This article is from our magazine. To view it in its original format, click here
Emily Mann To Retire As McCarter Theatre's Artistic Director Following 2019-2020 Season
originally published: 01/11/2019
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- In an email sent to McCarter Theatre Center subscribers on January 11, 2019, Reginald M. Browne, Interim President, McCarter Board of Trustees delivered the news that Emily Mann would be retiring from her position as Artistic Director following the 2019-2020 season. Mann has served as the company's Artistic Director and Resident Playwright since 1990.
Over the course of her 30 year tenure, McCarter Theatre, Mann oversaw more than 160 productions - including over 40 world premieres. Her time will be forever remembered for leading the company to its Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1994.
In the email, Mann said, "Three decades ago, McCarter took the brave and bold step of casting a young female artist as its artistic director, long before women writers and directors were widely embraced in American theater. After what has been an extraordinary journey, it is time to pass the torch to the next generation of artistic directors, many of whom I have been privileged to mentor, so that they may impart their own unique signatures at McCarter as I enter a new personal and professional chapter of writing and directing opportunities."
McCarter's 2019-2020 season kicked off on January 11th with the opening of The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess (directed by Kimberly Senior). The rest of the season includes Ken Ludwig's The God's of Comedy (directed by Amanda Dehnert) from March 12-31; and Skylight by David Hare (directed by Emily Mann) from May 3 - June 2.
"By all accounts, Emily has been a major force in shaping not only McCarter, but the course of American theater at large, as a trailblazing advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusiveness," wrote Reginald M. Browne in the email. "Her passion for nurturing countless emerging and established artists has encouraged their creative expression, challenged convention, and enriched our collective community. Her imprint as a fierce champion of works by women and people of color and as an agent of change is as inspiring as it is indelible."
The article continues after this ad
As McCarter’s Artistic Director and Resident Playwright, Mann has overseen more than 160 productions, including more than 40 world premieres – creating a home for theater legends and amplifying the voices of women and people of color. During her tenure, the theater won the prestigious Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and Emily herself was twice nominated for Tony Awards as a playwright and director.
Her other numerous personal awards include: The Peabody Award, the Hull Warriner Award from the Dramatists Guild, a Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright award, awards from the NAACP, eight Obie awards, a Guggenheim, the 2011 Person of the Year Award from the National Theater Conference, as well as the Margo Jones Award, given to a “citizen-of-the-theatre who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to the encouragement of the living theatre everywhere.” Mann also received an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Princeton University.
Over the next few months, McCarter’s Board of Trustees will be formalizing a process for identifying the theater’s next Artistic Director, with a commitment to build on Emily Mann’s storied legacy to become an even more vibrant home for artists, audiences, students, trustees, and staff.
Emily Mann’s nearly 50 McCarter directing credits include productions by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, and Williams and the recent world premieres of Christopher Durang’s Turning Off the Morning News; Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express; Rachel Bonds’ Five Mile Lake; Danai Gurira’s The Convert; Sarah Treem’s The How and the Why; Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon; and Edward Albee’s Me, Myself & I. Broadway: A Streetcar Named Desire, Anna in the Tropics, Execution of Justice, Having Our Say. Her plays:Having Our Say, adapted from the book by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth; Execution of Justice; Still Life; Annulla, An Autobiography; Greensboro (ARequiem); Meshugah; Mrs. Packard; and Hoodwinked(a Primer on Radical Islamism). Her new play Gloria: A Life about the legacy of Gloria Steinem is currently running off-Broadway. Adaptations: Baby Doll, Scenes from a Marriage, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, A Seagull in the Hamptons, The House of Bernarda Alba, Antigone. Currently in development: The Pianist.
About McCarter Theatre Center - McCarter’s mission is to create world-class theater and present the finest artists for the engagement, education, and entertainment of the community. Winner of the 1994 Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre, world premieres include Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (2013 Tony® – Best Play); Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays; Emily Mann’s Having Our Say; and Danai Gurira’s The Convert. McCarter brings artists from around the world to Princeton, New Jersey including Dianne Reeves, Esperanza Spalding, Andy Borowitz, and more. Education and outreach efforts serve tens of thousands through student matinees, in-school residencies, and adult classes. More at mccarter.org.
