New Group's 20th Season to Feature Holly Hunter & Bill Pullman in STICKS AND BONES, Cynthia Nixon-Helmed RASHEEDA SPEEKING with Dianne Wiest, Jesse Eisenberg's THE SPOILS
By: Tyler Peterson Jun. 26, 2014
The New Group celebrates its 20th Anniversary in 2014-2015 and has announced three productions for this milestone season: the first major New York revival of Sticks and Bones, the Tony Award-winning play by David Rabe, directed by Scott Elliott, and featuring Holly Hunter and Bill Pullman; the New York premiere of Rasheeda Speaking by Joel Drake Johnson, helmed by Cynthia Nixon in her directorial debut, and featuring Tonya Pinkins and Dianne Wiest; and the world premiere of The Spoils, a new play written by and featuring Jesse Eisenberg, directed by Scott Elliott. Special 20th Anniversary events at The New Group to be announced.
The New Group has announced that productions in the company's 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 Seasons will take place at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street. The New Group's Administrative Offices remain at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street, where the company has presented work since 2002.
Scott Elliott, founding Artistic Director of The New Group, shares, "This 20th Anniversary season is a major milestone for the company and for me personally. I am overjoyed that some of our beloved artists are back and that we are welcoming some brilliant new ones into our family. In my case, this milestone makes me think about where The New Group has come from and our dreams for the future. The first step is to shake ourselves up. And as a result we're moving. And we're so lucky to be heading to The Pershing Square Signature Center. I've known and loved Jim Houghton as long as I've been an Artistic Director and can't wait to do our shows in his gorgeous home. The New Group aesthetic will remain the same but our surroundings will be divine."
Adam Bernstein, Executive Director of The New Group, remarks, "I am absolutely thrilled to be celebrating The New Group's 20th Anniversary and my first full season as Executive Director with these daring plays and fierce artists. As a company, we are constantly evolving and seeking a theater that is "now," and we look forward to beginning a new era of growth by presenting our work at The Pershing Square Signature Center. New Group artists will thrive in this state-of-the-art environment where they can fully realize their creative risks. I am also excited that our passionate, adventurous audience will enjoy these modern amenities, providing them a very comfortable, dynamic theatergoing experience."
Signature Theatre's Founding Artistic Director James Houghton says, "All of us at Signature Theatre are thrilled to welcome The New Group to our home at The Pershing Square Signature Center. It was our dream that this Center could become a home rich in its diversity of programming and provide a critical nexus for our community. Scott Elliott and The New Group are celebrating 20 years of essential and amazing work. It's a privilege to welcome such a stellar group of artists to the Center and I can't wait to see the fantastic season they've just announced."
The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). Subscriptions for The New Group 2014-2015 season available now. For subscriptions & info, please visit www.thenewgroup.org. Subscriptions also available by calling Ticket Central at(212) 279-4200, or in person at 416 West 42nd Street (12-8pm daily).
Fall 2014:
Sticks and Bones written by David Rabe. Directed by Scott Elliott; featuring Holly Hunter and Bill Pullman. Previews begin October 2014 in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre (480 West 42nd Street).
The New Group opens its 20th Anniversary season with the first major New York revival of David Rabe's Tony Award-winning play Sticks and Bones, a savage and savagely comic portrait of an average American family pulled apart by the return of a son from the Vietnam War. Ozzie (Bill Pullman) and his wife Harriet (Holly Hunter) are overjoyed to see their eldest son David again, but the furies that haunt David begin to overwhelm them and their happy-go-lucky younger son Ricky, forcing Ozzie to make a stand for the values he can't bear to let go. Scott Elliott directs. Additional casting to be announced.
Sticks and Bones made its New York premiere at the Public Theater in 1971. The production opened on Broadway in 1972 and was honored with that year's Tony Award for Best Play. Sticks and Bones marks The New Group's third collaboration with playwright David Rabe, following the acclaimed 2005 revival of Hurlyburly, directed by Scott Elliott, which enjoyed an extended run and commercial Off-Broadway transfer and the 2012 world premiere of An Early History of Fire, directed by Jo Bonney.
Winter 2015:
Rasheeda Speaking written by Joel Drake Johnson. Directed by Cynthia Nixon; featuring Tonya Pinkins and Dianne Wiest. Previews begin January 2015 in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre (480 West 42nd Street).
This marks a return for Cynthia Nixon to The New Group, where she starred in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Spring 2015:
The Spoils written by & featuring Jesse Eisenberg. Directed by Scott Elliott. Previews begin May 2015 in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre (480 West 42nd Street).
Nobody likes Ben (Jesse Eisenberg). Ben doesn't even like Ben. He's been kicked out of grad school, lives off his parents' money, and bullies everyone in his life, including his roommate, an earnest Nepalese immigrant. When Ben discovers that his grade school crush is marrying a straight-laced banker, he sets out to destroy their relationship and win her back. The New Group presents The Spoils, a deeply personal and probing comedy written by and featuring Jesse Eisenberg, in a world premiere production directed by Scott Elliott, as the third show in the company's 2014-2015 Season. Additional casting to be announced.
Photos by Walter McBride
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