The American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio proudly present an interview with Judith Ivey on their weekly theatrical interview show, "Downstage Center," on XM's On Broadway (XM Channel 28).

Ivey will appear as the special guest on Friday, April 13 at 6 p.m. The show will repeat on Saturday, April 14 at noon, Sunday, April 15 at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, April 18 at midnight.   The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from www.americantheatrewing.org beginning Monday afternoon, April 16.

 

Two-time Tony Award-winning actress Judith Ivey talks about her transition to directing; why she was drawn to direct Lee Thuna's Fugue at the Cherry Lane Theatre rather than play the leading role; what she's learned from directors she's worked with, including Mike Nichols and Daniel Sullivan; why she moved from Chicago to New York in order to get better roles in Chicago -- only to find great success in New York once casting directors realized she wasn't British; her extraordinary year with Hurlyburly; and why she's willing to direct musicals, but won't ever act in them again.

 

Ivey is the recipient of Tony Awards® and Drama Desk Awards for her performances in both Steaming and Hurlyburly, the Obie Award for her performance in The Moonshot Tape, and countless others for her stage and film work. Most recently she was honored with the Sydney Kingsley-Madge Evans Award for 2004 from the Dramatists' Guild, and she has been inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame. Ivey's most recent credits as a director are Fugue at the Cherry Lane Theater and Southern Comforts at Primary Stages in NYC. Ivey has also directed for a second time, Bad Dates at the Northlight Repertory Theatre in Chicago, having directed a production a year ago at the Laguna Playhouse. Judith directed the acclaimed Steel Magnolias at the Alley Theatre, and More at the off-Broadway Union Square Theatre and the Falcon Theatre in Los Angeles, and Waiting for the Flood at ACT in San Francisco.

Other directing credits include Two for the Seesaw at the Westport Playhouse, The Go-For-It Guy at the Aspen Comedy Festival, and Soccer Moms at Fleetwood Stage. She has also been touring the United States in the one-woman show, Irene O'Garden's Women on Fire during the 2006-07 season. Some film credits include The Devil's Advocate, Washington Square, Mystery,Alaska, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Love Hurts, Harry and Son , Compromising Positions, What Alice Found, and Flags of our Fathers. Ivey starred in four television series, the most memorable being Designing Women. She was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in Hallmark's   What The Deaf Man Heard. Some other TV film credits include The Long, Hot Summer, Decoration Day, Half a Dozen Babies, and Rose Red.

 

Each new "Downstage Center" is regularly broadcast at 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays at noon, Sundays at 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at 12 a.m. (all times EST). Following the initial run on XM, each program is made available for free, on-demand, internationally as both streaming audio and podcast on ATW's Web site, www.americantheatrewing.org.  Visit www.xmradio.com for more information.