Hall to give Keynote at 2012 TCG Fall Forum

Katori Hall To Give Keynote Address At 2012 Fall Forum

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We are thrilled to announce that the keynote speaker for the 2012 TCG Fall Forum on Governance: Leading the Charge will be Katori Hall! Not only an award-winning playwright of plays like The Mountaintop and Hurt Village, Hall is also a noted journalist, publishing articles in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Newsweek and more. As one of our theatre movement’s most electric new voices, she is the perfect person to kick-off the Forum and help us lead the charge.

Register by Friday, September 28th to receive the Early Bird Discount — and join this intimate gathering of theatre trustees, senior staff and dynamic speakers in New York. Over three days, we will explore the “charge” of diversity – the magnetic, electric current that occurs when we bring people of differing perspectives and experiences into a room together. How can we harness that energy to power our artistry, our organizations and our communities? Space is very limited, so register now. There are also a limited number of scholarships available to help staff from TCG Member Theatres attend, by waiving the registration fee. Scholarship applications are due by Friday, September 21st.

This year’s Fall Forum will provide working models to tackle questions like:

• How can we ensure more diversity in positions of leadership at our theatres?
• How do we ensure our boards represent a diversity of thought and perspective?
• How can we make diverse audiences an integral part of our communities?
• How do we welcome artists of all backgrounds to the table?

Above all, you’ll be able to identify what diversity means to you and your theatre. Every community has its own unique challenges and opportunities, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Embracing diversity and becoming truly inclusive takes intentionality. And it begins with theatre leaders adapting these values to meet their local circumstances and make them truly their own.

Diversity has been a long-standing core value for TCG and a priority focus of our new strategic plan. Coming out of robust and meaningful conversations at the 2012 National Conference in Boston, we hope to continue the momentum and empower attendees with the models and tools needed to lead the charge. So please join us in New York City this November!

Written on October 9th, 2012 , Events, Uncategorized

Katori receives Lilly Award

June 4, 2012, 6:38 PM

‘Lilly’ Awards Given to Arianda, Paulus, Hall and More

By PATRICK HEALY

An organization that honors women working in the theater will present the third annual Lilly Awards on Monday evening to nine recipients, including the 2012 Tony-nominated actresses Cristin Milioti (“Once”) and Nina Arianda (“Venus in Fur”) and director Diane Paulus (“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”).

The group, the Committee for Recognizing Women in Theater, was founded in 2010 by the writers Marsha Norman and Theresa Rebeck, Playwrights Horizons artistic director Tim Sanford, and other artists at a time of growing complaints among some playwrights and directors that women were underrepresented on New York stages. The committee created the Lillys, named after Lillian Hellman, as a way to draw attention.

Other recipients this year are the playwrights Katori Hall (“The Mountaintop”) and Leslye Headland (“Assistance”); the director Sarah Benson (“Elective Affinities”); and the veteran set designer Heidi Ettinger. Lifetime achievement awards are also being given to Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons, who is now performing in the Broadway musical “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Tina Howe, who had an Off Broadway revival of her play “Painting Churches”this year.

Ms. Howe was one of the founding members of the committee, but she does not take part in the voting process for the awards, which are chosen by 25 people working in theater. The Lillys ceremony will be held at Playwrights Horizons.

Written on June 5th, 2012 , Events

Katori Hall, Woodie King, Jr. to Be Honored at All Stars Project Gala

Playwright Katori Hall and producer/directorWoodie King, Jr. will be honored with All Stars Project Groundbreakers Awards at the All Stars Project’s national gala benefit entitled, Big Builders for Young People, to be held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, on on Monday, May 7. The evening will begin with cocktails at 6pm followed by dinner and program at 7pm.

The Gala will be hosted by Roscoe Orman, best known as Gordon on Sesame Street, and will feature hip-hop, rap and dance performances by youth of the All Stars. Renowned dancer, Desmond Richardson has choreographed a special dance piece featuring 11 inner-city youth performers from the All Stars Project.

Hall – who was represented earlier this season on Broadway with The Mountaintop and Off-Broadway with Hurt Village — is being recognized for her work in helping to open doors for new voices in the American theatre. Her play Children of Killers will make its American premiere at the Castillo Theatre in September 2012.

King, who is Founder and Producing Director of the New Federal Theatre, is being recognized for his pioneering efforts and outstanding accomplishments in Black theatre.

