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| 2012 SPRING GALA! | |
 The Board of Directors of TACT / The ACTORS COMPANY THEATRE Is pleased to invite you to join the company and distinguished guests for our annual celebration of this year’s season at the Boathouse in Central Park as we induct our Guest of Honor, Victor Garber into the Order of the TACT Empire (OTE). With Special Guests Marin Mazzie & Jason Danieley at the Boathouse in Central Park 6:30 Cocktail Reception and "Pick-a-Prize" Raffle! 7:30 Dinner 8:30 Live Auction and Entertainment Festive Dress To whet your appetite for Spring, here’s a preview of some of the extraordinary *2013 Olivier Awards in London! Hotel and more included. Use your "Pick-a-Prize" Raffle tickets to win the prize(s) of your choice. On the night of the gala, simply drop a ticket (or tickets) into the basket corresponding to the prize you want. Prizes range from food and wine to health and beauty packages. A winner will be selected for each prize from all the submitted tickets. "Pick-a-Prize" Raffle tickets are $20 each (6 for $100) and may be purchased in advance with your gala response card or on the evening of the event. All tickets purchased in advance will be waiting for you at "check in." VICTOR GARBER This year’s honoree, the prodigiously gifted Victor Garber, was already a show business veteran when he made an indelible mark as Jesus in Godspell at the advanced age of twenty-one. Since those tie-dyed days of the 1970s, his singular gifts have made him a bone fide star of Broadway musicals, the legitimate stage, television and film. His easy grace, natural wit and intelligence have informed every role he has inhabited from Shaw to Sondheim, from hero to villain, innocent youth to cynical spy, and we have believed him in every incarnation. His performances have garnered him multiple Tony and Emmy nominations, his friends and admirers are legion, and we at TACT are among his biggest fans. We will bestow upon him his knighthood with an original musical tribute, lovingly and enthusiastically performed by members of the Company and special surprise guests. | |
| lost in yonkers - surround events! | |
 IN addition to our regularly scheduled "Talk-Backs" with the director and cast of LOST IN YONKERS following every Sunday matinee, please join us and our expert guests for these special FREE post-show discussions following selected performances All talkbacks are held immediately after the show.  BROADWAY BOUND! Producing Neil Simon Saturday, MARCH 24th following the 2:00pm performance. Legendary Broadway producer Emanuel Azenberg discusses his long personal and professional relationship with Lost in Yonkers playwright Neil Simon.  COMING TO AMERICA Wednesday, March 28th following the 7:30pm performance. Dr. Frank Mecklenburg, Director of Research and Chief Archivist at the Leo Baeck Institute for German-Jewish History, part of New York’s Center for Jewish History, joins us to discuss the German-Jewish immigration experience from the turn of the century through WWII.  NOT SO LOST IN YONKERS Saturday, APRIL 7th following the 2:00pm performance. Yonkers has a long and vibrant history, from its early beginnings as a farming community, to a bustling multi-cultural city. Join local historian Ed Dees, as he takes us on a tour across two centuries, and through the diverse communities of the fourth largest city in New York. | |
| winter fund raiser! | |
The pleasure of your company is requested...  TACT invites you to the Concert Benefit Performance of Sir Noel Coward’s SEMI-MONDE In its AMERICAN PREMIERE Monday, February 6th At 7:00pm at Scholastic 557 Broadway, NYC Tickets: $65 VIP Tickets: $100* *(Includes a fabulous reception with the artists immediately following the performance).  GLITTERING! GAY! SCANDALOUS! Set in the lobby, restaurants, and bar of the Hôtel Ritz in Paris, SEMI MONDE, by Nöel Coward, follows the lives and loves of a dizzying array of aristocrats, socialites and wannabes over a three year period from 1924 to 1926. Because of the salacious nature of its contents, the play was never produced in its time and has never before been seen anywhere in the US! UNTIL NOW! Directed by SCOTT ALAN EVANS With TACT Company members: MARK ALHADEFF, NORA CHESTER, RICHARD FERRONE, TODD GEARHART, DELPHI HARRINGTON, CYNTHIA HARRIS, JEFFREY C. HAWKINS, JACK KOENIG, RON MCCLARY, MACKENZIE MEEHAN, MARGARET NICHOLS, JOHN PLUMPIS, JAMES PRENDERGAST, SCOTT SCHAFER, GREGORY SALATA, LYNN WRIGHT And Guests: JEREMY BECK, HUNTER CANNING, JAKE GREEN, LETITIA LANGE, LIV ROOTH JAMES SABA, BRAD SCHMIDT, MARGO WHITE Lighting design by MARY LOUISE GEIGER Projection design by BRETT J. BANAKIS Sound design by COLIN WHITELY Stage management by MICHAEL FRIEDLANDER “Only in Semi-Monde does Coward find a successful metaphor for the sexual complications that lie behind his posturing. Semi-Monde is easily the most visually daring of this comedies, and the most intellectually startling … made up of sexually mischievous tableau viands it gets much nearer the homosexual knuckle that Coward’s public image allowed.” John Lahr, London Review of Books  | |
| Spring 2011 Gala | |
 Monday, May 9th at the Edison Ballroom for the annual TACT Gala! This year we're honoring theatre, film and television stars Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller in our first dual induction ceremony! For nearly 60 years Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara have been part of every aspect of show business as writers, comedians, radio and television performers, recording artists, and actors in film and theatre. As individuals each has amassed an impressive résumé and delivered indelible performances, but above all, as partners in both their professional and personal lives, they continue to exemplify all that we at TACT honor and celebrate. Quintessential New Yorkers, they have been long time friends and supporters of TACT, and this year as the centerpiece of our Spring Gala, we will induct these two staggeringly talented, hilarious, generous, and civic-minded performers into the OTE (Order of TACT Empire) as Sir Jerry and Dame Ann, in a lovingly irreverent musical tribute performed by members of the company. | |
| Triangle Centenary benefit event | |
 A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY CONCERT BENEFIT PERFORMANCE of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT by Christopher Piehler and Scott Alan Evans Monday, February 7, 2011 7:30pm Theatre 80 80 St. Marks Place New York, NY 10003 “Electrically directed by Scott Alan Evans and dynamically acted by the whole company it is one of the theatre events of the season.” - The New York Post “Tugs at your emotional core. A truly great play...” - Off-Off Online “A collaborative blaze of sadness, energy and poignancy.” - Broadway.com TACT/The Actors Company Theatre is presenting its acclaimed play, written by Christopher Piehler and Scott Alan Evans, in a one-night-only staged reading event at Theatre 80 on St. Marks Place on Monday, February 7, 2011. Tickets are $100 each ($70 tax-deductible). Proceeds will go to support TACT and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial Fund. This event is part of the city wide commemoration of the tragedy’s centenary.  The performance will feature Co-Artistic Director, Cynthia Harris, the original cast members from the celebrated 2004 Off-Broadway production: Jamie Bennett, Nora Chester, Francesca Di Mauro, Timothy McCracken, and Scott Schafer, with guest artists Victoria Mack and Jeff Talbott. Company designers, Mary Louise Geiger (lights), Daryl Bornstein (sound) and David Toser (costumes) will also be participating, and Company Member, Meredith Dixon will stage manage. Original music composed by Colin McGrath. The production will be directed by Scott Alan Evans. See Cast bios below. A RECEPTION with the cast will follow the performance. To honor this event in New York City’s history and to celebrate the spirit of the Lower East Side, TACT has teamed up with the neighborhood's finest local businesses to create a unique reception featuring the best of NYC's delicacies including; delicious Veniero’s Pastry, specialty brews from Argo Tea, savory treats from Jimmy’s Number 43, and traditional egg creams with real siphon seltzer! Help us commemorate this landmark event and enjoy some delicious New York noshes. For tickets call the TACT OFFICE 212/645-8228 The Triangle Waist Company was located one block east of Washington Square Park in New York City. On March 25, 1911 a fire broke out. That day there were over 500 employees working – most of them were recent immigrants, many of them young women. In the end 146 people died. The fire became a rallying cry for the international labor movement, women’s rights, the suffrage movement, worker’s rights and fire safety laws, and a symbol of corporate neglect and injustice.  Originally produced Off-Broadway in 2004, THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT uses eyewitness accounts, court transcripts and other archival material to create a dramatic moment-by-moment account of this historic fire and the social upheaval that followed. The play has subsequently been published by Dramatist Play Service and has since received productions all over the country. WHO'S WHO IN TRIANGLE:  JAMIE BENNET (Actor 3) TACT: Company Member since 2002/03, 20 productions, most recently, The Amazing Doctor Clitterhouse. New York: The Triangle Factory Fire Project (TACT); The Traveling Lady (Drama Desk nomination, E.S.T.); The A Train Plays (Neighborhood Playhouse); Berlin (Tribeca Playhouse); When They Speak of Rita (Horton Foote, dir., Primary Stgges.); This Lime Tree Bower (Harris Yulin, dir., Primary Stgs.); Pieces of the Sky (Urban Stgs.); plus various workshops. Regional and Other: The Traveling Lady (Horton Foote Fest., Horton Foote dir.); The Drawer Boy, Romeo and Juliet (Pitts. Public); Twelfth Night (Milwaukee Rep); Over the Tavern (Studio Arena & Milwaukee); The Diary of Ann Frank (Cleveland); The Tie That Binds (Barter); Goosebumps Live On Stage (Nat’l Tour). Film & Television: Shaft; Strangers with Candy; The Adventures of Pete & Pete.  NORA CHESTER (Actor C) TACT company member since 1997, 40 productions including their acclaimed Off-Broadway productions of The Sea, Eccentricites Of A Nightingale, and their original production, The Triangle Factory Fire Project. Most recently with TACT: Uncle Harry. Her many regional theatre credits include The Long Wharf, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Asolo, the Alliance, GeVa, the McCarter, Syracuse Stage, the Alley Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company and nineteen summers as a Guest Artist at the Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod, as both an actor and director. Earlier this fall she played “Hester Solamon” in Equus at Playhouse on Park in Hartford. Nora has been a proud member of Actors Equity Association since 1976.  FRANCESCA Di MAURO (Actor B) TACT: Founding Member; 38 productions with the company, most recently Uncle Harry. Off-Broadway: The Triangle Factory Fire Project, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (TACT); The Wayfarer (in Obie-winner Caught In The Act at HERE, John Christopher Jones, director); The Seagull, Scenes From An Execution (Blue Light Theatre Co.); We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!; Twelfth Night; Henry V; The Promise. Regional: Tartuffe (Depot, John Christopher Jones, director); Comedy of Errors (GeVa); Scenes from an Execution (Olney); Dracula (Pirate Playhouse); The Matchmaker, Under Milk Wood (Dorset). Film: Living in Oblivion; Cherry. Television: Gossip Girl; Pane Amaro (RAI 3), As the World Turns; One Life to Live; Rage of Angels. Voiceovers: a lot!  CYNTHIA HARRIS (Actor A) TACT: Co-Artistic Director, Founding Member. 42 productions with the company. Most recently, Uncle Harry and the critically acclaimed production The Cocktail Party at the Beckett Theatre. Other New York Theatre: HOME; Long Island Sound (TACT); Bad Habits; Company; Any Wednesday; Natural Affection; Romance Language; Second Avenue Rag; Cloud Nine; Jules Feiffer’s Hold Me; The Beauty Part; White House Murder Case; Mystery Play; America Hurrah and The Serpent (member of the Open Theatre); Merry Wives of Windsor (NYSF); “Selected Shorts” at Symphony Space; Food for Thought Lunchtime Theatre. Regional: The Injured Party (by Richard Greenberg, World Premier, South Coast Rep); Light Up the Sky (Williamstown); Shadow Box (Premiere - originating the role of Beverly - Mark Taper Forum); Too Much Johnson; My Mother Said I Never Should (NY Stage & Film); Scenes from American Life. Film: I Do & I Don’t; The Distinguished Gentleman; Reuben, Reuben; Mannequin on the Move; Three Men and a Baby; Up the Sandbox; Isadora. Television: Rescue Me; Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman; Now and Again; Mad About You (5 seasons); Law & Order; Edward and Mrs. Simpson (BAFTA nominee for Best Actress); LA Law; Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story; Ask Me Again (PBS); Harrison - Cry of the City; Passion (adapted from Edith Warton’s The Reef); the film version of An American Daughter by Wendy Wasserstein.  VICTORIA MACK (Actor D) TACT: I Am A Camera. Off-Broadway: Flight (with Brian D'Arcy James and Gregg Edelman), The Truth About Blayds, Mr. Pim Passes By, and Far and Wide at the Mint Theater. Regional: The 39 Steps at the Denver Center, The Taming of the Shrew (Kate), King Lear (Regan; with Danny Davis), Pride and Prejudice (Elizabeth Bennet), As You LIke It (Rosalind), Of Mice and Men (Curley's Wife), Pygmalion (Eliza Doolittle), all at The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, and The Turn of the Screw (Governess) at The Fulton Theatre. TV: Law and Order: Criminal Intent and MTV. Victoria graduated in May from the Graduate Acting program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. TIMOTHY McCRACKEN (Actor 4) TACT: The Triangle Factory Fire Project, The Sea, Three Men and A Horse (1997). New York Theatre: The Dining Room (Keen - Drama Desk Award); Composition (also playwright- BeaconNY Productions); Hitting the Wall (SPF ‘06- The Clurman); Troilus and Cressida (NYSF); Animal Farm; in The Elephant Man (John Merrick - Synapse Productions). Regional: Rabbit Hole; The Pillowman; Stones in His Pockets (Rep. Theatre of St. Louis, Denver Center Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Fest., Studio Arena, Capital Repertory, GeVa Theater, and Triad Stage). TV & Film: Numerous Law and Orders; Delocated; Tia and Marco; Small Beautifully Moving Parts and many National Commercials.  JAMES MURTAUGH (Actor 5 ) TACT: Company member since the 1996/1997 Season and appeared in done 38 productions with the company, most recently, The Amazing Doctor Clitterhouse and The Late Christopher Bean at the Beckett Theatre. Broadway: Ah, Wilderness (Lincoln Center); Philadelphia, Here I Come; Two Shakespearean Actors. Off-Broadway: Lenin’s Embalmers (EST); The Triangle Factory Fire Project (TACT); The Runner Stumbles (TACT); The Secret Order (EST); The Jazz Singer (Jewish Rep); Other People's Money (Minnetta Lane); The Wreck of the 5:45 (EST); How The Other Half Loves (York); I Am A Man (CSC Rep). Film: Everything's Fine, Invincible; The Tourist; Two Weeks; How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days; Out of Time; Thirteen Conversations about One Thing; Goy Band; My Brother's Shadow; The Last Days of Disco; Private Parts; The Howling; Blue Thunder; The Rosary Murders; Night Falls on Manhattan, Vanilla Sky. Television: 30 Rock; The Water Is Wide (Hallmark); 100 Centre Street; The Sopranos; The Laramie Project; Ed; Law & Order; Law & Order Special Victims Unit; Law and Order CI; Law and Order: Trial by Jury; Cosby; Feds; Spin City; All My Children; Spenser For Hire; NYPD Blue; Wonderland; The Equalizer; Hope and Faith; Third Watch; Hill Street Blues. Mr. Murtaugh is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.  SCOTT SCHAFER (Actor 1) TACT: Company Member since 1996/97. 47 productions with the company, most recently Uncle Harry. Broadway: Raggedy Ann (Nederlander). Off-Broadway: Bedroom Farce, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, The Triangle Factory Fire Project (TACT); Finkel’s Follies (West Side); Once in a Lifetime (Samuel Beckett); On Tidy Endings (Playwrights Horizons). Regional: Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, Dracula (Cincinnati Playhouse); Our Town (Geva); No Exit (Imago); You Can’t Take it With you, Side Man (St. Louis Rep); Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Depot); Present Laughter (Pioneer); A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Ordway Music Theat.); Almost September (St. Louis Rep); A Wonderful Life (Westchester Broadway); A Day in Hollywood (Pioneer). Television: Law & Order SUV; Chapelle’s Show; American Dream; One Life to Live; Unsolved Mysteries.
SCOTT ALAN EVANS (Director) TACT: Co-Artistic & Executive Director. Since 1993, TACT has unearthed and Evans has produced and/or directed over 90 forgotten or neglected plays, bringing many back to the cannon of plays produced. Evans’ most recent production of T.S. Elion’s The Cocktail Party, was among TACT’s most successful and was sited as one of the best revivals of 2010 by the Wall Street Journal. For TACT, Evans adapted & directed the US premiere of Nöel Coward’s Long Island Sound, and conceived, co-wrote & directed the world premiere of The Triangle Factory Project. The New York Post called Triangle “the theatrical event of the season.” The play has been published by Dramatists Play Services and continues to enjoy productions across the country. More recently, Evans has produced seven and directed four of TACT’s productions presented at their current home at Theater Row, including Home, The Sea, The Runner Stumbles and Incident at Vichy. In addition to his work with TACT, Evans wrote & directed the musical, Goose! Beyond the Nursery (3 Outer Critic Circle Award nominations including Best Off-Broadway Prod.). Other recent NY Theatre: Joseph Hayden’s The Seven Last Words… (Chamber Music Society - Lincoln Center); The Constant Wife (NYU Grad. Acting). Mr. Evans served for 10 years as Artistic Director of the American Musicals Project, producing an annual concert series at the New-York Historical Society celebrating great musical theatre writers and featuring Broadway headliners. Education: BFA, Boston Univ., School for the Arts (magna cum laude), and a former student and assistant to Michael Howard at the Michael Howard Studios. Member: SDC; Dramatist Guild. MARY LOUISE GEIGER (Lighting Design) TACT: Adjunct Company Member since 2003, 20 productions, most recently, Incident at Vichy. Broadway: The Constant Wife. New York: Kindness; The Busy World Is Hushed; The Blue Door (Playwrights’ Horzons); Buffalo Gal (Primary Stages); One +One (NY Stage and Film); Violet Fire (BAM Next Wave Fest.); Oslo Elsewhere Fest. (59E59); Jump/Cut (Women’s Project); Red Beads (Mabou Mines); Oedipus at Palm Springs (New York Theatre Workshop); Mabou Mines’ Dollhouse (St. Ann’s and tour). Regional: The Miracle Worker (Papermill); The Mad 7 (McCarter Theatre); ACT, Alley, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Asolo, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, GeVa, Indiana Repertory, Intiman, Seattle Repertory, Portland Center Stage, Portland Stage Co., Virginia Stage Co., Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Mark Taper Forum, Pioneer, Playmakers Repertory Co., LA Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra. Training: Yale School of Drama. Faculty: NYU Tisch School of the Arts DAVID TOSER (Costume Design) TACT: Adjunct Company Member since 1997, most recent production, with the company The Memorandum. David has been well represented at venues on and Off-Broadway as well as at over a dozen regional theatres. In recent years he has designed regularly for the Irish Repertory Theatre and has been the costume designer/coordinator for the last 20 Tony Awards. DARYL BORNSTEIN (Sound Designer) TACT: Company Member since 2007. 7 productions, most recently The Eccentricities of a Nightingale. Audio Producer, Audio Engineer, Production Manager: Mostly Mozart Festival, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Houston Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, Billy Taylor Trio, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Christmas at Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center Great Performs., Live from Lincoln Center, PBS Great Performances, MTV Video Awards, Hispanic Heritage Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, Woodstock ‘94, Conan Obrien, The Today Show, Rachel Ray, Garrison Keillor, Heinekin Jazz Festival, Michael Feinstein on Broadway, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Chicago, Conversations with my Father, the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, Roberta Flack, Donnie Osmond, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Jackson, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, International Barbershop Quartet Society, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 1997 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies. COLIN McGRATH (Composer) TACT: Widowers’ Houses; U.S.A; The Marriage of Bette and Boo. Colin has written music for a wide variety of collaborative projects. In San Francisco, where he lived for four years before coming to New York, he was musical director for the sketch comedy group Killing My Lobster. He composed and arranged musical accompaniments for performances at Venue 9, The Victoria Theater, and Theater Rhinoceros. He co-wrote the music and lyrics for the musical puppet show On the Farm with Brian Perkins, which was performed at The Bindlestiff Theater in July 1999. His television credits include soundtracks for documentaries like Scandal at Sea and The Ruckus Society, which aired on The Out Door Life Network. He scored several short films for Comedy Central and created the score for the feature length film, The Blue Hole, produced by Killing My Lobster. He has recently finished his second CD, Allegro Con Chutzpah, a compilation of the theater and film music he has written over the last 3 years. Colin graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in music and now works as a teaching artist through The Lincoln Center Institute and The Orchestra of St Luke’s. MEREDITH DIXON (Production Stage Manager) TACT: Adjunct Company Member since 2009/10. 4 productions with the company most recently The Memorandum. New York: Little Doc (Rattlestick); Philip Roth in Khartoum (Public LAB); In the Daylight (Choice Theatricals); Dance/Speak (New York Theatre Ballet). Live Events: “Celebrity Charades;” “Bitter Honey II;” and “The Monkey Show” (Labyrinth); “Sweet 16 Gala” and “2010 Spring Gala” (TACT); “Lyrics and Laughter” (Safe Horizons/Apollo Theatre). Workshops/Readings: Red Rooster, Ady, and The NYU Master Thesis Reading Series (The Public Theater); Fault Lines, 7 Captiva Road, Ruined, ISO…, and Unconditional (Labyrinth). Meredith also works as the Associate Division Director of the National High School Institute Theatre Division (“Cherubs”). | |
| Surround events 2010 | |
