The Soho Rep Book To Be Released 12/12
By: Gabrielle Sierra Dec. 19, 2011
New York City's Soho Rep celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary with the publishing and official release of The Soho Rep Book on December 12, 2011. A project of FEED, the theater's Literary and Humanities program, the book is a kaleidoscopic look at New York City's most important "big small theater."
The Soho Rep Book is an index of plays as well as contributions by Soho Rep writers, actors, directors, designers, administrators and fans including Kathleen Turner, Daniel Aukin, Tim Blake Nelson, Mac Wellman, Will Eno, Young Jean Lee, David Lan, Alex Conley, James Urbaniak, Marlene Swartz, Jerry Engelbach, Sarah Benson (Soho Rep's current Artistic Director), Michael John LaChiusa, Steve Cosson, Naomi Iizuka, Donald Holder and many more. See below for a full list.
Also included in the book is playwright David Adjmi's Elective Affinities, a one-act play starring Tony Award-winning actress Zoe Caldwell and directed by Benson. The play just completed a highly successful American premiere in a site-specific production by Soho Rep, piece by piece productions and Rising Phoenix Repertory.
Soho Rep is a "hot house" for the development and production of the very best Contemporary Theatre: committed to nurturing innovative and uncompromising new work from first impulse through fully mounted production. Founded in 1975, Soho Rep has developed a tradition of cultivating and producing some of the most exciting new theatre in New York City, and attracting one of the youngest adult audiences around. Since 2000 we have garnered eleven OBIE Awards, six Drama Desks, two Kesselring Prizes, and one Oppenheimer Award. Many of our Mainstage productions emerge thorough our own programs, the Writer/Director Lab and Soho Rep Studio.
About FEED
Audience engagement is a core component of Soho Rep's work. FEED, the organization's Literary and Humanities Program, is a hub for all ancillary activities surrounding Soho Rep's programming. An eclectic series of live events, publishing and on-line content, FEED aims to enrich the artist/audience experience beyond people simply watching the plays we produce. FEED invites artists and audiences further into the process of theater making in an effort to expand the vocabulary and context around Contemporary Theatre. Soho Rep is a very big small theatre. We are committed to developing, and producing pioneering Contemporary Theatre with the highest artistic standards possible.
The Soho Rep Book Contributors
Ola Animashawun (Royal Court Theatre), Loy Arcenas (designer), Daniel Aukin (Director and former Artistic Director), Sarah Benson (Soho Rep Artistic Director), Reed Birney (Actor), Louis Cancelmi (Actor), Joshua Carlebach (Director), Aysan Celik (Actor), Alexandra Conley (former Soho Rep Executive Director), Steve Cosson (Director and Artistic Director of The Civilians), Jane Cox (lighting designer), Jon Dembrow (Soho Rep board chair), Laramie Dennis & Linsay Firman (founders of Soho Rep's Writer/Director Lab), Jerry Engelbach (Founding Artistic Director of Soho Rep), Will Eno (playwright), Melissa James Gibson (playwright), Ain Gordon (theatre maker), Peter Hagan (theatrical agent), Rachel Hauck (designer), Donald Holder (lighting designer), Naomi Iizuka (playwright), Marin Ireland (actor), Len Jenkin (playwright), Daniel Alexander Jones (playwright), Anne Kauffman (director), Barrie Keeffe (playwright), Madelyn Kent (playwright), Danielle Monica Long King (stage manager), Michael John LaChiusa (composer), David Lan (playwright and Artistic Director of London's Young Vic Theare), Young Jean Lee (playwright/director), Quincy Long (playwright), Stephen Lowe (playwright), Mark Margolis (actor), Richard Maxwell (playwright), Steve Mellor (actor), Nature Theater of Oklahoma -- Pavol Liska & Kelly Copper (Artistic Directors), Tim Blake Nelson (actor and Soho Rep board member), Cynthia Round (former Soho Rep board chair), Thomas Jay Ryan (actor), Mark Schultz (playwright), Marlene Swartz (Founding Artistic Director of Soho Rep), Louisa Thompson (designer), Kathleen Turner (actor), James Urbaniak (actor), Mac Wellman (playwright), Erin Cressida Wilson (playwright), Michael Zettler (playwright).
History of Soho Rep
Founded in 1975, and in our theater on Walker Street since 1991, Soho Rep has built an outstanding reputation for being at the forefront of new and innovative theatre, serving as a vital center for Contemporary Theatre artists. We also successfully attract one of the youngest adult theater-going audiences in New York City with over 62% under the age of 40.
Actors Kathleen Turner, Ed O'Neill, Allison Janney, John C. Reilly and Kevin Spacey made their professional debuts at Soho Rep, and the long list of illustrious Soho Rep acting alumni includes Steve Buscemi, Jonathan Frakes, Steve Mellor, Will Patton, Bill Sadler, John Seitz, Tim Blake Nelson, Margaret Whitton and Frank Wood. Many of our Mainstage productions have emerged from our new play development and commissioning programs, often resulting in artistically lauded productions. Since 2000, Soho Rep and our productions have garnered eleven OBIE Awards, six Drama Desk Nominations, the Oppenheimer Award, Kesselring Prize, and The New York Times Outstanding Playwrighting Award.
Jerry Engelbach and Marlene Swartz founded Soho Rep in July 1975. As co-artistic directors they produced over a hundred plays. After Engelbach left to pursue other projects, Swartz ran the theater solo before handing the reins to English director Julian Webber. Soho Rep's founding mission was to present relatively rare classical plays. After several years producing works from Shakespeare to Shaw, the theater – under Webber – evolved its mission to include rarely seen modern plays and completely new works, the latter of which still holds as the theater's singular mission.
In 1998 Daniel Aukin became Artistic Director alongside Executive Director Alexandra Conley. The two produced new work by artists including Adam Bock, Young Jean Lee, Richard Maxwell, Melissa James Gibson, Quincy Long, The Flying Machine and Maria Irene Fornes. In 2006, Sarah Benson became the fourth Artistic Director of the company. She directed the New York premiere of Sarah Kane's BLASTED to critical acclaim in fall 2008, and has produced work by other writers and groups including John Jesurun, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, Dan LeFranc, Young Jean Lee and debbie tucker green. The artistic journey continues…
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