The New Group honored Wallace Shawn and Fred Wistow with the fifth annual Michael Mendelson Award. Founded in 2005, this award recognizes individuals who show outstanding commitment to the theatrical community. Past recipients include Robyn Goodman, Ethan Hawke, Ruth and Stephen Hendel, Wendy Ettinger and Derek McLane. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below.
Wallace Shawn's first play, Our Late Night, was honored with an Obie Award (1975). Other plays include A Thought in Three Parts, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever (1990-91 Obie Award), The Designated Mourner and Grasses of a Thousand Colors. Other works: the 1977 translation of Machiavelli's The Mandrake and a translation of Brecht's The Threepenny Opera (Broadway 2006, directed by
Scott Elliott). With André Gregory, he wrote the film My Dinner With André, and with
Tom Cairns wrote the screenplay for Marie and Bruce. As an actor, he has appeared in film and on stage with credits including Manhattan, Radio Days, Vanya on 42nd Street, Clueless, The Wife, The Moderns and many others. Shawn's Essays (Haymarket Books) was just released in paperback. This season's Marie and Bruce marks Shawn's fifth collaboration with
The New Group. In 2005, he appeared there in a revival of
David Rabe's Hurlyburly directed by
Scott Elliott. His play Aunt Dan and Lemon was presented by the company in 2003, and in 2007, he appeared in The Fever (both under Elliott's direction). The Music Teacher, a play with music written with brother
AlLen Shawn and directed by
Tom Cairns, was presented at
The New Group in 2006.
A former member of the Board of
The New Group and a graduate of P.S. 91 in the Bronx, Fred Wistow currently serves as Chairman of a non-profit organization serving the mental health field, the Psychotherapy Network, Inc., writing periodically for its bi-monthly magazine, the Psychotherapy Networker. He is also a trustee of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Since 1999, when he retired as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Time Warner's Warner Music Group, he has worked as a consultant to a variety of individuals and businesses.
The New Group continues to produce award winning, critically acclaimed work after 15 triumphant seasons. This artist-driven, non-profit company maintains an ensemble approach to developing adventurous and relevant contemporary theater. Earlier this season,
The New Group presented the world premiere of
Tommy Nohilly's Blood From A Stone. The company is currently represented Off-Broadway by
Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, directed by
Scott Elliott and starring
Marisa Tomei and
Frank Whaley in the title roles. Last season,
The New Group presented the extended run of
Kenneth Lonergan's The Starry Messenger featuring
Matthew Broderick, the sold-out revival of
Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind directed by
Ethan Hawke, and the world premiere of the new musical The Kid, directed by
Scott Elliott. Past productions include
Ayub Khan-Din's Rafta, Rafta...,
Jonathan Marc Sherman's Things We Want,
Jay Presson Allen's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and
David Rabe's Hurlyburly, among many others. Additionally,
Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years, Abigail's Party, Smelling a Rat, Goose-Pimples and Ecstasy, as well as
Wallace Shawn's The Fever and Aunt Dan and Lemon.
The New Group is a recipient of the 2004 Tony® Award for Best Musical (Avenue Q). Most recently,
The New Group was honored with several nominations for The Kid, including Drama Desk and
Lucille Lortel Award nominations (Outstanding Musical) and recognized with Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for The Kid (Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical) and Blood From A Stone (Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play). Additionally, the company and Artistic Director
Scott Elliott have been cited by Drama Desk 2010-2011 with a Special Award for presenting contemporary new voices, and for uncompromisingly raw and powerful productions.
Photo Credit: Kevin Thomas Garcia
Scott Elliott
Wallace Shawn
Fred Wistow
Kristen Johnston
Kristen Johnston and Frank Whaley
Frank Whaley
Matthew Broderick
Christopher Sieber
Lucas Steele and Christopher Sieber
Lucas Steele
Kathryn Erbe
Matthew Modine
Bobby Cannavale
Natasha Lyonne
James Ransone and Natasha Lyonne
Claybourne Elder
Grant Shaud
Devin Ratray
Katie Finneran
Darren Goldstein
Darren Goldstein and Katie Finneran
Karen Young
Marin Ireland
Allison Wright
Reshma Shetty
Michael Zam and Jack Lechner
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