Irwin, Alexander, Nixon, Lansbury, Rush Set For Working In Theater, Air 5/10

The American Theatre Wing has announced its newest episode of its popular "Working in the Theater" series, titled "At Work and Play: Lead Actors 2009." This special episode, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the series, features Jane Alexander, Bill Irwin, Angela Lansbury, Cynthia Nixon, and Geoffrey Rush. The program, moderated by American Theatre Wing Executive Director Howard Sherman, will air on CUNY Television beginning Sunday, May 10, at 5:00 pm, with additional airings Friday, May 15 at 9:00 am, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 16 at 11:00 am, and Sunday, May 17 at 5:00 pm. The episode will also be available for viewing and for download as a podcast at americantheatrewing.org beginning Wednesday, May 13.

In "At Work and Play: Lead Actors 2009," the group, comprised of Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe-winners, begins the discussion with the question of when, or if, their work becomes fun. They'll talk candidly about how they choose roles and whether they would consider playing smaller roles on the stage today; what they feel from an audience and how they react as audience members; their relationship to, and the role of, the stage manager; how much they consciously work to set the tone for the company; how they balance the thoughts of the playwright and the director-and how they handle it when the two don't agree; and whether they follow stage directions from the existing script.

An acclaimed fixture on New York television and in the theatre community for 30 years, the American Theatre Wing's "Working in the Theatre" offers an unprecedented forum for the meeting of theatrical minds. Bringing together performers, directors, playwrights, designers, choreographers, producers and behind-the-scenes personnel from the American and interNational Theatre, the program offers a rare opportunity for students and audiences to see the people who create theatre engaged in thoughtful conversation with one another. With more than 600 past guests, "Working in the Theatre" has become an unequalled archive of theatrical talk, a chance to hear from the people behind the characters, stories and productions that draw us to the theatre.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) is best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League. In addition to "Working in the Theatre," the Wing's other activities, all dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, include "Guides to Careers in the Theatre," a video series developed for schools and libraries; a grants and scholarship program to New York City schools and not-for-profit theatre companies, which has awarded nearly $3 million since its inception; the Theatre Intern Group, a career development program for young professionals; and SpringboardNYC, a two-week college-to-career boot camp for young performers moving to NYC. Visitors to www.americantheatrewing.org can view or download an archive of "Working in the Theatre" and the career guides and listen to archive episodes of the hour-long interview series "Downstage Center," all as free, on-demand streaming audio and podcast.

For additional information about "Working in the Theater" and all American Theatre Wing programs, go to americantheatrewing.org.

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