The Acting Company Announces 2019 Season; NATIVE SON, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and More
By: Julie Musbach Nov. 13, 2018
The Acting Company announces its 2019 Season, which will feature Native Son, by Nambi E. Kelley, adapted from the novel by Richard Wright and directed by Seret Scott playing in rotating repertory with William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure directed Janet Zarish. Native Son and Measure for Measure will play July 14 through August 24, 2019 at the Duke on 42nd Street (229 W. 42nd Street), with opening night for both plays set for Sunday, July 28, 2019.
"Nambi Kelley's play adds to the power of Richard Wright's seminal novel," Artistic Director Ian Belknap notes. "By layering a psychological realm, double-conscience, an alter ego for Bigger Thomas, she has created a world that could only exist on stage, reclaiming the novel for a twenty-first century audience. The ethical and moral conflicts in Native Son are reflected in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, which captures the doubt of one's faith in themselves and the larger world. These plays will be performed by the best young actors, bringing a new perspective and making them fresh and aspirational."
Both productions will feature the same cast of recent graduates of top actor training programs, with half of the company made up of graduates of the Juilliard Drama Division. The Acting Company will also work with Juilliard students during the academic year to workshop Meg Miroshnik's commissioned adaptation of the Willa Cather novel My Ántonia.
The season will also feature the 23rd year of The Acting Company's John McDonald Salon Reading Series. This year's series will feature Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine, Jessica Swale's Nell Gwynn, Nambi E. Kelley's Jazz (adapted from the novel by Toni Morrison), Letters from Prison, curated by Dakin Matthews, and a fifth title to be announced.
Recent series highlights include Present Laughter starring Kevin Kline-a precursor to his Tony Award-winning performance in the Broadway production-and Marcus Gardley's The House That Will Not Stand, recently seen in an Audelco-nominated production at New York Theatre Workshop featuring much of the same cast.
In addition, a new production of William Shakespeare's Othello will tour to schools across the five boroughs of New York City from February 4-22, 2019. Directed by The Acting Company's Associate Artistic Director Devin Brain and featuring a cast of Company alumni, this fully realized production will introduce up to 7,500 students to Shakespeare's language and themes.
Subscriptions for the 2019 The Acting Company repertory productions and salon series are on sale now online at www.theactingcompany.org, or by phone at 212-258-3111. Standard packages are priced from $70-$215. Premium subscriptions including opening night performances, special events, and reserved salon reading seating are also available.
The Acting Company's 2019 season is made possible is part by the National Endowment for the Arts' Art Works Program, the National Endowment for the Arts' Shakespeare in American Communities Program, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Foundation support is provided by the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Shubert Foundation, the Morris & Alma Schapiro Fund, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the Axe-Houghton Foundation, the Howard Bayne Fund, Renascence Fund at Rockefeller Philanthropic Advisors, Actor's Equity Foundation, the Susan and Russell Holdstein Foundation, Lucille Lortel Foundation, Dorothy Strelsin Foundation, Dorothea Leonhardt Foundation, and Marquis George McDonald Foundation.
Repertory Productions
NATIVE SON
By Nambi E. Kelly
Adapted from the novel by Richard Wright
Directed by Seret Scott
Richard Wright's groundbreaking novel of oppression, freedom, and justice comes to life on stage in this timely adaptation. In the South Side Chicago of the 1930s, Bigger Thomas struggles to create a place for himself in a world whose prejudice has left him with few opportunities. After taking a job in a wealthy white man's house, he unwittingly unleashes a series of events that violently and irrevocably seal his fate. Native Son is a New York premiere adaptation that has previously had acclaimed runs at the Court Theatre, Yale Rep, and Marin Theatre Company.
MEASURE FOR MEASURE
Directed by Janet Zarish
Shakespeare's strikingly current play speaks powerfully about impossible moral choices in the story of the devout novice Isabella, whose faith is tested when her brother is sentenced to death for impregnating Juliet out of wedlock. When the outwardly virtuous leader Antonio propositions Isabella in exchange for his release, she must consider whether upholding her holy vows is worth her innocent brother's life.
John McDonald Salon Reading Series
The Salon Readings take place at 7PM. Each reading is followed by a reception with the cast.
Watch on the Rhine
Monday, March 18, 2019
Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42nd Street
Set in Washington DC in 1940, Watch on the Rhine is part drawing room comedy and part political thriller. Fanny Farrelly is expecting her daughter Sara and son-in law Kurt to arrive after they have fled Europe due to Kurt's involvement with the Anti-Nazi resistance. Playwright Hellman was a prolific author of celebrated plays and films, and this work was considered among her best. Watch on the Rhine debuted on Broadway in 1941 and was turned into a film starring Bette Davis in 1943.
An American Classic to Be Announced
Monday, May 20, 2019
Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42nd Street
Monday, June 17, 2019
Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42nd Street
London. 1660. Nell Gwynn rises from her roots in the Coal Yard Alley to her success as the first celebrated woman of the English Stage. When women are considered second-class citizens, will Nell prevail against the trappings of her time? Nell Gwynn premiered at Shakespeare's Globe and was nominated for an Evening Standard Award.
Jazz
By Nambi E. Kelley
Adapted from the novel by Toni Morrison
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
The Duke on 42nd Street, 229 W. 42nd Street
Nambi Kelley's play is an imaginative adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel of the same name. Set in Harlem, Jazz reflects the music of its title and follows Joe and Violet "Violent" Trace through years of love, loss and danger.
Letters from Prison
Curated by Dakin Matthews
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
The Duke on 42nd Street, 229 W. 42nd Street
Some of the greatest artists and thinkers of history have placed themselves in opposition to governments around the world and have been jailed as a result. In this original and engaging evening, Dakin Matthews-a highly regarded adaptor of classical texts-collects letters by historical figures like Oscar Wilde, Nelson Mandela, and Mary Queen of Scots and lets us hear them struggle with the realities of imprisonment and a longing for freedom and change.
NYC School Tour
Othello
Directed by Devin Brain
On Tour in New York City Schools from February 4-22, 2019
In February 2019, The Acting Company will bring a fully-realized production of one of Shakespeare's most powerful plays, Othello, into 15 schools across the boroughs of New York City, reaching up to 7,500 middle and high school students with free or low-cost performances and a range of education programs that will introduce young audiences to live theater and the themes and language of Shakespeare's compelling, poetic and timeless story. This Othello will examine the experience of being ostracized and isolated by difference from the dominant culture, encouraging students to consider the play's relevance to our time and their own experiences. Each school receiving an Othello performance-the majority of them Title I-eligible schools in some of the city's most under-resourced communities-will also engage in visits from Acting Company teaching artists and free Shakespeare for Teachers workshops for educators.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
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