Culture Project to Name Theatre After Lynn Redgrave

Culture Project will rename their mainstage theatre, currently known as 45 Bleecker Street, the Lynn Redgrave Theatre this June. The announcement was made onstage by Mr. Buchman during the opening night curtain call for Culture Project's current production of Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto. A naming ceremony and commemorative gala in honor of the late Ms. Redgrave will take place on Monday, June 3, 2013 at Stage 48 (605 West 48th Street, New York City). Honorary Chairs for the evening are Vanessa Redgrave, Liam Neeson, and Ms. Redgrave's three children Annabel Clark, Ben Clark, and Pema Clark.

"To be entrusted with the preservation of even a small portion of Lynn's legacy is a glorious honor," enthused Mr. Buchman. "We hope to infuse her passions in the area of playwriting, education, and the joy of acting into all of our endeavors. Certainly, the Redgrave name in theater exemplifies the highest commitment to the theatrical arts in conjunction with a bold advocacy to human rights and social justice that is the defining purpose of Culture Project."

Lynn Redgrave's association with Culture Project extends back several years. Ms. Redgrave appeared in the original run of Culture Project's The Exonerated as Sonia "Sunny" Jacobs. In addition, Culture Project was instrumental to the development of Ms. Redgrave's third play, Nightingale, presenting a number of developmental public readings of the play. Ms. Redgrave was last seen on the Culture Project stage in 2007 with her sister Vanessa and brother Corin in A Question of Impeachment, a series of evenings exploring the case for the impeachment of former President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Lynn Redgrave was born in London into a family of actors and enjoyed a remarkable career on stage, screen, and beyond spanning four decades. She was nominated for 3 Tony Awards, 2 Oscars, 2 Emmys, a Grammy and most recently was the recipient of a 2008 New York Emmy. Film highlights include Georgy Girl (Oscar nomination, Golden Globe, New York Film Critics awards), Gods and Monsters (1999 Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award, Oscar nomination), Shine (BAFTA and SAG nominations), and Kinsey. She was a founding member of The Royal National Theatre and was the author of four plays, Shakespeare For My Father (which examines her relationship with Sir Michael Redgrave), The Mandrake Root (loosely based on her mother, the actress Rachel Kempson), and Nightingale (a fictional meditation on the life of her maternal grandmother, Beatrice Kempson, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Solo Performance), which enjoyed its New York premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2009. She performed her last work, Rachel and Juliet, at Tucson, Arizona's Invisible Theatre and Washington, D.C.'s Folger Theatre. She also appeared Off Broadway in MCC Theater's Grace, under the direction of Joseph Hardy. She wrote the text for Journal, A Mother and Daughter's Recovery From Breast Cancer, featuring photographs by her daughter, Annabel Clark, currently in its third printing from Umbrage Editions. Recent film credits include The Jane Austen Book Club and the final Merchant / Ivory production, The White Countess, acting alongside sister Vanessa and her niece, the late Natasha Richardson. Recent television credits include ABC's "Desperate Housewives," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and with America Ferrera in "Ugly Betty." She can be heard as the voice of Nanny in the animated film series of Me, Eloise and in the animated feature My Dog Tulip, which was an official selection of the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. She was a prolific "voice on tape" and her last audio book release was Roald Dahl's The Witches, for which she received a Grammy nomination. Ms. Redgrave was inducted into the Theater Hall in January, 2009. Lynn Redgrave (67) passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at her home in Connecticut.

Culture Project is dedicated to addressing critical human rights issues by shining an artistic spotlight on injustice. By fostering innovative collaboration between human rights organizations and artists, they aim to inspire and impact public dialogue, encouraging democratic participation in the most urgent matters of our time. Founded by Allan Buchman in 1996, Culture Project has premiered celebrated shows including The Exonerated, Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel, Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, Lawrence Wright's My Trip To Al-Qaeda, Tings Dey Happen, the Lucille Lortel Award-winning world premiere of George Packer's Betrayed, and Temple University's acclaimed production of In Conflict. Culture Project also produced "Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum", a groundbreaking concert at the United Nations to commemorate the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Recently, Culture Project presented James X, directed by Gabriel Byrne and the revival of Rinde Eckert's acclaimed And God Created Great Whales, along with the 15th anniversary remount of The Exonerated. In 2012, Culture Project celebrated its return to the theaters at 45 Bleecker Street.