Josh Radnor Joins 'THE O'NEILL SINCE 1964' Panel at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 6/19

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announces actor/writer/director Josh Radnor will participate in a discussion about his time at the O'Neill's National Theater Institute at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Bruno Walter Auditorium on June 19, 2014. Radnor will join O'Neill alumnus and faculty member Donna Dinovelli (NTI Faculty, librettist and lyricist for opera and musical theater works, Radnor's playwriting instructor) and Moderator Rachel Jett (NTI Artistic Director, teacher, writer, actor, director). Panelists will share memories about how their participation with the National Theater Institute's semester-long, credit-earning training intensives have shaped their career and craft. The event is free and open to the public.

The discussion is the second of a three-part series hosted in conjunction with Launchpad of the American Theater: The O'Neill Since 1964, a free multimedia exhibition on display in the Vincent Astor Gallery May 17 through September 16, 2014, presented by the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The exhibition will charts the journey of American theater at the O'Neill from its past to present and future and explores the creative development of its playwrights, composers, students, puppeteers and performers.

The first panel discussion in the series was held May 29, 2014, and titled "50 Years Later: The Developmental Path to Production." The discussion - which featured O'Neill alumni including Producer Lynne Meadow and Playwright John Guare - covered the O'Neill's development process and O'Neill leadership past and present. The New York Times' Pat Healy moderated the discussion.

"The O'Neill: The Transformation of Modern American Theater with Jeffrey Sweet" - the final discussion in the series - and will take place August 7, 2014, at 6pm. Author, playwright, critic and O'Neill alumnus Jeffrey Sweet discusses his new book The O'Neill: The Transformation of Modern American Theater, published by Yale University Press. Sweet spent 18 months gathering anecdotes, histories, and results from O'Neill alumni and peers in the field for this book, and describes his experiences mapping one of the most influential theater companies in America.

Founded in 1964 at the dawn of the regional theater movement, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT supports the development of new artists and works for theater. Through trial and error, the Center invented the signature "O'Neill Process": a four-week retreat for top theater professionals, culminating in public, staged readings of early draft plays. Over the past half century, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has shaped the course of American theater, launching the careers of some of the country's most talented artists and most recognizable plays and musicals.

In addition to The Library for the Performing Arts' exhibition, the O'Neill will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a variety of special programs and events throughout its 2014 season. For more details, visit www.theoneill.org.

Funding for Launchpad of the American Theater is provided by the The Burry Fredrik Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America, and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and Ms. Annella Young Preble.