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Wendy Tonken

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BIO

Wendy Tonken has been a teaching artist, director and designer at the legendary 13th Street Repertory Theater which also gave a home to her children's musical theater company KID CITY THEATER. She has produced and directed dozens of plays and musicals there.
After having danced on Broadway as well as very far from Broadway, Wendy started designing costumes and teaching musical theater classes for children and has also helped cast young actors at HBO and Lincoln Center Theater in New York. Wendy’s students can be seen on TV, on and off Broadway, and in National Tours.

Most recently, Wendy has been collaborating with innovative director Joe John Battista, creating costumes and/or set designs for his plays at Theater for the New City as well as 13th St Rep. Recent highlights include A LIFE IN THE RYE by Claude Solnik (TNC), JERRY DUNCAN by Dean Kaner (13th St Rep), and COLD BLOODED by Joel Greenhouse (The Players Theater)

Wendy can be seen in the documentary A HOME IN THE THEATER (a wonderful piece of Greenwich Village theater history) which can be seen here :
https://vimeo.com/66784298

News


TWISTED World Premiere Begins Tonight at Theater for the New City

Theater for the New City's world premiere of Joel Greenhouse's TWISTED, a campy comedy with songs, directed by Joe John Battista, with original music by Peter W. Dizozza, begins performances tonight and runs through October 15, 2023. Learn more about the show and how to get tickets here!
TWISTED World Premiere Comes to Theater For The New City

Theater for the New City presents the world premiere of Joel Greenhouse's TWISTED, a dark comedy with songs, directed by Joe John Battista, with original music by Peter W. Dizozza, running September 28 - October 15, 2023. Previews begin on September 28 for a September 30 opening.
Theater for the New City Presents the World Premiere of COLD BLOODED

Theater for the New City presents the world premiere of Joel Greenhouse's COLD BLOODED, directed by Joe John Battista, running November 10 - 27, 2022. Previews begin November 10 for a November 12 opening.
World Premiere of Joel Greenhouse's COLD BLOODED to be Presented at Theater For The New City in November

Theater for the New City will present the world premiere of Joel Greenhouse's COLD BLOODED, directed by Joe John Battista, running November 10 - 27, 2022. Previews begin November 10 for a November 12 opening.
Review: PANDEMONIUM at Theater For The New City

Recently concluding its run at both the People’s Improv Theater (PIT) and Theater for the New City in New York City, Pandemonium is a new show written by Claude Solbik that, beneath its comical nature, questions whether our fate is truly written for us. A whimsical tale of swashbuckling pirates, trips to the stars and fairy tale romances, Pandemonium combines fact with fiction through the possibilities and new beginnings that reality brings.
Peter Pan Sequel PANDEMONIUM is Coming to Theater For The New City This Month

Theater for the New City and the Dream Up Festival, the biggest summer theater festival in New York City, are presenting Pandemonium, a sequel to Peter Pan in which the characters from the J.M. Barrie land in and navigate the real world.
PANDEMONIUM Comes to the People's Improv Theater LOFT This Week

Theatergoers of all ages will have a chance to see Peter Pan and Captain Hook navigate the real world, in a new play about what happens when the characters from the J.M. Barrie classic find themselves stranded, marooned or simply freed in the real world.
BEDROOM FARCE, A New Comedy, Debuts at The PIT

It's late at night and a couple are trying to go some sleep in their bedroom, but the man simply can't doze off. Instead, thoughts race through his mind, keeping him awake at night. But what if the people in those thoughts came alive? What if that bedroom filled with person after person, as the ritual of going to sleep instead turned into a virtual reunion?
Peter Pan Sequel Takes Flight At The PIT In A World With Cellphones

Lovers of Peter Pan, Captain James Hook, Wendy and even Tinker Bell can see this cast of legendary, literary characters take flight in a new, fun story at the PIT (People's Improv Theater).
BWW Review: Peter Welch's LARRY AND LUCY A Work of Sheer Beauty at Theater for the New City

