Our flagship festival of new one-act plays has played at EST for over 30 years and proves to be the longest running and most acclaimed one-act play festival in the country. This year's Marathon is a three series event and features sixteen new One-Act plays.

"Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual one-act-play marathon is always entertaining and rich in solid performances." - The New York Times, Critic's Pick

Series C begins June 7th and runs through June 29

Series C Performance Schedule:

Previews: June 7 & 8 @ 7pm
Opening: June 9 @ 2pm
June 10, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 @ 7pm

Existence by Murray Schisgal*, directed by Peter Maloney*

Power couple, Izzy and Lulu, enjoy martinis in their East Side apartment, reveling in their incredibly successful lives. "Only in America," they think, could children born into poverty rise so far, so fast. But what goes up must come down.
With Kristin Griffith*+ & Richmond Hoxie*+

Zero by Tommy Smith, directed by William Carden*

A young architect, on a grant to work on his studies in a swanky condo for a year, finds himself in an increasingly aggressive relationship with his indifferent doorman.
With Curran Connor*+ & Shanga Parker+

Hate the Loser Inside by Jon Kern, directed by R.J. Tolan*

Coach Donny Brodhaus has just won college football's national championship. For an All-American winner, how hard could it be to speak in a local commercial?
With Brad Bellamy*+ & Graeme Gillis*

Carry the Zero by Christopher Sullivan, directed by Robert Saenz de Viteri

Two teenagers from different parts of a small town share an uncomfortable car ride together, not knowing they might have more in common than they think.
With Alex Herrald+ & Megan Tusing*

Solar Plexus by Clare Barron, directed by Nelson Eusebio

When a stranger at a party invites Joe and Mallery to shed their inhibitions, they discover inhibitions they never even knew they had.
With Bradley Anderson+, Abigail Gampel*+ & Diana Ruppe*+

*EST Member +AEA

Scenic Designer - Nick Francone
Lighting Designer - Greg MacPherson*
Sound Designer - Dan Spitaliere
Costume Designer - Rachel Dozier-Ezell
Props Master - Peter Hurvitz
Production Stage Manager - Eileen Lalley
Technical Director - Steven Brenman
Casting - Tom Rowan*

Rehearsal Stage Manager, ZERO - Michele Connolly
Rehearsal Stage Manager, EXISTENCE - Angel Emerson
Rehearsal Stage Manager, SOLAR PLEXUS - Eileen Kim
Rehearsal Stage Manager, CARRY THE ZERO - Sophie Kurtze
Rehearsal Stage Manager, HATE THE LOSER INSIDE - Alisha Purcell

Reviews

"Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual one-act-play marathon is always entertaining and rich in solid performances... one play that stands out [is] A Sunrise in Times Square, by Sharr White. The marvelous performances by Julie Fitzpatrick and Joseph Lyle Taylor carry it to another level.  Ms. Fitzpatrick, an underappreciated gem of an actress, knows how to give depth to quirky characters. Both are delightfully awkward, and watching them find and occasionally grope their way to a mutually supportive moment is achingly enjoyable." - The New York Times

“The Favor by Leslie Ayvazian, is another fine two-hander built on awkwardness. Ralph (Grant Shaud) is reluctant to carry out the odd request made of him by his wife, Ellen (Janet Zarish): She wants him to go into the next room and give her dying mother a kiss. And not just a peck on the cheek." - The New York Times

"Daddy Took My Debt Away by Bekah Brunstetter, the opener, finds humor and pathos in the world of maxed-out credit cards. The three actors, Emma Galvin, David Gelles and Jonathan Randell Silver, give it zest." - The New York Times

“Something Like Loneliness, by Ryan Dowler, is the most inventive piece of writing on display. In Mr. Dowler’s world, sounds are captured in food storage containers, and with them, fragments of past relationships. [Jane Pfitsch and Chris Wight] proceed to engage in the oddest Tupperware party ever, with the sounds they barter revealing hopes and disappointments." - The New York Times

"Daniel Reitz’s You Belong to Me [is an] astute character study about an encounter on the subway between former college flames: Susan (Patricia Randell), who has achieved bourgeois success in a gig at an arts foundation, and the troubled genius Robby (the excellent Scott Parkinson, who evokes great poignancy with astonishing economy)." - The New York Times

“Something Fine by Olivia Dufault, features the phenomenal Cathy Curtin as a desperate, sleep-deprived truck driver who is trying to make it home in time for her daughter’s 4th birthday." 
- The New York Times

"Joshua Conkel’s Curmudgeons in Love is the comic crowd pleaser of the evening. David Margulies and Martin Shakar play the explosive, foul-mouthed, retirement-home-resident stars in this latest addition to the inexhaustible grumpy-old-men genre. While the play is not exactly a font of subtlety, it is pure heaven to see these superannuated rascals cuss (and kiss!) up a storm."
- The New York Times

"Daniel Reitz’s You Belong to Me is a subtle, quiet, luminous slice of theater."  - Time Out New York

"Joshua Conkel’s Curmudgeons in Love, a loudly funny, surprisingly sweet tale of twilight-years romance that feels like a full-length work in the making." - Time Out New York

"Sharr White confirms he's one of the theater's rising writing stars with A Sunrise in Times Square. At first, it appears that the quirky, sachet-loving Madeline (Julie Fitzpatrick) has asked former firefighter Marky (the sublime Joseph Lyle Taylor) to stop by her apartment simply to make sure everything is in order in case of a blaze. Over the course of the frequently funny, bittersweet 25 minutes, we discover not only what has prompted Madeline's seemingly strange fears, but why she has created this awkward (if surprisingly successful) attempt to connect romantically with Marky. The revelation, handled with extraordinary grace by Fitzpatrick, is heartbreaking and authentic.
- Theatermania

“Seduction of a similar kind goes almost as well for Eddie (Andy Nogasky), the less-than-physically-attractive title character of Robert Askins' clever Love Song of an Albanian Sous Chef. Given one last night to convince fiery female bartender Billy (a hilarious Danielle Slavick) of his charms, Eddie pulls out all the stops by preparing her a memorable meal — including food that actually talks!”
- Theatermania

“With a patented hangdog expression and an expert sense of comic timing, Grant Shaud proves to be perfectly cast in Leslie Ayvazian's The Favor.” - Theatermania

"Special kudos go to scenic designer Nick Francone and the EST staff for ensuring that transitions between the plays go smoothly and quickly, giving audiences just enough time to savor each work yet never allowing us to get too hungry for the next bite." - Theatermania

"As the Bard taught us, "Brevity is the soul of wit." At Ensemble Studio Theatre, wit seems to also be the soul of brevity. Five comedies make up Series C of EST's 34th Marathon of One Act Plays... their distinct comedic voices (paired with some creatively designed sets by Nick Francone) make for a well-balanced and engaging afternoon of entertainment." - Theatermania

"Christopher Sullivan's Carry the Zero sticks with the theme of sex and modern relationships. He plants us in the middle of an awkward car ride with Marc and Nicole (Alex Herrald and Megan Tusing), a pair of inarticulate high schoolers who have just had their first taste of hook-up culture. Both give strong performances — Herrald, a loveable stoner-type and Tusing, taking on a persona reminiscent of the tomboyish Ellen Page from the film Juno. For a scene depicting one of the most unfortunate aspects of today's youth culture, I give Sullivan (and director Robert Saenz de Viteri) kudos for finding its endearing spirit." - Theatermania

"Zero by Tommy Smith is by far the most cleverly constructed. With direction by William Carden, Curran Connor gives a standout performance as a 32-year-old architect who moves into a new apartment on a year-long architecture grant. Daily encounters with his observant doorman (Shanga Parker) peel back the layers of this philandering, binge-drinking, and pot-smoking mess of a character. These brief meetings, sometimes only seconds long, mold an impressively nuanced, three-dimensional character who we almost can't believe we met less than 30 minutes ago." -Theatermania

"Jon Kern's Hate the Loser Inside, directed by R.J. Tolan, is as close to a big finish as you could imagine... Brad Bellamy wins the award for comedic performance of the day as college football national championship coach Donny Broadhaus, recruited to shoot a local commercial for a kitchen furnishing company. With the exception of an occasional interaction between Coach Broadhaus and the commercial's director Wendell (the charmingly twerpy Graeme Gillis), Bellamy commandeers the floor for a hilarious 20-minute one-man show. He spirals into raging fits of self loathing like a grand finale at a fireworks display: throwing breakfast dishes, squeezing the bejeezus out of a grapefruit, and spouting off some of the most creative profanities I've ever had the privilege of hearing — a perfect button to this lineup of thoroughly entertaining performances." - Theatermania

"Kern’s Hate the Loser Inside boasts a tour-de-force comic performance by Brad Bellamy, as a celebrated football coach desperately trying to perform a TV commercial for a kitchen design company. As he flubs take after take, he unleashes a hilarious torrent of ever more colorful expletives." - NY Post

"The program’s highlight is Tommy Smith’s Zero, depicting a series of strained exchanges between the officious doorman (Shanga Parker) of an upscale apartment building and a new tenant (Curran Connor). The brief, hilarious vignettes reflect the love-hate relationship between city dwellers and the doormen who often know far more about us than we’d like to admit." - NY Post

Our flagship festival of new one-act plays has played at EST for over 30 years and proves to be the longest running and most acclaimed one-act play festival in the country. This year's Marathon is a three series event and features sixteen new One-Act plays.

"Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual one-act-play marathon is always entertaining and rich in solid performances." - The New York Times, Critic's Pick

Series B begins May 28th and runs through June 16th

Series B Performance Schedule:

June 8, 15, 16 @ 2pm
May 28, 29, 30, June 1, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16 @ 7pm

Love Song of an Albanian Sous Chef by Robert Askins*, directed by Moritz Von Stuelpnagel*

On Billy’s last day of work at the restaurant, Eddie cooks her a feast which will show his love for her.
With Brian Luna+, Andy Nogasky+, Mike Smith Rivera*+ & Danielle Slavick+

A Sunrise in Times Square by Sharr White, directed by Claudia Weill*

When Marky arrives at Medeline’s office to deliver his rote fire-safety speech, she makes the unlikeliest of recognitions: there might just be someone out there who understands her.
With Julie Fitzpatrick*+ & Joseph Lyle Taylor+

The Favor by Leslie Ayvazian*, directed by Leslie Ayvazian*

Ellen discovers a photograph of her mother at 4 years old with a four year old boyfriend in a garden in France. It leads her to make an unexpected request.
With Grant Shaud*+ & Janet Zarish*+

Something Like Loneliness by Ryan Dowler, directed by Colette Robert*

When Dan knocks on Mia's door, she thinks it’s a standard noise complaint from her upstairs neighbor, but it turns out to be a much more personal request.
With Jane Pfitsch*+ & Chris Wight*

Waking Up by Cori Thomas*, directed by Tea Alagić

Two women on different continents face breast cancer. A play about what separates us and what makes us the same.
With Lynnette R. Freeman+ & Amy Staats*+

Daddy Took My Debt Away by Bekah Brunstetter, directed by Jamie Richards*

Two recent college grads with massive debt find themselves working for a student loan debt collector. When a girl calls in to pay off her loans entirely, their training gets thrown out the window. With Emma Galvin+, David Gelles*+ & Jonathan Randell Silver+

*EST Member +AEA

Scenic Designer - Nick Francone
Costume Designer - Rachel Dozier-Ezell
Lighting Designer - Greg MacPherson*
Sound Designer - Daniel Spitaliere
Properties Masters - Peter Hurvitz & Kate Lundell
Production Stage Manager - Eileen Lalley
Technical Director - Steven Brenman
Casting - Tom Rowan*

Rehearsal Stage Manager - DADDY TOOK MY DEBT AWAY - Carly Ayala
Rehearsal Stage Manager - THE FAVOR - Jess Applebaum
Rehearsal Stage Manager, LOVE SONG OF AN ALBANIAN SOUS CHEF - Jon Huggins
Rehearsal Stage Manager - WAKING UP - Sophie Kurtze
Rehearsal Stage Manager - SOMETHING LIKE LONELINESS - Jay Levy
Rehearsal Stage Manager - A SUNRISE IN TIMES SQUARE - Stephanie Ward

Reviews

"Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual one-act-play marathon is always entertaining and rich in solid performances... one play that stands out [is] A Sunrise in Times Square, by Sharr White. The marvelous performances by Julie Fitzpatrick and Joseph Lyle Taylor carry it to another level.  Ms. Fitzpatrick, an underappreciated gem of an actress, knows how to give depth to quirky characters. Both are delightfully awkward, and watching them find and occasionally grope their way to a mutually supportive moment is achingly enjoyable." - The New York Times

“The Favor by Leslie Ayvazian, is another fine two-hander built on awkwardness. Ralph (Grant Shaud) is reluctant to carry out the odd request made of him by his wife, Ellen (Janet Zarish): She wants him to go into the next room and give her dying mother a kiss. And not just a peck on the cheek." - The New York Times

"Daddy Took My Debt Away by Bekah Brunstetter, the opener, finds humor and pathos in the world of maxed-out credit cards. The three actors, Emma Galvin, David Gelles and Jonathan Randell Silver, give it zest." - The New York Times

“Something Like Loneliness, by Ryan Dowler, is the most inventive piece of writing on display. In Mr. Dowler’s world, sounds are captured in food storage containers, and with them, fragments of past relationships. [Jane Pfitsch and Chris Wight] proceed to engage in the oddest Tupperware party ever, with the sounds they barter revealing hopes and disappointments." - The New York Times

"Daniel Reitz’s You Belong to Me [is an] astute character study about an encounter on the subway between former college flames: Susan (Patricia Randell), who has achieved bourgeois success in a gig at an arts foundation, and the troubled genius Robby (the excellent Scott Parkinson, who evokes great poignancy with astonishing economy)." - The New York Times

“Something Fine by Olivia Dufault, features the phenomenal Cathy Curtin as a desperate, sleep-deprived truck driver who is trying to make it home in time for her daughter’s 4th birthday." 
- The New York Times

"Joshua Conkel’s Curmudgeons in Love is the comic crowd pleaser of the evening. David Margulies and Martin Shakar play the explosive, foul-mouthed, retirement-home-resident stars in this latest addition to the inexhaustible grumpy-old-men genre. While the play is not exactly a font of subtlety, it is pure heaven to see these superannuated rascals cuss (and kiss!) up a storm."
- The New York Times

"Daniel Reitz’s You Belong to Me is a subtle, quiet, luminous slice of theater."  - Time Out New York

"Joshua Conkel’s Curmudgeons in Love, a loudly funny, surprisingly sweet tale of twilight-years romance that feels like a full-length work in the making." - Time Out New York

"Sharr White confirms he's one of the theater's rising writing stars with A Sunrise in Times Square. At first, it appears that the quirky, sachet-loving Madeline (Julie Fitzpatrick) has asked former firefighter Marky (the sublime Joseph Lyle Taylor) to stop by her apartment simply to make sure everything is in order in case of a blaze. Over the course of the frequently funny, bittersweet 25 minutes, we discover not only what has prompted Madeline's seemingly strange fears, but why she has created this awkward (if surprisingly successful) attempt to connect romantically with Marky. The revelation, handled with extraordinary grace by Fitzpatrick, is heartbreaking and authentic.
- Theatermania

“Seduction of a similar kind goes almost as well for Eddie (Andy Nogasky), the less-than-physically-attractive title character of Robert Askins' clever Love Song of an Albanian Sous Chef. Given one last night to convince fiery female bartender Billy (a hilarious Danielle Slavick) of his charms, Eddie pulls out all the stops by preparing her a memorable meal — including food that actually talks!”
- Theatermania

“With a patented hangdog expression and an expert sense of comic timing, Grant Shaud proves to be perfectly cast in Leslie Ayvazian's The Favor.” - Theatermania

"Special kudos go to scenic designer Nick Francone and the EST staff for ensuring that transitions between the plays go smoothly and quickly, giving audiences just enough time to savor each work yet never allowing us to get too hungry for the next bite." - Theatermania

"As the Bard taught us, "Brevity is the soul of wit." At Ensemble Studio Theatre, wit seems to also be the soul of brevity. Five comedies make up Series C of EST's 34th Marathon of One Act Plays... their distinct comedic voices (paired with some creatively designed sets by Nick Francone) make for a well-balanced and engaging afternoon of entertainment." - Theatermania

"Christopher Sullivan's Carry the Zero sticks with the theme of sex and modern relationships. He plants us in the middle of an awkward car ride with Marc and Nicole (Alex Herrald and Megan Tusing), a pair of inarticulate high schoolers who have just had their first taste of hook-up culture. Both give strong performances — Herrald, a loveable stoner-type and Tusing, taking on a persona reminiscent of the tomboyish Ellen Page from the film Juno. For a scene depicting one of the most unfortunate aspects of today's youth culture, I give Sullivan (and director Robert Saenz de Viteri) kudos for finding its endearing spirit." - Theatermania

"Zero by Tommy Smith is by far the most cleverly constructed. With direction by William Carden, Curran Connor gives a standout performance as a 32-year-old architect who moves into a new apartment on a year-long architecture grant. Daily encounters with his observant doorman (Shanga Parker) peel back the layers of this philandering, binge-drinking, and pot-smoking mess of a character. These brief meetings, sometimes only seconds long, mold an impressively nuanced, three-dimensional character who we almost can't believe we met less than 30 minutes ago." -Theatermania

"Jon Kern's Hate the Loser Inside, directed by R.J. Tolan, is as close to a big finish as you could imagine... Brad Bellamy wins the award for comedic performance of the day as college football national championship coach Donny Broadhaus, recruited to shoot a local commercial for a kitchen furnishing company. With the exception of an occasional interaction between Coach Broadhaus and the commercial's director Wendell (the charmingly twerpy Graeme Gillis), Bellamy commandeers the floor for a hilarious 20-minute one-man show. He spirals into raging fits of self loathing like a grand finale at a fireworks display: throwing breakfast dishes, squeezing the bejeezus out of a grapefruit, and spouting off some of the most creative profanities I've ever had the privilege of hearing — a perfect button to this lineup of thoroughly entertaining performances." - Theatermania

"Kern’s Hate the Loser Inside boasts a tour-de-force comic performance by Brad Bellamy, as a celebrated football coach desperately trying to perform a TV commercial for a kitchen design company. As he flubs take after take, he unleashes a hilarious torrent of ever more colorful expletives." - NY Post

"The program’s highlight is Tommy Smith’s Zero, depicting a series of strained exchanges between the officious doorman (Shanga Parker) of an upscale apartment building and a new tenant (Curran Connor). The brief, hilarious vignettes reflect the love-hate relationship between city dwellers and the doormen who often know far more about us than we’d like to admit." - NY Post

Our flagship festival of new one-act plays has played at EST for over 30 years and proves to be the longest running and most acclaimed one-act play festival in the country. This year's Marathon is a three series event and features sixteen new One-Act plays.

"Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual one-act-play marathon is always entertaining and rich in solid performances." - The New York Times, Critic's Pick

Series A begins May 18th and runs through June 2nd. 

Series A performance schedule:

May 18, 19, June 1 & 2 @ 2pm
May 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 31, June 2 @ 7pm

Poison by John Patrick Shanley* directed by John Giampietro*

Poison is a dark fable about a driven woman, black magic, and obsession.
With Jacqueline Antaramian+, Alicia Goranson*+ & Aaron Serotsky+

Kandahar to Canada by Dan O’Brien, directed by Mark Armstrong*

The true story of Pulitzer Prize-winning war reporter Paul Watson escorting a schoolgirl from Kandahar to attend school in Ottawa amidst Taliban death threats.
With Lily Balsen+, Jay Patterson*+ & Abraham Makany

You Belong to Me by Daniel Reitz*, directed by Marcia Jean Kurtz*

A chance encounter on the 1 train after eighteen years forces Susan and Robby to confront how different they’ve become.
With Scott Parkinson+ & Patricia Randell*+

Curmudgeons in Love by Joshua Conkel*, directed by Ralph Peña*

A Brooklyn family gathers in a Bay Ridge nursing facility for a most unusual celebration.
With Veronica Cruz+, Nina Hellman+, Alex Manette, David Margulies*+ & Martin Shakar*+

Something Fine by Olivia Dufault, directed by Larissa Lury

A big rig trucker attempts to make it home in time for her daughter’s fourth birthday.
With Lucy DeVito*+, Diana Ruppe*+ & Catherine Curtin*+

*EST Member +AEA

Scenic Designer - Nick Francone
Costume Designer - Ashley Farra
Lighting Designer - Geoffrey Dunbar*
Sound Designer - Daniel Spitaliere
Properties Master - Kate Lundell
Production Stage Manager - Chelsea Parrish+
Technical Director - Steven Brenman
Casting - Tom Rowan*

Rehearsal Stage Manager, YOU BELONG TO ME - Michele Connolly
Rehearsal Stage Manager, SOMETHING FINE - Jon Huggins
Rehearsal Stage Manager, CURMUDGEONS IN LOVE - Anne Huston
Rehearsal Stage Manager, POISON - Chelsea Parrish
Rehearsal Stage Manager, KANDAHAR TO CANADA - Alisha Purcell

Reviews

"Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual one-act-play marathon is always entertaining and rich in solid performances... one play that stands out [is] A Sunrise in Times Square, by Sharr White. The marvelous performances by Julie Fitzpatrick and Joseph Lyle Taylor carry it to another level.  Ms. Fitzpatrick, an underappreciated gem of an actress, knows how to give depth to quirky characters. Both are delightfully awkward, and watching them find and occasionally grope their way to a mutually supportive moment is achingly enjoyable." - The New York Times

“The Favor by Leslie Ayvazian, is another fine two-hander built on awkwardness. Ralph (Grant Shaud) is reluctant to carry out the odd request made of him by his wife, Ellen (Janet Zarish): She wants him to go into the next room and give her dying mother a kiss. And not just a peck on the cheek." - The New York Times

"Daddy Took My Debt Away by Bekah Brunstetter, the opener, finds humor and pathos in the world of maxed-out credit cards. The three actors, Emma Galvin, David Gelles and Jonathan Randell Silver, give it zest." - The New York Times

“Something Like Loneliness, by Ryan Dowler, is the most inventive piece of writing on display. In Mr. Dowler’s world, sounds are captured in food storage containers, and with them, fragments of past relationships. [Jane Pfitsch and Chris Wight] proceed to engage in the oddest Tupperware party ever, with the sounds they barter revealing hopes and disappointments." - The New York Times

"Daniel Reitz’s You Belong to Me [is an] astute character study about an encounter on the subway between former college flames: Susan (Patricia Randell), who has achieved bourgeois success in a gig at an arts foundation, and the troubled genius Robby (the excellent Scott Parkinson, who evokes great poignancy with astonishing economy)." - The New York Times

“Something Fine by OliviaDufault, features the phenomenal Cathy Curtin as a desperate, sleep-deprived truck driver who is trying to make it home in time for her daughter’s 4th birthday." 
- The New York Times

"Joshua Conkel’s Curmudgeons in Love is the comic crowd pleaser of the evening. David Margulies and Martin Shakar play the explosive, foul-mouthed, retirement-home-resident stars in this latest addition to the inexhaustible grumpy-old-men genre. While the play is not exactly a font of subtlety, it is pure heaven to see these superannuated rascals cuss (and kiss!) up a storm."
- The New York Times

"Daniel Reitz’s You Belong to Me is a subtle, quiet, luminous slice of theater."  - Time Out New York

"Joshua Conkel’s Curmudgeons in Love, a loudly funny, surprisingly sweet tale of twilight-years romance that feels like a full-length work in the making." - Time Out New York

"Sharr White confirms he's one of the theater's rising writing stars with A Sunrise in Times Square. At first, it appears that the quirky, sachet-loving Madeline (Julie Fitzpatrick) has asked former firefighter Marky (the sublime Joseph Lyle Taylor) to stop by her apartment simply to make sure everything is in order in case of a blaze. Over the course of the frequently funny, bittersweet 25 minutes, we discover not only what has prompted Madeline's seemingly strange fears, but why she has created this awkward (if surprisingly successful) attempt to connect romantically with Marky. The revelation, handled with extraordinary grace by Fitzpatrick, is heartbreaking and authentic.
- Theatermania

“Seduction of a similar kind goes almost as well for Eddie (Andy Nogasky), the less-than-physically-attractive title character of Robert Askins' clever Love Song of an Albanian Sous Chef. Given one last night to convince fiery female bartender Billy (a hilarious Danielle Slavick) of his charms, Eddie pulls out all the stops by preparing her a memorable meal — including food that actually talks!”
- Theatermania

“With a patented hangdog expression and an expert sense of comic timing, Grant Shaud proves to be perfectly cast in Leslie Ayvazian's The Favor.” - Theatermania

"Special kudos go to scenic designer Nick Francone and the EST staff for ensuring that transitions between the plays go smoothly and quickly, giving audiences just enough time to savor each work yet never allowing us to get too hungry for the next bite." - Theatermania

"As the Bard taught us, "Brevity is the soul of wit." At Ensemble Studio Theatre, wit seems to also be the soul of brevity. Five comedies make up Series C of EST's 34th Marathon of One Act Plays... their distinct comedic voices (paired with some creatively designed sets by Nick Francone) make for a well-balanced and engaging afternoon of entertainment." - Theatermania

"Christopher Sullivan's Carry the Zero sticks with the theme of sex and modern relationships. He plants us in the middle of an awkward car ride with Marc and Nicole (Alex Herrald and Megan Tusing), a pair of inarticulate high schoolers who have just had their first taste of hook-up culture. Both give strong performances — Herrald, a loveable stoner-type and Tusing, taking on a persona reminiscent of the tomboyish Ellen Page from the film Juno. For a scene depicting one of the most unfortunate aspects of today's youth culture, I give Sullivan (and director Robert Saenz de Viteri) kudos for finding its endearing spirit." - Theatermania

"Zero by Tommy Smith is by far the most cleverly constructed. With direction by William Carden, Curran Connor gives a standout performance as a 32-year-old architect who moves into a new apartment on a year-long architecture grant. Daily encounters with his observant doorman (Shanga Parker) peel back the layers of this philandering, binge-drinking, and pot-smoking mess of a character. These brief meetings, sometimes only seconds long, mold an impressively nuanced, three-dimensional character who we almost can't believe we met less than 30 minutes ago." -Theatermania

"Jon Kern's Hate the Loser Inside, directed by R.J. Tolan, is as close to a big finish as you could imagine... Brad Bellamy wins the award for comedic performance of the day as college football national championship coach Donny Broadhaus, recruited to shoot a local commercial for a kitchen furnishing company. With the exception of an occasional interaction between Coach Broadhaus and the commercial's director Wendell (the charmingly twerpy Graeme Gillis), Bellamy commandeers the floor for a hilarious 20-minute one-man show. He spirals into raging fits of self loathing like a grand finale at a fireworks display: throwing breakfast dishes, squeezing the bejeezus out of a grapefruit, and spouting off some of the most creative profanities I've ever had the privilege of hearing — a perfect button to this lineup of thoroughly entertaining performances." - Theatermania

"Kern’s Hate the Loser Inside boasts a tour-de-force comic performance by Brad Bellamy, as a celebrated football coach desperately trying to perform a TV commercial for a kitchen design company. As he flubs take after take, he unleashes a hilarious torrent of ever more colorful expletives." - NY Post

"The program’s highlight is Tommy Smith’s Zero, depicting a series of strained exchanges between the officious doorman (Shanga Parker) of an upscale apartment building and a new tenant (Curran Connor). The brief, hilarious vignettes reflect the love-hate relationship between city dwellers and the doormen who often know far more about us than we’d like to admit." - NY Post

Youngblood's annual reading series, featuring 23 new full-length plays from the members of Youngblood

Readings are FREE | No reservations necessary

SPECIAL THANKS to our friends at Ma-Yi Theater Company for hosting BLOODWORKS 2013!

