Backstage at McCarter Theatre. Photo by Kristina Plucinsky.

On Saturday, March 28, McCarter donors were treated to a backstage tour of Twelfth Night.  Very well conceived and presented, the tour added to the pleasure for those of us who witnessed the performance, and for the few on the tour who were yet to attend the show, the appetite was whetted.

The morning began with an introduction from Tom Muza, General Manager, who provided a brief history of McCarter and background on the production.  The show was co-produced with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, where it originated and then moved to McCarter.

Tom handed the group to Alison Cote, the Production Stage Manager, who provided insight into how an elaborate staging appears so seamless to the audience.  From her seat at a “tech table” set up in the house, she told us of the little tricks she uses to run the show, among them signal lights controlled from her panel.  These cue musicians, actors and, frankly, just about everything that we take for granted.  During the course of the show, Alison’s voice is audible throughout the backstage area but inaudible to the audience.  What struck me most was the coordination involved in each performance.  It is easy to assume the actors walk on stage and say their lines; clearly there is much more involved than simply memorizing and speaking words written on a page.  I wish Alison had more time to speak, she was so fascinating and, I suspect, had more secrets to divulge, but time was of the essence and we moved onto the stage itself.

(more…)

Emily Mann

Dear Friends and Patrons,

It is with both disappointment and excitement that I share with you the latest news from McCarter Theatre. As many of you already know, Governor Corzine’s proposed budget reduces state cultural dollars by nearly 30%. Due to the impact of this significant cut on McCarter, along with a tightening economic outlook for our institutional funders, we have had to make reductions in expenses in the coming season. Regrettably, this situation has forced us to postpone our previously announced production of the ambitious new musical, Take Flight. We have invited the creative team (Richard Maltby, Jr., David Shire, and John Weidman) to continue developing their ebullient musical at McCarter with the goal of a production in an upcoming season.

BD Wong in Herringbone Photo by Joan Marcus

Yet great opportunities often arise from challenges, and I am simply delighted to announce that virtuoso performer BD Wong will open our 2008-2009 season in a breathtaking performance of Herringbone. Written by Tom Cone, Skip Kennon and Ellen Fitzhugh, Herringbone is a chilling and charming musical ghost story in which an 8-year-old tap dancer becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of a jaded song-and-dance man. As BD’s extraordinary performance (playing all eleven roles in this one-man musical) illuminates the story of an exploited child star, he dazzles and beguiles with his astonishing talent and effervescent personality. BD’s artistry, brilliance and electrifying charisma are perfectly suited to this funny, haunting and wonderful Southern Gothic tuner, which demands nothing less than a tour de force performance. BD gives it.

BD Wong is the only actor ever to receive all five major New York Theater awards (including a Tony Award) for a single role, in M. Butterfly. More recently, he has starred in the acclaimed Broadway revivals of Pacific Overtures and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Audiences will also recognize him as a recurring star in the TV shows Law and Order: SVU (as Dr. George Huang) and Oz (as Father Ray Makuda). Herringbone will be directed by Roger Rees, who began his career as an actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company before winning both the Tony and Olivier Awards for his performance in Nicholas Nickleby. Roger has directed for HBO, The Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons and Williamstown Theatre Festival, where he served as artistic director from 2005-2007.

This production of Herringbone will be a singular event, and an extraordinary way to inaugurate our ambitious and exciting season. I look forward to seeing you at the theater.

All Best,
Emily

p.s. I hope you are as concerned as we are about the crisis in New Jersey State Arts Funding, and I urge you to visit www.artpridenj.com to send an “Action Alert” to your elected officials.

Posted by Emily Mann, Artistic Director and Playwright-in-Residence at McCarter Theatre.