Signature Theatre & American Theatre Partner On New Series Of Free Panel Discussions

Signature Theatre will partner with American Theatre, the national magazine for the American professional not-for-profit theatre published by Theatre Communications Group, on a new series of panel discussions covering subject matters relevant to theatre audiences and practitioners. All panels, which are free and open to the public, will take place at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

Overview of the Three Panels:

"Best Practices" - Saturday, November 17 at 4:00 PM in the Irene Diamond Stage

The case for a more diverse and representative theatre field has been made. And though the field is still far from realizing full inclusion and equity, some folks are doing this work, against steep odds but with some success. How do they do it, and what advice do they have for their colleagues?

Panelists include Bill Rauch, outgoing artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, incoming artistic director of New York's Ronald O. Perelman Center; Ralph Peña, artistic director of Ma-Yi Theatre Company; Jacob Padrón, founder and artistic director of the Sol Project; and Erica Jensen, partner with Calleri Casting. The moderator will be American Theatre senior editor Diep Tran.

"State of the Play" - February (date TBA)

A discussion of the current state of American plays-what are the trends in content and form that we are seeing? How has the role of the audience evolved? Where do we think the genre is headed next?

"State of Musical Theatre" - April (date TBA)

A panel focused on the new age of musicals, with specific focus on musicals being developed Off Broadway.

About Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre celebrates playwrights and gives them an artistic home. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright's body of work, and during this journey the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process. By producing a series of plays by each resident writer, Signature delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright's singular vision. In 2014 Signature became the first New York City company to receive the Regional Theater Tony Award.

Signature serves its mission through its permanent home at The Pershing Square Signature Center, a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. At the Center, opened in January 2012, Signature continues its original Playwright-in-Residence model as Residency 1, a year-long intensive exploration of a single writer's body of work. Residency 5, the only program of its kind, was launched at the Center to support multiple playwrights as they build bodies of work by guaranteeing each writer three productions over a five-year period. The Legacy Program, launched during Signature's 10th Anniversary, invites writers from both residencies back for productions of premiere or earlier plays.

The Pershing Square Signature Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a Studio Theatre, a rehearsal studio and a public café, bar and bookstore.

Through the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, Signature has also made an unprecedented commitment to making its productions accessible by underwriting the cost of the initial run tickets through 2031.

Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, Signature has produced the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, María Irene Fornés, Athol Fugard, John Guare, Stephen Adly Guirgis, A.R. Gurney, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, Naomi Wallace, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson and a season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company. Lynn Nottage is the current Residency 1 playwright. Signature's Residency 5 playwrights are Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Dave Malloy and Dominique Morisseau; Will Eno completed his Residency 5 in 2016. Signature's productions and its resident writers have been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize, Lucille Lortel, Obie, Drama Desk and AUDELCO awards, and 50/50 Awards for Gender Parity, among many other distinctions. For more information, please visit signaturetheatre.org.

American Theatre magazine is the nation's only general-circulation magazine devoted to theatre. Founded in 1984 by the pioneering arts service organization Theatre Communications Group, the first issue magazine featured cowboy-hatted playwright Sam Shepard on its first cover in April of that year. Published 10 times a year, the magazine now has an estimated readership of 50,000, mostly within the theatre profession.

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