At the MA-YI STUDIO - 260 West 35th Street, Suite #203 (between 8th and 7th Avenues)

Wed 5/15
7pm - Leah Nanako Winkler
9pm - Lucy Gillespie

Tue 5/21
7pm - Rachel Bonds

Wed 5/22
7pm - Tony Meneses
9pm - Will Snider

Wed 5/29
7pm - Krista Knight
9pm - Cory Finley

Mon 6/3
7pm - Willie Orbison
9pm - Dylan Dawson

Wed 6/5
7pm - Christopher Sullivan
9pm - Agnes Borinsky

Mon 6/10
7pm - Mary Hamilton
9pm - Lucy Teitler

Wed 6/12
7pm - Lydia Blaisdell
9pm - Patrick Link and Eric March

Mon 6/17
7pm - Emily Chadick Weiss
9pm - Zhu Yi

Wed 6/19
7pm - Chiara Atik
9pm - Brendan Hill

Mon 6/24
7pm - Jen Silverman
9pm - Clare Barron

Wed 6/26
7pm - OliviaDufault
9pm - Darcy Fowler

Ensemble Studio Theatre presents

FINKS
by Joe Gilford*

Directed by Giovanna Sardelli*
Choreography by Greg Graham

March 28 - May 5, 2013

When the moment came to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) some artists chose to name names, others chose to risk their careers rather than betray their friends. Finks is the real life story of young entertainers on the brink of success, who find themselves playing roles they never dreamed they’d have to play.

Do you know who your friends are?

Featuring Michael Cullen*, Ned Eisenberg*, Leo Ash Evens, Kenney M. Green, Jason Liebman*,Thomas Lyons*, Aaron Serotsky & Miriam Silverman 

Production Stage Manager - Jillian Anderson
Scenic Designer - Jason Simms
Lighting Designer - Gina Scherr
Sound Designer - Jill BC duBoff
Costume Designer - Sydney Maresca
Props Master - Kate Lundell
Technical Director - Derek Dickinson

*EST Member | All actors AEA Members

EXTENDED THROUGH MAY 5th!

Reviews

"A bracing play about McCarthyism by Joe Gilford. Aaron Serotsky is terrific. Miriam Silverman is giving an attention-getting turn in the kind of role actresses live for." - The New York Times

"Forget blue jokes; the humor in Finks, Joe Gilford’s farsighted yet tender tribute to his blacklisted parents, is distinctly red. But it’s part of what makes this play, directed with vitality by Giovanna Sardelli, a nifty bit of theater. The eight-person ensemble is uniformly strong and as Gilford tries to understand why some of the accused betrayed friends to keep their livelihoods, he demonstrates a pluck similar to that of his parents." - Time Out New York

"Joe Gilford's impassioned, autobiographical FINKS… directed with concomitant fervor by Giovanna Sardelli and dressed with period accuracy by Sydney Maresca, is a testament to the parents who managed to maintain their indomitable spirit throughout the ordeal." - Huffington Post

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Do you know who your friends are?

N.Y. Premiere
Based on the True Experiences of
Jack Gilford and Madeline Lee Gilford and the Blacklist of the 1950s

Finks

A Play of Show Biz and Subversion

By Joe Gilford
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
Choreohraphy by Greg Graham

Previews Wednesday, March 28; Opens Saturday, April 6

NEW YORK -- Finks is playwright Joe Gilford's fictionalized account of his parents, Jack Gilford andMadeline Lee Gilford, and their real life experience of the blacklist.  It is a tale of a scoundrel time, a time of paranoia, loyalty and betrayal, show business and show trials, told from the life of two young entertainers who, at the birth of their careers, had to confront the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).  This play is about names, the naming of names, career-determining choices and finks.

            He was the gentle man with the kind face we knew from the Cracker Jack commercials, but in the early 1950s, when on the verge of stardom and his own TV series, somebody spoke his name.  She was a TV and radio actress until somebody spoke her name.  Both played roles they never thought they'd play in one the darkest times in American history when they were given top billing by finks.

            Directed Giovanna Sardelli, Finks featuring Michael Cullen, Ned Eisenberg, Leo Ash Evans, Kenney M. Green, Jason Liebman, Thomas Lyons, Aaron Serotsky and Miriam Silverman begins previews at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, 549 West 52nd Street, Wednesday, March 28, at 7:00pm for an opening Saturday, April 6, at 7:00pm. 

            "Joe Gilford has done a great job of capturing the fast paced spirit and humor of those times by writing a play that takes place at Cafe Society, the integrated Greenwich Village nightclub, and the HUAC hearings," said the Ensemble Studio Theatre's Artistic Director William Carden.  "The result is a well-crafted and compelling play about choices that resonate powerfully today."

Two backlisted actors, Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, in the film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966).  Jack originated his role in the 1962 Broadway musical for which he was nominated for a Tony.

            Jack Gilford is most famous for bringing his inimitable pantomime to the 1960s TV ads for Cracker Jacks. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he began as a club comic and went on to the stage. He was a starring actor in dozens of TV shows, films and Broadway, earning two Tony nominations and an Oscar nomination.  Madeline Lee Gilford was born in the Bronx.  She was a child actress, a teenage activist and a radio and stage performer. She later became a theater producer and continued acting throughout her life. The Gilfords had three children, Lisa, Joe and Sam. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Gilford

            Playwright Joe Gilford remembers the paranoia of the blacklist years as a small child. "We were always told not to discuss something called 'communism'. We didn't really know what that meant, but understood to keep our mouths shut."  Finks has been developing for many years, he adds.  "I always thought that my parents' refusal to name names was heroic.  But they always explained that they had no choice.  They could never hurt their friends."

            Jack and Madeline remained activists for their whole lives. Mr. Gilford hopes that "my play will recreate the hardships that actors experienced having to make choices that artists should never be asked to make."

Jack Gilford in one of many Cracker Jack commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuMj2n8HVFghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4t3WnOYe-Y

            Joe Gilford's plays have been produced or presented at Naked Angels, Roundabout, Circle Rep, New York Stage & Film, the Westbank Downstairs Theater, and Todd Mountain Theater Project.  His plays include Knockdown, Not Tunisia, In Aisle 4, The End of Our Rope, The Love Museum,No Fault and Danny's Brian, for which he received an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant for this play about the neuro-science of brain injuries in football.  Finks was originally presented by New York Stage and Film Company and The Powerhouse Theater at Vassar on July 23, 2008He most recently was on the writing team of Gold Fever, a four-part mini-series on the 1849 Gold Rush for Discovery Channel.  Mr. Gilford has written the documentaries The Great American Songbook, a history of American popular song hosted by Michael Feinstein for PBS’s Great Performances now on Time Warner Home Video. Also for PBS: Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans and the Movies hosted by John Turturro and featuring Paul Sorvino, Marisa Tomei, and many others.  He has a New York Emmy Award for his work on WNET-NY’s (PBS) documentary City Arts series.  He has also been a writer and producer at Showtime, Bravo, Court TV, F/X, and New York's MSG MetroGuide channel.  Since 1999 he has taught screenwriting at NYU’s Undergraduate Film & TV Dept., Tisch School of the Arts. He is also currently a Visiting Professional teaching screenwriting at Montclair State University’s Dept. of Film in New Jersey. www.storyrescue.com

            Jason Simms is designing scenery; Gina Scherr, lighting; Sydney Maresca, costumes; and Jill duBoff, sound.  Greg Graham is choreographing. The production stage manager is Jillian Anderson.   

            Finks performs Wednesday through Sundays evenings at 7:00pm with matinees Saturday at 2:00pm and an early curtain Sundays at 5:00pm.  SPECIAL PICK YOUR PRICE PREVIEWS, depending upon seat availability, are March 28 through April 1.  ALL MATINEES FOR THE ENTIRE RUN ARE PICK YOUR OWN PRICE.  Regular tickets are $30, $20 for student/seniors. To order tickets call 866.811.4111 or click www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/134.

Background

            The Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) was founded in the belief that extraordinary support yields extraordinary work. We are a dynamic and expanding company of artists committed to the discovery and nurturing of new voices and the continued support and growth of artists throughout their creative lives. Through our unique collaborative process we develop and produce original, provocative, and authentic new plays that engage and challenge our audience and audiences across the country.

Press Inquiries: The Bruce Cohen Group

Events

After the Sunday, April 14 @ 5pm performance of FINKS we will host Children of the Blacklist: a converation with children of blacklisted entertainers.

Panelists include:
Kate Lardner, daughter of screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr.
Julie Garfield, daughter of actor John Garfield
Lee Grant, blacklisted actress
Joshua Mostel, son of actor Zero Mostel
Deborah Offner, daughter of writer Mortimer Offner
Joe Gilford, son of actors Jack & Madeline Gilford

The discussion will be moderated by Tony Kahn, NPR radio host and son of blacklisted screenwriter Gordan Kahn.

Please join us for a post-show conversation with playwright Joe Gilford, director Giovanna Sardelli, and the cast of FINKS following the Sunday, April 7 @ 5pm performance of FINKS.

EST/Sloan Rough Cut Presentation

Soldier of The Mind by Justin Fleming

Saturday, February 16 @ 7pm & Sunday, February 17 @ 2pm

Against his father’s wishes, Santiago Cajal secretly pursues his dreams of being an artist, while compliantly studying medicine. In the scientific backwater of Barcelona, he discovers that the brain is composed of independent neurons. Armed with his secret talent for art, he embarks on an extraordinary mission to show the world his discovery.

Directed by John Giampietro* with Julie Fitzpatrick*+, Richmond Hoxie*+, Alfredo Narciso*+, and Michael Tisdale+

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Presented by the Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

When a new telescope focused on the heavens becomes operational, the initial images it sees are called First Light. For fifteen years, the EST/Sloan Project has led a pioneering nationwide effort to commission, develop and present hundreds of new plays that challenge and broaden the view of science in the popular imagination. Each play's life onstage begins with the First Light festival. Join us for this year's discoveries.

EST/Sloan Playwrights Panel

Tuesday, March 5 @ 7pm

The EST/Sloan Project has spent 15 years developing new plays on science, technology, engineering and economics. At this panel, EST/Sloan writers will discuss the challenge of creating theatre about science, and the different ways they have met that challenge.

Participants will include EST/Sloan Mainstage Playwrights:

Lucas Hnath (ISAAC'S EYE)
Deborah Zoe Laufer (END DAYS)
Patrick Link (HEADSTRONG)
Anna Zeigler (PHOTOGRAPH 51)
Vern Theissen (LENIN'S EMBALMERS)

Informed Consent
by Deborah Zoe Laufer

Thursday, February 28 @ 7pm

A genetic anthropologist studying the DNA of the Havasupi Tribe violates her trust with the tribe to expand the scope of her research. Based on true events surrounding the court case between the Havasupi and Arizona State University.

Directed by Lisa Peterson* with Rebecca Henderson, Roscoe Orman, Tanis Parenteau, Brian Quijada & Socorro Santiago.

Life On Paper
by Kenneth Lin

Friday, February 8

An economist is tasked by an insurance company to calculate the monetary value of people’s lives. A romantic comedy about how we measure what we’re worth.

Danny's Brain
by Joe Gilford*

Monday, February 11

When her teenage son is offered a football scholarship, a neuroscientist grapples with the implications of chronic traumatic encephalopathy research and the game she’s raised him to love.

Directed by Mark Armstrong* with Denny Bess*, Tim Cain*, Helen Coxe*, Bjorn duPaty*, David Gelles*, Sam Gilroy, Patricia McCall, & Stephen Stout.

Dark Matter
by August Schulenburg

Tuesday, February 12

Maxine Clerk is a physicist chasing after the mysterious dark matter and energy that make up 95% of our known universe. As a rival colleague undermines her efforts, her personal life also begins to unravel. Facing the illness of her daughter and father, the distance of her lover and mentor, and the dangers of her own darkness, Maxine’s struggle to understand the universe becomes a matter of personal survival.

Directed by Tom Wojtunik* with Vandit Bhatt, Molly Carden*, Nedra McClyde*, James Murtuagh*, Joel Rooks*, Marguerite Stimpson & Stephen Stout.

The Article In Question
Written & Directed by Tom Rowan*

Wednesday, February 13

When an article on global warming was published bearing the names of twowell-known scientists, its authorship was disputed. Had one of the credited authors, a respected pioneer in the field, changed his mind about the causes of global warming, or was his name used without his approval? This play examines the conflicting pressures placed on scientists, and investigate how science may be manipulated to political ends.

With Adam Arian+, Brad Bellamy*+, Eric Conger*+, Jane House+, Abigail Gampel*+, Martin LaPlatney+, Rebecca Whitehurst+

The Drive
by Anna Moench and Rob Rusli

Monday, February 18

A musical account of the motivations and actions of Lisa Nowak, the NASA astronaut who was apprehended on her way to murder her lover’s fiancée.

Directed by Jaime Castañeda with Katie Atcheson*, Denny Bess*,  Molly Carden*, Ryan Dowler, Emma Galvin, Andrew Garman*, Jay Liebman*, Mikhaela Mahony, Alfredo Narciso* &Lisa Wisan
 

The Devil's Salt
by France-Luce Benson*

Tuesday, February 19

As practiced by Haitian firebrand Jean Dominique, Agronomy, the science of soil management and crop production, becomes a dangerously revolutionary act.

Directed by Jamie Richards* with Shyko Amos*, Kyle Beltran, Christopher Burris, Bjorn duPaty*, Alfredo Narciso*, Rocc Omari & Antu Yajob

Pluto
by Bridgette Wimberly*

Friday, February 22

Astronomy proves to be a lifeline for young man in his quest to survive his youth and connect to his troubled father.

Directed by Chuck Patterson* with Franceli Chapman, Nora Cole, Marcus Carl Franklin, Yvette Ganier, Kimberley LaMarque, Roscoe Orman & Samantha Sembler.

The Hundred Year Flood
by Meghan Deans

Sunday, February 24 @ 4pm

A civil engineer in charge of deciding which flood-ruined homes to buy for a land reclamation project finds her task complicated when her high school boyfriend comes back to town and files a claim for the house he grew up in.

Directed by Colette Robert* with Helen Coxe*, Christine Farrell*, Adam Green, Kelli Lynn Harrison*, Megan Hill* & Megan Tusing*

Father Unknown
by Daniel Reitz*

Monday, February 25

When two different families discover their newborns have come from the same sperm donor, they delve deeper into his history, with unexpected results. A surprising look at the booming business of fertility.

Directed by Pamela Berlin* with Andrea Cirie, Annie Meisel, Henny Russell, Margot White &Gregory Woodell. Stage Directions read by Samantha Sembler.

The Death of The Slow’dying Scuba Diver
by Matthew Paul Olmos*

Wednesday, February 27

A murdered scuba diver hangs in the middle of the ocean, meanwhile a struggling couple hang in the middle of the suburbs, and between them the life in the ocean begins to atrophy.

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Ensemble Studio Theatre & The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation present

Isaac's Eye by Lucas Hnath*

directed by Linsay Firman*

January 30 - March 10, 2013

"A quirky sendup of fusty historical dramas... funky, stylized, but distinctly contemporary. Isaac's Eye wins a whole mess of points for originality." - The New York Times

"A brilliant new play." - nytheatre.com

One experiment young Isaac Newton tried boggles the mind. To understand light and optics better, Newton inserted a long needle “between my eye and the bone, as near to the backside of my eye as I could.” Why take such a risk? Lucas Hnath’s brilliant new play, Isaac’s Eye, reimagines the contentious, plague-ravaged world Newton inhabited as it explores the dreams and longings that drove the rural farm boy to become one of the greatest thinkers in modern science.

Cast & Creative

Featuring Jeff Biehl+, Kristen Bush*+, Haskell King*+ and Michael Louis Serafin-Wells*+

Production Stage Manager - Erin Maureen Koster+
Scenic Design - Nick Francone
Costume Design - Suzanne Chesney
Sound Design - Shane Rettig*
Lighting Design - Les Dickert
Special Effects Coordinator - Eric Walton
Technical Director- Derek F. Dickinson
Casting Director - Tom Rowan*
Technical Director - Derek Dickinson
Assistant Stage Manager - Eileen Lalley+
Assistant Production Manager - Artem Kreimer
Assistant Director - Kate Pressman
Assistant Lighting Designer - Isabella Byrd
Properties Master - Kate Lundell

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Reviews

"Aquirky sendup of fusty historical dramas... funky, stylized, but distinctly contemporary.Isaac's Eye wins a whole mess of points for originality." - The New York Times

"A thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, and often very funny exchange of ideas between two titans of science. While some may quibble when playwrights take artistic liberties with the lives of famous scientists or other historical figues, it works when the playgoer comes away with an appreciation not just of the scientist in his time, but the scientist in his mind. Consider the case made for this engaging and thought-provoking look into the mind (and through the eye) of Isaac Newton." - The Scientist

"When you imagine the exploits of the young Isaac Newton, cartoon graphics of falling apples and a fortuitous knock on the noggin might come to mind. But Lucas Hnath’s eloquent Isaac’s Eye—now playing, in a sensitive production by Linsay Firman, strips away the Newtonian clichés to present a plainspoken fable about the loneliness of genius and the transforming power of the scientific gaze. - The Village Voice

"I strongly recommend Isaac's Eye, clearly Hnath is a talent to watch. The four-person cast and director Linsay Firman were perfectly in sync with his skill, which is exactly what happens when good actors combine with good writing." - Huffington Post

"[Lucas] Hnath’s script and director Linsay Firman’s excellent production mesh in these delightful Brechtianisms: Biehl introduces “white-haired” Newton while King sulks nearby under his ink-black mop top; the titular 17th-century wunderkind talks like a modern-day teen. “Am I up shit creek?” he asks Robert Hooke (deliciously sly Michael Louis Serafin-Wells), the older scientist he hopes will get him into the Royal Society. Springboarding from true tidbits—Hooke kept an ejaculation diary, Newton may have had Asperger’s—the talented Hnath creates a disorienting, ironic atmosphere, a kind of Rushmore plus calculus." - Time Out New York

"In this brilliant new play which is very aware of its own fictionality, we get some ideas about a pivotal time in Newton's life and spend some hair-raising time with the famous needle. Haskell King plays the self-absorbed young man very well. Kristen Bush completely nails the role of the powerful young woman druggist. Michael Louis Serafin-Wells is wonderful as the succesful older man who, like many, had a penchant for opium and being in love with his own niece.  Jeff Biehl remains calm throughout; an amazing feat which brings us back to reality." - nytheatre.com

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Isaac's Eye won the 2012 Whitfield Cook Prize, an annual award given by New Dramatists for an unproduced, unpublished play deemed worthiest by an outside panel of judges.

Lucas Hnath on Isaac Newton:

I write so frequently about science and technology because I'm interested in characters who take themselves to the very edge of human experience. Newton takes himself to the edge of what can be seen by our eyes — much as astronauts go to the edge of our world, or a swimmer who uses performance enhancing drugs takes himself to the edge of what the body can experience.

I perceived Newton as a kind of risk taker. But as I studied him more, I actually enjoyed what a difficult, argumentative person he was. He's probably not someone you would have wanted to hang around.

Robert Hooke is an especially exciting character because almost no one knows who he was. But he did so much that you've heard about but never knew came from him: the artificial respirator, the earliest telescopes, the plan-form map, the theory of elasticity. At the time he was called “London’s Leonardo.”  

I think with Newton and Hooke you have a man and his shadow. Hooke is this wretched figure: sinful, hedonistic, grotesque. Newton, by contrast, is deeply moral. And yet, these distinctions become a bit more complicated before the play reaches its end. You come to realize how vicious and brutal a person Newton could be.

Isaac’s Eye and The EST/Sloan Project process

Four years ago, Isaac’s Eye was but a few paragraphs Hnath submitted for funding to The EST/Sloan Project. He describes how the play developed:

When I submitted the idea to Sloan, I had no play. I had a one-page proposal. The proposal outlined much of the story, but still, it was highly tentative. The folks from Sloan gave some feedback, and I actually rewrote the proposal based on their comments. They had some concerns about the factual accuracy of the play. As a result, I added what has now become the play's primary theatrical metaphor: the writing of “what’s true” on the wall. Sloan's concerns about accuracy actually opened the door for me to explore the relationship between truth and fiction in our attempts to understand the world and one another.

After I was given the commission, EST allowed me to use their space during the off-season to workshop the play. I'd bring in rough pages and notes, and I'd have actors read the text. I'd listen. I'd make changes on the fly. These little workshops allow me to quickly write a first draft. Beyond the first, EST held a couple more workshops to give Linsay Firman and me a chance to try out the play on its feet.

After I had written a second draft, I had a conversation with Daniel Todes, a science historian and professor at Johns Hopkins. At the time I was using Newton's work with alchemy to create some dramatic stakes. Todes told me that Newton's work with theology was far more controversial, which led me to change his secret work from alchemy to theology. This enabled me to explore Newton's relationship with God.

Many drafts later, I met with Gabriel Cwilich who expanded my understanding of how Newton and Hooke represented two opposing ways of looking at the world, two fundamentally different scientific approaches. Newton focused on a limited number of topics and obsessively studied and tried to relate those few things. Hook, on the other hand, was all over the place. He studied voraciously anything and everything. The next draft sharpened the differences in how they practiced their disciplines into the conflict.

In the spring of 2012, another play by Lucas Hnath, Death Tax, was produced at the 36th Annual Actors Theatre Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville to rave reviews. “This play is pure joy for thinkers,” exulted the reviewer for Louisville.com. “Hnath expertly inserts enough ambiguities and layers to his characters to keep play analysis junkies occupied for months." Hnath’s other plays include Red Speedo, Hillary and Clinton, Sake Tasting with a Séance to Follow, The Courtship of Anna Nicole Smith, Odile’s Ordeal, Tonguetied, and Three Attempts at Corrective Eye Surgery. A resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2011, Hnath’s work has also been produced at the University of Miami, The Culture Project, Target Margin and Ontological-Hysteric Theater. Besides EST, his plays have been developed at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and Cleveland Public Theatre. He has also enjoyed playwriting residencies with The Royal Court Theatre and 24Seven Lab and is currently working on two commissions for Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Linsay Firman, Associate Director of The EST/Sloan Project and Literary Manager at EST, directed the NY premiere of Anna Ziegler’s Photograph 51 at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, reprised at the 2011 World Science Festival. Other NYC productions include Rachel Bond’s Anniversary, Garrett M. Brown’s Americana and Jose Rivera’s Flowers, all in the EST Marathon; Perdita by Pierre Diennet (Lion Theater), Joy Tomasko’s Unfold Me, Catherine Trieschmann’s Crooked, Heather Lynn MacDonald’sPink (all at Ariel Tepper’s Summer Play Festival); Anne Washburn’s Apparition (chashama) named one of Time Out New York’s ten best plays of 2003, Howard Barker’s The Power of the Dog and The Possibilities, Joe Orton’s Loot, and Peter Rose’s Snatch (Soho Rep). She began working in new play development as the Associate Director of Soho Rep, where she worked from 1998 – 2004.

The EST/Sloan Project: Fifteen years of acclaimed productions

The upcoming Mainstage Production of Isaac’s Eye continues a tradition that began in 1998 and continued last season with Patrick Link’s acclaimed play, Headstrong, a gripping family drama about concussions and sports which Stone Phillips found “funny, frightening, relevant, and enlightening.” Its 2011 predecessor, Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler, about the life and work of British scientist Rosalind Franklin and her role in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, was reprised for the 2011 World Science Festival and was a sold-out hit.

In previous years EST/Sloan has dramatized the travails of two Russian scientists charged with embalming Lenin’s corpse (Lenin’s Embalmers, 2010), the conflict of two generations of black scientists (Relativity, 2006), a solipsistic anthropologist coping with mothering an autistic child (Lucy, 2008), the last days of a tragically irradiated nuclear physicist (Louis Slotin Sonata. 2001), and the romantic resonance discoverable in string theory (String Fever, 2003), among other subjects. In the spring of 2009, Deb Laufer’s End Days brought together the Rapture and Stephen Hawking for what Backstage called “A serious comedy, and the best new play I’ve seen in a long time. Ferociously good.” In 2007 David Zellnik’s Serendib investigated how the dynamics of a group of primate field researchers mirrored the behavior of a troop of Sri Lankan temple monkeys. (“A great play” – NPR) The complete roster of mainstage productions below shows how impressive the range of scientific topics has been:

The people behind The EST/Sloan Project

Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs, The Public Understanding of Science and Technology at the Sloan Foundation
William Carden, Artistic Director at EST
Graeme Gillis, Program Director for EST/Sloan
Linsay Firman, Associate Director for EST/Sloan

EST/Sloan Science Advisors

Darcy Kelley, professor of biological sciences and co-director of the Doctoral Subcommittee in Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University; editor of Journal of Neurobiology.

Stuart Firestein, professor of biological sciences, Columbia University and director of the Firestein Neurobiology lab.

Gabriel Cwilich, associate professor of physics, Yeshiva University

Events

Join us after the Wednesday 2/20, 7pm performance of Isaac’s Eye for an eye-opening panel discussion of the life, work, and times of Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke. The evening’s distinguished panel features Matthew L. Jones, Matthew Stanley, Gabriel Cwilich & Isaac’s Eyeplaywright Lucas Hnath. Click here for more information.

After the Sunday 2/17 matinee of Isaac's Eye, Physics Support Specialist David Maiullo of Rutgers University gave a demonstration entitled, “What Newton Did – and Didn’t – Know” through 15 eye-popping experiments."

By Chiara Atik
Directed by Tom Wojtunik*

A young woman negotiates her first romance while trying to determine the truth of a family curse.

With Catherine Curtin*+, Olivia Dufault, Emma Galvin+, Grant Harrison, Jared McGuire*+ and Jay Patterson*+

*denotes EST Member  +denotes AEA

by Agnes Borinsky
Directed by Colleen Sullivan

A teenage girl spends two summers coming of age as a member of an all-women trombone ensemble.

With Margot Avery*+, Clare Barron+, Christine Farrell*+, Julie Fitzpatrick*+, Paola Irún, Diana Ruppe*+ and Janet Zarish+*

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Video

by Darcy Fowler
Directed by John Giampietro*

Chelsea discovers her late mother’s journal and escapes into the wild times of a young actress in a bygone decade, in London and on her own for the first time.

With Lucy DeVito*+, Eli Gelb, Megan Hill*+, William Peden+ and Stephanie Wright Thompson+

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Video

by Angela Hanks
Directed by Chuck Patterson*

After her sister passes, Myrna is haunted by the sorrows of everyone in her Texas hometown. Wherever she goes, everyone feels a little bit better, except herself.

