Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that David Garrison will complete the cast of Lynn Nottage's new play, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK. This world premiere comedy will also feature the previously announced Stephanie J. Block, Daniel Breaker, KIMBERLY HÉBERT GREGORY, Kevin Isola, Sanaa Lathan, and Karen Olivo. Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009.
The production will begin preview performances on April 6, 2011 and officially open on May 9, 2011 at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater (305 West 43rd street).
David Garrison has appeared on Broadway in A Day in Hollywood/A Nicht in the Ukraine (Tony Nomination), Wicked (Carbonell Award), Titanic, Torch Song Trilogy, The Pirates of Penzance, Bells Are Ringing. Off-Broadway: Middletown, New Jerusalem, I Do! IDo! (Drama Desk nomination), The Torch Bearers, Geniuses, It's Only a Play. Television: "The West Wing," "Law and Order," "The Practice," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "NYPD Blue," "Murphy Brown," "Murder She Wrote," "LA Law," Steve Rhoades on "Married With Children." David's voice is currently playing on Broadway as the radio announcer in That Championship Season.
In a new comedy from the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of Ruined, Lynn Nottage draws upon the screwball films of the 1930's to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood. BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is a seventy year journey through the life of Vera Stark (Lathan), a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star (Stephanie J. Block) desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When circumstances collide and both women land roles in the same Southern epic, the story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy scholars will debate for years to come.
BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, costume design by ESosa and original music & sound design by John Gromada.
BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK will be performed through May 22 on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm.
The following exceptions will be made to the regular performance schedule:
Wednesday, April 6 - no 2pm performance Sunday, April 10 - 2pm and 7pm performances Wednesday, April 13 - no 2pm performance Sunday, April 17 - 2pm and 7pm performances Monday, May 9 - 6:30pm performance (opening night) Tuesday, May 10 - no performance
All evening performances Tuesday - Friday the week of May 2nd will begin at 7pm.
Tickets are $75 and may be purchased by phoning 212-246-4422 or 800-766-6048 or online at www.2ST.com.
$30 UNDER 30 YOUTH ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE - patrons age 30 and under may purchase a limited number of specially-priced $30 tickets in advance. Proof of age must be shown at the box office.
A limited number of student rush tickets are $18 and are available one hour prior to curtain.
Group tickets are available by phoning 212-246-4422.
Box-office hours are Monday, 10:00am - 6:00pm, Tuesday 10:00am - 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday, 10:00am to 3:00pm.
The company's more than 130 citations include the 2010 Pulitzer prize for next to normal, the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for next to normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 26 Obie Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 12 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 11 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 15 AUDELCO Awards.
In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened The Tony Kiser Theatre, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched "Second Stage Theatre Uptown" series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.
Second Stage Theatre has acquired the right to purchase the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. Second Stage will also become one of only four non-profit theatre companies that own and operate theatres on Broadway. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city's Upper West Side and The Tony Kiser Theatre in Midtown Manhattan.