Groundbreaker Awardees will also include David C. Banks, President and CEO, Eagle Academy Foundation, Valerie and William Bell, Founders, Sean Elijah Bell Community Center and Anderson J. Franklin, Ph.D. Honorable David S. Nelson Professor of Psychology and Education, Boston College.

For tickets and more information, call 212-356-8449.

Written on May 4th, 2012 , Events

Ruben Wills to Speak at THE MOUNTAINTOP for MLK Day

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, New York City Councilman Ruben Wills (Queens District 28) will present a New York City Proclamation to the Broadway production of The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. Citations will be given to cast members Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, director Kenny Leon and producers Jean Doumanian and Sonia Friedman, following the Sunday matinee performance, January 15th.

The Mountaintop by Katori Hall, stars Samuel L. Jackson as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Angela Bassett, and is directed by Tony Award® nominee Kenny Leon (Stick Fly, Fences, A Raisin in the Sun). It began performances on September 22, 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre and opened on Thursday, October 13, 2011 for a limited engagement through January 22, 2012. Upon closing The Mountaintop will have played 24 preview and 117 regular performances.

Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King (Samuel L. Jackson) retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger (Angela Bassett) arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people.

Tickets for The Mountaintop are available at Telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200, or at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre box office (242 West 45th Street). Prime tickets to The Mountaintop are reserved for each and every performance, even in cases when the show is otherwise sold-out, for the low price of $34.50: Twenty Same-Day Reserve tickets will be available each day when the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre box office opens at 10:00 a.m. (Noon on Sundays) for that day’s performance(s). They can be purchased with cash or a credit card on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a limit of two Same-Day Reserve tickets per person.
For all sold-out performances, 25 standing room tickets will be made available at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre box office for $26.50 each.

The Mountaintop is produced by Jean Doumanian, Sonia Friedman Productions, Ambassador Theatre Group, Raise the Roof 7, Ted Snowdon, Alhadeff Productions/Lauren Doll, B Square + 4 Productions/Broadway Across America, Jacki Barlia Florin/Cooper Federman, Ronnie Planalp/Moellenberg Taylor, and Marla Rubin Productions/Blumenthal Performing Arts

Written on January 11th, 2012 , Events

Works by Edward Albee, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Kenneth Lonergan and Athol Fugard Will Play Signature Center By Adam Hetrick

The Signature Theatre Company will populate its 2012 season at the brand-new Signature Center with three Athol Fugard dramas, as well as premieres by Edward Albee, Kenneth Lonergan, Will Eno and Katori Hall.

Fugard’s 1961 play Blood Knot will open the season Jan. 31, 2012. The Tony-winning South African playwright will direct his work about two biracial brothers during the apartheid. Also planned is Fugard’s 1989 work about racial tensions, My Children! My Africa!, to be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Seven Guitars, Stick Fly). It will begin performances May 1, 2012.

Fugard will also direct the New York premiere of The Train Driver, which had its South African world premiere in 2010 at the theatre named in his honor. The two-man drama centers on a grief-stricken train driver searching for the identities of a mother and child he unintentionally killed. Previews begin Aug. 14, 2012.

Patricia McGregor will direct the world premiere of Mountaintop playwright Hall’s Hurt Village, which will begin Feb. 7, 2012. According to the Signature, “It’s the end of a long summer in Hurt Village, a housing project in Memphis, Tennessee. A government Hope Grant means relocation for many of the project’s residents, including Cookie, a thirteen year-old aspiring rapper, along with her mother Crank and great-grandmother Big Mama. As the family prepares to move, Cookie’s father Buggy unexpectedly returns from a tour of duty in Iraq. Ravaged by the war, Buggy struggles to find a position in his disintegrating community, along with a place in his daughter’s wounded heart.”

David Esbjornson (The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?) will direct the world premiere of Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Albee’s Laying an Egg, which will begin previews Feb. 14, 2012. Here’s how the work is billed: “Faced with a domineering mother, an adoring husband, and the damning conditions of her late father’s will, a middle-aged woman renews her vow to get pregnant with chaotic results.

Middletown playwright Eno will be represented with the U.S. premiere of Title and Deed, to be directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett beginning May 1, 2012. According to the Signature, “A nameless traveler from a far off place searches for connection and solace in an unknown country in this funny and sad meditation on mortality, loneliness, innocence, home, family, love, funerals, words, and the world.”

