The legendary Cherry Lane Theatre - which this year will celebrate its 90th anniversary as one of the nation's most revered institutions for its commitment to producing new works for the stage - will begin its 90th season with the world-premiere of Lisa Ramirez's play TO THE BONE directed by Lisa Peterson, set to commence previews September 9 prior to an official opening night September 17 at Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St. in Greenwich Village), it has been announced by Angelina Fiordellisi, the company's Founding Artistic Director. The production runs through October 4.
Cherry Lane will celebrate its landmark 90th anniversary with a Gala event at the theater on October 6, honoring three individuals whose contributions and connections to Cherry Lane Theatre warrant the highest recognition: the Academy Award-winning, Tony-nominated actress and Cherry Lane alum, actress Estelle Parsons; along with David and Elizabeth McFadzean, leading supporters and funders of Cherry Lane Theatre for the past two decades. The Gala event will also feature appearances by Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis and Tony Award winner Judith Ivey - joined by a roster of other leading actors, to be announced - as they perform selections from plays produced at Cherry Lane Theatre since the theater first opened its doors in 1924. Ms. Parsons' history with Cherry Lane dates back to 1962 when she appeared in three plays there: MRS. DALLY HAS A LOVER, WHISPER INTO MY GOOD EAR (both by William Hanley) and THIS SIDE OF THE DOOR (by Terrence McNally).
TO THE BONE is being presented as part of the second annual Theater:Village festival, which presents a series of new plays in prominent West Village theaters based around one playwright or common theme. The participating theater companies for Theater:Village are Axis Company,
Cherry Lane Theatre, New Ohio Theatre and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and their plays are presented collectively under the title E PLURIBUS with four new plays celebrating the diversity of America.
A contemporary American drama, TO THE BONE is about Latina immigrant poultry workers in the U.S. and in the spirit of
John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN gives audiences a look inside the lives of the invisible work force that puts food on our tables. The play was inspired by interviews conducted by Ms. Ramirez during a six month period in New York State's Sullivan County. The play was originally commissioned by Working Theater,
Mark Plesent, Producing Artstic Director.
The cast for TO THE BONE features
Lisa Ramirez, Annie Henk,
Liza Fernandez, Paola Lazaro-Munoz,
Xochitl Romero, J.J. Perez,
Gerardo Rodriguez and
Haynes Thigpen. Scenic design is by
Rachel Hauck, lighting design by
Russell Champa, costume design by
Theresa Squire, sound design by Jill Du Boff.
Morgan Jenness is dramaturg, Terri Kohler is stage manager and
Theresa Von Klug is general manager.
LISA RAMIREZ's first play, EXIT CUCKOO was first presented Off Broadway by the Working Theater (
Colman Domingo-director) and subsequently toured in various theaters throughout the U.S. and Ireland. Other writing credits include; ART OF MEMORY; a dance theatre piece, commissioned by Company SoGoNo and presented at the
Ontological-Hysteric Theater and the
3-Legged Dog in New York. (Conceived and directed by Tanya Calamoneri); INVISIBLE WOMEN-RISE; a collaboration with the
Foundry Theatre and
Domestic Workers United; TO THE BONE; a Working Theater commission was a finalist for the 2011 Smith Prize, the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and the first
Ellen Stewart Award; ALL FALL DOWN was written during a residency at INTAR's 2011/12 Maria Irene Fornés Hispanic Playwrights in Residency Lab. In 2013 Lisa was part of Mentor Project's 15th anniversary season at the
Cherry Lane Theatre where she wrote and performed her new solo-show; PAS DE DEUX (lost my shoe) (
Cynthia Hopkins- mentor and Bryan Davidson Blue- director).
Lisa Peterson's recent NY directing credits include AN ILIAD, written by Denis O'Hare; SHIPWRECKED by
Donald Margulies; SLAVS! By
Tony Kushner; COLLECTED STORIES, THE MODEL APARTMENT at
Primary Stages; and SUENO by Jose Rivera. Ms. Peterson has previously directed two productions with
Cherry Lane Theatre's award-winning Mentor Project program.
It has also been announced that for the second consecutive year,
Cherry Lane Theatre has been nominated for the 50/50 Applause Award, presented by the International Centre for Women Playwrights, recognizing theatres that have successfully created seasons that produce female playwrights at least 50% of the time. Winners will be revealed in September.
In 2013,
Cherry Lane Theatre was one of 29 international theatres to receive the 50/50 Applause Award, and has been nominated again this year for the past year's work which included four new plays by women playwrights as part of the Mentor Project, Cherry Lane's award-winning program that annually pairs an emerging writer with an experienced playwright for a season of dramaturgy, casting, rehearsal and a fully-staged professional production.
Cherry Lane Theatre is one of the most renowned theaters in the country, having produced a large succession of plays by nascent writers whose names have lent distinction to the American and international literary and dramatic treasuries dating back to the 20s:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Auden,
Gertrude Stein, Beckett, Albee, Pinter and many more. In 1996
Angelina Fiordellisi revived Cherry Lane, preserved the building and detailed history, and founded the producing company
Cherry Lane Alternative, creating a number of programs to launch the next generation of American playwrights.
Angelina Fiordellisi is Founding Artistic Director of
Cherry Lane Theatre; Seri Lawrence is Literary Manager and
Janio Marrero is Facility Director.
For Gala tickets contact Jaime Norwood at
jnorwood@cherrylanetheatre.org or call
212 989 2020 ext. 26.
TO THE BONE will perform Mondays through Saturdays at 7 pm through October 4. Tickets range in price from $40 to $10. Also available for $95 are packages of tickets for all four Theater:Village plays on sale starting July 7 at
www.theatervillage.com. Tickets are also available at
www.cherrylanetheatre.org or through Ovationtix.com
866-811-4111.
