NYTW Presents 'Beckett Shorts' 4 One-Act Plays, Begins 12/5

New York Theatre Workshop announced that Beckett Shorts, an evening of four one-act plays written by Samuel Beckett and directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, will begin performances Wednesday, December 5 at 8PM at New York Theatre Workshop (79 East 4th Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery). Opening night is scheduled for Sunday, December 16 at 7PM.

Five-time OBIE award winning director JoAnne Akalaitis joins with Mikhail Baryshnikov and composer Philip Glass to bring four of Samuel Beckett's one-act plays – Act Without Words I, Act Without Words II, Eh Joe and Rough For Theatre I – to NYTW as Beckett Shorts.  After a successful workshop this past spring, Akalaitis invited Bill Camp (currently Alcaste in The Misanthrope at NYTW), Karen Kandel, and David Neumann to work with her and Baryshnikov on these funny and fiercely physical plays.

Samuel Beckett's work includes the plays Waiting for Godot, Endgame, Happy Days, Krapp's Last Tape, Play, as well as numerous novels, short plays, and plays for television and radio.  He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

The cast of Beckett Shorts is Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bill Camp, Karen Kandel, and David Neumann.

Internationally renowned sculptor and architect Alexander Brodsky joins the creative team for Beckett Shorts in his first theatrical effort as set designer.  The creative team also includes costume design by Kaye Voyce; lighting design by Jennifer Tipton; video design by Mirit Tal; original music by Philip Glass; and production stage management by Anthony Cerrato.

Beckett Shorts plays at New York Theatre Workshop (79 East 4th Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery).

The regular performance schedule is Tuesday at 7PM, Wednesday through Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 3PM & 8PM, and Sunday at 2PM & 7PM.  Beckett Shorts runs through Sunday, January 20.  Tickets are $65 and may be purchased online at www.telecharge.com, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or by phoning Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200.  For exact dates and times of performance, call Telecharge.com.  Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 2.

Maintaining its commitment to making theatre accessible to all theatergoers, NYTW continues its CheapTix program in which all tickets for all Sunday evening performances will cost $20. Tickets may be purchased in advance, payable in cash only, and are available in person only at the NYTW Box Office. And for all performances, student tickets cost $20, based on availability, and can be purchased in advance from the NYTW Box Office with valid student identification. The NYTW Box Office is open 1PM-6PM, Tuesday through Saturday.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW), now celebrating its 25th season, is a leading voice in the world of Off-Broadway and within the theatre community in New York and around the world. NYTW has emerged as a premiere incubator of important new theatre, honoring its mission to explore perspectives on our collective history and respond to the events and institutions that shape our lives. In addition, NYTW is known for its innovative adaptations of classic repertory. Each season, from its home in New York's East Village neighborhood, NYTW presents five to seven new productions, over 80 readings, and numerous workshop productions, for over 60,000 audience members. NYTW supports artists in all stages of their careers by maintaining a series of workshop programs including work-in-progress readings, summer residencies, and minority artist fellowships. In 1991, NYTW received an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement and in 2000 was designated to be part of the Leading National Theatres Program by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. New York Theatre Workshop thanks The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its generous support of our international collaborations. Additional support for this production has been provided by The Tony Randall Theatrical Fund, The Laura Pels Foundation, and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.