David Hyde Pierce and Kristine Nielsen to Take Part in THEATRE TALK, 4/26

A new THEATER TALK episode focuses on two of the season's best new plays. David Hyde Pierce and Kristine Nielsen, two of the stars of Christopher Durang's celebrated Broadway comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, lead off the two-segment episode, followed by playwright Joe Gilford and producer William Carden discussing Ensemble Studio Theatre's acclaimed off-Broadway production of FINKS, a look at the impact of the 1950s blacklist based on the experiences of Gilford's parents. The program premieres Friday, April 26, 2013 at 1 AM (Saturday morning) on Thirteen/PBS, and repeats in New York City on CUNY TV* Saturday at 8:30 PM, Sunday at 12:30 PM, and Monday at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.

Durang's comedy is a madcap yet moving modernization of Chekhov. Hyde Pierce and Nielsen tell series co-hosts Michael Riedel and Susan Haskins about the background of the play, as well as the past experiences in their careers that led them to star in it on Broadway.

FINKS, Gilford's powerful look at the shameful Blacklisting era in TV and radio, was inspired by the true-life experiences of his parents, Jack and Madeline. Both working actors, they were named as Communists in 1955 by close friends, including the legendary Jerome Robbins, at the House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings. As a result, they were blacklisted; not only were they (and hundreds of others in show business) denied employment for almost a decade, but they were subjected to emotional trauma that affected them for the rest of their lives.

THEATER TALK is the weekly series dedicated to the world of the stage. The series, jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV, is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan and distributed to 65+ participating public television markets nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York State Council on the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The TDF/TAP Plus Program, The CUNY TV Foundation and The Friends of THEATER TALK.

*CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast on Ch. 25.3 in the tri-state area and cablecast in New York City's five boroughs on Channel 75 (Time Warner and Cablevision) and on other cable systems.

This program will be also posted online beginning April 30 at http://www.cuny.tv/show/theatertalk/PR2001778 .