Austin Pendleton Set For Lead Role In Staged Reading Of THE GREAT MAN 6/4 In NYC

The West Side YMCA Writer's Voice today announced that actor Austin Pendleton (HBO's Oz, voice of Gurgle in Finding Nemo, The Diary of Anne Frank, Grand Hotel, Goodtime Charley, The Little Foxes, Fiddler on the Roof, and Up from Paradise) will play the lead role in a staged reading of Charlie Schulman's latest play: The Great Man. Renowned Broadway Director Matt August (of How the Grinch Stole Christmas- the Broadway musical, and others) to direct. Ticket sales benefit the West Side YMCA Strong Kids Campaign.

Today, June 4 at 4pm at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd Street (between Broadway and Central Park West). Theatergoers should use the entrance on 64th Street.

Charlie Schulman's latest play, The Great Man, is loosely inspired by James Atlas's decade-long experience writing the biography of the Nobel Prize winning author Saul Bellow. The Great Man tells the story of a "Biographer's" quest to be the true heir and guardian of his literary hero's (The Great Man) legacy by writing the definitive biography that will link the two men's names together for all of eternity. However, when fierce competition from six fellow writers ensues, questions about the relationship between life and art; what it takes to be a "great" writer and a good person; and who can be the rightful heir to greatness arise. The show is underwritten by a grant from the New York University Adjunct Professor Career Development Fund.

Admission to the reading will be granted with a $10 per person donation for benefit of the West Side YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatermania.com (search keyword: West Side YMCA). The West Side YMCA is located at 5 West 63rd Street (between Broadway and Central Park West). Accessible Trains: A, C, B, D, 1 to Columbus Circle. For more information on The Writer's Voice, please contact Literary Arts Coordinator Brian Kelly at (212) 875-4124, or by e-mail at bkelly@ymacnyc.org.

CHARLIE SCHULMAN teaches Playwriting and Screenwriting at The Writers Voice and New York University. He and composer/lyricist Michael Roberts are the creators of the musical "The Fartiste" (Best Musical NYCFringe 2006) He recently received a commission from The New Musical Development Foundation. Charlie is a three-time winner of The Avery Hopwood Award from The University of Michigan and the Paulette Goddard Fellowship from NYU. He is the recipient of The Charles MacArthur Award for Comedy from The National Playwrights Conference. His plays have been produced Off-Broadway and in Regional Theaters. His chapter on Playwriting is included in "The Portable MFA in Creative Writing" (Writers Digest). This reading is underwritten by a grant from the New York University Adjunct Professor Career Development Fund.

"THE GREAT MAN" is loosely inspired by James Atlas's decade-long experience writing the biography of the Nobel Prize winning author Saul Bellow. The "Biographer" is selected to write a profile for a magazine of his literary hero: the reclusive, cantankerous, seventy-something year old "Great Man," whose long-awaited new novel is about to be published. The profile (that is, puff piece) morphs into a contract to write the Great Man's biography. Over time, the Biographer's sycophantic view of the great author sours, as he delves further into the Great Man's life and begins to contemplate the human wreckage that lies in the wake of "greatness." Nevertheless, the Biographer seeks to be the true heir and guardian of the Great Man's legacy by writing the definitive biography that will link  two men's names together for all of eternity. He soon discovers that he must contend with several competitors who have similar designs of their own, including the Great Man's young sixth wife, his unscrupulous agent, his best friend/lawyer, his off-stage literary protégé (based on Philip Roth) and others. Twists and turns ensue as the play explores questions about the relationship between life and art; what it takes to be a "great" writer and a good person; and who can be the rightful heir to greatness?

For more information on West Side YMCA programs and services, visit www.ymcanyc.org/westside or call (212) 875-4101.