Beginning May 15, 2012, the Signature will stage an untitled world premiere by Academy Award nominee Lonergan (“You Can Count On Me,” This Is Our Youth, The Starry Messenger).

The Signature has also announced the creation of A Decade of Access, a new ticket initiative that will price all seats at $25 for the initially scheduled performances of each production for the next ten years. Single tickets are normally priced $75 prior to extensions.

The 2012 season marks the organization’s first at the Signature Center, a new 70,000 square foot venue, with three intimate theatres and a studio theatre designed by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, located at 480 West 42nd Street.

For tickets and more information visit SignatureTheatre.

Written on October 10th, 2011 , Events

Lark Play Development Center to Honor Katori Hall, 10/11

The Lark Play Development Center will host a special event on October 11th celebrating playwright Katori Hall on her Broadway debut with The Mountaintop. (The Mountaintop was extensively developed at the Lark.) Lark board member and playwright Sandi Goff Farkas will also be honored at the October 11th event with the first every Lark Risktaker Award for her creation of the Playwrights of New York (PONY) Fellowship. The Risktaker Award recognizes the leadership, vision and commitment of an individual who has defied convention in making a major contribution to supporting daring new voices in the American theater.

The evening will include a pre-show party and award presentation at the Lark’s new midtown Manhattan home, followed by a performance of Hall’s The Mountaintop, featuring Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. Tickets are $1,000 each and benefit Lark’s extensive program portfolio fostering bold voices in the American theater. Tickets are extremely limited. For information about the event, visit: www.larktheatre.org/supportus/donate.htm or call Lark’s Development Manager Deborah Philips at 212-246-2676 x227.

The PONY Fellowship was born out of a partnership between the Lark and Playwrights of New York, a not-for-profit organization founded by Sandi Goff Farkas. This one-of-a-kind opportunity deepens support for emerging writers by providing housing for a year in the PONY apartment, a monthly living stipend, and extensive artistic support at the Lark followed by two years of additional support and advocacy.

Katori Hall was the third recipient of the PONY Fellowship. During Hall’s time as the PONY Fellow, she developed a number of works including Children of Killers, Our Lady of Kibeho, Pussy Valley and The Mountaintop, which was presented as a Lark BareBones® before receiving a full production on London’s West End for which it won the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play.

She said of the experience, “When I told my Lark family this story [about The Mountaintop] they gave me space and the artistic support I needed to tell a very personal and important story that was inspired by our history. The greatest cocoon that they gave me was the PONY Fellowship-the ultimate gift for a writer who is desperate to do just that-write.”

Katori Hall is an award-winning playwright hailing from Memphis, TN. She has been involved with the Lark since 2006 and was awarded the PONY Fellowship in 2009. In 2011, Hall received the Susan Smith Blackburn prize of her play Hurt Village, and was inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Katori is a member of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, a graduate of Columbia, Harvard, and the Juilliard School. Katori was recently added to the Lark’s Board of Directors.

Sandi Goff Farkas came to the Lark as a playwright in 2005 to develop her plays and has been part of the growth and development of the organization ever since. She is a Lark Board Member, a writer for stage and film, and a visionary in supporting new work for the theater. In 2007 she founded Playwrights of New York (PONY), an organization dedicated to supporting emerging playwrights. In partnership with the Lark, she created the PONY Fellowship.

About the Lark Play Development Center. A laboratory for new voices and new ideas, the Lark provides playwrights with indispensable resources to develop their work, nurturing artists at all stages in their careers, and inviting them to express themselves freely in a supportive and rigorous environment. The Lark reaches into untapped local populations and across international and cultural boundaries to seek out and embrace unheard voices and diverse perspectives, celebrating differences in language and worldviews. By encouraging artists to define their own goals and creative processes in pursuit of a unique vision, we believe we are reinvigorating the theater’s ancient and enduring role as a public forum for discussion, debate and community engagement. www.larktheatre.org

Playwrights of New York (PONY). Founded by Sandi Goff Farkas, Playwrights of New York seeks to provide revolutionary support for playwrights by economically freeing them to pursue their careers. Through the Playwrights of New York Fellowship, in partnership with the Lark Play Development Center, PONY provides playwrights with a year of housing, living stipend, and artistic support as well as continued support in the two years following the Fellowship. PONY Fellows include: Carson Kreizter (2007), Samuel D. Hunter (2008), Katori Hall (2009), Tommy Smith (1010), A. Rey Pamatmat (2011) and Special Jury Prize winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (2009). www.playwrightsofnewyork.org

Written on October 10th, 2011 , Events

“THE MOUNTAINTOP” TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!!

