Guthrie's Joe Dowling Chats With NY Post Columnist Michael Riedel Tonight

The Guthrie Theater previously announced that its outgoing Director Joe Dowling, the longest tenured artistic director in Guthrie history, will appear for an In Conversation moderated by New York Post theater columnist Michael Riedel tonight, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. on the Wurtele Thrust Stage.

Tickets are $15 (or complimentary for Guthrie season ticket holders and donors) and will be on sale beginning Wednesday, March 18 through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

With his leadership coming to a close on June 30, Dowling sits down with Riedel for a parting glance at his career as the Guthrie's leader. While most In Conversation events have been moderated by Dowling, this time the spotlight will be focused on him for a one-on-one conversation spanning his early years at the Guthrie to his current directorial work on this season's A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Crucible and Juno and the Paycock, the production that brings his U.S. directorial career full circle. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

The Guthrie's highly regarded In Conversation series has offered the public an opportunity to hear from playwrights, artists and cultural leaders since 2001. In Conversation topics are directly tied to current or upcoming work on the Guthrie stage. Past speakers have included Patrick Stewart, Frank Rich, Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Neil Simon, Harriet Harris, and David Hyde Pierce.

Since he became the Guthrie's artistic director in 1995, Joe Dowling has directed nearly 50 productions and has cultivated relationships with an extensive roster of esteemed artists including Angela Bassett, David Esbjornson, John Guare, T.R. Knight, Ethan McSweeny, Arthur Miller, Marsha Norman, Lisa Peterson, Mark Rylance and Courtney Vance, among others. As a result of his extraordinary vision and fortitude, the Guthrie built its three-theater complex on the banks of the Mississippi River, a facility which has allowed the Guthrie to broaden its repertoire and provide audiences with a range of productions year-round, serving approximately 400,000 patrons each year. One of Dowling's objectives for the new Guthrie was realized with two theaterwide playwright celebrations - Tony Kushner in 2009 and Christopher Hampton in 2012 - for which all three stages and public spaces were devoted to the works of the playwrights, including two Guthrie-commissioned plays.

In addition to his work on stage, Dowling's tenure will be remembered for its emphasis on actor training, with the creation of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program (over 180 graduates), A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training (more than 200 participants), and a seven-year partnership with The Acting Company of New York, affording young actors an opportunity to perform classics on tour throughout the country. Additionally, in 2001 Dowling developed the well-regarded WorldStage Series, a program that invites internationally distinguished theater companies and artists to perform on Guthrie stages. More than a dozen companies have presented their work on Guthrie stages, including the Royal Shakespeare Company with Sir Ian McKellen in King Lear, Kneehigh Theatre with Brief Encounter and Tristan & Yseult under the direction of Emma Rice, and Druid Theatre Company with its production of DruidSynge directed by Garry Hynes. Additionally, Dowling fulfilled his personal and professional commitment to the Twin Cities arts community by hosting more than 33 local companies in the Dowling Studio, a 200-seat black box theater he envisioned for productions, presentations and workshops that would showcase the work of both emerging and established organizations.

Michael Riedel is the theater columnist for The New York Post and co-host of the nationally syndicated PBS television show "Theater Talk." He is a panelist on the weekly Hollywood & Vine segment of "Imus in the Morning" and is a frequent guest on "The Mark Simone Show" and "The Mike Gallagher Show." His first book - Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway - will be published in the fall by Simon & Schuster. He graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in history.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy