Signature Theatre Announces SIGNATURE CINEMA Program

Signature Theatre has just announced the next wave of upcoming supplemental programs, which allow more intimate and direct access to a playwright's vision and process. Just as the layout of The Pershing Square Signature Center encourages a dialogue between different plays and audiences, these supplemental programs invite theatregoers to go deeper into the world of a play, and the world of the artists behind it. Unless noted, all supplemental programs are free and open to the general public. Also, Signature Theatre's season overview listed below supplement programs.

SIGNATURE CINEMA showcases films written by Signature playwrights and artists as well as films that explore the "world of the play" currently in production, screened in the comfort of a theatre designed by world class architect Frank Gehry. 

LACKAWANNA BLUES 
Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson; directed by George C. Wolfe
November 19 at 2:30pm and 7pm
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
Screenings introduced by Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Set in Lackawanna, New York, LACKAWANNA BLUES  (2005) is based on the 2001 play by The Piano Lesson director Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Lackawanna Blues tells the story of a young boy whose life is shaped by the stories he hears and the characters he meets while growing up in a boarding house at the hub of the local African-American community. Inspired by the true story of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's childhood, LACKAWANNA BLUES is driven by rhythm and blues, and tells of the changing times for African Americans in New York in the 1950s and 60s. Lackawanna Blues stars S. Epatha Merkerson, Marcus Carl Franklin, Mos Def, Carmen Ejogo, Louis Gossett Jr., Macy Gray, Terrence Dashon Howard, Delroy Lindo, Rosie Perez, Liev Schreiber, Jimmy Smits and Jeffrey Wright.

These special screenings of Lackawanna Blues are free. Reservations are required.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 
Screenplay by Horton Foote; Based on the novel by Harper Lee;
Directed by Robert Mulligan
Monday, December 10 at 7pm
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre

Based on the classic American novel by Harper Lee, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) tells the unforgettable story of childhood in a small Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. Set in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch as her father, Atticus Finch, defends a young black man in court against the charge of raping a white woman. The result is a tough and tender story of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up starring Gregory Peck, Alice Ghostley, Robert Duvall, Brock Peters, Mary Badham, and Phillip Alford. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD won three Academy Awards, including the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay, awarded to Signature's 1994-95 Playwright-in-Residence Horton Foote.

Tickets for this special 50th Anniversary Screening of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are $5 for subscribers and $13 for general public.

To reserve tickets for Signature Cinema, call the Signature Theatre Box Office (212-244-7529) or visit signaturetheatre.org.

POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACKS feature company members and Signature staff in a discussion about the play just performed. Post-performance talkbacks are scheduled for David Henry Hwang's Golden Child on October 30, November 15, November 20, and November 27. Talkbacks for August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON are on November 6, November 20, and December 4. All talkbacks are brought to you by American Express.

PAGE TO STAGE features a moderated conversation between members of the artistic team. Pre-performance conversations are scheduled with GOLDEN CHILD playwright David Henry Hwang and director Leigh Silverman on November 6 at 6pm and with THE PIANO LESSON director Ruben Santiago-Hudson on November 14 at 6pm.

BACKSTAGE PASS is a pre-show discussion with one of the production's designers about the creative design process for the show. Pre-performance discussions are scheduled for Golden Child costume designer, Anita Yavich, on November 28 at 6pm and THE PIANO LESSON sculptor, Vinnie Bagwell, on November 29 at 6pm.

SIGNATURE BOOK CLUB is a bi-monthly book group, exploring the plays, memoirs, short stories and novels by current and past Signature playwrights.

FEFU AND HER FRIENDS by Maria Irene Fornes
December 11 at 7:30pm
The Griffin Lobby

The next "Signature Book Club" selection is 1999-2000 Playwright-in-Residence Maria Irene Fornes' 1977 play Fefu and Her Friends. This groundbreaking and iconic play about eight female friends who gather over a weekend at a picturesque New England country house is a fascinating and timeless exploration of gender, insanity, and violence.

For more information, visit the supplemental programming page on the Signature Theatre website:
http://www.signaturetheatre.org/shows-and-events/Supplemental-Programming.aspx

To purchase tickets for all Signature Productions and events, call the Signature Theatre Box Office (212-244-7529) or visit signaturetheatre.org.

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