 VACLAV HAVEL’S LIFE IN THE THEATER Friday, November 12 Immediately following the 7:30 performance. Theater professor, critic and author Carol Rocamora (“Acts of Courage: Vaclav Havel’s Life in the Theater”) chats about Havel's amazing contribution to the theatre with Edward Einhorn, producing artistic director of Untitled Theater Company #61, a New York City-based theater company that hosted the three-month-long "Havel Festival" featuring plays, readings, talkbacks and other events honoring the life and work of Vaclav Havel. This Special Talk-Back is free with a purchase of a ticket to THE MEMORANDUM. For those who have already seen the show but would like to attend the event, plaease call the TACT office (212) 645-8228 to make a reservatioin. Seating is limited and subjuec to availability. Dr. Carol Rocamora is an educator, playwright, translator and critic. Her three volumes of his complete translated dramatic works of Anton Chekhov have been published by Smith & Kraus. Her new play, I take your hand in mine...., based on the correspondence of Chekhov and Olga Knipper, premiered in September 2001 at the Almeida Theatre in London, starring Paul Scofield and Irene Worth, and opened in Paris in October 2003 at Peter Brook’s Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, under his direction, starring Michel Piccoli and Natasha Parry. Now in her 15th year of teaching at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Dr. Rocamora has been the recipient of the David Payne Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. She also lectures on theater at the Juilliard School, the Yale School of Drama and Columbia University. Formerly, she was the founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Festival Plays at the Annenberg Center. Dr. Rocamora’s biography, Acts of Courage: Vaclav Havel’s Life in the Theatre, was published in 2005. She has written about theater for The Nation and The New York Times, and currently contributes to The Guardian and American Theatre. She has recently completed Rubles, a collection of original plays inspired by Chekhov’s short stories. She is currently working on a biography entitledChekhov: Portraits. Edward Einhorn has been the Artistic Director of Untitled Theater Company #61 since he founded it in 1992. In that time, he has curated the Havel Festival, The NEUROfest, The Ionesco Festival, and Untitled Theater's 24/7 Festival. Perhaps most prominently, he directed the Off-Broadway production, Fairy Tales of the Absurd, at Theatre 80. He has also directed at venues such as PS 122, HERE, The John Houseman Studio, The Connelly Theatre, Nada Theatre, Musical Theatre Works, The Present Company Theatorium, and many others. He is also the author of A Very Improbable Story, a picture book on probability put out by Charlesbridge. He is also the suthor of two modern Oz sequels: Paradox in Oz and The Living House of Oz (both from Hungry Tiger Press). Through the Theater 61 Press, he has published two books of plays: The Golem, Methuselah and Shylock, and Lysistrata. As a playwright, he wrote one of the one-acts in Fairy Tales of the Absurd, as well as numerous full length and one act plays produced Off-Off-Broadway at venues such as St. Ann's Warehouse, Chashama, New Dramatists, Theater 22 and The Village Gate. Recent awards include a Sloan Grant from Ensemble Studio Theater and Person of the Year from nytheatre.com . He was also declared a Revolutionary Mind by Seed Magazine | |
| 2010 Pennsylvania event | |
 Once again we were delighted to be in the beautiful Susquehanna Valley for TACT's annual summer visit this past July. For the past eleven years, TACT has headed out to Central Pennsylvania to run workshops for the students of the TRiO Upward Bound program at Bloomsburg University. Kate Bauman, the Program Director, tells us that not only does the work the actors from TACT do with the students help them find new ways to express themselves through the various exercises, improvisations, and theatre games we do, it also is an important bonding experience for them. And, she tells us, “TACT is a personal [staff] favorite as we often see student who have yet to get actively involved in the program find a way to participate through the group work of TACT… Our return[ing students] look forward to [the workshop] on the calendar each and every year!” We were also very pleased to work with the students from the Lock Haven Upward Bound Program – making this year’s workshop our largest ever. TACT Company members, Mark Alhadeff, Francesca Di Mauro, Mackenzie Meehan, Gregory Salata and Scott Schafer joined TACT Artistic Executive Director, Scott Alan Evans to lead the students through their creative paces.  As we continued to build on our highly successful program with the students in Central Pennsylvania, it is gratifying to know that we are making such an impact. That impact, however, couldn't be achieved without the sustaining generous support of the Degenstein Foundation. While in PA, we also performed Candle-Light in Larison Hall at Bucknell University. This was our second time at Bucknell, and we were thrilled to be there. TACT's Gregory Salata directed a stellar cast: TACT Company Members Mark Alhadeff, Francesca Di Mauro, Mackenzie Meehan, and Scott Schafer. Special thanks go to our dedicated PA Committee, without whom none of this would be possible: Nancy & Sam Craig, Lore Degenstein, Dede & Bob Gronlund, Kay & Roger Lyons, Gayle Pollock, Nancy Rizzo, Sandy & Gary Sojka, Connie Timm & Neil Anderson and Janet Weis, and especially to TACT Board Chair, Stephen Lindenmuth, who makes it all happen. Undying appreciation also goes to Marsha & Jay Lemons, Ruth & Cliff Melberger, Maryjane & Brian Mitchell and Bill Boswell and our sponsors, Wood-Mode, Inc., Ettinger’s Landscaping, McCormick’s Home & Office Maintenance, Villager Realty, Inc., and Graham & Ronda Showalter. | |
| 2010 Spring Gala | |
 Each spring we throw a party to celebrate our season, and this year’s 2010 Spring Gala was among our very best with a glamorous new venue, great entertainment, fabulous food and drink, an awesome auction, and as our guest of honor, the incomparable Sam Waterston.  Throughout his long and distinguished career in theatre, film, and television Sam Waterston’s consistently fine work has not only raised the bar for all his fellow performers, he has time and again proven his humanity and warmth and given honor to our profession. During our Gala celebration TACT bestowed upon Mr. Waterston the coveted Order of the TACT Empire (OTE) in a one-of-a kind musical ceremony. With this honor he joins our distinguished Dames, Julie Harris and Angela Lansbury and ever after he will be honored as "Sir" Sam Waterston. Well, by us anyway.  Also on hand to celebrate with the Company were Blythe Danner, F. Murray Abraham, Katie Finneran, Karen Ziemba, Lee Roy Reams, Mark Berman, George S. Irving, Julie Halston, Alison Fraser and Judith Light. | |
| PAST EVENTS... | |
 Cocktail Chatter In addition to our regularly scheduled "Talkbacks" with the director and cast following every Sunday matinee, TACT held this special series of discussions featuring guest speakers. These events were FREE and followed selected performances of the play, with the exception of our Barnes & Noble event.  Sneak Peek at Barnes & Noble A T.S. Eliot Cocktail: an evening of scenes and poetry Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Barnes & Noble 2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street) NYC 7:00 PM FREE Cast members of TACT/The Actors Company Theatre's 60th Anniversary revival of T.S. Eliot's classic comedy, THE COCKTAIL PARTY, were on hand for an insightful look at the life and work of one the world's most revered writers. Featuring scenes from the production paired with pieces of Eliot's poetry, the event concluded with a Q&A with the company and director Scott Alan Evans. The cast featured Cynthia Harris, Simon Jones and Jack Koenig. The event is free and open to the public. | |
| SURROUND EVENTS AT THE BECKETT THEATRE | |
 The T.S. Eliot Poetry Jam Friday, March 19, 2010 BECKETT THEATRE/THEATRE ROW Immediately following the performance at 7:30pm From “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock” to “The Wasteland” to “Old Possums Book of Practical Cats,” T.S. Eliot wrote some of the world’s most-known poems. This special event featured excerpts read by members of The Actors Company Theatre.  Company Members of TACT and Dr. Patrick Query, assistant professor of English at the United States Military Academy and member of the T.S. Eliot Society.  From the Drawing Room to the Psychiatrist’s Chair: Exploring T.S. Eliot’s “The Cocktail Party” Friday, March 26, 2010 BECKETT THEATRE/THEATRE ROW Immediately following the performance at 7:30pm The comic, drawing-room setting of “The Cocktail Party” masks the darker, serious themes of one of T.S. Eliot’s most critically acclaimed and popular works. The provocative analysis of the play’s psychological and religious themes of martyrdom, spirituality and human relations was the highlight of this evening.  Hosted by Dr. Matthew Bolton, academic dean of the English department at Loyola School in New York City, and member of the T.S. Eliot Society. Featuring Fr. John R. Sheehan of New York’s St. Malachy’s Church (the Actors’ Chapel) and noted New York psychotherapist David Braucher.  The Party Continues Friday, April 2, 2010 BECKETT THEATRE/THEATRE ROW Immediately following the performance at 7:30pm Members of the cast of the most recent Broadway production of “The Cocktail Party” reunited more than 40 years later to discuss the play with Scott Alan Evans, director of the TACT revival. Tony Award-winning actress Frances Sternhagen (“The Heiress,” “Julie and Julia,” “Sex in the City”) and Broadway veteran Patricia Conolly (“Is He Dead?,” “The Coast of Utopia,” “Enchanted April”) shared their rememberances of their time with TCP.  Hosted by Scott Alan Evans, TACT/The Actors Company Theatre Co-Artistic Director. Featuring Frances Sternhagen and Patricia Conolly. Shown here with members of the cast. | |
| INCIDENT AT VICHY - SURROUND EVENTS! | |
 IN addition to our regularly scheduled "Talk-Backs" with the director and cast of Incident at Vichy following every Sunday matinee, please join us and our expert guests for these special FREE post-show discussions following selected performances Our talkback series features Arthur Miller scholars and Jewish historians, as well as actors and artists who are familiar with how the Holocaust has been depicted in art and literature over the past 60 years. All talkbacks are held immediately after the show.  Wednesday, March 18 REMEMBERING ARTHUR MILLER: A SISTER’S MEMORY Born Joan Maxine Miller, Joan Copeland is an award-winning stage and film actress and the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller. Interviewed by Dr. Stephen Marino, editor of The Arthur Miller Journal and adjunct professor at St. Francis College. Directly following the 7:30PM performance  Wednesday, March 25 STORIES OF SURVIVAL Stirring stories of hope and survival told straight from the heart by Holocaust survivors and their families. Moderated by Larry Keith (TACT’s Bedroom Farce, Broadway’s Caroline, or Change) and founding member of The Actors Company Theatre. Directly following the 7:30PM performance  Monday, March 30 AN EVENING WITH TOVAH FELDSHUH Four-time Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh discusses a successful theatrical career rooted in Jewish experiences and values. The legendary actress returns to Broadway this spring in Irena’s Vow, the tale of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish woman who courageously sheltered 12 Jews during World War II. Additional theater credits include Yentl, Lend Me a Tenor and Golda’s Balcony, the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history. Directly following the 7:30PM performance  Wednesday, April 1 NEVER FORGET: REFLECTIONS ON THE HOLOCAUST IN ART A post-Holocaust generation of artists, writers and actors continue to commemorate one of history’s most horrific events in deeply personal, highly original ways. With a panel of artists including Harris Yulin (1973 television version of Incident at Vichy, 2001 Broadway revival of Diary of Anne Frank). Moderated by Joan Rosenbaum, director of the Jewish Museum. Directly following the 7:30PM performance These events are FREE with the purchase of a ticket to Incident at Vichy. If you have already seen Incident at Vichy and would like to attend one of these events, please call the TACT office at 212/645-8228 to make a reservation. Seating is limited and subject to availability. Programs and dates subject to change without notice. All speakers appearing subject to availability. For more information: www.tactnyc.org or call 212/645-822 | |
| Barnes & noble event | |
 Meet the director and members of the cast of Incident at Vichy in a special evening of drama and prose ARTHUR MILLER AND THE HOLOCAUST Wednesday, February 18th 7:00 PM Barnes & Noble 82nd & Broadway 2289 Broadway New York, NY 10024 212-362-8835 Focusing on Miller’s 1964 drama INCIDENT AT VICHY, which TACT is presenting this Spring at the Beckett Theatre in NYC, the evening will explore Miller’s perspective and insight into the Holocaust. Reading excerpts from Miller’s work, including his early novel, Focus, and performing scenes from the play will be actors from the company. The program will be followed by a Q&A session with the artists and the director, Scott Alan Evans. | |
| 2009 gala honors angela lansbury! | |
 Join us for our Sweet 16th Gala Celebration honoring the one and only ANGELA LANSBURY!Monday, May 11, 2009 For more details and to be sure you are on the invitation list, call TACT at 212/645-8228 | |
| ECCENTRICITIES TALK-BACKS | |
 Mary Bacon, Todd Gearhart, Elizabeth Ashley, Jenn Thompson and Scott Alan Evans Tennessee’s Leading Lady: ELIZABETH ASHLEY Tony-award winning actress Elizabeth Ashley discussed her favorite Williams roles and recounted stories about her special friendship with the playwright at a very special Talk-Back Following the 2:00pm performance of The Eccentricities of a Nighintgale on Saturday, May 10th Following "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" for which she won a third Tony nomination, celebrated actress Elizabeth Ashley struck up a close friendship with playwright Williams. Over time she would play and come to define three of his (and the theater's) finest female roles: Mrs. Venable in "Suddenly, Last Summer" (1995), Alexandra Del Lago in "Sweet Bird of Youth (1998) and Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie (2001). In addition, she also appeared in Williams' "Eight by Tenn" (a series of his one-act plays), "Out Cry", "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" and "The Red Devil Battery Sign". In 2005, 31 years after playing Maggie, she was again a success in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", this time as Big Mama. A veteran of theatre, film and television, Miss Ashley will return to Broadway this fall in Horton Foote’s “Dividing The Estate.” After The Fall: Williams later years. Following the 2:00pm performance of The Eccentricities of a Nightingale on Saturday, May 17th, Williams expert and acclaimed author Annette Saddik discussed The Eccentricities of a Nightingale and shed light on Williams struggles at the end of his career. Annette J. Saddik is an Associate Professor in the English Department at New York City College of Technology (CUNY), and also teaches in the Ph.D. Program in Theatre at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her area of specialization is twentieth-century drama and performance, particularly the work of Tennessee Williams. She has edited and introduced a collection of Williams’ previously unpublished later plays, The Traveling Companion and Other Plays, which has just been published by New Directions. She is also the author of Contemporary American Drama (Edinburgh University Press, 2007), which explores the performance of American identity on the stage since WW II, and The Politics of Reputation: The Critical Reception of Tennessee Williams’ Later Plays (Associated University Presses, 1999), and has published several essays on Williams as well as on David Mamet, Sam Shepard, and Antonin Artaud in Modern Drama, TDR: a journal of performance studies, études Théâtrales, The South Atlantic Review, The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, The Undiscovered Country: The Later Plays of Tennessee Williams, and The Tennessee Williams Encyclopedia. Dr. Saddik also serves on the Editorial Board of Theatre Topics, and lectures widely on twentieth-century drama. | |
| ECCENTRICITIES SURROUND EVENTS | |
| TACT presented a special literary event featuring the cast of THE ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE performing selections from the play and reading from source materials that shaped the work, including Tennessee Williams' personal letters and and diary entries. Tuesday, April 15th, 7:00 PM BARNES & NOBLE 82nd & Broadway 2289 Broadway New York, NY 10024 212-362-8835 | |
| Gala 2008 | |
 TACT's 15th AnniversaryCrystal Gala! Oh, what a night! With champagne and music, laughter and loving tributes, it is impossible to imagine a more fitting celebration of TACT’s 15th Anniversary than the glittering and glamorous Crystal Gala held at the historic Hudson Theatre on March 3. Stars and celebrities joined with TACT’s company members and our cherished subscribers and friends to applaud this landmark anniversary and honor one of the legendary stars of the American Theatre, Miss Julie Harris. The entertainment included performances by Tony Award winners and nominees, Cady Huffman, Adriane Lenox, KT Sullivan, Lee Roy Reams and our own, Larry Keith, accompanied by Broadway veteran, Larry Goldberg at the piano. These talented performers gave a musical tour of hit Broadway songs from each of the seasons in which Miss Harris won her unprecedented five Tony Awards. Other stars in attendance included Academy Award winner, F. Murray Abraham, TV and film star, Steven Root, comedy legends, Ann Meara and Jerry Stiller, and Miss Harris’s former costar on “Knotts Landing”, Alec Baldwin. Christopher Plummer and William Shatner, unable to attend, penned tributes that were read to the delight of Miss Harris and the entire audience. Well known auctioneer, Charles Bailey-Gates, added dash and excitement to a sumptuous auction of luxury items, trips and one-of-a-kind backstage tours of hit Broadway shows. After the champagne toasts and dinner it was announced that TACT was bestowing an honor of it’s own. Adding to the impressive list of awards garnered during her legendary career, in a tuneful and hilarious finale performed by Co-Artistic Director, Simon Jones and members of the company, (Mary Bacon, Francesca Di Mauro, Jack Koenig, Margaret Nichols, John Plumpis and Scott Schafter and written by TACT Co-Artistic & Executive Director, Scott Alan Evans and Mr. Goldberg), TACT installed Miss Harris as the first American “Dame” of the TACTish Empire. Woven into the laughter and the parodies it was evident with what affection, respect and high regard this extraordinary artist is held. And with the sell-out attendance, generous bidding and sincere outpouring of love from those who came to celebrate with us, the support of TACT’s loyal supporters is also “Crystal” clear. That affection is returned a thousand fold with our thanks for making this year’s Crystal Gala, “THE BEST EVER.” Check these links for photos: Playbill.com Broadway World.com TheatreMania.com Find Out More... | |
| Post-show discussions - THE RUNNER STUMBLES | |
| LOVE! FAITH! MURDER! Join us and our expert guests for this special series of post-show discussions following these performances of The Runner Stumbles at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row on West 42nd Street. Admission is FREE with purchase of a ticket to the show. LOVE AND THE CHURCH Former priest and Milwaukee talk-show host, Jack Murtaugh, shares insights on faith, love and marriage as he recounts the events that led up to his decision to leave the church and marry his wife – a former nun. Following the 7:30pm performance of The Runner Stumbles, Monday, November 5th CRISIS OF FAITH – AN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE The Rt. Rev. CATHERINE S. ROSKAM, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of New York along with Rabbi Matthew D. Gerwitz and other New York religious leaders discuss themes from the play including an individual’s struggle with faith in the face of conflicting emotional needs and changing times. Following the 7:30pm performance of The Runner Stumbles, Thursday, November 8th THE RUNNER STUMBLES ,THE PLAYWRIGHT SPEAKS Playwright Milan Stitt discusses the genesis of his play and the real-life Michigan murder that inspired it. Following the 8:00pm performance of The Runner Stumbles, Saturday, November 10th BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!  | |
| PAST EVENTS - 2006/07 | |
 TACT's MAHvelous Party!Winter GALA Monday, February 26, 2007 Manhattan Penthouse, NYC An Evening of Noel Coward featuring the Company and Special Guests! It's time for our MAHvelous Party Where bonhomie's quite de rigueur Won't you please come along and share in the song Good food, p'rhaps a favorite liqueur? Dear TACT is providing the venue, The Manhattan Penthouse, 14th and Fifth We're inviting good friends to partake in the laughter, Quite a dignified fete what may get a bit daft-er And if all goes quite well, who knows what will come after? We couldn't desire you more! Drinks, Dinner, silent (and NOISY) auction and a specTACTular one-of-kind performance. You couldn't have liked it more! | |
