Lee Sarokin. Ira is also on the board of directors of Opening Act, a New York not-for-profit organization that runs high-quality after-school theater programs in the city's most in-need public high schools, and is on the Facilities Committee of the Mohonk Preserve in the Hudson Valley.

Brooke Shields began her accomplished professional career at only eleven months of age when she was selected as the Ivory Snow Baby, and by age 3 was a runway model. At age 9, Shields began her extensive film career when she won her first acting role in "Alice Sweet Alice" and rapidly gained fame after staring in Louis Malle's "Pretty Baby," the Palme D'or Award winner at the Cannes Film Festival, and the coming of age tales "Blue Lagoon" and "Endless Love." As a model, Brooke has graced the covers of hundreds of magazines, most notably Time Magazine as the "Face of the Eighties". Today, Shields continues her prolific appearances in a broad range of worldwide publications, decades after it all began.

In addition to her film achievements, Shields has maintained a successful and critically acclaimed television career. Her work on The NBC hit "Suddenly Susan" garnered her a Golden Globe nomination, and she received an American Comedy Award nod for her guest role on "Friends". Brooke is the recipient of five People's Choice Awards, and has previously starred in NBC's "Lipstick Jungle," in addition to guest appearances on a wide range of hit shows including "That 70's Show", "Hannah Montana," "Two and A Half Men" and "The Middle."

Shields is the best-selling author of several books, including the highly publicized and critically acclaimed "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression." Brooke tapped into her experiences as a mother, successfully branching out into the world of children's books, penning "Welcome To Your World, Baby" and "It's the Best Day Ever Dad" for Harper Collins. Her latest book "There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me," quickly became a New York Times best seller.

While attending Princeton University, Brooke pursued her love of Theatre as a member of the Princeton Triangle Club. Shortly after graduating with an honors degree in French literature, she made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the hit musical Grease, for which she earned the Theatre World Award in 1994 for "Outstanding Debut on Broadway." Shields went on to star in Chicago, Wonderful Town, and Cabaret, all of which earned her rave reviews. In 2011, she assumed the iconic role of Morticia Addams alongside Roger Rees in the hit Broadway show, The Addams Family. Previously, Shields appeared in the acclaimed ensemble Girls Talk, written and directed by Roger Kumble. She also had her critically acclaimed nightclub debut at Feinstein's at The Loews Regency, performing In My Life, a freewheeling music and stand-up romp through her life's ups and downs. The show sold out its entire run.

In 2012, Shields starred alongside Richard Chamberlain in playwright John Pielmeier's world premiere adaptation of The Exorcist at the Geffen Playhouse. Helmed by acclaimed director J.H. Doyle.

In addition to her professional career, Brooke continues to be a strong advocate for women's issues and keeping the arts alive in schools, and is the happily married mother of two beautiful daughters.

SUSAN WASSERSTEIN is an Art Public Relations Consultant who previously served for over 20 years as the first Public Relations Director for the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA). During her years with ADAA, she played a leading role in establishing the Art Show, which is now a prestigious annual event including the top art dealers in the U.S., with a Gala Preview benefiting Henry Street Settlement. She also helped establish the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) Show, which is also now an annual event. Among many philanthropic and community activities, Susan has long been involved with the Citizens' Committee for Children (CCC), serving as co-Chair for CCC's annual Museum of Modern Art Spring Benefit.

Kara Young is an international supermodel, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Ms. Young has appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition and posed for the Victoria Secret campaigns in the U.S. and abroad. Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and numerous other international magazines have hosted Ms. Young on the cover. She has also led numerous global marketing campaigns, for cosmetic giants such as Revlon, Maybelline and L'Oréal, as well as being featured in numerous ads for Bacardi, Axe Cologne, Dove, Michelob, Old Navy and many others. She worked as an entertainment correspondent on the Fox News channel

Although she still models, Ms. Young has turned her sights on pursuing a career as an entrepreneur and small business owner with her specialized salon, Hair Rules, in midtown Manhattan. She has also produced a hair-care product line of the same name, featured online at and specialty boutiques across the country. Young participates in many charities in New York and is an active executive board member for Action Against Hunger. She is also a theatre buff, serving as a trustee for Second Stage Theater. Young lives in New York City with her husband, Peter, and two sons, Constantine and Nick.

Under the artistic direction of Carole Rothman, Second Stage THEATER produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America's best contemporary theater by living American Playwrights, including the 2017 Tony Award winner Dear Evan Hansen by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Steven Levenson; 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis; 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes; The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown; Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Peter Duchan; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage; Trust and Lonely, I'm Not by Paul Weitz; The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz; Everyday Rapture and Whorl Inside a Loop by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; Jitney by August Wilson; Jar the Floor by Cheryl L. West; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Crowns by ReGina Taylor; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy; This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants by Ricky Jay; Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller; Little Murders by Jules Feiffer; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; and Tiny Alice by Edward Albee.

The company's more than 130 citations include six 2017 Tony Awards for Dear Evan Hansen (Best Musical, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Ben Platt; Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Rachel Bay Jones; Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations), three 2009 Tony Awards for Next to Normal (Best Lead Actress in a Musical, Alice Ripley; Best Score, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; Best Orchestrations, Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt); the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed); the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee); the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses); the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 30 Obie Awards, eight Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 13 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 19 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 23 AUDELCO Awards.

In 1999, Second Stage Theater opened The Tony Kiser Theater, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theater, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched "Second Stage Theater Uptown" series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theater. The Theater supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.

Second Stage Theater purchased the historic Helen Hayes Theater, located at 240 W. 44th Street, in 2015. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theaters on the city's Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan. Second Stage Theater has enlisted David Rockwell and The Rockwell Group to make renovations and updates to the 104 year old landmark building.

Second Stage Theater's inaugural Broadway season will begin in March 2018 with Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero, directed by Trip Cullman and starring Michael Cera and Chris Evans in his Broadway debut. The season will also include the Broadway Premiere ofYoung Jean Lee's Straight White Men, directed by Anna D. Shapiro.

This inaugural season kicks off Second Stage's mission of creating and building a permanent home on Broadway dedicated exclusively to American plays and living American Playwrights.

Second Stage Theater is investing in its future on Broadway by co-commissioning established playwrights through its STAGE-2-STAGE program, launching with Los Angeles's Center Theatre Group. This ongoing program will provide a pathway to Broadway, with each play receiving an initial production in Los Angeles at one of CTG's three theaters before moving to New York. The commissioned playwrights are Jon Robin Baitz, Will Eno, Lisa Kron, Young Jean Lee, Lynn Nottage, and Paula Vogel.

Second Stage Theater is also co-commissioning a new work from Bess Wohl for Broadway, through a partnership with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and new works for Broadway from Lydia R. Diamond and Dominique Morisseau, which will be developed in association with Kenny Leon's True Colors Theater.

Stage Theater's upcoming off-Broadway productions include the New York premiere of Bruce Norris's A Parallelogram, directed by Michael Greif,beginning previews July 11 and opening August 2; and the Stage Theater Uptown world premiere production of Somebody's Daughter by Chisa Hutchinson, directed by May Adrales, beginning previews May 23 and opening June 6 at the McGinn/Cazale Theater.

Next season will bring the 35th Anniversary production of Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song, directed by Moisés Kaufman, beginning performances in September, as well as the New York premiere of Tracy Letts' Mary Page Marlowe in June of 2018.

For more information, visit www.2ST.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride