Les Waters Takes Actors Theatre Helm

A really fine choice. From today's press release:

For Immediate Release
November 29, 2011

ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE ANNOUNCES LES WATERS AS NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Louisville, KY– Todd Lowe, Chair of Actors Theatre of Louisville’s search committee, today announced on behalf of the Board of Directors of Actors Theatre of Louisville that Obie Award-winning Director, Les Waters has been named Actors Theatre’s new Artistic Director. Waters, who for the past eight years has been the Associate Artistic Director at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California will begin transition to his new post effective January 9, 2012 and assume full-time duties at Actors Theatre in late March.

The extensive national search was only the third search of its kind in almost 50 year of history at Actors Theatre. Waters joins a prestigious lineage of leaders who have led Actors Theatre of Louisville from its humble beginnings to a nationally recognized regional theatre and a major force in American playwriting.

Waters has more than 30 years of experience in theatre and has forged a formidable career as a director. A strong proponent of contemporary work and adaptations of classic material, Waters has an impressive track record of collaborating with some of theatre’s most prominent playwrights, including Caryl Churchill, Charles Mee and Sarah Ruhl, and he has been a champion of important new voices such as Will Eno, Jordan Harrison and Anne Washburn.

“Following an extensive national search and an impressive slate of candidates, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of Les Waters to Artistic Director,”said Actors Theatre Search Committee Chairman Todd Lowe. “Les Waters brings with him an outstanding artistic track record and a devotion to both contemporary work and the re-envisioning of classic texts. He has demonstrated a real passion for the commissioning and production of work by important new voices and shares Actors Theatre’s commitment to supporting the innovation and imagination of the American playwright. I believe he will be the perfect partner with Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein to lead Actors Theatre into its next phase of organizational and artistic excellence.”

Ted Nixon, President of Actors Theatre Board, said, "Les Waters will inherit almost half a century of incredible artistic accomplishments and institutional growth at Actors Theatre.His appointment will ensure that Actors Theatre continues to fulfill its commitment to support theatre artists, promote new work and present quality artistic experiences for the citizens of Kentucky and beyond.”

“Les Waters will be an incredible asset to both Actors Theatre and this community,” said Jennifer Bielstein, Managing Director, Actors Theatre of Louisville. “In addition to an impressive list of artistic accomplishments, he is a proven mentor and advisor to emerging theatre artists, playwrights and directors. Actors Theatre is an artistic home to a wide array of artists and as an institution values and supports the careers of many young theatre professionals through our prestigious Apprentice/Intern Company. I believe he will bring a new passion and energy to our season programming and is the perfect person to champion Actors Theatre within the region and nationally. Les will bring exceptional qualities to this leadership role and I very much look forward to partnering with him as Actors Theatre continues to make a significant impact on American theatre in years to come.”

Les Waters said, “It is an honor and a privilege to take up the reins at Actors Theatre of Louisville, an organization I’ve long admired. I’ve had the opportunity to direct twice at Actors Theatre, and I was deeply impressed with the theatre, its staff and the community at large. I am excited to begin working with the board of trustees, staff, volunteer core and Actors Theatre’s extended family of theatre artists. I am committed to making theatre here that is passionate and intelligent, funny and heartfelt and to leading Actors Theatre to new artistic endeavors. I look forward to being a part of this community, to making a new home in Louisville, and to continuing Actors Theatre’s incredible legacy of local and national acclaim.”

Throughout Waters’ eight year tenure at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, his shows garnered great critical acclaim, routinely ranking among the year’s best by critics in The New Yorker, New York Times, Time Out New York, Time Magazine, and USA Today. In 2009, he made his Broadway debut with renowned playwright Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), which premiered at Berkeley. His other productions at Berkeley Repertory Theater include the world premieres of Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, Fêtes de la Nuit, Finn in the Underworld, Girlfriend, and To the Lighthouse; the American premiere of TRAGEDY: a tragedy; the West Coast premieres of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice and Three Sisters; and extended runs of The Glass Menagerie, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman, and Yellowman. Waters has numerous credits in New York, his native England, and at theatres across America. He led the MFA directing program at UC San Diego where he continues to teach. Waters is an associate artist of The Civilians.

The extensive search process was led by a committee of Actors Theatre of Louisville board members comprised of Chair Todd Lowe, Beth Davis, Laura Douglas, Phil Eschels, Ted Nixon, Bruce Merrick, Marsha Roth, Ted Rosky and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein.

They were assisted by Greg Kandel, Partner in Management Consultants for the Arts, one of the premier executive search firms in the theatre field.

Waters replaces Marc Masterson who stepped down in May 2011 after eleven years to take the position of Artistic Director at South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California.

***

About Actors Theatre of Louisville

Les Waters, New Artistic Director of Actors Theatre Louisville
Jennifer Bielstein, Managing Director

Now in its 48th season, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the State Theatre of Kentucky, has emerged as one of America's most consistently innovative professional theatre companies. For more than 30 years, it has been a major force in revitalizing American playwriting. Its annual Humana Festival of New American Plays is recognized as the premier event of its kind and draws producers, journalists, critics, playwrights and theatre lovers from around the world for a marathon of new works. More than 350 plays from Actors Theatre have been published, making them available to producers and readers, and creating a significant addition to the nation’s dramatic literature. Actors Theatre’s programming includes a broad range of classical and contemporary work, presenting more than 500 performances each season. The company performs annually to nearly 200,000 people and is the recipient of the most prestigious awards bestowed on a regional theatre: a special Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement, the James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of Professional Theatre, and the Margo Jones Award for the Encouragement of New Plays. Actors Theatre's international appearances include performances in 29 cities in 15 foreign countries. Currently, there are 40 books of plays and criticism from Actors Theatre in publication and circulation.

Actors Theatre of Louisville To Name New Artistic Director

Our friends to the north are ready to name Marc Masterson's successor:

For Immediate Release
November 18, 2011

ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE TO NAME NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Actors Theatre of Louisville will announce its new Artistic Director at a special press conference on Tuesday, November 29, followed by a public reception that evening to which members of the public are invited to attend.

PRESS CONFERENCE 10 a.m.

Actors Theatre of Louisville will hold a special press conference to announce the appointment of a new Artistic Director. The Press Conference will also be broadcast live at www.livestream.com. For a direct link visit ActorsTheatre.org.

PUBLIC RECEPTION 4.30 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.

That evening Actors Theatre of Louisville will open its doors and host a public reception to welcome the new Artistic Director. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the new Artistic Director for the first time. This event is free and open to members of the public.

***
About Actors Theatre of Louisville

Jennifer Bielstein, Managing Director

Now in its 48th season, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the State Theatre of Kentucky, has emerged as one of America's most consistently innovative professional theatre companies. For more than 30 years, it has been a major force in revitalizing American playwriting. Its annual Humana Festival of New American Plays is recognized as the premier event of its kind and draws producers, journalists, critics, playwrights and theatre lovers from around the world for a marathon of new works. More than 350 plays from Actors Theatre have been published, making them available to producers and readers, and creating a significant addition to the nation’s dramatic literature. Actors Theatre’s programming includes a broad range of classical and contemporary work, presenting more than 500 performances each season. The company performs annually to nearly 200,000 people and is the recipient of the most prestigious awards bestowed on a regional theatre: a special Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement, the James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of Professional Theatre, and the Margo Jones Award for the Encouragement of New Plays. Actors Theatre's international appearances include performances in over 29 cities in 15 foreign countries. Currently, there are 40 books of plays and criticism from Actors Theatre in publication and circulation.

www.actorstheatre.org

Actors Theatre of Louisville's 2011-12 Slate

Here's today's Actors Theatre of Louisville presser that outlines the upcoming season as Marc Masterson prepares to depart for California's South Coast Repertory. Former ATL Producing Director Jon Jory is coming back - to direct a show:

ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
ANNOUNCES 2011-2012 SEASON
From classic storytelling to thought provoking writing, From an off-Broadway premiere to a Tony Award-nominated drama, Marc Masterson's Final Season Line up Promises a Diverse Array of Exciting Productions

Louisville, KY - Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are pleased to announce Actors Theatre's 48th season lineup.

"The 2011-2012 upcoming Brown-Forman series is an exciting multi-faceted program which includes the staging of two classic novels; a heartwarming and honest exploration of the personal impact of war; a three-time Tony Award-nominated play about love, longing, and science, and the regional premiere of an Off-Broadway hit. Plus, an exciting line up of new plays in the 36th Annual Humana Festival and the return of three holiday favorites", said Masterson on his final season selection as Artistic Director of Actors Theatre. "Actors Theatre has a fantastic team of staff with whom I have worked with for many years and in whose experience and incredible expertise I have confidence to successfully realize my final season."

Jennifer Bielstein, Actors Theatre's Managing Director adds, "The 2011-2012 Season represents a vibrant mix of classic storytelling, critically lauded new plays making a splash with audiences around the country, timely contemporary work that help us to take a closer look at the human experience and the issues that are central to our lives today, and the warmth and humor of our annual holiday shows. It's precisely the mix of entertaining and challenging programming that audiences in Louisville have come to expect and enjoy from Marc's eleven seasons at the Actors Theatre. At a time when the role of the arts is more vital than ever, we are thrilled to be able to provide an outlet for laughter, love, collaboration and exchange to the citizens of Louisville."

We open the 2011-2012 Season with Jon Jory's brand new adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved story of sisterhood and the search for the perfect match in Sense & Sensibility (August 30 through September 24). Jory's adaptation was recently described in the Chicago Tribune as "truly excellent" and we are thrilled to announce that he will return to Actors Theatre to direct this Austen classic.

In October, Mark Twain's popular American tale is brought to life in Laura Eason's magical new adaptation, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (October 4 through October 29). Sure to be a hit with the entire family, this production is presented as a co-production with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Kansas City Repertory Theatre and will be directed by Jeremy B. Cohen, Artistic Director of Playwright's Center, Minneapolis.

