Lynne Meadow This Weekend's Guest on XM's 'Downstage Center'

The American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio proudly present an interview with Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, on their weekly theatrical interview show, “Downstage Center,” on XM’s On Broadway (XM Channel 28).

Meadow will appear as the special guest on Friday, October 3 at 6 p.m. The show will repeat on Saturday, October 4 at noon, Sunday, October 5 at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, October 8 at midnight (all times eastern; transmission is simultaneous across the country).  The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from www.americantheatrewing.org and iTunes beginning Monday afternoon, October 6.

Just after returning from a year-long sabbatical, Manhattan Theatre Club artistic director Lynne Meadow talks about what she did and didn't do during her hiatus and explains how she shared planning for last season and the coming year with interim artistic director Daniel Sullivan.  She also recalls her childhood as a stage struck youth in New Haven, including her performance in a new Maltby & Shire musical when she was only 12 years old; her struggle to be accepted into the directing program at the Yale School of Drama; her first experience at the Manhattan Theatre Club and how she came to be named its artistic director; the play she couldn't get the rights to until Joseph Papp agreed to co-produce with MTC; the impact of MTC's successive venues (East 73rd Street, City Center and Broadway's Friedman Theatre) on the company's repertoire; and the company's long history with playwright Terrence McNally and the controversy that surrounded the late 90’s production of CORPUS CHRISTI.

Lynne Meadow has been responsible for directing and producing more than 400 New York and world premieres for Manhattan Theatre Club since 1972. She most recently directed Charles Busch’s Our Leading Lady at MTC. Her directing credits also include David Greig’s The American Pilot, Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (Broadway, MTC, U.S. national tour), Leslie Ayvazian’s Nine Armenians (Drama Desk nomination, Best Director), Donald Margulies’ The Loman Family Picnic, Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind (Drama Desk nomination, Best Director), the Broadway production of A Small Family Business, David Rudkin’s Ashes (Obie Award), and Ron Hutchinson’s Moonlight and Magnolias (MTC, ALLIANCE THEATRE). Meadow’s NY premieres includes plays by Marsha Norman, Simon Gray, Lee Blessing, Sybille Pearson and Israel Horowitz as well as productions for the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Spoleto Festival and the O’Neill Theatre Center. Under her artistic leadership, MTC has been honored with every prestigious theatre award including multiple Tony® Awards, Drama Desk Awards and Pulitzer Prizes. She attended the Yale School of Drama and Bryn Mawr College, where she served on the Board of Trustees. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Lee Reynolds Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Manhattan Award from Manhattan magazine, the Person of the Year from The National Theatre Conference and the Margo Jones Award. She has taught at Circle in the Square Theatre School, Stony Brook University, Yale University, Fordham University and New York University. In 2003, Ms. Meadow received the Mr. Abbott Award for lifetime achievement.

 Each new “Downstage Center” is regularly broadcast at 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays at noon, Sundays at 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at 12 a.m. (all times EST). Following the initial run on XM, each program is made available for free, on-demand, internationally as both streaming audio and podcast on ATW’s Web site, www.americantheatrewing.org.

About The American Theatre Wing

The American Theatre Wing is best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League.  The Wing’s other activities, dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, include “Working in the Theatre,” now in its 30th year of telecasts on CUNY TV in New York and on other national cable outlets; "Downstage Center," an hour-long weekly interview program on XM Satellite Radio; “Guides to Careers in the Theatre,” a video series developed for schools and libraries; a grants and scholarship program to New York City schools and not-for-profit theatre companies, which has granted nearly $3 million since its inception; the Theatre Intern Group, a career development program for young professionals; and SpringboardNYC, a two-week college-to-career boot camp for young performers moving to NYC; and the Jonathan Larson®  Grants, recognizing and supporting emerging writers of musical theatre. Visitors to www.americantheatrewing.org can view or download an archive of “Working in the Theatre” and the career guides and listen to “Downstage Center”, all as free, on-demand streaming audio and podcast. Theodore S. Chapin is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Theatre Wing and Howard Sherman is Executive Director