Juilliard School's Drama Division Announces its 2010-2011 Season

Juilliard's Drama Division presents a series of fully-staged productions during the 2010-2011 season featuring students in their fourth and final year of acting training at Juilliard. This season's plays include Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Israel Hicks, October 20-24; David Auburn's Proof, directed by Harris Yulin, November 11-15; and Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Richard Feldman, December 9-13. Led by James Houghton, Richard Rodgers Director of Drama, the Division also presents two Shakespeare plays in repertory next spring, performed by its 3rd year actors, on a modern designed version of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The Drama Division also showcases the graduating actors in presentations on both coasts. This season, the Drama Division presents 4th year repertory during the month of February 2011, which cycles three additional plays in rotation. Those plays are: David Mamet's Boston Marriage, directed by Lucie Tiberghien; Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park, directed by Stephen McKinley Henderson; and a Shakespeare play (to be announced), directed by Rebecca Guy.

The 2010-2011 season opens with Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Israel Hicks, on Wednesday, October 20; Thursday, October 21, and Friday, October 22, at 8 PM; Saturday, October 23 at 2 and 8 PM; and Sunday, October 24 at 7 PM. This groundbreaking 1959 play tells the story of a South Side Chicago family's friction while reaching for the American dream. A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway. The play ran for 530 performances and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.

Israel Hicks (director) returns to The Juilliard School this season after directing August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone in 2007. Mr. Hicks studied at Boston University and received his graduate degree from New York University. A longtime director at the Denver Center Theatre Company, his credits include A Streetcar Named Desire, Romeo and Juliet, Fences, The Piano Lesson, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Home. Mr. Hicks is now artistic director of Ebony Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles, as well as the artistic director and chairman of the theater arts program at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts.

The season continues with the 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof by David Auburn, directed by Harris Yulin, on Thursday, November 11 and Friday, November 12 at 8 PM; Saturday, November 13 at 2 and 8 PM; Sunday, November 14 at 7 PM; and Monday, November 15 at 8 PM. On the eve of her 25th birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant, but unstable father, a famous mathematician.

Following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions. Proof won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and playwright David Auburn is an alumnus of Juilliard's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program (1994-1995).

Harris Yulin (director) is an acclaimed actor with extensive credits in theater, film, and television. Mr. Yulin made his 1963 off-Broadway acting debut in Next Time I'll Sing for You. His movie work includes the roles of Wild Bill Hickok in the 1971 revisionist Western Doc, Bernstein in the 1983 remake of Scarface, and King Edward in 1996's Looking for Richard, a contemporary spin on Shakespeare's Richard III. Mr. Yulin (who also is a frequent master class teacher for the 3rd year drama students at The Juilliard School) returns this year after directing Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale in 2007.

Juilliard faculty member Richard Feldman directs Anton Chekhov's classic work, The Seagull, on Thursday, December 9 and Friday, December 10 at 8 PM; Saturday, December 11 at 2 and 8 PM; Sunday, December 12 at 7 PM; and Monday, December 13 at 8 PM. Anton Chekhov's The Seagull is set in the late 19th-century amidst a world on the brink of change. The play explores life's fulfillments and disappointments, the twisted path of love, and the power of art.

Richard Feldman (director), a distinguished member of the Juilliard Acting Faculty since 1987, has directed over 70 plays, including the New York premiere of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. Mr. Feldman grew up in the Bronx and received his bachelor of arts degree from Yale University and attended the American Conservatory Theater for his graduate studies in acting. Other Juilliard credits include Pete Earley's The Hot House, Brian Friel's Translations, and
Frank McGuinness' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me.

Juilliard's Drama Division presents 4th year repertory from February 9-20, 2011 featuring two additional plays, plus the Shakespeare (to be announced): American playwright and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Mamet's Boston Marriage, directed by Lucie Tiberghien, about the conflicts, compromises and reconciliations that arise in the many facets of female relationships; and writer and actor Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park, directed by Juilliard alumnus Stephen McKinley Henderson, about white flight and gentrification. Mr. Henderson, who makes his Juilliard directorial debut this year, is a graduate of Juilliard (Group 1). Known for his interpretations of August Wilson characters, he recently was nominated for a Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Jim Bono in the Broadway revival of Wilson's Fences. These three plays - Mamet's Boston Marriage, Norris' Clybourne Park, and the Shakespeare play - will run in rotation during the month of February. (More details to be announced later in the season. Directors' bios follow at the end of this press release.)

Juilliard fourth-year actors (Group 40) appearing in these productions include: Danielle Brooks, Jorge Chacon, Caitlin Harrity, Corey Antonio Hawkins, Mark Junek, Joaquina Kalukango, Thor Kristjansson, Justing Lupe-Schomp, Jo Mei, Aaron Moten, Tyrien Obahnjoko, Ryan O'Byrne, Gayle Rankin, Cameron Scoggins,
Auden Thornton, Evan Todd, and Katie Tuminelly.

