De Shields, Domingo, Ramirez set for Working Theater's 25th Anniversary Season Off-Bway

The Working Theater, the Off-Broadway theater company whose recent offerings include the acclaimed productions of the plays KING OF SHADOWS, EXIT CUCKOO, TABLE TOP and I AM A MAN, has announced new interim leadership as its Artistic Director for the past three years, Connie Grappo, departs the company to pursue other projects.

Mark Plesent, the company's Producing Director since 1995, will take on the role of Artistic Director on an interim basis as the Working Theater begins its search for a new Artistic Director. During this period of transition, the Working Theater -- which remains dedicated to presenting new plays that reflect the experiences of the working class in America -- will bring on several Artistic Associates to oversee specific projects that will be presented during the Working Theater's 25th anniversary season next year, set to take place from January 4 to June 28, 2009 Off-Broadway at Abingdon Theater (321 W. 36 St.) in Manhattan.

Playwright Honor Molloy will work in tandem with Mr. Plesent to curate the entire 25th anniversary season. As well, the company will present a reading of her play MAIDEN VOYAGES about five Dublin women in the oldest maternity hospital in Europe (February 2010).

Actor Andre De Shields will celebrate Black History Month with the Working Theater when it presents a two-week run in February 2010 of Mr. De Shields' one-man show MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY, a black history travelogue that traverses the stories of African-American leaders from Frederick Douglas to President Barack Obama. (February 2010)

Director Maureen Towey will work with director Connie Grappo in a reimagining of Chekov's THREE SISTERS, set in a nursing home where the residents and nursing staff are, in fact, preparing their own staged version of Chekhov's play about longing and stagnation under the unforgiving glare of the fluorescent lights of the nursing home's rec room. (March 2010)

Working Theater will present a first stage presentation of Ed Cardona Jr.'s play AMERICAN JOURNALERO in early March. The play takes a humorous look at a group of day laborers waiting to be picked up for work and two inept citizen vigilantes fashioning themselves on the civilian minute men in Texas who patrol the border in an effort to keep illegal immigrants out. (March 2010)

In Janurary, playwright/performer Lisa Ramirez will reprise her hit solo play of last season, EXIT CUCKOO, directed by Colman Domingo, about nannies in New York, and also will create a new play commissioned by Working Theater about immigrant workers in chicken processing plants in upstate New York. Work on the still-untitled play, to be directed by Mr. Domingo, will take Ms. Ramirez to Sullivan and Columbia Counties to interview the predominately female workers at these plants in order to write a play that will focus as much on the family lives as the working conditions of these immigrant workers. (January 2010)

During her many years as an artist with the Working Theater and as its Artistic Director, Connie Grappo has been instrumental in reinvigorating the artistic core of Working Theater and the Board and staff are grateful for all her hard work. Ms. Grappo will continue to work with the Company as a free-lance director. She is also remaining on the Company's Board of Directors, in part to help the Company through the transition.

Mark Plesent, Producing Director of the Company since 1995 and Connie's partner during her time as Artistic Director will take on the responsibilities of AD as the Company begins its search for a new AD.

Under Mr. Plesent's leadership with the backing of the Board of Directors, the Company is embarking on an extremely ambitious 25th Anniversary Season, presenting 25 projects in honor of its 25 years. The Company will focus its resources on developing new work that will keep the Company artistically vibrant as it embarks on its next 25 years. The projects will range from commissions to staged readings to first stage presentations and will include new plays by: Mike Batistick, Kia Corthron, Tanya Barfield, Victor Lodato and many others. The Season will run from January 4 - June 28th. All presentations will happen at the Abingdon Theater, 321 West 36th Street

In addition to new plays the Company will be presenting a 2-night only return engagement of last year's hit Exit Cuckoo as well as readings of 4 hits from the Working Theater archives including Rob Ackerman's Tabletop, OyamO's I Am A Man and Joe Sutton's Special Interests. The Company will also be making renewed efforts to engage their unique constituency of working people by presenting two final performances of their educational program, TheaterWorks! in which working people learn to write and perform their own short plays as well as 2 separate open mic nights where Working Theater's constituents will become the performers! For more information and to purchase tickets to any of Working Theater's 25th Anniversary Season please visit the Company's website: www.theworkingtheater.org.

Photo credit: Walter McBride

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