Next up a play that has been receiving praise from audiences and critics alike around the country. Opening November 15 and running through December 17 in the Bingham Theatre, Emily Ackerman and KJ Sanchez's acclaimed play ReEntry explores the true personal impact of war of those immediately affected by it; veterans and their families.

Actors Theatre slams into the New Year with The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (January 3 through February 4, 2012). Making its first stop since its Off-Broadway premiere, Kristoffer Diaz's comedy about power, race and class in the world of professional wrestling will be directed by Associate Artistic Director, Sean Daniels.

The season continues with Sarah Ruhl's scintillating and marvelously entertaining play In The Next Room or the vibrator play. Three-time Tony Award nominee, including Best Play, and a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Ruhl's drama will run in the Pamela Brown Auditorium (January 24 through February 18, 2012).

The season will culminate in the 36th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays, February 26 through April 15, which continues to be the country's leading opportunity to see groundbreaking, brand-new work by the American Theatre's most talented living writers. The festival is underwritten by The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana, Inc. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

Plus, back again by popular demand are the holiday classics A Fifth Third Bank's A Christmas Carol (December 6 - December 23), A Christmas Story (November 8 - 27) and the return of Louisville's Halloween cult-thriller, Fifth Third Bank's Dracula (September 14 - October 30).

2011-2012 season ticket packages are on sale now starting as low as $121 and are available online at actorstheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 502-584-1205.

Actors Theatre of Louisville's 48th Season lineup:

Sense & Sensibility
adapted and directed by Jon Jory from the novel by Jane Austen
August 30- September 24, 2011

A lack of family fortune means limited marriage prospects for the Dashwood sisters - two girls who are only alike in their hope to find a husband. Scandalous secrets and tumultuous twists line the path to true love in Jon Jory's brand new adaption of this classic tale of flirtation and folly, in which the two sisters find that neither Elinor's common sense nor Marianne's passion may offer up the key to happiness.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Laura Eason adapted from the novel by Mark Twain
directed by Jeremy B. Cohen
October 4- October 29, 2011

Reconnect with Mark Twain's incomparable classic in a magical new production, perfect for the whole family. In idyllic 1840s Missouri, Tom and his friends revel in all that is grand and glorious about childhood. This mischievous rascal, joined by Huckleberry Finn, can charm Aunt Polly, save the town from a local criminal and win the heart of fair Becky Thatcher, all in the course of one small-town day. Produced in association with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Kansas City Repertory Theatre

ReEntry
by Emily Ackerman and KJ Sanchez
directed by KJ Sanchez
November 15- December 17, 2011

Inspirational, honest, and heartwarming; frank, funny, and long overdue. This surprising and acclaimed new play, based on interviews with combat veterans and their families, puts aside politics and Hollywood alike to probe the unvarnished and powerfully personal truths of those who serve and sacrifice. How do you shift from battlefields to backyard barbecues? What is the price paid by families at home when husbands, mothers, sons, and sisters go to war?

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
by Kristoffer Diaz
directed by Sean Daniels
January 3 - February 4, 2012

A comic powerslam of a play, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - in its first stop since its Off-Broadway premiere - is a theatrical event that dares to throw political correctness out of the ring. Macedonio "The Mace" Guerra is a pro wrestler who recruits his ticket to the big time: a charismatic, trash-talking Indian kid from Brooklyn who's the perfect foil to the All-American champion, Chad Deity. But when their rivalry is used to exploit racial stereotypes in the name of ratings, all three men find themselves fighting for much more than the championship title.

In The Next Room or the vibrator play
by Sarah Ruhl
directed by Laura Gordon
January 24 - February 18, 2012

This critically lauded play about love, longing, and science takes place in a proper Victorian home where a doctor invents a most extraordinary device for treating "hysteria." As his wife overhears the treatment of his patients in the next room, long dormant thoughts and feelings begin to stir. This smart, classy and touching Tony Award-nominated play about marriage and intimacy, and how the invention of electricity fused them together, is sure to be the buzz of the city! Co-production with Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

The 36th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays
February 26- April 15

The Humana Festival is the premier event of its kind in the nation, debuting new plays right in your backyard! Catch groundbreaking world premieres that represent many generations, many voices and many views-including yours. The festival runs the gamut from comedies to dramas to plays that forge new theatrical territory. Combined with world-class design and performances, this celebration of American playwrights' innovation and imagination has something in it for everyone.