While Juilliard Drama Division performances aren't open for reviews, we invite you to enjoy these productions featuring the next generation of American actors. All productions take place in the Stephanie P. McClelland Drama Theater, located at 155 West 65th Street on the 4th Floor of Juilliard, and are open to the public.

FREE tickets will be available to the public for each production, two weeks prior to the opening date of each show and a wait list for each performance will begin one hour prior to the start of the show. For more information, call the Juilliard Box Office at (212) 769-7406 or visit the Web site at www.juilliard.edu.

Juilliard's Drama Division, co-founded in 1968 by John Houseman and Michel St. Denis, is an intensive four-year conservatory program. In its 40-plus year history, the Drama Division has developed the talents of some of our most distinguished artists of stage and screen; they work across the country and internationally, acting, directing, writing, and teaching. Under the current leadership of Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division, James Houghton, the Juilliard Drama Division continues to uphold the best traditions of classical training and repertory while making the creation of new work one of the cornerstones of the program.

The Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program, created in 1993, has been led by Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang since 1994. Other esteemed playwrights who have led Juilliard's up-and-coming writers include John Guare and Terrence McNally, who co-created the program with Drama Division director Michael Kahn, as well as Jon Robin Baitz and Romulus Linney. Now in its 15th season, the program allows up to eight playwrights each season to focus on the practical aspects of dramatic writing, while at the same time they are encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of resources within Juilliard's walls. Among Juillliard's playwright alumni are 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winner David Auburn, 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire, Stephen Belber, Julia Cho, Katori Hall, Julia Jordan, Noah Haidle, and Adam Rapp, recipient of the Benjamin H. Danks Award in Drama from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

JUILLIARD DRAMA DIVISION
2010-2011 SEASON

A RAISIN IN THE SUN
By Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Israel Hicks

Wednesday, October 20 (8 PM), Thursday, October 21 (8 PM), Friday, October 22 (8 PM), Saturday, October 23
(2 and 8 PM), and Sunday, October 24 (7 PM)

When a working class African-American family's patriarch dies, the Youngers struggle to agree on how to spend their $10,000 insurance benefit. While the mother, Lena, wants to use the money to buy a house (in a white neighborhood), her son Walter Lee wants to invest in a new business (a liquor store), and her daughter, Beneatha, aspires to use the money to go to medical school. Their conflicting desires mark the family's pursuit of the American dream while attempting to overcome the tide of racism that has kept them trapped for decades. Considered an American classic, A Raisin in the Sun has been one of the most produced plays since its debut in 1959. When it premiered - at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement and years before the modern Women's Movement -- it was the first play written by an African-American woman to appear on Broadway.

PROOF
By David Auburn
Directed by Harris Yulin

Thursday, November 11 ( 8 PM), Friday, November 12 (8 PM), Saturday, November 13 (2 and 8 PM), Sunday, November 14 (7 PM), and Monday, November 15 (8 PM)

Proof, written by Juilliard Playwriting Alumnus, David Auburn, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001. The story centers on the relationship between Catherine and her deceased father, Robert. Robert, an esteemed mathematician and professor, suffered a lengthy mental illness during which his daughter, Catherine, a mathematician in her own right, left school to care for him. Since Robert's death, Catherine has worried that, in addition to inheriting her father's love of math, she may also be suffering from the same mental illness that incapacitated him. Strife begins when Hal (a former student of her father's) comes to examine Robert's notebooks and uncovers a groundbreaking mathematical proof. Catherine claims to have written the proof and what quickly unfolds is a psychological mystery as Catherine attempts to prove that she is the true author of the monumental discovery.

THE SEAGULL
By Anton Chekhov
Directed by Richard Feldman

Thursday, December 9 (8 PM), Friday, December 10 (8 PM), Saturday, December 11 (2 and 8 PM), Sunday, December 12 (7 PM), and Monday, December 13 (8 PM)

On an estate in rural Russia at the turn of the 20th century, Anton Chekhov's The Seagull explores life's journey through the pursuit of art and love. The Seagull tells the story of a young writer, Konstantin, and his mother, Irina Arkadina, a famous actress. Konstantin is in love with a young actress, Nina, and both artists find themselves in the shadow of Arkadina and her lover, Trigorin, a well-known novelist. With numerous relationships and love triangles, The Seagull explores the fulfillments and disappointments of life. While the debut performance in 1896 was regarded as a commercial and artistic failure, today the play is considered a masterwork that has changed the shape of World Theater.