THE MOUNTAINTOP

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

TAKING PLACE ON APRIL 3, 1968, THE MOUNTAINTOP IS A GRIPPING REIMAGINING OF EVENTS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AFTER DELIVERING HIS LEGENDARY ‘I’VE BEEN TO THE MOUNTAINTOP’ SPEECH, AN EXHAUSTED DR. KING RETIRES TO HIS ROOM AT THE LORRAINE MOTEL IN MEMPHIS WHILE A STORM RAGES OUTSIDE. WHEN A MYSTERIOUS YOUNG WOMAN DELIVERS ROOM SERVICE, KING IS FORCED TO CONFRONT HIS PAST, AS WELL AS HIS LEGACY TO HIS PEOPLE.

VISIT WWW.TELECHARGE.COM to get your tickets today!

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Written on September 15th, 2011 , Events

Katori Hall’s Children Of Killers in London July 1 , 2011

CHILDREN OF KILLERS

The president of Rwanda is releasing the killers. Years after the Tutsi genocide, the perpetrators begin to trickle back into the countryside to be reunited with their villages. A trio of friends, born during the genocide’s bloody aftermath, prepare to meet the men who gave them life. But as the homecoming day draws closer the young men are haunted by the sins of their fathers. Who can you become when violence is your inheritance?

Katori Hall’s new play Children of Killers was commissioned by the London’s National Theatre where it was included in their Connections program. The Connections Festival is the culmination of the National’s year-long, nationwide celebration of new writing for young performers. The festival brings ten young companies from across the UK to the National’s stages to perform ten thrilling new plays, commissioned especially for Connections.

Eight productions of the play have been performed in London with one from the youth theatre at the Bristol’s City Academy students directed by Miranda Cromwell They have been invited to perform at the National on July 1, 2011. Learn more about the Bristol City Academy at http://www.bristol247.com/2011/06/10/bristol-students-take-to-the-stars-at-national-theatre/)

Children Of Killers was inspired by a trip to Rwanda in 2009 where Hall attended a genocide studies conference and spoke with victims and perpetrators of genocide. The play is now being peformed all across the world. It was translated into Portuguese by Francisco Frazao as part of Portugal youth theatre program similar to UK’s Connections. Over 30 productions of Children of Killers was performed. Three were chosen for the final festival Culturgest where youth programs from all across the nation descended upon Lisbon.

Children of Killers is slated to have its American premiere in May 2012 at Castillo Theatre in conjunction with YouthOnstage.

The script, included in the National Theatre’s Connections collection, is available for purchase online on Amazon.com

To find out more about Children Of Killers in London visit The National Theatre’s website

Group : Na Xina Lua da ES Tondela

Photos by : Carlos Teles

Written on June 10th, 2011 , Events

Otis Guernsey New Voices Award

Katori Hall to receive the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award at the William Inge Theatre Festival. A concert reading of The Mountaintop will be presented at 7:30 p.m

Tickets will be available on line starting March 1st at Inge Center Website or by calling (800) 842-6063 ext. 5835.

Katori Hall is Inge Festival Otis Guernsey New Voices Award winner

The up-and-coming playwright and performer Katori Hall has been selected winner of the 2010 William Inge Theatre Festival’s Otis Guernsey New Voices in the American Theatre Award. Hall will be presented with the award during the 29th Annual Inge Festival April 21-24 in Independence, Kansas, at Independence Community College. The Otis Guernsey New Voices in the American Theatre Award recognizes contemporary playwrights whose voices are helping shape the American theater of today.

The award, now bestowed on its 18th rising playwright, is named for the late Otis L. Guernsey, Jr., acclaimed theater writer and scholar who was a longtime advocate and attendee of the William Inge Theatre Festival. The Festival is named for the late William Inge, an Independence native who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (“Picnic”) and Oscar for Best Screenplay (“Splendor in the Grass.”)

Written on April 12th, 2011 , Events

Katori Hall To Give Keynote Address At 2012 Fall Forum

‘Lilly’ Awards Given to Arianda, Paulus, Hall and More

THE MOUNTAINTOP

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

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