Baryshnikov, Akalaitis, Etc. Part of NYTW's '07-'08 Season

New York Theatre Workshop has announced plans for NYTW's 25th anniversary season, beginning June of this year. One of New York's leading non-profit theatre companies, NYTW celebrates its 25th anniversary by continuing its tradition of producing challenging and thought-provoking theatre by both emerging and established theatre artists, with work by writer/composer/performer Rinde Eckert, playwrights Betty Shamieh and Naomi Wallace, directors Ivo van Hove and JoAnne Akalaitis, and theatre ensemble Elevator Repair Service.

Of the 2007-2008 season, Artistic Director James C. Nicola says, "For New York Theatre Workshop's 25th anniversary, we will present the best of what we strive to do, an eclectic mix of emerging and established artists whose work in some meaningful way explores perspectives on our collective history and that responds to the events and institutions that shape our lives...And to celebrate our 25 years, there will be special events along the way, including the revival of several classic NYTW productions with a series of public readings."

Horizon, created, written and composed by Rinde Eckert and directed by David Schweizer, runs June - July 2007.  "Rinde Eckert is renowned as a writer, composer, director, singer, actor and movement artist whose Opera / New Music Theatre productions have toured the world. In Horizon, Eckert plays Reinhart Poole, an unconventional theologian and teacher of ethics at a seminary. Reinhart, who has been pressured to resign by dogmatic powers within his church, works all night on his last class, his lectures, questions, and stories. He also talks with his wife, argues with the ghost of his brother, remembers conversations, and indulges his hobby: a comic allegory about two ageless masons who've been building the same church foundation for 1750 years." 

The Black Eyed, written by Betty Shamieh and directed by Sam Gold, runs July - August 2007.  Betty Shamieh is a playwright, author, screenwriter and actor. Her newest play, The Black Eyed, depicts four Arab women from across the ages who meet in the afterlife. As these women – who include the Biblical Delilah and a secular modern Arab-American – struggle to come to terms with their lives and their choices, this shockingly funny play skewers traditional views on sex, family, and terrorism." 

A new production directed by Ivo van Hove will play September - October 2007.  "Iconoclastic director Ivo van Hove stunned NYTW audiences with his critically acclaimed 2004 production of Hedda Gabler. This season marks van Hove's fifth production with NYTW - we are very proud that Ivo can call the Workshop his American home. There are several classic texts that he is interested in exploring with New York actors, as well as some contemporary work. We never know what will emerge until just before we begin rehearsals and Hedda was no exception. With Ivo and his artistic team, we have come to expect the unexpected."

Four one-act plays written by Samuel Beckett will be presented in an evening directed by JoAnne Akalaitis; it will run December 2007 - January 2008.  "Samuel Beckett's four one-act plays, Act Without Words I and II, Eh Joe, and Rough For Theatre, are theatrical gems that five-time OBIE award-winning director JoAnne Akalaitis has encouraged NYTW to look at with her.  Following a successful workshop this past spring, Mikhail Baryshnikov will lead a cast that includes David Neumann, Karen Kandel, and Bill Camp. With this company, JoAnne's fearless imagination will evoke the physicality that the texts demand. Original music by Philip Glass."

Things of Dry Hours, written by Naomi Wallace, runs Winter 2008.  "In Depression-era Alabama, Tice Hogan, a black Sunday school teacher and Communist Party leader, lives at The Edge of trouble. When a white factory worker on the run demands sanctuary, Tice and his daughter, Cali, may just be forced to cross the line. In Things of Dry Hours, playwright Naomi Wallace's (Trestle at Pope Lick Creek at NYTW) powerful and poetic language lays bare the dangerous collision of gender, race, and ideology."

A new work by Elevator Repair Service will be presented in Spring 2008.  "Elevator Repair Service, a theatre ensemble, has been appearing on New York's downtown performance circuit since 1991. The group's work combines elements of slapstick comedy, hi-tech and lo-tech design, both literary and found text, found objects and discarded furniture, and the group's own highly developed style of choreography. New York Magazine has called ERS, "the best experimental theater group in town." Recently, the ensemble's focus has turned to literature with pieces based on the work of Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jack Kerouac. These include the Bessie Award-winning Room Tone (2002-2004), No Great Society (2007 at NYTW's 4th Street Theatre) and Gatz, the group's highly acclaimed marathon performance of The Great Gatsby. Gatz continues to tour the U.S. and Europe and will next be seen at The Vienna Festival. Continuing this exploration of American literature, ERS will now present a new work based on William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, developed during several residencies at NYTW.

Founded by Stephen Graham and now in its 25th year, New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is a leading voice in the theatre community throughout New York, across the country, and around the world.  NYTW provokes, produces, and cultivates the work of artists whose visions inspire and challenge all of us." 

Memberships for NYTW's 2007-2008 season are available by calling the NYTW Box Office at 212-460-5475, Tuesday through Saturday, 1:00pm to 6:00pm, or online at www.nytw.org.  For more information on membership, please visit www.nytw.org.

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 1:00pm to 6:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

Photo - Mikhail Baryshnikov