Ensemble Studio Theatre Gala to Honor the Marathon of One-Act Plays

Ensemble Studio Theatre announces its 50th Birthday Gala honoring the people and legacy of EST's Marathon of One-Act Plays. The 50th Birthday Gala will take place on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 6:30PM at the New York Museum of Contemporary Art (528 West 39th Street, 3rd Fl.).

"Ensemble Studio Theatre is 50 years old and thriving because we have always been and continue to be the place where so many original and authentic voices have been heard for the first time," says Artistic Director William Carden. "For many of those playwrights, directors and actors that first opportunity was the Marathon. It's this amazing legacy of ongoing discovery that we want to celebrate and embrace as we look forward to the next 50 years."

The celebration will feature performers and presenters from the Marathon's five-decade history, including Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks (Hello Dolly!), decorated actress Lois Smith (Buried Child; Lady Bird), legendary comedian Lewis Black (Black to the Future), Stephanie Hsu (Be More Chill; SpongeBob SquarePants), Tony-nominee Zach Grenier ("The Good Wife"), Lucy DeVito ("Melissa & Joey"), two-time Tony-nominee Alison Fraser (The Secret Garden), Tony-nominee Geneva Carr(Hand to God; "Bull"), and others to be announced.

Tickets starting at $750 and tables starting at $5000 can be purchased at ensemblestudiotheatre.org/gala.

William Jackson Harper, Lois Smith, and Jerry Zaks will serve as Honorary Gala Chairs. The Honorary Committee includes David Auburn, Robert Askins, Lewis Black, Steven Boyer, Risa Bramon Garcia, Geneva Carr, Cathy Curtin, Zach Grenier, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Billy Hopkins, Martyna Majok, Mandy Patinkin & Kathryn Grody, Laila Robins, John Patrick Shanley, Grant Shaud, and Harris Yulin.

Now held biennially, the Marathon has been a landmark New York theatre festival since 1977. Praised by critics and beloved by audiences, it launched an industry-wide revival of the short play form, breaking new ground by putting emerging and established writers together on one stage. The Marathon was honored with a special Obie Award in 1993. John Patrick Shanley, Romulus Linney, Julia Cho, Taylor Mac, Wendy Wasserstein, and John Guare have all premiered new work at the festival, while recently produced Marathon playwrights include Clare Barron, Christopher Shinn, Robert Askins, Bekah Brunstetter, Leah Nanako Winkler, and Anna Ziegler. Martyna Majok was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Cost of Living, a play which originated in the 2015 Marathon of One-Act Plays.

This year's 37th Marathon of One-Act Plays includes a selection of fifteen plays that were chosen from 1120 submissions. The festival will feature new plays byHarron Atkins, Kate Attwell, France-Luce Benson, Stephen Brown, Daniel Damiano, Cayenne Douglass, Amy Fox, Dan Giles, Lily Houghton, Jon Kern, Susan Kim, Amanda Quaid, Carole Real, Julia Specht, and Lloyd Suh. They will be presented across three different series from Sunday, May 12, 2019 through Saturday, June 29, 2019. All productions will take place at EST's Curt Dempster Theatre (549 W. 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019). Marathon tickets and subscriptions can be purchased at ensemblestudiotheatre.org/marathon.

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