Jim Brochu, T.R. Knight, Jan Maxwell, Sarah Ruhl and Marilyn Sokol Set for 'ART IMITATES ART' Drama Desk Panel Next Week

A diverse group of panelists, including an acclaimed stage and TV actor, a Drama Desk winning writer/actor, a five-time TONY Award nominated actress, a highly heralded playwright and a veteran actress and comedienne will assemble next Monday, January 12, at 6 PM to participate in the Drama Desk's first panel discussion of 2015, entitled "Art Imitates Art: The Enduring Appeal of Theater About Theater." The discussion, which promises to be very enlightening, lively and funny, will be moderated by journalist Adrienne Onofri, a member of the Drama Desk.

The panel discussion, titled "ART IMITATES ART: THE ENDURING APPEAL OF THEATER ABOUT THEATER," will be held at ASCAP headquarters, One Lincoln Plaza, 1900 Broadway between 63rd and 64th Street, from 6:00 to 7:15 PM. Doors will open at 5:30 PM. Admission is $5 for Drama Desk members and $10 for non-members. Pay at the door, cash or check only. Because of security policies of the venue, advance reservations are required by emailing DramaDesk58@gmail.com.

The panelists are (in alphabetical order): Jim Brochu, the Drama Desk winning creator and star of Character Man and Zero Hour; T.R. Knight, who was recently seen off-Broadway in Pocatello, co-starred in A Life in the Theatre and Noises Off on Broadway, and is probably best known for his role in TV's Grey's Anatomy; five-time TONY Award nominee Jan Maxwell, who has played an actress in Follies, The Royal Family and To Be or Not To Be, and starred in City of Conversation last year at Lincoln Center; playwright Sarah Ruhl whose Stage Kiss was produced last year by Playwrights Horizons, and who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play and The Clean House; and Marilyn Sokol, whose many credits as a screen and stage actor include the theatrical-set plays Light Up the Sky, Scenery and In the Wings.

From Hamlet's Players to this season's Broadway smash It's Only a Play, actors and the theater have always been favorite subjects on stage. The panel of theater artists will discuss the ups and downs of re-creating their professional world on stage and why artists and audiences seem to love theater about the theater. At the conclusion of the discussion, there will be a brief Q and A.

Drama Desk was created in 1949 by a like-minded group of New York theater critics, editors, reporters and publishers, who all shared a desire to educate the community on vital issues concerning the theater. In 1955 Drama Desk became the first major organization to honor outstanding achievement Off-Broadway with the Vernon Rice Awards, named for the late New York Post critic who championed Off-Broadway theater coverage.

Drama Desk, celebrating its 60th continuous awards show in spring 2015, is the only award ever to honor Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway equally in every award category. Charles Wright is the new President of Drama Desk.