(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center is honored to announce The Manic Monologues and The Work of Adrienne Kennedy: Inspiration & Influence has been nominated by The Drama League in the category of Outstanding Digital Theatre, Collection, or Festival. The 2021 Awards Nominees were selected by the 400+ alumni of The Drama League’s programs for directors and theater artists inclusive of Tony and Emmy Award winners, artistic directors at more than 60 theater companies across the United States. This iconic nomination follows the recent announcement that the Drama League Awards will celebrate its 87th year by recognizing excellence in digital and socially distanced theatrical work created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Produced in association with Princeton University Health Services, The 24 Hour Plays® and Innovations in Socially Distant Performance, a project of the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton, The Manic Monologues is a digital theatrical experience to disrupt stigma and spotlight a conversation about mental health, created by Zachary Burton and Elisa Hofmeister in the wake of Burton’s bipolar diagnosis while a Ph.D student at Stanford University. The two incorporated accounts from dozens of brave individuals across the continent and beyond — from survivors with diagnoses; from health professionals; from mothers, sons, and friends; from lovers. The play premiered in May 2019 at Stanford, and was performed in Des Moines & LA before COVID. The free interactive website is available here.
McCarter Theatre Center, in association with Round House Theatre produced The Work of Adrienne Kennedy: Inspiration & Influence. The digital festival celebrates the award-winning experimentalist, with four of Kennedy’s plays produced as virtual theatrical experiences: He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box directed by Nicole A. Watson, Sleep Deprivation Chamber directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, Ohio State Murders directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, and the world premiere of Etta and Ella on the Upper West Side directed by Timothy Douglas. Recently extended through April 30, 2021, all four plays in the festival are available for on- demand streaming.
McCarter Theatre recognizes and salutes both Sarah Rasmussen, Artistic Director and Nicole A. Watson, Associate Artistic Director as Alumni of The Drama League and Nicole as a current member of The Board and their Director's Council.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg, McCarter's mission is to create world-class theater and present the finest artists for the community engagement, education, and entertainment. 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 Award for Best Play); Tarell Alvin McCarey's The Brother/Sister Plays, Emily Mann's Having Our Say, and Danai Gurira’s The Convert. During COVID-19, McCarter has pivoted to offer virtual programming to a global audience, including McCarter@HOME and McCarter Online Classes.
