Photos: The Neighborhood Playhouse Present A Red Door Reading Of John Patrick Shanley’s PRODIGAL SON

The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre presented an invite-only Red Door Reading of Prodigal Son, the deeply personal and resonant drama by Pulitzer Prize–, Tony Award–, and Academy Award–winning writer John Patrick Shanley. Check out photos of the event.

Directed by Michael Herwitz at The Neighborhood Playhouse (340 East 54th Street).

Set at a Catholic boarding school in the 1960s, Prodigal Son centered on a brilliant, volatile teenager from the Bronx whose sharp intellect collided with his own self-destructive impulses. In this intimate and autobiographical drama, Shanley explored mentorship, alienation, faith, and the struggle to claim one’s future, tracing foundational experiences that shaped him as an artist.

The play premiered Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2016, directed by Shanley, and featured Timothée Chalamet in a breakout performance alongside Robert Sean Leonard. The production earned multiple award nominations and is widely regarded as one of Shanley’s most personal works.

The cast featured Matt McCoy (NP 1979; The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, L.A. Confidential), Stephanie Courtney (NP 1994; “Flo,” Mad Men, Blades of Glory), Noah Denver (NP 2023; Fellow Travelers), Gideon Klapow (NP 2026; Dinosaurs and Bumblebees) and Jack Berenholtz (Law & Order: SVU).

Since its founding in 1928 by philanthropists Alice and Irene Lewisohn, The Neighborhood Playhouse—home of the Meisner Technique—has shaped generations of artists, including Gregory Peck, Joanne Woodward, Robert Duvall, Steve McQueen, Tony Randall, Eli Wallach, June Carter Cash, Jessica Walter, Carol Channing, Marian Seldes, James Caan, and, among living legends, Lee Grant, Mary Steenburgen, Jeff Goldblum, Allison Janney, and Christopher Lloyd. Alumni also include Connie Britton, Matt McCoy, Sherie René Scott, Christopher Meloni, Ashlie Atkinson, Joel Grey, Jennifer Grey, Amanda Plummer, and rising stars such as Sky Lakota-Lynch (The Outsiders), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Hamilton), Ian Duff, Mackenzie Davis, Brian Geraghty, Aria Shahghasemi, and Mariana Treviño. The training also influenced the careers of artists across the industry, including “Friends” creator Marta Kauffman, “Sesame Street” puppeteer Bill Barretta, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter and producer Steven Rogers.

John Patrick Shanley (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and director whose honors include the Academy Award for Moonstruck and the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Doubt: A Parable. His work spans theatre, film, and television.

Michael Herwitz (Director) is a New York–based director, producer, and dramaturg who began his career on Broadway as a child actor and later co-founded G45 Productions. His directing credits include the critically acclaimed JOB by Max Wolf Friedlich, which transferred from Off-Broadway to Broadway.

The Neighborhood Playhouse’s Red Door Readings brought together alumni, students, and friends of the school for evenings of theatre, conversation, and community, celebrating the enduring legacy and creative spirit of the Playhouse.

Photo Credit: Trisha Baron