THE SCHOOL OF DOING: A Book Event, Moderated By Ashley Gates Jansen Comes to Town Stages

A Book Event on The School of Doing, featuring author Isaac Klein and moderated by Ashley Gates Jansen, will take place on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at 1pm at Town Stages, 221 West Broadway, NYC. The event is free, and copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Olympia Dukakis, Sam Waterston, and many more lend their voices to The School of Doing, a comprehensive guide to the craft and teachings of internationally renowned stage director and educator Gerald Freedman, including lessons on acting, directing, text analysis, comedy technique, camera technique, Shakespeare, musical theater, design, pedagogy, and the business itself. Foreword by Mandy Patinkin.

Gerald Freedman was instrumental in creating some of the most important theater of the last century. As a young man, he went back and forth between directing stars such as Jack Lemmon, Joan Crawford, and Humphrey Bogart for the screen in Hollywood, and working onstage in New York with Jerome Robbins, for whom he assistant directed the original West Side Story. He served as Artistic Director of the New York Shakespeare Festival, now known as Shakespeare in the Park, and directed numerous star-studded productions to critical acclaim. He directed many classic and new works for producer Joseph Papp, including the world premiere of the musical Hair as the inaugural production of The Public Theater.He also served as Co-Artistic Director of The Acting Company with John Houseman, Artistic Director at Stratford's American Shakespeare Theater in Connecticut, and Artistic Director at Cleveland's Great Lakes Theater. He directed celebrated productions on and off Broadway, won an Obie Award, and was the first American to direct at Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London.

Even in light of these extraordinary achievements, Gerald's greatest work happened in the classroom. He studied with masters like Alvina Krause, Harold Clurman, and Robert Lewis. He went on to teach acting and directing at Northwestern, Yale, Juilliard, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he became Dean of the School of Drama in 1991, and proceeded to turn the program into one of the most highly-ranked and well-respected drama conservatories in the United States.

His singular, powerful teachings have never been written down in full. Until now.

Isaac Klein is a director and writer of plays and musicals. He is a graduate of Gerald Freedman's Directing program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, class of 2006. At school, Freedman directed him in Floyd Collins, and Isaac assistant directed Freedman's productions of Three Sisters and Beckett's Happy Days. Isaac-Klein.com.

Gerald Freedman was a lion of the Public, one of the foundational faces behind this amazing theater. This book is a valuable contribution to preserving the legacy of this great man.
-Oskar Eustis

Town Stages (Robin Sokoloff, Executive Director) is located in the heart of Tribeca. TOWN is New York's premier venue to celebrate, collaborate and put on a show. A new female-driven cultural arts institution, Town Stages is a state-of-the-art, flexible performance and event space that can support the entire lifecycle of New York's hallmark industries. With a stunning 9,000 square foot storefront facility, TOWN provides world-class cultural experiences and opportunities for all: from civic to corporate, tech to theater. With a Mainstage, a Cabaret Lounge, a Gallery, and a multi-use event space with a capacity of 225, Town Stages offers much-needed space and production resources for businesses, arts organizations, and families. TOWN boasts ticketed performances and curated community programing, from performance art to dance to theatre, and is also available for fashion shows, film shoots, weddings, and beyond. For more information, visit www.townstages.com.

Sokoloff Arts (501c3) is an emerging cultural institution providing inspired space, prospective, and opportunity for cutting edge events in all sectors of The Arts, Corporate, Civic, and Cultural life in New York City. Led by a team of women from diverse backgrounds and artistic expressions, Sokoloff Arts works to provide viable and safe space to congregate, strives to promote cross-cultural community engagement, and blends the arts and business to create sustainable solutions to social and financial inequalities. The organization assists young creators with not only space, but resource generation, production, and community. To address the overwhelming demand for hi-tech, flexible, and affordable performance and event space in New York City, Sokoloff Arts opened Town Stages in Tribeca. To learn more, visit sokoloffarts.org.