| Evan Cabnet Appointed Artistic Director at Second Stage Theater | |
| Last Edit: Official_Press_Release 01:09 pm EDT 06/27/24 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 01:07 pm EDT 06/27/24 | |
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| SECOND STAGE THEATER Announces Lincoln Center Theater's EVAN CABNET as Artistic Director * * * * * * * * NEW YORK (June 27, 2024) – The Board of Trustees of Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, President and Artistic Director; Lisa Lawer Post, Executive Director) is proud to announce that Evan Cabnet, currently Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3, will be Second Stage Theater's new Artistic Director. Mr. Cabnet will join the organization in September 2024 and will officially launch his first season of programming in Fall 2025. Founder and current Artistic Director Carole Rothman will continue in her position through August 2024. Interim Artistic Director Bennett Leak will oversee the Company's upcoming 46th season. "I am excited and humbled to bring my passion for developing, nurturing, and championing new work to Second Stage, one of New York's most vital and influential homes for contemporary theater," said Evan Cabnet. "As my mentor Andre Bishop says, we are living in a golden age of American playwriting, and Second Stage's incredible history, and the home Carole Rothman has created for artists, sits firmly at the center of this inspiring and culturally rich moment. I hope to honor her legacy as one of the truly great leaders of the American theater, and am looking forward to helping write the next chapter for such an extraordinary organization." "In taking on the search for a new Artistic Director, our 13-member committee went into the process understanding one certainty. We would never replace Carole Rothman," said Kevin Brockman (Head of the Artistic Director Search Committee and Board Co-Chair) and Terry Lindsay (Board Co-Chair). " How can you replace a founding artistic director who had spent 45 years building a powerhouse theatrical institution? Instead, we focused our efforts on identifying the most talented, forward-thinking, creative mind who Is as passionate about our mission and as dedicated to championing new theatrical voices as we were. We wanted someone to shape and inspire our next 45 years of growth and success. And through a very exacting and arduous process, where we met and had in-depth discussions with dozens of potential candidates, our efforts quickly coalesced behind one person…Evan Cabnet." "From the start, Evan stood out amongst his peers," said Brockman and Lindsay. "He has a vast knowledge of and appreciation for American playwrights, and has spent his career championing new voices, giving opportunities to those who might not otherwise have their works showcased. He is one of the smartest and most ethical people in our community, and is beloved and admired by everyone with whom he's worked. Just as important is his commitment to and belief in an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace, both in front of and behind the footlights. It's simply part of his DNA. Collaboration is key with Evan, but he's not shy about stating opinions and is comfortable in the knowledge that the buck ultimately stops at his desk. We honestly don't know how we got this lucky, but we'll certainly take it. Evan is the future of Second Stage, and we can't wait to see where he leads us." Evan Cabnet is a theater director and writer. Since 2016, he has served as the Artistic Director of LCT3, Lincoln Center Theater's home for new artists and audiences. During his tenure, LCT3 produced twenty productions, including Antoinette Nwandu's PASS OVER (Lortel Award, Best Play), which transferred to Broadway and had the distinction of being the first play to open after the pandemic. Other productions that premiered under his leadership include Jackie Sibblies Drury's MARYS SEACOLE (Obie Award for play, direction, and performance), Aya Ogawa's THE NOSEBLEED (Obie Award, writing and direction), Bryna Turner's AT THE WEDDING and BULL IN A CHINA SHOP, Miranda Rose Hall's PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT, and the original musicals IN THE GREEN (written and composed by Grace McLean) and THE KEEP GOING SONGS (written, composed, and starring The Bengsons). Plays commissioned, developed, and produced under Cabnet's leadership have gone on to be seen on stages through regional theaters, at universities, and in London. For over twenty years, Cabnet has worked as a director on and off Broadway, regionally and internationally. He has collaborated with such writers as Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (GLORIA, Vineyard Theatre and Goodman Theatre productions), Stephen Sondheim (DO I HEAR A WALTZ? Encores!), Helen Edmundson (THERESE RAQUIN, Roundabout/Studio 54 starring Keira Knightley and Judith Light), Donald Margulies (THE MODEL APARTMENT, Primary Stages), David West Read (THE PERFORMERS, Longacre Theater, THE DREAM OF THE BURNING BOY, Roundabout Underground), Kenneth Lin (WARRIOR CLASS, Second Stage Uptown), Christopher Shinn (TEDDY FERRARA, Goodman Theatre), Theresa Rebeck (POOR BEHAVIOR, Primary Stages), Bekah Brunstetter (OOHRAH, Atlantic), and Liz Meriwether (THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE, Naked Angels, OLIVER PARKER, Cherry Lane). He is a former Artistic Associate at the Roundabout Theatre Company, a founding member of the Ars Nova Writers Group, and a former Resident Artist with Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theater. He is a trustee of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and has guest lectured about developing new work at Juilliard, NYU, Yale, Columbia, and Northwestern. His first book, DIRECTING NEW PLAYS, is being published by Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury Press and will be available October 2024. SECOND STAGE ARTISTS ON EVAN CABNET "I think the audiences and creatives who make up the communities of Broadway, off-Broadway, and American theater at large have so much to celebrate in Evan's appointment as the new leader of Second Stage. Carole Rothman has done a legendary job building up Second Stage as a real temple for the art of contemporary American playwriting and I cannot imagine a more exciting and worthy successor than Evan. I don't know another man - let alone leader - as passionate, knowledgeable, ethical, insightful and kind as Evan, especially when it comes to advocating for the theater - and the many different kinds of folks who make