Second Stage Theatre

TO GIVE NEW LIFE TO CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PLAYS AND TO PRODUCE WORLD PREMIERES OF NEW PLAYS BY BOTH ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS.

SECOND STAGE THEATER SPENT FY21 FOCUSED ON PROVIDING VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING FOR OUR AUDIENCES, AS WELL AS PLAN FOR OUR RETURN TO THE STAGE IN THE FALL OF 2021. DESPITE THE CONTINUED CLOSURE OF OUR THEATER FOR IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR AUDIENCES AND ARTISTS, OUR ACTIVITIES BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2020 AND AUGUST 2021 ARE OUTLINED BELOW. VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING OVER THE PAST YEAR SECOND STAGE HAS PROVIDED A DIVERSE SLATE OF VIRTUAL ARTISTIC EVENTS, ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN FREE OF CHARGE AND MANY OF WHICH CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. A LIST OF OUR VIRTUAL PROGRAMS FROM THE PAST YEAR IS INCLUDED BELOW. BOOK CLUB: "WHORL INSIDE A LOOP", SEPT. 29, 2020: SHERIE RENE SCOTT & DICK SCANLAN JOINED US FOR A DISCUSSION OF THEIR PLAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES VOLUNTEERING AS WRITING TEACHERS A PRISON. BOOK CLUB: "SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER", OCT. 28, 2020: PLAYWRIGHT CHISA HUTCHINSON PARTICIPATED IN A MODERATED DISCUSSION ABOUT HER PLAY "SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER." "DOGFIGHT" WITH DEREK KLENA, NOV. 12, 2020: PARTICIPANTS REVISITED THE SONGS FROM THE HIT MUSICAL; BETWEEN SONGS, ACTOR DEREK KLENA SHARED HIS MEMORIES ABOUT BEING A PART OF THIS SHOW. BOOK CLUB: "TORCH SONG", NOV.18, 2020: A DISCUSSION WITH MICHAEL URIE, THE STAR OF THE TONY-NOMINATED REVIVAL OF "TORCH SONG". "TAKE ME OUT": A VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE, NOV. 19, 2020. DIRECTOR SCOTT ELLIS AND CAST MEMBERS PATRICK J. ADAMS, JESSE TYLER FERGUSON AND JESSE WILLIAMS DISCUSSED "TAKE ME OUTGAVE PARTICIPANTS THE CHANCE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE NUANCES OF THE PLAY AND THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THEIR CHARACTERS. BROADWAY UNDERSTUDIES, DEC. 7, 2020. ACTORS ANNIE FOX (LOBBY HERO), KATE EASTMAN (LINDA VISTA) AND MATTHEW SCOTT (GRAND HORIZONS) SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES AS BROADWAY UNDERSTUDIES. BOOK CLUB: DAYS OF RAGE, DEC. 15, 2020 STEVEN LEVENSON JOINED US FOR A DISCUSSION ABOUT HIS PLAY "DAYS OF RAGE." "THE JAM: ONLY CHILD", MARCH 22 - MAY 7, 2021. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SIGNATURE THEATER, 2ST PROVIDED ACCESS TO THIS STREAMING PRODUCTION, IN WHICH DANIEL J. WATTS RECOUNTS HIS LIFE AS THE ONLY CHILD OF A SINGLE MOTHER. IN ADDITION TO ACCESS TO THE SHOW, WE HOSTED A TALKBACK WITH DANIEL ON MARCH 31, 2021. BESS WOHL & LEIGH SILVERMAN, MARCH 9, 2021. PLAYWRIGHT BESS WOHL AND DIRECTOR LEIGH SILVERMAN DISCUSSED THEIR WORK ON ALL THREE OF OUR STAGES, INCLUDING "AMERICAN HERO" AT 2ST UPTOWN, "MAKE BELIEVE" AT THE KISER AND "GRAND HORIZONS" AT THE HAYES. MY FIRST TIME AT 2ST: ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA & ALEXIS SCHEER, MARCH 23, 2021. ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACARA("GOOD BOYS AND TRUE") WAS JOINED BY ALEXIS SCHEER("OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD") TO CHAT ABOUT THEIR FIRST TIME BEING PRODUCED AT 2ST UPTOWN. ONE YEAR LATER: MAY ADRALES & RAJIV JOSEPH, APRIL 6, 2021: PLAYWRIGHT RAJIV JOSEPH AND DIRECTOR MAY ADRALES TALKED ABOUT NAVIGATING THEIR POSTPONED PRODUCTION OF "LETTERS OF SURESH." JUDITH CHAMPION NEW VOICES READING SERIES, MAY 10-30, 2020. THIS SERIES INCLUDED READINGS OF 3 PLAYS BY EARLY-CAREER WRITERS. EACH READING STREAMED FOR ONE WEEK AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A TALKBACK WITH THE CREATIVE TEAM. THE PLAYS FEATURED WERE: "CONTENT" BY DANIELLE STAGGER, DIRECTED BY PATRICIA MACGREGOR. PROGRAMMED WITH THE EXPERIENCES OF EVERY BLACK WOMAN SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME, FOUR CUTTING-EDGE ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT BEINGS-CLUE, KANE, NOLA, AND ELLA-HAVE THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE REAL CHANGE IN THE WORLD OF ANTI-RACIST EDUCATION. THAT IS, UNTIL A SOFTWARE UPDATE ACCIDENTALLY EQUIPS THEM WITH A PREVIOUSLY BANNED TRAIT: SELF-AWARENESS. "DREAM HOU$E" BY ELIANA PIPES, DIRECTED BY SAMMI CANNOLD. "DREAM HOU$E" FOLLOWS TWO LATINX SISTERS WHO SEIZE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CAPITALIZE ON THEIR "CHANGING NEIGHBORHOOD" BY SELLING THEIR FAMILY HOME ON AN HGTV-STYLE REALITY SHOW. AS THEY PERFORM FOR THE CAMERA THE SHOW TAKES A SURREAL LEFT TURN: ONE SISTER GRAPPLES WITH TURMOIL IN THEIR ANCESTRAL PAST AND THE OTHER DISCOVERS WHAT SHE'S WILLING TO SACRIFICE FOR THEIR FUTURE. "PATIENCE" BY JOHNNY G. LLOYD, DIRECTED BY TAYLOR REYNOLDS. DANIEL PLAYS SOLITAIRE. PROFESSIONALLY. HE'S VERY GOOD - SOME WOULD SAY THE BEST. BUT HE THINKS HE'S READY TO RETIRE AND SETTLE INTO HIS NEW HOUSE WITH HIS HUSBAND-TO-BE, JORDAN. IF ONLY HE CAN HOLD IT TOGETHER THROUGH ONE FINAL MATCH. A SPORTS-INSPIRED FANTASIA, "PATIENCE" IS A MEDIATION ON BLACK EXCELLENCE, NEXT CHAPTERS, AND PLAYING A VERY LONG GAME ALONE. BACK ON STAGE IN 2021 SECOND STAGE SPENT MUCH OF THE SUMMER OF 2021 PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR OUR REOPENING. WE HAVE TAKEN A NUMBER OF STEPS TO REOPEN SAFELY, MANY OF WHICH COME WITH SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL COSTS. WE ARE REQUIRING PROOF OF VACCINATION AND MASKS FOR OUR STAFF AND AUDIENCE MEMBERS, AND WE ARE REGULARLY TESTING COMPANY MEMBERS WHO MUST WORK IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, SOMETIMES WITHOUT MASKS. WE HAVE INSTALLED IMPROVED AIR FILTRATION EQUIPMENT IN OUR THEATERS, REHEARSAL ROOM, AND OFFICES; WE HAVE ENHANCED SANITATION THROUGHOUT OUR SPACES; AND WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED CONTACTLESS TICKETING OPTIONS AND CONTACTLESS MEMBERSHIP CARDS. OUR REOPENING IS GOING WELL TO DATE. WE RECENTLY COMPLETED THE FIRST FULL PRODUCTION OF OUR SEASON, "LETTERS OF SURESH" BY RAJIV JOSEPH, WHICH RAN AT THE TONY KISER THEATER FROM SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 24, 2021. ON NOVEMBER 3 WE BEGAN PREVIEWS FOR "CLYDE'S" BY LYNN NOTTAGE, OUR FIRST SHOW BACK AT OUR BROADWAY HOME, THE HAYES THEATER. THE SEASON WILL ALSO INCLUDE "TO MY GIRLS" BY JC LEE AT THE