4TH YEAR REPERTORY
FEBRUARY 9-20, 2011
(Details to be announced later in the season)

CLYBOURNE PARK
By Bruce Norris
Directed by Stephen McKinley Henderson

In the late 1950s, when Russ and Bev decide to sell their home in the all white neighborhood of Clybourne Park to an African-American family, they are pressured by the neighborhood to undo the deal in an effort to keep the neighborhood segregated. In this play's second act, we fast forward 50 years to the same house-however, Clybourne Park's residents are now almost entirely all black. The neighborhood has gone through some sorrowful times, but is on the verge of a comeback. The house's new owners, Lindsey and Steve, a wealthy white couple, are intent on rebuilding the home into a mansion. In their way stand Kevin and Lena, an African-American couple fighting on behalf of the community to keep the new owners from completing their renovations. The play ends as it began, with the neighbors pitching battling over territory and legacy. This biting comedy may be considered a nod to Lorraine Hansberry, for this house is the very same one that was sold to the Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun.

Stephen McKinley Henderson (director) has worked throughout the United States in theater, television and film. Mr. Henderson's credits include August Wilson's Fences, and King Hedley II and the revival of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Dracula, Drowning Crow. He recently received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Jim Bono in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's Fences. In addition to his many acting and directorial credits, Mr. Henderson is a member of Group 1 of The Juilliard School Drama Division. He will be making his Juilliard directorial debut this year with Clybourne Park.

SHAKESPEARE play (to be announced)
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Rebecca Guy

Rebecca Guy (director) was born in Gary, Indiana. She holds a B.F.A. from the University of Evansville and a certificate from The Juilliard School's Drama Division. Ms. Guy was artistic director at the Chautauqua Conservatory Theater Company from 1988 - 2004. She also was conservatory director of the CSC Repertory Company from 1989 - 1992 and was artistic associate of The Ark Theater Company from 1982 - 1985. Her New York directing credits include Chopin in Space, Macbeth, Emerald City, Finding Donis Anne. Guest Director: Sundance Institute, Opera Theater of Rochester, Circle in the Square Theater School, Sarah Lawrence College, Yale, University of Evansville, Old Dominion University. At Juilliard her directing credits include: Othello, Macbeth, Mary Stuart, Much Ado About Nothing, Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, Getting Out, Street Scene, The Less Than Human Club, Cosi. Ms. Guy teaches acting and directing at Barnard/Columbia Theater Department and acting for Syracuse/NYC Tepper Semester. Her recent acting credits include: Carlotta in The Cherry Orchard and the teacher in Every Good Boy Deserves Favor both directed by Ethan McSweeny. Ms. Guy teaches scene study in the 2nd year and 3rd years of training and is a project director at Juilliard. She has been a faculty member of Juilliard's Drama Division since 1994.

BOSTON MARRIAGE
By David Mamet
Directed by Lucie Tiberghien

Boston Marriage, a comedy of manners by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Mamet, explores the conflicts, compromises and reconciliations that arise in the many facets of female relationships. "Boston marriage" is a phrase coined in Victorian times, defining an intimate relationship between women that may or may not include sexual expression. Mamet brings this to life as he tells the tale of Anna and Claire, two friends both consumed by their own love lives. Anna, who deals out regular verbal attacks on her maid Catherine, has become the mistress to a wealthy gentleman. Claire has found her own surprising form of love in the arms of another woman -- coincidentally, the daughter of Anna's wealthy gentleman. As the relationship between the two witty, sharp-tongued females unfolds, out trickles the truth about barely repressed desire, collapsed class
distinctions and getting exactly what you want.

Lucie Tiberghien (director) will be returning to Juilliard after directing Katori Hall's Hurt Village last year. Born and raised in Switzerland, Ms. Tiberghien was a professional dancer in Paris until she moved to New York in 1995. Since then, Ms. Tiberghien has assisted and remounted many operas with the New York City Opera, the Washington Opera, the Milwaukee Opera, and the Théâtre du Châtelet. Among the many Theater Productions she assistant directed, her most valued are the ones she did with Molière expert and ex-Comédie Française director, Jacques Lassalle. Ms. Tiberghien also directed Moliere's The Misanthrope at The Juilliard School in 2008.

ALL PERFORMANCES TAKE PLACE IN THE Stephanie P. McClelland DRAMA THEATER
The Juilliard School, 155 West 65th Street, 4th Floor, NYC
TICKET AND BOX OFFICE INFORMATION:
FREE tickets will be available to the public for each production, two weeks prior to the opening date of each show and a wait list for each performance will begin one hour prior to the start of the show. For more information, call the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office at Juilliard at (212) 769-7406 or visit the Web site at www.juilliard.edu.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.