HOLIDAY FAVORITES

Fifth Third Bank's Dracula
originally dramatized by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston from Bram Stoker's world famous novel, Dracula, as adapted & directed by William McNulty
September 14 - October 30, 2011

Experience the gothic story as you've never seen it before, with recently redesigned sets, costumes, lighting and sound-plus thrills and chills that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A Christmas Story with support provided by Fifth Third Bank
by Philip Grecian based on the motion picture A Christmas Story © 1983 Turner Entertainment Co., distributed by Warner Bros., written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Rob Clark, and on the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd
directed by Sean Daniels
November 8 -27, 2011

In this Christmas adventure like no other, a boy's ardent campaign for a Red Ryder BB gun against all odds ("You'll shoot your eye out!") unfolds amid seasonal shenanigans involving a leg lamp, a bunny suit and a tongue stuck on a frozen flagpole. Relive a family tradition or start one anew by joining Ralphie and his family for this stage adaption of the beloved film inspired by Jean Shepherd's classic American story of Christmas-and growing up-in the Midwest.

Fifth Third Bank's A Christmas Carol
adapted by Barbara Field from Charles Dickens
directed by Sean Daniels
December 6 - December 23, 2011

Louisville's biggest and best holiday tradition-the classic story of Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the spirits of Christmas, told with the warmth of holiday music and visual splendor.

TICKETS

Season tickets are on sale now and are available or online at www.actorstheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 502-584-1205.

"Song of Extinction" Wins Steinberg/ATCA

From an American Theatre Critics Association press release:

U.S. THEATER CRITICS HONOR E.M. LEWIS’
“SONG OF EXTINCTION”

Playwright receives $25,000 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award;
$7,500 Citations for Lee Blessing and Tracy Letts

The American Theatre Critics Association has selected E.M. (Ellen) Lewis’ "Song of Extinction" to receive the 2009 Harold and Mimi Steinberg /ATCA New Play Award. The announcement was made April 4 at Actors Theatre of Louisville during the Humana Festival of New American Plays. The award includes a plaque and a cash prize of $25,000 -the largest national award for a new play.

Lee Blessing’s "Great Falls" and Tracy Letts’ "Superior Donuts" received Steinberg/ATCA citations and $7,500 each. Both Lewis and Letts are first-time winners, but Blessing previously won the 2006 Steinberg/ATCA Award for "A Body of Water," and in 1987 he won the predecessor ATCA New Play Award for "A Walk in the Woods."

The award was started in 1977 to honor plays that debut at regional theaters outside New York City, where there are many new play awards. No play is eligible if it has gone on to a New York production within the award year (in this case, 2008).

“The long-standing partnership between the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and the American Theatre Critics Association has recognized some of today’s greatest writers, and helped identify the great playwrights of tomorrow,” said trustee Jim Steinberg. “We’re delighted to help support the unique telling of tales on the American stage.”

Lewis’ "Song of Extinction" debuted in November at Moving Arts in Hollywood after having been featured in NYU’s hotINK International Festival of New Plays and receiving a reading in the Atlantic Theater’s Next Page series. It has already won several awards, including the EcoDrama Playwriting Competition, the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Ted Schmitt Award for a world premiere and the LA Weekly award for production of the year.

Blessing’s "Great Falls" is a wry drama about a stepfather and his disaffected stepdaughter trying to make connections on a road trip across the American West. It was produced in February 2008 at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Letts’ "Superior Donuts" is a comic drama portraying the resurrection of a former ‘60s radical who is hiding from disappointments and tragedies byrunning a tiny Chicago doughnut shop. His isolation is challenged by a young black man seeking a job and running from some secrets of his own. It premiered in June at Steppenwolf Theater.

In Lewis’ "Song of Extinction," Max, a musically gifted high school student, is falling off the edge of the world, and his biology teacher is the only one who’s noticed. According to the ATCA New Play committee, it starts as a realistic examination of ecology, genocide, isolation, music, family relationships and more, but it morphs into a dreamscape which weaves the disparate strands into a pattern of inter-connectedness.

“I’d like to thank the Steinberg family and ATCA,” said a visibly excited Lewis. “I feel so honored to receive this award for my play. It is an amazing gift.”

Lewis has accomplished a lot in a short playwriting career. Last year, she won ATCA’s $10,000 Francesca Primus Award for "Heads," a hostage drama set against the war in Iraq that Edward Albee called “provocative and wonderfully threatening.” Her "Infinite Black Suitcase," a large ensemble play about grief and survival in rural Oregon, received its world premiere in 2007. On her web site (www.dramatistsguildweb.com/members/emlewis) Lewis quotes James Baldwin: “The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which have been hidden by the answers.” She comes from Oregon but now lives in Santa Monica, California.

Some two dozen scripts were nominated by ATCA members, and the winners were chosen by a committee led by Wm. F. Hirschman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Other committee members are Misha Berson, Seattle Times; Bruce Burgun, Bloomington Herald Times and Back Stage; Michael Elkin, Jewish Exponent (Pa.); Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune; Pam Harbaugh, Florida Today (Melbourne); Leonard Jacobs, New York Press, Back Stage and The Clyde Fitch Report; Chad Jones, Oakland (Cal.) Tribune; Elizabeth Keill, Independent Press (Morristown, NJ); Elizabeth Maupin, Orlando Sentinel; Wendy Parker, The Village Mill (Midlothian, Va.); Michael Sander, Back Stage (Minn.); and Herb Simpson, Totaltheater.com (Rochester, NY).

