Michael Shannon, David Hyde Pierce and More Set for The Drama League's CLOSE UP Series

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks; Artistic Director, Roger T. Danforth) have announced their Fall/Winter 2012 Programming Schedule of over 40 special performances, events and educational offerings that include intimate evenings with actors David Schwimmer, Michael Shannon, David Hyde Pierce and casting director Bernard Telsey.

The Drama League offers special performances on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as open rehearsals, backstage tours, play readings, intimate gatherings with legendary stars, behind-the-scenes discussions with industry titans, day trips to world-class theatres, and more. To see the entire Fall/Winter Program Guide, visit http://www.dramaleague.org/programguide.

“As we begin construction on our new home in Tribeca, The Drama League Theater Center, our programming for audiences is already expanding,” shared Gabriel Shanks, Drama League Executive Director. He went on to add, “We are excited to welcome all of the New York theatre community into our panels, discussions, rehearsals and readings.”

Selected highlights from the 2012 Fall/Winter Schedule
at The Drama League, 520 8th Avenue, Third Floor
http://www.dramaleague.org/programguide

CLOSE UP SERIES
An intimate discussion with the world’s greatest theatre artists.

An Evening with David Schwimmer and director Anne Kaufmann
Monday, September 24 at 7:00pm

Best known for playing Ross on “Friends,” David Schwimmer is also a director, a founding member of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company, and a stage veteran. He returns this fall to star in Detroit at Playwrights Horizons, helmed by Drama League Directors Project alumna Anne Kauffman (Slowgirl). Schwimmer made his Broadway debut in 2006 in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial and gave a critically-acclaimed performance in the 2009 production of Our Town at Lookingglass. He directed the films “Run, Fatboy, Run” and “Trust,” starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener, and made his stage directorial debut with Fault Lines at Cherry Lane Theatre. He will be joined by Kauffman for a lively discussion of their career highlights, creative inspiration and more.

An Evening with Michael Shannon and director Dexter Bullard
Thursday, September 27 at 5:30pm

Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) and Drama League Directors Project alum Dexter Bullard (Bug) discuss their brand-new Broadway play, Grace by Craig Wright (Mistakes Were Made) that also stars Paul Rudd (Knocked Up) and Ed Asner (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”).

Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon is no stranger to the stage – the prolific actor has worked extensively in New York, London and Chicago, where he helped found A Red Orchid Theatre. He is well known for his role on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” his Oscar-nominated performance in Revolutionary Road, and recent films including Take Shelter and Premium Rush. Frequent collaborators Shannon and Bullard come together to discuss their work and the fascinating journeys that brought them to Grace.

An Evening with David Hyde Pierce
Monday, November 19 at 7:00pm

David Hyde Pierce once told The Washington Post, “If Niles, my iconic character on the hit show ‘Frasier,’ were real, I probably couldn’t stand him.” Funny stuff when you consider Pierce earned four Emmy Awards for the role! Equally adept on stage, in television and film, his notable performances include Spamalot, Curtains, and La Bete on Broadway, and films Down With Love, Wet Hot American Summer, and Sleepless in Seattle. This fall, he’s part of the Chekovian hilarity of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a new play by Christopher Durang (Laughing Wild) and also stars Sigourney Weaver (Alien).

INDUSTRY INSIDERS SERIES
Broadway icons share their experiences on the business of theatre.

An Evening with Casting Director Bernard Telsey
Monday, October 22 at 7:00pm

Meet the man who casts Broadway’s biggest hits! Bernard Telsey heads Telsey + Company, a preeminent theater and film casting agency in New York. He is also co-founding Artistic Director of MCC Theater and the New York Vice President of the Casting Society of America. His recent Broadway credits include Annie, Evita, Legally Blonde, and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. His film credits include The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Friends with Kids, and Sex and the City: the Movie. Mr. Telsey’s journey form NYU student to titan of the casting business is a fascinating story: he’ll share his experience and his process of matching the perfect actor to the perfect role.

Admission is free to Drama League members, $25 for non-members and are available to everyone by visiting the website at www.dramaleague.org/events. These selected Series events will take place at The Drama League current home base located at 520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor.

It was recently announced The Drama League will open The Drama League Theater Center, a new, state-of-the-art facility that will bring world-class theater artists, emerging talents, and New York theatergoers together under one roof. The Center, located on the lobby level of the historic former AT&T Building at 32 Avenue of the Americas, in the heart of TriBeCa’s arts district, is scheduled to open in late 2012.