PHOTO BY MATT PILSNER
Circle Players Presents "After The Revolution" (PISCATAWAY, NJ) -- Circle Players presents After the Revolution by Amy Herzog, weekends from February 1st to February 17th. The production is directed by Alicia Harabin. In the play, Emma Joseph is a bright, hard-working, law school graduate continuing her family’s business of fighting for progressive ideals. Black Box PAC Presents "Significant Other" (TEANECK, NJ) -- Black Box PAC's first main stage show of 2019 is Significant Other by Joshua Harmon. BBPAC is no stranger to Harmon’s work, as one of the first hits at the Black Box Performing Arts Center was Harmon’s hit Bad Jews. Significant Other follows the perpetually single Jordan Berman and his trio of girl friends as they navigate dating, relationships, and supporting those you love. Performances run from January 24 to February 10th.The Theater Project Presents 5th Annual One-Act Play Competition (MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- Which play will be voted Audience Favorite – the romance, the thriller, or the comedy? And which author will take the $500 Judge’s Award?Dreamcatcher Presents World Premiere of "Psychodrama" (SUMMIT, NJ) -- Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre will present the World Premiere of Psychodrama by Montclair playwright Phoebe Farber. This seriocomedy unfolds in a divorce support group where a new leader introduces unorthodox methods that just might work. Psychodrama runs February 14-March 3.Centenary Stage Presents Henrik Ibsen's "Enemy Of The People" (HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso headline Centenary Stage Company’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, February 15 through March 3 in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center, Hackettstown, New Jersey. Adapted by John Alan Wyatt and directed by Anne Occhiogrosso, the production will feature Randall Duk Kim as Doctor Thomas Stockmann supported by an acting company of professional and local talent from the tri-state area and Centenary University. The full-scale production marks the culmination of the 2018 Gates Ferry Lecture Series: “What is Truth?”
Emmy-Winning South Oranger, Andre Braugher “I’m Andre Braugher and I’m here at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, SOPAC, rehearsing a new play by Julia Doolittle called ‘Tell Them I’m Still Young.’”Laiona Michelle Talks About "Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical" This might be the right time for Nina Simone—15 years after her death. That’s what Laiona Michelle thinks, and, in a way, Michelle will be testing that idea by bringing the singer-activist to life in a world-premiere musical show at George Street Playhouse.
Michelle wrote the show—“Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical”—and she will appear in the title role at the New Brunswick theater from January 29 through February 24.It's "Apple Season" at NJ Rep Every family has stories. Some are funny. Some are sweet. Some are sad. And some are never shared.
Those are often the most powerful.Rise of the Goatman Theater For The New City presents Beltsville/Rockville, Part 1: Rise of the Goatman, an original play by Englewood resident Matt Okin (Artistic Director of Black Box Studios), from December 27 through January 13. In this pseudo-Southern Gothic dark comedy, a vibrant group of teens from two very different suburban neighborhoods clash over class differences, drugs, and sex - and the existence of the legendary ‘Goatman’ in 1986. Cut to 2013, and the adolescent kids of those very same teens are struggling to make sense of their family histories - and the same “mythological” creature - that could be holding them back in life.PHOTOS from "The Winter's Tale" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s concludes its 56th season with its sixth and final Main Stage production, The Winter's Tale. Last seen at The Shakespeare Theatre in 2008, Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte directs this production of Shakespeare’s tragicomedic romance. Veteran company members Jacqueline Antaramian, Jon Barker, Erin Partin, John Keabler, Raphael Nash Thompson,Seamus Mulcahy, Patrick Toon, and Ames Adamson are among a cast of 20 actors. Performances run now through December 30.
From Our Magazine
Laiona Michelle Talks About "Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical"
This might be the right time for Nina Simone—15 years after her death. That’s what Laiona Michelle thinks, and, in a way, Michelle will be testing that idea by bringing the singer-activist to life in a world-premiere musical show at George Street Playhouse.
Michelle wrote the show—“Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical”—and she will appear in the title role at the New Brunswick theater from January 29 through February 24.
Emily Mann To Retire As McCarter Theatre's Artistic Director Following 2019-2020 Season
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- In an email sent to McCarter Theatre Center subscribers on January 11, 2019, Reginald M. Browne, Interim President, McCarter Board of Trustees delivered the news that Emily Mann would be retiring from her position as Artistic Director following the 2019-2020 season. Mann has served as the company's Artistic Director and Resident Playwright since 1990.
Rise of the Goatman
Theater For The New City presents Beltsville/Rockville, Part 1: Rise of the Goatman, an original play by Englewood resident Matt Okin (Artistic Director of Black Box Studios), from December 27 through January 13. In this pseudo-Southern Gothic dark comedy, a vibrant group of teens from two very different suburban neighborhoods clash over class differences, drugs, and sex - and the existence of the legendary ‘Goatman’ in 1986. Cut to 2013, and the adolescent kids of those very same teens are struggling to make sense of their family histories - and the same “mythological” creature - that could be holding them back in life.
An Actor's Carol
There’s something absolutely wonderful about A Christmas Carol, the holiday classic penned by Charles Dickens in 1843. The story has been told in countless films, plays, and cartoons. It is performed on stages around the world towards the end of every season and is universally loved. But imagine being one of the many actors of a certain age who get typecast as Scrooge and are forced to relive that nightmarish night over and over again each year.
Images used on this site have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us and we will look into the matter.