With Kristen Adele, Stephanie Berry*+, Vinie Burrows+, Tim Cain*+, Brian D. Coats+, Bjorn DuPaty*+, Lizan Mitchell+ and Shawn Randall+*

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Video

by Ryan Dowler
Directed by R.J. Tolan*

Terrence is ready to build a new life with his new girlfriend, but his grief-stricken, mortality-obsessed best friend Omar is mourning his dead wife in a unique and disturbing way.

With Steven Boyer*+, William Jackson Harper*+, Heather Robb & Teresa Stephenson+

*denotes EST Member +denotes AEA

Video

Asking for Trouble is EST/Youngblood’s annual speed-theater freakout presenting 24 new short plays by 128 actors, directors, and writers, all written and rehearsed in a mere two weeks!

The Youngblood Playwrights draw a director, a cast and a postcard from a hat, and then have one week to write a script for that director and cast. Inspired by (and utilizing) that postcard.

DATES

Tue 10/9 @ 8:30pm
Thu 10/11 @ 7pm
Sat 10/13 @ 5pm

The Army Navy Store
by Chiara Atik

directed by Nick Leavens
with Frank de Julio, Bjorn DuPaty*, Jenny Gomez & Frederica Meister*†

The Bachelor’s Wife
by Agnes Borinsky

directed by Tom Wojtunik*
with Ryan Karels†, Jocelyn Kuritsky & Jen Taher

Why Would Anyone Even Ever?
by Krista Knight

directed by Meg Sturiano
with Tim Cain†, Pepper Binkley† & Dawn McGee†

The Sweet Spot
by Tony Meneses

directed by Eliza Beckwith
with Suzanna Hay*†, Erica Lutz† & Teresa Stephenson†

Byers And Cellars
by Jen Silverman

directed by Kevin Confoy*
with Eddie Boroevich*†, Quincy Confoy† & Marcia Haufrech*†

Brain Pop Bang
by Christopher Sullivan

directed by Andrew Grosso
with Curran Connor*, Sam Gilroy, Thomas Lyons*† & Chet Siegel†

Producer-in-Residence/Lighting Designer – Artem Kreimer

Production Stage Manager – Jamie Steffen

Sound Designer/Sound Board Op – Liz Davito

 *denotes EST Member †denotes Equity Member

Video

Asking for Trouble is EST/Youngblood’s annual speed-theater freakout presenting 24 new short plays by 128 actors, directors, and writers, all written and rehearsed in a mere two weeks!

The Youngblood Playwrights draw a director, a cast and a postcard from a hat, and then have one week to write a script for that director and cast. Inspired by (and utilizing) that postcard.

Dates

Wed 10/10 @ 8:30pm
Fri 10/12 @ 7pm
Sat 10/13 @ 10pm

Something Fine
by Olivia Dufault

directed by Larissa Lury
with Cathy Curtin*†, Lucy DeVito*† & Megan Hill*†

Solar Plexus
by Clare Barron

directed by Nelson Eusebio
with Bradley Anderson, Abigail Gampel*† & Diana Ruppe*†

That Necklace Looks Stolen
by Cory Finley

directed by Jamie Richards*
with Bobby Foley, Debbie Lee Jones*† & Mike Smith Rivera†

Harpoon’d
by Eric March

directed by Jeremy Bloom
with Kristen Adele, Julie Fitzpatrick*†, Alex Herrald & Ethan Hova†

But My Mother Thinks You Should Start With Portnoy
by Willie Orbison

directed by Mark Armstrong*
with Margot Avery*† & Kelly Anne Burns†

How To Eat Glass
by Emily Chadick Weiss

directed by Christina Roussos
with Katie Atcheson†, Cleo Gray, Flor De Liz Perez & Dylan Moore

Producer-in-Residence/Lighting Designer – Artem Kreimer

Production Stage Manager – Jamie Steffen

Sound Designer/Sound Board Op – Liz Davito

*denotes EST Member †denotes Equity Member

Video

Asking for Trouble is EST/Youngblood’s annual speed-theater freakout presenting 24 new short plays by 128 actors, directors, and writers, all written and rehearsed in a mere two weeks!

The Youngblood Playwrights draw a director, a cast and a postcard from a hat, and then have one week to write a script for that director and cast. Inspired by (and utilizing) that postcard.

Dates

Tue 10/9 @ 7pm
Thu 10/11 @ 8:30
Sat 10/13 @ 3pm

Flannel and Lace
by Will Snider

directed by Matt Dickson
with Merissa Czyz, Bob Jaffe*† & Jay Patterson*†

A Mighty Fight
by Darcy Fowler

directed by John Giampietro*
with Dave Thomas Brown, Emma Galvin† & Steve Stout

Regret Regret Regret You’ll Never Get It Back
by Lucy Gillespie

directed by RJ Tolan*
with Hanna Cheek, Delphi Harrington*†, Kelli Lynn Harrison* & Samantha Sembler

What The Fuck?
by Brendan Hill

directed by Mia Walker
with Graeme Gillis*, Chris Harcum† & Scott Sowers*†

Clobbered
by Rachel Bonds

directed by Kel Haney
with Grant Harrison, Susan Merson* & Katie Schorr

I’ve Eaten Like Three Thousand Cheese Puffs Today
by Zhu Yi

directed by Robert Saenz de Viteri
with Shyko Amos*, Turna Mete & Margot White†

Producer-in-Residence/Lighting Designer – Artem Kreimer

Production Stage Manager – Jamie Steffen

Sound Designer/Sound Board Op – Liz Davito

Video

 *denotes EST Member †denotes Equity Member

Asking for Trouble is EST/Youngblood’s annual speed-theater freakout presenting 24 new short plays by 128 actors, directors, and writers, all written and rehearsed in a mere two weeks!

The Youngblood Playwrights draw a director, a cast and a postcard from a hat, and then have one week to write a script for that director and cast. Inspired by (and utilizing) that postcard.

DATES

Wed 10/10 @ 7pm
Fri 10/12 @ 8:30pm
Sat 10/13 @ 8pm

Why Do You Always Keep Your  Shoes On While We…
by Lydia Blaisdell

directed by Mike Donahue
with Amy Staats*†, Satomi Blair, John Patrick Doherty†, Darcy Fowler & Shane Kearns†

Unicorns In Brooklyn
by Dylan Dawson

directed by Web Begole
with Geneva Carr*†,  Debargo Sanyal*† & Eric Miller†

I Vote Yes
by Mary Hamilton

directed by Lila Neugebauer*
with Andrew Garman, Dylan Dawson† & Jim Murtaugh*†

Leave Him Be, Julia (He’s Only Crying)
by Patrick Link

directed by Rachel Dart
with Helen Coxe*†, Ryan Dowler, Brian Hastert†, Bobby Moreno*† & Shawn Randall*†

The Liege Deluge
by Lucy Teitler

directed by Colleen Sullivan
with Mordecai Lawner*†, Jason Liebman† & Jeff Nauman†

Why Me?
by Leah Nanako Winkler

directed by Ben Kamine
with Laura Ramadei & Jonathan Randell Silver†

Producer-in-Residence/Lighting Designer – Artem Kreimer

Production Stage Manager – Jamie Steffen

Sound Designer/Sound Board Op – Liz Davito

*denotes EST Member †denotes Equity Member

Video

The spirit of work in progress is what EST is all about. Memberfest is the heartbeat of our process. Our membership of over 500 artists come together to present projects in development. This is a unique opportunity to come into EST’s famous creative gymnasium, to experience our members’ work – new and raw and always surprising – and to share in the spirit of The Ensemble Studio Theatre.

All events are free.

Faye Drummond
by Tom Rowan*

directed by Rob Urbinati

Friday, June 14 - Sunday, June 16

Faye Drummond, the trophy wife of the fifth-richest man in America, lives in luxury in a penthouse overlooking Central Park. She's the woman who has everything, but she wants the one thing she can't have: her handsome stepson, Paul Letos. With apologies to Euripides and Racine, Faye Drummond updates the Greek myth of Phaedra and Hippolytus to contemporary New York, with uproarious results. With Tom Bozell, Jordan Coffey, Stephanie Dodd, LeeLee Heavenly, Maria Helan, Chesley Polk & Jim Thalman. Costume Consultant: Sharon Sobel

COURAGE
a comedy by Temi Brodkey Rose*

directed by Jason Daniel Siegel

Tuesday, May 21 @ 7pm 2013

A re-interpretation of Brecht's 'Mother Courage' with a decidedly modern feel, 'Courage' is a play about the sometimes staggering chasm between the intellect and the emotions, and one woman's quirky attempt to bridge it. With Rin Allen, Matt Decoster, Charles Hinshaw, Matthew L. Imparato, Peter Klein, Lorinne Lampert, Lucy McMichael, Nona Niedert, Jerry Rodgers, Andrew Rothkin & Joan Shepard

Stage Directions: Jason Daniel Siegel
Sign Man: Big Mike Logan
Music by Somers and Steel / Melodie Somers*

Funny
by Gabe McKinley 

directed by Mark Armstrong*

Tuesday, April 16 @ 7pm 2013

It's a big night atKarin's Comedy Club. With the chance at their own television show hanging in the balance, five stand-up comedians wrangle with their emotions and one another. This dark comedy exposes the hilarious and harrowing world of the most fearless performer around: the stand up comedian -- begging the ultimate question: what is FUNNY? With Andrew Garman*, Steven Boyer*, Danielle Slavick, Scott Sowers*, Helen Coxe*, Sean Geraghty & William Oliver Watkins

V-Day EST 2013 presents a Benefit Production of

I Dream Before I Take The Stand
by Arlene Hutton+*

directed by Margot Avery*
with Carla Cantrelle* & Mike Smith Rivera*+

The Vagina Monologues
by Eve Ensler 

with Shyko Amos+, Margot Avery+*, Stephanie Berry+*,Kelly Anne Burns+*, Molly Carden+*, Lucy DeVito+*, Abigail Gampel+*, Kelli Lynn Harrison+ &Susan Willerman+*

Tuesday, March 5 @ 8pm 2013 

Join us as we raise funds and awareness to end violence against women and girls.
All ticket sales go to V-Day Campaigns and Safe Horizon
 
V-Day (www.vday.org) is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award-winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works.  
 