TONY KISER THEATER AND "TAKE ME OUT" BY RICHARD GREENBERG AT THE HAYES THEATER IN THE SPRING, AS WELL AS TWO NEW PLAYS BY EMERGING WRITERS AT 2ST UPTOWN IN THE SUMMER OF 2022. WE ARE ALSO OFFERING STREAMING OPTIONS FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT YET COMFORTABLE RETURNING TO THEATERS IN PERSON. WE ARE PARTNERING WITH ASSEMBLE, A NEW COMPANY LAUNCHING A PLATFORM TO ALLOW THEATERS TO SIMULCAST PRODUCTIONS ON THEIR STAGES TO ONLINE AUDIENCES. WE ARE PILOTING THIS WITH "LETTERS OF SURESH"CLYDE'S", PROVIDING ACCESS TO SIMULCAST PERFORMANCES FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF EACH PLAY'S RUN. FOR LETTERS OF SURESH, 249 VIEWERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE STREAMING OPTION. DEPENDING ON THE TRAJECTORY OF COVID CASES IN NEW YORK, WE MAY EXPAND THIS STREAMING OPTION TO SINGLE TICKET BUYERS. EMERGING ARTISTS AND NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT SECOND STAGE HAS CONTINUED TO WORK WITH ARTISTS ON NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS - INCLUDING COMMISSIONS, READINGS, AND WORKSHOPS -- SECOND STAGE CREATES A PIPELINE OF BOLD AND ENGAGING NEW PLAYS FOR OUR THREE STAGES. SECOND STAGE IS A WRITER-FOCUSED THEATER DEDICATED TO PROVIDING A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT WHERE ALL ARTISTS CAN DO THEIR BEST WORK AND TO NURTURING THE CAREERS OF ARTISTS OVER TIME. SINCE OUR FOUNDING, WE HAVE BEEN COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING EMERGING STORYTELLERS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, TO DIVERSIFY THE AMERICAN THEATRICAL CANON, AND TO AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF BIPOC, FEMALE, AND EARLY CAREER ARTISTS. COMMISSIONS COMMISSIONS EXPAND THE LANDSCAPE OF AMERICAN THEATER AND CREATE A PIPELINE OF DIVERSE AND EXCITING NEW WORK FOR OUR THREE STAGES. SECOND STAGE CURRENTLY HAS 22 WRITERS UNDER COMMISSION - OF WHOM 15 IDENTIFY AS WOMEN AND 8 IDENTIFY AS BIPOC. IN THE PAST YEAR WE HAVE ADDED FOUR NEW COMMISSIONS TO OUR ROSTER: LARISSA FASTHORSE, DANIELLE STAGGER, JOHNNY G. LLOYD, AND ALEXIS SCHEER. READINGS AND WORKSHOPS READINGS ARE A CRITICAL DEVELOPMENTAL STEP FOR A NEW PLAY, PROVIDING WRITERS WITH INVALUABLE FEEDBACK THAT COMES FROM HEARING ACTORS PERFORM THEIR WORK AND THE AUDIENCE RESPONDING. FOR OUR READINGS AND WORKSHOPS, WE WORK WITH BOTH EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED PLAYWRIGHTS AND DIRECTORS TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THEIR NEWEST WORK FOR THE STAGE. SECOND STAGE'S ARTISTIC STAFF WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE WRITER TO PAIR THEM WITH A DIRECTOR AND A CAST. SOME READINGS TAKE PLACE OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY, REHEARSING WITH A DIRECTOR FOR A FEW HOURS, THEN PRESENTING THE PLAY IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE. OTHERS REQUIRE ONE TO TWO WEEKS OF REHEARSAL AND ARE MINIMALLY STAGED TO BETTER EXPLORE THE MATERIAL. READINGS ARE INVALUABLE FOR PLAYWRIGHTS, GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THEIR WORDS SPOKEN ALOUD, PERFORMED BY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS - SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE PLAY.