A story of two people sets the stage for some wondrous things to happen. Each understands what the other is going through, and ultimately becomes what the other needs. The story of Larry and Lucy is such a story. An Uber driver jaded by life meets a teenage girl who has turned to drugs in her attempt to alleviate the unrelenting boredom of her life. Through their shared search for purpose do these two characters portray how unfortunate many are to suffer, but also how lucky are those who see their hopes finally realized in the form of fated companionship - by those who, they realize, can make things better.
BWW Reviews: The Conflicts of Fact, Fiction and Freedom in Solnik's THE UNAMERICAN

Recently concluding performances at Theater for the New City, The UnAmerican questions the power that is supposedly given to those who believe they are above the consensus of the many. Directed by Joe John Battista, Solnik’s play follows the troubled triad of relationships between Marilyn Monroe, Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller - three legendary figures who are criticized and tried for their Communist affiliation
Theater for the New City to Present THE UNAMERICAN

The little told story of Miller, Marilyn and Elia Kazan, the noted director who had been Miller's friend and Marilyn's lover, is the subject matter for The Unamerican, a new play written by Claude Solnik and directed by Joseph John Battista.
BWW Review: Comically Raging Politicians Take the Stage in 13th Street Rep's THE JERRY DUNCAN SHOW

Are you a fan of politics and the constant tension of these dueling sides - tension that is comparable to that of the Coronavirus? Are you tired of keeping a straight face while watching said politicians duke it out? Do you happen to revel in seeing these people brought to shame by an instigative radio host who [in the meantime] must endure ongoing visits from his deceased mother? Then you're in luck! If the current (and future) state of affairs is enough to drive you slightly bonkers, where else to go for some comic relief than the theater - specifically the 13th Street Repertory Theater, where The Jerry Duncan Show is doling out much needed laughs at the iconic West Village venue for two weeks only.
BWW Review: Thomas Walters' Debut of the Dead At 13th Street Repertory Theater

So you've found your family a nice plot in the middle of a cemetery, right where dear Grandpa Isaac was recently laid to rest. With nerve-wracking moments brought to you by the family TV set, a son who has little discretion when it comes to public acts of sexual affection and townsfolk who stop by as a reminder of how crazy life has become (or possibly always been), the Goats family has its hands full with matters of life and death. Faced with the mundaneness of life but with a foot in the underworld, Joe, Mary, Jesus and Mavis wait patiently for the resurrection of Isaac, who is expected to rise from his beautiful marble grave any day now. Botched prophesies, religious confusion, wacky characters a?? there is surely nothing not to love about this wonderful new play called HELP A HANDICAPPED GOD...TROT ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.
HELP A HANDICAPPED GOD TROT ACROSS THE UNIVERSE At 13th Street Repertory Theatre

Thomas Walters' 'Help A Handicapped God Trot Across the Universe,' directed by Joe John Battista, will open this Thursday, January 16 at The historic 13th Repertory Theatre, almost as if by some divine intervention.
BWW Review: The New Legacy of J.D. Salinger in Solnik's A LIFE IN THE RYE

Presented by Two Tough Broads, directed by Joe John Battista and now in performances at the historic Theater for the New City, A Life In the Rye is truly an inspirational piece of theater that not only brings new life to J.D. Salinger's own story, but does so in a way that brings such dimensionality to a brilliant yet troubled life. One hundred years after the author's birth and following the opening of an exhibit at the New York Public Library to commemorate Salinger's life and work, Solnik's play is an unbiased and beautifully-crafted ode to this man that shows both the playwright's admiration as it does the truthful complexity of Salinger's life.
New Show about J.D. Salinger Debuts at Theater for the New City

Theater for the New City Executive Director Crystal Field is presenting 'A Life In The Rye,' a new play that looks at J.D. Salinger's life and the impact that 'The Catcher In The Rye' had on him, his fans, fanatics obsessed with the book and the world.
BWW Interview: NJ Native Matt de Rogatis Stars in LONE STAR at 13th Street Repertory Theater in NYC

Ruth Stage will present Lone Star by James McLure for eight performances from June 8 to June 16 at the 13th Street Repertory Theater in New York City. Broadwayworld.com interviewed New Jersey native, Matt de Rogatis who stars as Roy in the production.
LONE STAR Returns for Off-Broadway Run This Summer

Back by popular demand, the acclaimed revival of James McLure's comedy LONE STAR begins performances Thursday, June 6th at the 13th Street Repertory Theatre (50 W 13th St- between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) for eight performances only

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