I Dream Before I Take The Stand has been translated into multiple languages and presented at universities, high schools, and women's centers around the US for over fifteen years as a way to initiate dialogue on sexual violence.
 
Safe Horizon (www.safehorizon.org) moves victims of violence from crisis to confidence.

The Last Showgirl
book and lyrics by Melodie Somers*; music by Rich Campbell

directed by Hal Corley

Sunday & Monday, March 3rd & 4th 2013

Follow one Woman’s Quirky Quest for Answers to some of Life’s Little, Big Questions with plenty of Wine, Chocolate, Sex and Music to guide her. 
 
“How do you start over when it’s almost done and the Book of Rules
You followed is now being sold on Half.com for $.17 plus shipping?”
 
With Melodie Somers*, Gary Nebiol* & Martha Braunfield. Rich Campbell on Piano.

Between Pretty Places
by Susan Merson*, music and lyrics by Shellen Lubin

directed by Shellen Lubin
musical direction by Matthew Gandolfo 

Tuesday, February 26th 2013

Fighting the ghosts of the land and their own daughter, an aging ranch couple must decide if rescuing their abandoned grand child will heal or destroy them. A musical play about the desperation, danger and drought of love in the harsh landscape of Central California. Based on a true story. With Tuck Milligan, Joyce Cohen, Heather Lupton, Lara Miller & Taysha Gonzalez

A Good Smoke
by Don Cummings 

directed by Austin Pendleton*

Tuesday, February 19th 2013

Joyce, the mother of three grown children, isn’t the center of attention any longer. Will she stop at nothing to regain that position?  Joyce drops her meds – cold-turkey – the day her daughter gives birth, resulting in severe drug withdrawal. As her daughter is wheeled into delivery, Joyce is hauled off to the psych ward.  Her husband and their two sons, David and Joe, are trying desperately to cope, but this family is functioning at its worst when it needs to be at its best, with generational repercussions that will not waft away. The painful comedy of life burns into this dark drama to make - A GOOD SMOKE. With Leslie Ayvazian*, Jared McGuire*, Peter McRobbie, Lance Rubin*, Diana Ruppe* & Barbara Marks.

Tonight at Noon
by Jeff Tabnick 

directed by Eric Nightengale

Tuesday, February 12th 2013

Tim and Emily can’t justify having children, given how little hope they have for the future. That night they are each overcome by a dream:  Tim must save a co-worker from a man in a black mask, and Emily dreams that she will save the world by convincing humanity to stop procreating. They wake up convinced that their dreams are reality. As they journey down the NJ Turnpike to pursue their new found goals, they find that all of America has succumbed to nighttime visions. Reality rends, government agents intervene, the future is foretold, lust is sated, and ideals are lost-- and somewhere in the rubble, Tim finally understands why he might want to start a family.  But in a world where everyone is consumed by his or her own delusions, is reuniting with his wife evenpossible? With Emily Hagburg, Jennifer O'Donnell, Jonathan Todd Ross, Scott Sowers*, Matty Stuart, with stage directions read by Margaret Fitzpatrick.

Beautiful Boy
by Eric Conger*

directed by Andrew Grosso*

Tuesday, February 5th 2013

A fifty-year old adoptee from Missouri drives to Connecticut to search for his parents. What he finds surprises and shocks him. But is he disappointed? A funny and poignant look at the plight of grown children lost in the closed system. With Tim Cain*, Zach Grenier*, Kristin Griffith*, Lois Smith* & Megan Tusing*.

USELESS
by Saviana Stanescu*

directed by Daniel Winerman

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

USELESS, a darkly humored new drama, investigates the relationship between a married couple of Eastern European immigrants involved in organ trafficking - Kora, formerly sex-trafficked and pimped by her now husband Chris - and a disabled boy from a poor country, brought to the U.S. for his kidney. The silent boy affects Chris and Kora in a profound way, triggering unexpected outbursts and changes. He becomes a sort of mirror for their unfulfilled dreams, hidden fears and desires, and ultimately makes them connect on a deeper level. Or so we hope. (Warning: Heightened Realism & Dark humor) With Ana Grosse, Jared McGuire* & Steven Rishard.

But for the Grace… written
by David Eliet 

performed by Bob Jaffe*

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

But for the Grace... dispels many of the false ideas the general public often has about the people who rely on food pantries to put food on their tables. Bob Jaffe, who portrays eleven different characters ranging from a 7 year old boy to an 75 year old Russian immigrant woman, was acclaimed for his fully realized and highly nuanced performance. But for the Grace... has been touring ever since its premiere in 2007, changing people’s perceptions about hunger in the United States.

Donations will be collected for Hunger Relief and will go to Share Our Strength, which strives to eliminate childhood hunger.

“Jaffe’s earnest dignity and subdued rage are engaging. Jaffe’s skill makes this a worthwhile, even inspiring, guilt trip.”

- Time Out NY

Margaret & Kit
by Shirley Lauro*

directed by Mary Fassino

Sunday & Monday, December 16th & 17th, 2012

A unique love story that only now can be told.  In the tumultuous sixties,  a world famous novelist and her student are drawn inexplicably together as they transcend age, time, place and heritage. With Diana LaMar* & Lucy DeVito* & voiceovers by Dennis Paton & Nelson Avidon.

The Angel In the Trees
by Dan O’Brien 

directed by Mark Armstrong*

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Not long after moving to Lowden, a small town below the Mason-Dixon line, native New Yorker Madeline Singer encounters an unexplained phenomenon while walking through the woods. The Angel in the Trees is an evocative one-woman show about ghosts, God, and the American South. With Jessica Dickey.

The Portable Dorothy Parker
by Annie Lux 

directed by Lee Costello*

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Dorothy Parker reminisces about her life, loves, work—and the Algonquin Round Table—while selecting stories and poems for her 1944collection, The Portable Dorothy Parker. Featuring Margot Avery*.

Grant and Twain
by Elizabeth Diggs* 

directed by Faith Catlin

Tuesday, November 13th 2012

In 1884, Ulysses Grant was the idolized four-star Union Commander who won the Civil War. Mark Twain was the most famous writer in America. The two men were superstars. They were also, improbably, good friends. Twain had just broken a seven-year writer’s block to finish Huckleberry Finn. Grant had just been swindled out of all his money in a Ponzi scheme. Grant’s only chance to save his honor and provide for his family was to write his memoirs. Twain persuaded Grant to entrust the publication of his book to his own new publishing house. Halfway through the book, Grant was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and threatened with betrayal close to home. Twain went into serious debt and put his own career on hold for a year in his determination to save Grant’s reputation before he died. Grant’s Personal Memoirs and Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn became masterpieces of American writing. Featuring Cecilia DeWolf*, Clayton Fox, Dion Graham, Zach Grenier*, John Griesemer, Celeste Makoff & Scott Sowers*

Fish Display
by Robert Askins* 

directed by 

Tuesday, October 23rd 2012

The world of New York fine dinning is madness. Egos flare, stars flame out, allegiances change and fortunes are made all before the pre-theatre rush is over.  In a Midtown Greek whole fish house a young man from Texas learns to serve, sell and eat the competition under the tutelage of 6 pound white snapper that doesn’t know he’s dead yet. Find out what can go wrong when you play with your food. Featuring Dennis Boutsikaris*, Geneva Carr*, Curran Connor*, Frank Harts*& Bobby Moreno*.

Filming O’Keefe
by Eric Lane 

directed by Martha Banta

Tuesday, October 16th 2012

This contemporary story is inspired by the time Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz spent at his family home on Lake George. In Lane’semotional, lyrical and funny play, the echoes of these two legendary artists are alive in a modern artistic family residing on the former Stieglitz property. This new play was commissioned by the Adirondack Theatre Festival and will premiere at A.T.F. in 2013. Featuring Anne-Marie Cusson, Eli Gelb, Megan Hill* & Bob Jaffe*, with stage directions read by Ean Kessler

Tonight at Noon
written & directed by Jeff Tabnick

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

A comedy featuring Emily Hagburg, Jennifer O’Donnell, Jonathan Todd Ross, Scott Sowers* and Matty Stuart, with Brian Edelman reading stage directions.

*denotes EST Member