Prince, Albee, McNally, Etc. Set for 10/29 Book Reading

On Sunday, October 29th at 7:30 PM at the 92nd Street Y, some of the theatre's brightest luminaries will gather to read from and discuss Robert Viagas' new book The Alchemy of Theatre: Essays on Collaboration (Applause Books, 2006).

The event will feature Harold Prince, Edward Albee, Terrence McNally and Kathleen Chalfant 

"Oscar Hammerstein II said '[c]ollaboration is the biggest word in theatre.' But harnessing the efforts of disparate creative people, each of whom has his or her vision for the stage, is not easy. In his remarkable book, Viagas, talks to a wide range of theater greats – playwrights, composers, directors, theater owners, stage managers, actors, dancers, set designers and orchestrators – who reflect on how their work with others results in theater magic," state press notes.

"Several of the theater luminaries Viagas interviewed join him on the 92nd Street Y stage to share their stories and reflections on collaboration. Although each speaker is a major talent, all are willing to share the stage to discuss what it takes to put on a show."

Prince, as a director or producer, has helped create some of the most successful shows in Broadway history: West Side Story, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Damn Yankees, Sweeney Todd, Candide, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera and The Pajama Game, among others. He has won 21 Tony awards and was honored by the Kennedy Center in 1994. He has directed opera productions and written a play, Grandchild of Kings. "While he has directed plays, he prefers musicals because of the greater degree of collaboration they require."

Albee is one of America's leading playwrights. His Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an icon of the stage, and A Delicate Balance, Seascape and Three Tall Women each won a Pulitzer Prize. Among his other hit plays are The Zoo Story, The Sandbox and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? "His sharp dialogue and willingness to tackle difficult subjects helped re-define American theater."

Starting as Albee's protégé, McNally went on to write Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, and the controversial Corpus Christi. He has been equally successful with musicals, writing The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime. McNally has won four Tony awards, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant and the Lucille Lortel Award.

One of the most respected actresses of her generation, Chalfant has performed on stage and screen. Her stage credits include Wit (Drama Desk Award), Angels in America (Drama Desk and Tony nominations), M. Butterfly, Racing Demon, The Vagina Monologues, Endgame, The Talking Heads and numerous other plays on and off Broadway. Her film career includes Kinsey, The Laramie Project, The Last Days of Disco, Bob Roberts and A Price Above Rubies and she has appeared in several TV series. She is slated to appear as Miss Havisham in an upcoming stage production of Great Expectations.

Viagas is a theater journalist and the editor of Playbill Books. He is the founding editor of the new annual Playbill Broadway Yearbook, author of The Back Stage Guide to Broadway, and the co-author of books on A Chorus Line and The Fantasticks. He helped create Playbill.com and hosted Playbill's show on Sirius Satellite Radio for several years.

Tickets, which are $25, can be purchased at www.92Y.org or by calling 212.415.5500.