Honorees since 1977 have included Lanford Wilson, Marsha Norman, August Wilson, Jane Martin, Arthur Miller, Mac Wellman, Adrienne Kennedy, Donald Margulies, Lynn Nottage, Horton Foote and Craig Lucas. Last year’s winner was Moises Kaufman for "33 Variations," now being staged on Broadway. Each year’s honorees are chronicled in The Best Plays Theater Yearbook, edited by Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, alongside the 10 best plays produced that year in New York City. For a complete list of the 80 plays cited from 1977 through 2008, go to www.americantheatrecritics.org, under Awards.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg on behalf of himself and his late wife. Pursuing its primary mission to support the American theater, it has provided millions of dollars to support new productions of American plays and educational programs for those who may not ordinarily experience live theater.

ATCA was founded in 1974 and works to raise critical standards and public awareness of critics’ functions and responsibilities and to recognize excellence in the American theater. The only national association of professional theater critics, with several hundred members working for newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations and websites, ATCA is the U.S. national section of the International Association of Theatre Critics, a UNESCO-affiliated organization that sponsors seminars and congresses worldwide.

33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays

From Actors Theatre of Louisville:

33rd HUMANA FESTIVAL OF NEW AMERICAN PLAYS
Announcing World Premieres for 2009 Festival

LOUISVILLE, KY — The 33rd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays presented by Actors Theatre of Louisville will feature a diverse array of work from 18 playwrights. "The Humana Festival is a celebration of the diversity and strength of new American theatre," Marc Masterson, the company's Artistic Director, announced today. "The artists in this year’s festival represent a cross-section of our culture and include new voices as well as some of the most established and respected writers and directors working in the theatre today."

The Festival, slated for March 1-April 11, 2009, is acclaimed worldwide as America's preeminent showcase of professional stage premieres. "Over the past 33 years, the Humana Festival of New American Plays has introduced more than 350 plays into the world," adds Jennifer Bielstein, the theatre's Managing Director. "In this time of economic challenges, the arts provide a vital way for us to examine our changing world. The Humana Festival continues to be a place for us to unite in our support of the American theatre. We look forward to hosting our colleagues and theatre lovers in Louisville in 2009."

This year’s festival — comprised of six full-length plays, a comic anthology showcasing the Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Company, and three ten-minute plays to be announced — marks three decades of continuous support from its underwriter, The Humana Foundation. The philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., The Humana Foundation supports and nurtures charitable activities that promote healthy lives and healthy communities.

Full-length plays are Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel from the writing of Wendell Berry (Port Royal, Kentucky), Absalom by Zoe Kazan (New York City), Under Construction by Charles L. Mee (New York City), Slasher by Allison Moore (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Ameriville by UNIVERSES (Gamal Abdel Chasten, Mildred Ruiz, William Ruiz aka Ninja and Steven Sapp from New York City), and The Hard Weather Boating Party by Naomi Wallace (native of Prospect, Kentucky, now residing in Skipton, North Yorkshire, U.K.).

The comic anthology, titled BRINK!, is written by Lydia Diamond (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Kristoffer Diaz (New York City), Greg Kotis (New York City), Deborah Zoe Laufer (Mt. Kisco, New York), Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (San Francisco, California) and Deborah Stein (Minneapolis, Minnesota).

Descriptions of the Festival’s world premiere lineup, along with playwright biographies, are as follows:

FULL-LENGTH PLAYS
Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry
adapted for the stage by Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel from the writing of Wendell Berry
directed by Marc Masterson
part of the Brown-Forman Mainstage Series

An exploration of the earth, its citizens and the impact of each on the other. This world premiere brings the work of nationally acclaimed poet, novelist and ecological visionary Wendell Berry to the stage in a celebration of words, music and a life well lived.

Wendell Berry was born in Henry County, Kentucky. He has taught at Georgetown College, Stanford University, New York University and University of Kentucky, his alma mater. The author of over forty books of poetry, essays and fiction, Mr. Berry has received numerous fellowships and awards. He lives and works with his wife, Tanya Berry, on their farm in Port Royal, Kentucky.

***

Absalom
by Zoe Kazan
directed by Giovanna Sardelli

At a Berkshires country house, the children of an aging literary giant gather for a party celebrating the release of their patriarch’s tell-all autobiography. When an unexpected guest appears, this family—writers or editors all—must reckon with their stories and who owns them, and with the secrets, betrayals and deep bonds that define what they’ll do for love.

Zoe Kazan is an actor/writer currently residing in Brooklyn. As an actor, she has worked in film and both on and off-Broadway. This play, her first, was workshopped at Lincoln Center Theater LAB and had readings at The Vineyard Playhouse, The Ensemble Studio Theatre and Yale University.

***

Under Construction
by Charles L. Mee
directed by Anne Bogart
created and performed by SITI Company

A collage of America today, inspired by Norman Rockwell and contemporary installation artist Jason Rhoades, Mee’s play juxtaposes the fifties and the present, red states and blue, where we grew up and where we live now—a piece that is, like America, permanently under construction.

Charles L. Mee has written Big Love, True Love, First Love, bobrauschenbergamerica, Summertime and Wintertime, among other plays. All of his works are available online and are made possible by the support of Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher.

***

Slasher
by Allison Moore
directed by Josh Hecht

When she’s cast as the “last girl” in a low-budget slasher flick, Sheena thinks it’s the big break she’s been waiting for. But news of the movie unleashes her malingering mother’s thwarted feminist rage, and Mom is prepared to do anything to stop filming…even if it kills her.

Allison Moore is a displaced Texan living in Minneapolis, where she is a 2007-2009 Bush Artists Fellow and a 2008-2009 McKnight Fellow. Her plays include End Times (Kitchen Dog Theater), American Klepto (Illusion Theater), Hazard County (2005 Humana Festival), Urgent Fury (2003 Cherry Lane Mentor Project) and Eighteen (2001 O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference).

***

Ameriville
by UNIVERSES (Gamal Abdel Chasten, Mildred Ruiz, William Ruiz aka Ninja and Steven Sapp)
directed by Chay Yew

UNIVERSES puts the state of the Union under a microscope—race, poverty, politics, history and government—examining our country through the lens of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Ameriville combines an innovative mix of poetry, music, movement and drama to get to the heart of this American tragedy.

Gamal Abdel Chasten, a founding member of UNIVERSES, is a songwriter/poet/screenwriter. His work has toured more than 25 U.S. cities and five countries. Writing credits include The Last Word, God Took Away His Poem and the UNIVERSES shows The Ride and Slanguage. Directing credits include The Last Word, Full Circle’s Innerviews and Articulation. Mr. Chasten is working on the screen projects Red Moon, Joe Bloe and North Borough.

Mildred Ruiz, a founding member of UNIVERSES, is a playwright/actor/vocalist. Acting credits include The Denver Project (Curious Theatre), One Shot in Lotus Position (The War Anthology, Curious Theatre), Blue Suite, Rhythmicity (2003 Humana Festival), Slanguage (New York Theatre Workshop), The Ride and Alfred Jarry's UBU:Enchained (Teatre Polski in Poland).

William Ruiz (aka Ninja), a founding member of UNIVERSES, has been seen in Slanguage, Ti Jean Blues, Tree Tails, Salome, Latin Howel and Run Baby Run (Houston Astrodome, Texas). He was playwright/director of Waiting for Gordo (an adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s play) and Ambassador of Music for the 2008 Jazz at Lincoln Center: Rhythm Road.

Steven Sapp is a founding member of UNIVERSES. Credits include The Denver Project (Curious Theatre), One Shot in Lotus Position (The War Anthology, Curious Theatre), Blue Suite, and the UNIVERSES shows Rhythmicity (2003 Humana Festival) and Slanguage (New York Theatre Workshop). As a director he has staged The Ride (playwright/actor/director), The Architecture of Loss (assistant director to Chay Yew), Will Powers’ The Seven (University of Iowa) and Alfred Jarry's UBU:Enchained (Teatre Polski in Poland).

***

The Hard Weather Boating Party
by Naomi Wallace
directed by Jo Bonney
commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville

Three men, almost strangers, meet in a hotel room to plan an ugly crime against a powerful adversary. Inspired by research on Louisville's Rubbertown neighborhood, Wallace’s play explores the struggle between industrial greed and growth, and the health of the community.

Naomi Wallace's work has been produced in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. She received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Kesselring Prize, Fellowship of Southern Writers Drama Award and an Obie Award. Ms. Wallace was also a recipient of the MacArthur Fellows Program Award.

***

COMIC ANTHOLOGY
BRINK!
by Lydia Diamond, Kristoffer Diaz, Greg Kotis, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and Deborah Stein
directed by Sean Daniels
performed by the 2008-2009 Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Company
commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville

From first date to marriage, birth to death, and hiring to firing, six fabulous and funny playwrights join forces with our twenty-two Acting Apprentices to explore rites of passage.

Lydia Diamond's plays include Stick Fly, Voyeurs de Venus, The Bluest Eye, The Gift Horse and Harriet Jacobs. Producing theatres include The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, McCarter Theatre Center, PlayMakers Repertory Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Congo Square, MPAACT, True Colors Theatre Company and Company One. Ms. Diamond is on the faculty at Boston University and is a 2006-2007 Huntington Playwriting Fellow.

Kristoffer Diaz lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y. His plays include Welcome to Arroyo’s, Guernica, The Trophy Thieves: A High School Love Story and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (which just won the National Latino Playwriting Award). Other awards include a Van Lier Fellowship (New Dramatists) and Donmar Warehouse Playwright Residency.

Greg Kotis wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics for Urinetown (the Musical). New projects include The Truth About Santa (an apocalyptic Christmas tale), opening this December in New York, and the rock musical Yeast Nation: The Triumph of Life opening this coming spring at American Theater Company in Chicago.