| 2005/06 | |
 The TACT LOUNGE! Swingin' with the Stars Monday, April 24, 2006 Birdland 315 West 44th Street, NYC Members of the company and a slew of special guests, including Michael Cerveris (star of Sweeny Todd), presented an evening hosted by comic Freddie Roman! Our guest also included Chris Bergson, Janelle Ann Robinson, Larua Griffith with John McMahon on the piano. Company members Larry Keith, James Murtaugh and Scott Schafer filled out the bill. Crazy good times were a sure bet at the bash celebrating TACT's lucky 14th anniversary. We took over Birdland, the legendary jazz club, and turned it into the one and only TACT LOUNGE. Good music, good food and a swingin' good time was had by all! | |
| 2005 | |
 TACT HITS THE HAMPTONS ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY! The John Drew Theater in association with THE ACTORS COMPANY THEATRE present a Concert Performance of U.S.A. by Paul Shyre and John Dos Passos Music by Colin McGrath Directed by Scott Alan Evans THURSDAY, AUG 11, 2005 8 P.M. | |
| As you escape to the beaches of Long Island this summer, there was no need to give up top flight New York theatre – TACT hit the Hamptons for one very special performance of U.S.A. at the John Drew Theater in East Hampton. Based on the trilogy of novels by John Dos Passos, U.S.A. paints an epic picture of America at the dawn of the 20th century. TACT’s unique concert performance style is particularly well suited to bringing all the nuances and complexities of U.S.A. to life. As New York critic Martin Denton said after TACT’s original production of U.S.A. in May, 2003: “Not only is the language both beautiful and gloriously vivid, but the ideas threading through this restlessly non-linear narrative are wondrously resonant and pertinent. As staged here by The Actors Company Theatre’s co-artistic director Scott Alan Evans, U.S.A. – with just eight actors, ten chairs, and a three-member orchestra – is a panoramic epic of America.” What’s most remarkable about both the novel and the play are their structures. As one scholar put it: “There is nothing MTV or the internet does that Dos Passos didn’t either try in U.S.A. or at least provide the imaginative foundation for: quick cuts, slices of life; poetic vignettes of the imaginative life of historical movers and shakers, pieces of actuality mixed in with dramatic recreation – Dos Passos’ achievement is astounding. “ Jamie Bennett, Rob Breckenridge, Cynthia Darlow, Rachel Fowler, Cynthia Harris, Greg McFadden and James Murtaugh Stage Manger: Dawn Dunlop Lighting by: Mary Louise Geiger Music by Colin McGrath Directed by Scott Alan Evans | |
| 2004/05 | |
 What good is sitting alone in your room? Absolutely no good on April 11, 2005, when you could have been at the TACT Cabaret Spring Gala! TACT IS A CABARET! Monday, April 11, 2005 Le Jazz Au Bar Close to two hundred of New York’s glitterati joined the leading lights of the New York cabaret scene and members of TACT’s acclaimed company to celebrate TACT is a Cabaret at the fabulously intimate Le Jazz Au Bar. This extravaganza of cocktails, dinner, and cabaret was a highlight in an extraordinary TACT season. As the guests arrived – during cocktails and hors d’eouvers – the conversation centered on the final few hours of a very special silent auction. Less than two months after the spectacular Gates installation in Central Park by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, TACT was auctioning off ten signed prints generously donated by the artists. At the end of the evening the highest bidder of each lot would take these beautiful prints of The Gates and other projects home. | |
| Excitement grew as our own cabaret and recording star David Staller took to the stage as master of ceremonies of the evening. He welcomed, or should we say Wilkommen, the crowd and introduced the splendid and daring TIC TACT Girls – Franzizka, Inga, Trudy, Lisel and Helga (aka Francesca Di Mauro, Kelly Hutchinson, Jenn Thompson, Ashley West and Lynn Wright) straight off the bus from Weimar Germany. It was the start of a Cabaret evening only TACT could deliver. We were honored to have some of the country’s very finest cabaret stars perform. Klea Blackhurst, KT Sullivan, Mark Nadler, and special surprise guest Karen Mason gave a once in a lifetime show. TACT’s own Delphi Harrington and Larry Keith (who appeared in the most recent Broadway production of Cabaret) also joined in the performance. The entire company returned to the stage for a rousing reprise of Wilkommen to cap off the evening. As the evening wound to a close, those with the winning bids on the Christo prints were announced: Lisa & Robert Abramson, Paul Traub, Nora Chester, ML Geiger, Stephen Lindenmuth, Glen Pedersen, Doug Broadwater, Nathan Silverstein, and Laurette Traina. Congratulations to all! The generosity of those who attended this year’s benefit helped us raise over $35,000 towards outfitting our new Studio Headquarters at 900 Broadway and bringing another season of one-of-a-kind theatre to our audience. Our gratitude to all who have supported us throughout our twelve seasons – we will be back this coming year with great plays, wonderful actors, our new Studio Series, and the best theatre bargain in New York! | |
| 2003/04 | |
 TACT, SARDI's and YOU! On Monday, March 29, 2004 the actors from TACT and their TONY Award-Winning friends presented an extraordinary evening of food, wine, and song at Broadway’s legendary Sardi’s Restaurant. TACT friends included: TONY Award Winner Tonya Pinkins of Jelly’s Last Jam, and Carline Or Change TONY Award Winner Karen Ziemba of Contact, and Never Gonna Dance TONY Award Winner Jim Dale of Barnum, Me & My Girl, and most recently A Christmas Carol TACT favorite David Staller was our host. TACT added another glittering evening to the lore of this famous haunt of generations of Broadway actors, directors, playwrights and producers with our own never-to-be-repeated performance of Broaday Musical Magic. Our guests had a chance not only to enjoy the glamour and excitement of a one-night-only musical celebration featuring some of the most sought-after talents of the Broadway stage, but to become part of the scene itself . . . Everyone soaded up the ambience of this famous hang-out and experienced the thrill of seeing their caricature drawn on the spot - joining that exclusive club of New York luminaries whose caricatures cover the walls. They rubbed shoulders with the hottest Broadway singers around, traded gossip and quips with their favorite TACT performers, enjoyed fabulous food and wine, an unforgettable musical event, and savored the knowledge that their attendance helped secure the future of a New York treasure - The TACT experience . . . | |
JEFF TALBOTT (Actor 2) TACT: Debut.