CUNY TV Showcases 'Featured Actors' with Franz, Houdyshell

The American Theatre Wing's "Working in the Theatre" will  showcase "Featured Actors" on CUNY TV on Sunday, January 20 at 5 p.m. The program will repeat on Friday, January 25 at 9 a.m., 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, January 26 at 11 a.m.  The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from www.americantheatrewing.org beginning Wednesday, January 23.

Actors Helen Carey, Elizabeth Franz, Jayne Houdyshell and Zeljko Ivanek will discuss their roles as featured performers, the range of work available to them, how they become their characters, dealing with stage fright and forgetting their lines, the audition process, performing in regional theater and how they prepare for each evening's performance.  Pia Lindström moderates.

Helen Carey was nominated for a Tony Award in 1997 for London Assurance and most recently played Mrs. Higgins in Pygmalion at Roundabout, where she also appeared in Hotel Suite and Give Me Your Answer Do!.  She has been seen in major roles at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC, Arena Stage and The Guthrie, among many others.

Elizabeth Franz won a Tony Award in 1999 for her performance in Death of a Salesman. Franz was also nominated for Tony Awards in 1983 for Best Featured Actress in Brighton Beach Memoirs, and again in 2002 for Morning's at Seven. Her other Broadway appearances include The Cherry Orchard, The Octette Bridge Club, Broadway Bound, Getting Married, and Uncle Vanya. She created the title role in Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and appeared Off-Broadway this season in The Piano Teacher.

Jayne Houdyshell made her Broadway debut and received a Tony nomination in the play Well, which she had previously appeared in at The Public Theatre and the American Conservatory Theatre.   Her other appearances include Wicked on Broadway, The Pain and The Itch at Playwrights Horizons and Steppenwolf, The Clean House at The Wilma Theatre and The Receptionist at Manhattan Theatre Club.

Zeljko Ivanek received a Tony nomination for his performance in the revival of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.  His many Broadway appearances include The Pillowman, Two Shakespearean Actors, and Brighton Beach Memoirs and he appeared Off-Broadway in Cloud 9 and created the title role in Master Harold... and the boys at Yale Rep.

The ATW "Working in the Theatre" panels bring together theatre's best-known performers, producers, playwrights, directors, choreographers, composers, agents and others for peer-to-peer conversation about the art, the craft and the business of theatre.