Deborah Zoe Laufer's plays End Days, The Last Schwartz and The Gulf of Westchester premiered at Florida Stage and have received numerous productions around the country. Out of Sterno is currently receiving its world premiere at Portland Stage in Maine. Other plays include Fortune, Random Acts and Miniatures. Ms. Laufer is a Juilliard graduate.

Peter Sinn Nachtrieb is a San Francisco-based playwright whose works include boom, Hunter Gatherers and Colorado. Hunter Gatherers received both the ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award and the Will Glickman Prize (2007). In 2008, boom was produced at Ars Nova, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Seattle Repertory Theatre. His newest play, T.I.C., premieres with Encore Theatre Company in 2009.

Deborah Stein's work has been seen in New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco and Edinburgh. She was twice nominated for the Barrymore Award for her collaborations with Pig Iron Theatre Company, is a two-time Jerome Fellow at The Playwrights’ Center, and is a member of New Dramatists. Ms. Stein holds an M.F.A. from Brown University and her upcoming works include Wallflower (Stages Repertory Theatre) and God Save Gertrude (The Theatre @ Boston Court).

FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES
Programming for the 2009 Humana Festival has been expanded to include more social and enrichment opportunities for patrons, industry professionals and Louisville at large in celebration of American theatre and the community. Below is a listing of all Humana Festival events. Events are open to the public unless otherwise noted. Reservations or tickets may be required, contact the Actors Theatre box office in January 2009 for more details.

Parties and Events
# March 5 at 7:30 p.m. — 33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays Opening Party and Kick-off Celebration
# March 5 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 12 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 12 after 7:30 p.m. performance — Korbel Champagne Toast after Absalom performance
# March 14 — Community Arts Town Hall
# March 14 at 10:30 p.m. — The Late Seating at Actors: Louisville's Humana Festival Party
# March 19 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 20 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. — College Days Welcome Reception and Meet the Creative Team
(with College Days tickets)
# March 20 from 9:45 to 10:30 p.m. — College Days Mixer Party (with College Days tickets)
# March 26 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 26 after 7:30 p.m. performance — Korbel Champagne Toast after Wild Blessings performance
# March 27 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.— New Play Getaway Welcome Reception (with New Play Getaway tickets)
# March 27 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.— New Play Getaway Welcome Reception (with New Play Getaway tickets)
# March 28 from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m —Support Women Artists Now (SWAN) reception
# March 28 from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. — Theatre Professionals Weekend Welcome Reception
(with Theatre Professionals tickets)
# April 2 from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. — Special Visitors Weekend Cocktail Parties around Louisville
(with Special Visitors tickets)
# April 3 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. — New Play Getaway Welcome Reception (with New Play Getaway tickets)
# April 4 from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. — Harold and Mimi Steinberg American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) New Play Award
# April 4 from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. — 33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays Gala

Panels and Discussions
# March 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. — "Auditioning for a Living" with Associate Director Zan Sawyer-Dailey
(with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m — "Journey to the Center of Theatre Management"
with Marketing, Development and General Management staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m — "Discovering the Ten-Minute Play Within" with the Literary staff
(with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. —"Acting Up in the Classroom" with the Education staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. — "Meet the Creative Team " panel (with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. — "Now You See it, Now You Don't" set changeover/panel discussion with Production staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. - "Next Steps: Where do I go from Undergrad?" panel with recently graduated staff
(with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. — "The Secret Lives of Dramaturgs" panel with Literary staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. — "Designers Take the Stage" with Design staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 11:30 to 12: 30 p.m.— "The Art of Collaboration"
with Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein
# March 28 from 2:30 to 4 p.m — Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) meeting (not public)
# March 29 at 12:00 p.m — Theatre Professionals Panel Discussion
# April 3 — Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Casting Workshop (not public)
# April 3 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. — Special Visitors Weekend Panel Discussion (with Special Visitors tickets)
# April 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Casting Workshop II (not public)

Tours
# March 21 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. — Production Studio tours
# March 21 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. — Costume Shop tours

TICKETS
The festival plays will be presented in rotating repertory in Actors Theatre’s 637-seat Pamela Brown Auditorium, 318-seat Bingham Theatre and 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre.

Two weekends featuring festival plays are offered for industry professionals. Theatre Professionals Weekend (March 27–29) is for artistic directors, literary managers and playwrights. Special Visitors Weekend (April 3-5) is for press, producers, directors, and casting agents from stage, film and television. Guests receive a full package of plays, hotel discounts, a festival gift and guide, airport transportation and complimentary shuttle and festival concierge service. Special panel discussions will be held both weekends (see listings above under "Festival Activities"). For Theatre Professionals and Special Visitors Weekend package information, call Festival Coordinator Katherine Bilby at (502) 584-1265 ext. 3003 or kbilby@ActorsTheatre.org.

