The Greene Space at WNYC presents T is for Tom: Stoppard’s Radio Works

Tom Stoppard, one of the most celebrated dramatists of his time, cut his dramatic teeth on radio dramas at the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s. This December, The Greene Space at WNYC kicks off "T" is for Tom, a four-part series of rarely performed early works by England's intellectually nimble playwright.

On Monday, December 6 at 7pm, "T" is for Tom will present performances of Artist Descending a Staircase - Stoppard's most famous radio work - about three artists who have quarreled about love and art for 30 years, and Albert's Bridge, a story of an idealistic young man who takes on the task of single-handedly repainting a town's bridge from end to end.

Additional plays in the "T" is for Tom series will be presented on:
Monday, February 28 at 7pm - Where Are They Now? (1968), Dover Beach (2008)
Directed by two-time Obie Award winner Jim Simpson, founder and artistic director of The Flea Theater
Monday, April 18 at 7pm - The Dog It Was That Died (1982)
Monday, June 6 at 7pm - In the Native State (1991)

"T" is for Tom is produced by award-winning writer Arthur Yorinks and Sarah Montague, producer of WNYC's Selected Shorts - whose first audio theatre collaboration in The Greene Space, The Fall of the City, garnered a 2010 Gracie Award for "Best Radio Drama" and 2010 Gold World Medal for "Best Drama Special" from New York Festivals. The performances will be preceded by a conversation with directors Yorinks and Montague, exploring the works and Stoppard's influence on modern theatre.

The December 6 plays will be performed by a cast of actors including:
· Brian Murray, Tony Award-nominated for his roles in The Crucible, The Little Foxes and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
· Simon Jones, best known for his role as Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
· Paxton Whitehead, in the upcoming The Importance of Being Earnest and previously in Absurd Person Singular
· Charlotte Parry, in the upcoming The Importance of Being Earnest and previously in Coram Boy
· Sandra Shipley, currently in After Miss Julie

The plays will be performed in front of a live studio audience in The Greene Space at WNYC. In addition, online audiences everywhere can tune in and hear Stoppard's radio theatre work via The Greene Space's live audio webstream, available at www.wnyc.org/thegreenespace.

"T" is for Tom: Stoppard's Radio Works, a part of A New Theater of Sound initiative, is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.

The Greene Space is WNYC's new multi-platform broadcast studio and performance venue, forging a new way to present exciting content by capturing the energy of live performance, the open access of radio, and the geographical scope and interactivity of the web. A unique destination for some of the most innovative artists, musicians, and thinkers, including Patrick Stewart, John Cameron Mitchell, the late Jill Clayburgh, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Cornel West, Simone Dinnerstein, Chou Wen-Chung, Brentano String Quartet, Sting, Lou Reed, and Sonia Sanchez, The Greene Space allows in-person performance, radio, and web-based videocasting to merge seamlessly, fostering new audience possibilities and vibrant creativity.

A New Theater of Sound is a collaborative initiative between The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space and the Yorinks Theater Group to create, present, and explore multimedia theater whose narrative core is driven by sound. The initiative's mission is to experiment with and expand the boundaries of this unique theatrical form.

New York Public Radio is New York's premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC-FM, WNYC-AM, WQXR, and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org and www.thegreenespace.org. As America's most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City's cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. Classical 105.9 WQXR is New York City's sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC produces content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station's street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

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