Suzan-Lori Parks' Band and More Among Free Fall 2016 Events at Signature

Signature Theatre will host several special events this fall at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues), the company announced today.

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Sula and the Noise

Residency One playwright Suzan-Lori Parks will perform with her band Sula and the Noise at the Signature Café + Bar throughout her year-long residency with Signature Theatre. The first performance, which is free and open to the public, will be on Saturday, October 29 at 9:30PM, following that evening's performance of Parks' play The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead.

Sula and the Noise features guitars, drums, found sounds and original songs with a distinctly Afro-Americana vibe. The band features writer/musician Suzan-Lori Parks (aka "Sula"), guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Christian Konopka and percussionist/actor Julian Rozzell. For more information, visit sulaandthenoise.com.

Artist Talks and Supplemental Programming

Various talkback and behind the scenes programs will be presented this fall in connection with Athol Fugard's "Master Harold" ... and the boys and Suzan-Lori Parks' The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead. Fugard and his Associate Director Paula Fourie will participate in a free 'Page to Stage' discussion on Wednesday, November 2 at 6PM, while Parks and director Lileana Blain-Cruz will participate in a free 'Page to Stage' discussion on Thursday, November 10 at 6PM.

Signature's 'Backstage Pass' series continues Wednesday, November 9 at 6PM with a discussion with "Master Harold" ... and the boys' Dialect Coach Barbara Rubin, and Wednesday, November 16 at 6PM with a discussion with The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead's Costume Designer Montana Blanco. Both 'Backstage Pass' events are free and open to the public.

Signature Book Club's next selection is Athol Fugard's Cousins: A Memoir. The discussion, guided by members of Signature's literary team, will take place on Thursday, December 1 at 7:30PM in the lobby of The Pershing Square Signature Center.

In addition, the post-show talkback series with members of the cast and creative teams will be held at various performances of both shows. Talkbacks sponsored by American Express. For dates and to view a full calendar of events at The Pershing Square Signature Center, visit signaturetheatre.org/calendar.

Sig Socials

Sig Socials are free parties at The Pershing Square Signature Center. The series continues its popular Trivia Nights on Friday, October 28 at 9PM, hosted by cast members from Signature Productions. On Friday, November 18 at 9PM, Signature will present a special themed party, Sig Socials: Harvest Festival, which celebrates the fall season with free food, discounted seasonal beers, live music and games.

Susan Johann Book Signing

Finally, on Friday, December 2, Signature Theatre will host an event in which photographer Susan Johann, company photographer for the first 15 years of Signature's existence, will sign her new book, Focus on Playwrights, Portraits and Interviews. Featured in the book are all the Signature playwrights from 1991 - 2003 including Signature Playwrights-in-Residence Bill Irwin, A. R. Gurney, David Henry Hwang, Romulus Linney, Arthur Miller, Suzan-Lori Parks, Naomi Wallace, and August Wilson. Many of the large prints of the early portraits graced the walls of the previous Signature lobby and are now the basis for the posterized portraits in The Pershing Square Signature Center. Altogether there are 93 portraits and 17 interviews in the book.

For more information on these programs and to purchase tickets for all Signature Productions, call Ticket Services at 212-244-7529 (Tues. - Sun., 11am - 6pm) or visit www.SignatureTheatre.org.

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Signature Theatre exists to honor and celebrate the playwright. Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, 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 championing in-depth explorations of a playwright's body of work, Signature delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright's singular vision. In 2014 Signature became the first New York City theatre to receive the Regional Theatre 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 founding Playwright-in-Residence model as Residency One, a first-of-its-kind, intensive exploration of a single writer's body of work. Residency Five, 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, 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 initial run tickets, currently priced at $30, through 2031.

Serving as a model for theatres and performing arts organizations across the country, the Initiative was founded in 2005 and is made possible by lead partner The Pershing Square Foundation. Additional support provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Margot Adams, Rhoda Herrick and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, María Irene Fornés, Athol Fugard, A.R. Gurney, John Guare, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, Naomi Wallace, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, and a season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company. Suzan-Lori Parks is the current Residency One playwright. Signature's current Residency Five playwrights are Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and ReGina Taylor. In addition to the Regional Theatre Tony Award, Signature's productions and its resident writers have been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize, Lucille Lortel Awards, Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and AUDELCO Awards, among many other distinctions.

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