New Play Getaway ticket packages (available for weekends in March and April) are offered for theatre lovers and include discounts to multiple plays with guaranteed seating, hotel discounts and a festival guide. The College Days Package (March 20-22) is an educational and professional development experience that includes a package of plays, seminars, post-show discussions and an insider's look behind the scenes. For New Play Getaway or College Days package information, call Group Sales Manager Sarah Peters at (502) 585-1210 or GroupSales@ActorsTheatre.org.

Humana Festival single ticket prices range from $24 to $55 and will be available November 25. For information or reservations call (502) 584-1205 or 1-800-4-ATL-TIX, or visit Actors Theatre's website at www.ActorsTheatre.org.

Fat Women In Trailers!

Another of the great numbers from Doyle and Debbie. They're still playing at Nashville's Station Inn - go see them!

NEA Arts Journalism and John Lahr!

I was one of the 2006 fellows for the NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at USC Annenberg School for Communication in Los Angeles. The program is directed by the wonderful, wise and warm Sasha Anawalt.

I was with 24 other theater journalists from around the country and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them. The multitude of memorable offerings Sasha arranged for us included getting to meet and learn from Robert Brustein, a living legend among theater practitioners and chroniclers.

Any regrets? No. I'd unreservedly and enthusiastically recommend the experience to any colleague because it's personally and professionally enriching. But I will admit when I heard that John Lahr was coming the next year I wanted to jump on a plane and crash his sessions (hey, alumni privileges, right?).

Well, Sasha in her infinite wisdom knew her beloved fellows past, present and future would want to see and hear the remarkable, multi-award-winning critic/author/playwright. At the institute's web site there's a terrific video of Mr. Lahr's appearance in 2007. Click here to open the player of your choice and get inspired!

A Love Letter To Theater and Broadway

I met Leonard Jacobs when we were both critic-fellows at the 2004 National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Jacobs is the national theater editor of Back Stage and has a professional background in theater and journalism that makes for an impressive list of accomplishments.

I went on to write some articles for him as a regional correspondent. He's also one of the nicest guys I've ever met and I feel quite privileged to call him my friend.

With that back-story in mind readers would probably expect me to like Jacobs' new book, which has just been issued by Nashville's Turner Publishing Company. His coffee-table-sized tome is plainly and unpretentiously called Historic Photos of Broadway: New York Theater, 1850-1970.

Well, I don't like it. I love it!

Yes, I know as a critic I should be careful about issuing raves. In this case, though, I have no qualms about a "love letter" when Jacobs has so beautifully orchestrated one of his own to theater in general and Broadway in particular.

The pictures and text in this book reveal the Great White Way's rich history like never before while reminding us of why we love the living world of theater today. It deserves the classic "money quote": Historic Photos of Broadway is a can't-miss five-star hit!

Why? It's true that theater brings spoken words and living images to us in a way no book can. But an unbalanced chronicle of Broadway that has too many words or too many pictures keeps us from a sense of what shows we never saw were like and how shows we saw should be remembered. This volume happily avoids those extremes.

Jacobs uses thorough research, a deft writing style and selections from the extraordinary photo collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' Billy Rose Theatre Division to tell us how Broadway came to be the Broadway we know today. His compilation manages to educate and entertain at the same time.

Yes, there are pictures one might expect from such a book, such as the dust jacket cover photo of Zero Mostel in his legendary role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. That's no complaint, though, since it would be curious if such a shot were left out. But there are also pictures that are unexpected, like one with a wide-mouthed Robert Goulet who looks like he's singing during a costume check for his Broadway debut as Lancelot in Lerner and Lowe's Camelot.

Going further back there are pictures of long-forgotten stars and long-since-demolished theaters that reveal a theater world many of us sadly know little if anything about. One of my favorites is an 1894 photograph of 19th century star Richard Mansfield slumped somewhat forlornly in a chair as Captain Bluntschli in Shaw's Arms and the Man. Although we cannot hear him speak or see him move, the image gives us a glimpse into character and moment that's quite enthralling.

Mansfield doing Shaw not your cup of tea? No worries. With 240 images spanning 120 years Historic Photos of Broadway has more than enough visual options to please just about any reader.

Jacobs gives us names, dates and statistics that we require from such a chronicle. What makes his writing really matter, though, is the enthusiasm for theater he conveys throughout his section texts and captions. And he makes a sensible request in his preface about the black-and-white photographs contained in his labor of love:

"These images ask us not to judge and not to linger. They simply ask us to pay a visit, tip our hats in respect, and take the full measure of our present moment in the theater by sneaking a quick peek through that metaphorical window to the past. These images permit us to shut our eyes yet one more time and try to picture that past. They also let us celebrate our present and they ultimately demand that we press on, to welcome the future with fully open arms."

It's that positive, progressive spirit that makes this book such a joy for me. Historic Photos of Broadway is not merely a record of Broadway or theater's past. It's an inspiration for theater's present and a beacon for its future.

Bravo, Leonard! Vive Le Théâtre!