it!" •Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose play APPROPRIATE was produced at Second Stage's Hayes Theater last fall and recently won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play "45 years ago Carole Rothman founded a theater devoted to new American works of theater, giving countless theater artists (including myself) their first big break. It's thrilling, then, to know that that tradition of risk-taking and dedication to daring art will be carried on by the brilliant Evan Cabnet, who has made a career of finding new voices and giving them the space and attention they deserve." •Playwright Rajiv Joseph, whose plays ALL THIS INTIMACY, ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER, GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES and LETTERS OF SURESH were produced by Second Stage Theater "Carole Rothman built Second Stage around the vital mission of producing living American writers, and in her 45 year tenure, she's built it into a pillar of the American theatrical landscape. I'm thrilled to see Evan Cabnet appointed to lead Second Stage's next chapter. As the Artistic Director of LCT3 and as a director, Evan has been a steadfast advocate for his fellow artists. He shepherds artistic work with insight, generosity of spirit, and integrity, and I can't wait to see what unfolds at Second Stage under his leadership." •Director Lila Neugebauer, who staged the Second Stage productions of Tracy Letts' MARY PAGE MARLOWE and the Tony Award-winning production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' APPROPRIATE "Evan Cabnet has built a stellar track record of championing artists and leading with grace and vision. I am thrilled that he will be bringing his great talents to Second Stage, building upon Carole Rothman's profound commitment to artistic excellence and guiding this vital and essential theatre into its next chapter." •Playwright Bess Wohl, whose plays AMERICAN HERO, MAKE BELIEVE, GRAND HORIZONS, and CAMP SIEGFRIED were all produced by Second Stage Theater ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATER SECOND STAGE THEATER currently operates two New York City venues, exclusively dedicated to producing plays by living American playwrights. Under the direction of Founding Artistic Director Carole Rothman, Second Stage's over 200 productions include the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis; the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; the 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes; Mary Page Marlowe by Tracy Letts; The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown; Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Peter Duchan; Dear Evan Hansen by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Steven Levenson; Clyde's and By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage; Trust and Lonely, I'm Not by Paul Weitz; Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl; The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz; Everyday Rapture and Whorl Inside a Loop by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy and Notes From the Field by Anna Deavere Smith; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Torch Song by Harvey Fierstein; Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; Jitney by August Wilson; Crowns by Regina Taylor; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy; This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan; Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; and Tiny Alice and Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee. The company's more than 200 citations include the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for Branden Jacobs Jenkins' Appropriate, as well as Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Sarah Paulson and Best Lighting Design of a Play for Jane Cox; 2022 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for Take Me Out, as well as Best Featured Actor in a Play for Jesse Tyler Ferguson; six 2017 Tony Awards for Dear Evan Hansen (Best Musical; Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Ben Platt; Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Rachel Bay Jones; Best Book of a Musical; Best Original Score; Best Orchestrations); the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley, Next to Normal), Best Score (Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal), and Best Orchestrations (Tom Kitt and Michael Starobin, Next to Normal); the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed); the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, …Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, …Spelling Bee); the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses); the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 29 Obie Awards, 11 Outer Critics Circle Awards, four Clarence Derwent Awards, 20 Drama Desk Awards, 11 Theatre World Awards, one Dorothy Louden Award, 20 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 23 AUDELCO Awards. In 1999, Second Stage Theater opened The Tony Kiser Theater, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theater, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched "Second Stage Theater Uptown" to showcase the work of up-and-coming artists at the 99-seat McGinn/Cazale Theater. The Theater supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs. In 2018, Second Stage began producing at its 581 seat Broadway home, The Hayes Theater. Originally named "The Little Theater" and built in 1912, the city landmark has been remodeled by David Rockwell of Rockwell Group. For more information, please visit www.2ST.com or follow Second Stage on Instagram: @2stnyc and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2STNYC/ ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATER'S UPCOMING 46TH SEASON Under the direction of Interim Artistic Director Bennett Leak, Second Stage Theater has just announced its Fall slate of productions. The season will include the New York Premiere of Leslye Headland's play, CULT OF LOVE, directed by Trip Cullman, at Second Stage's Hayes Theater on Broadway. Previews begin November 20th in advance of a December 12th opening. The fall season will also include the New York Premiere of Donald Margulies' play, LUNAR ECLIPSE, directed by Kate Whoriskey and starring Reed Birney and Lisa Emery. The production will begin previews on October 9th and will officially open on October 30th at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater (305 West 43rd street). Additional season productions will be announced in the coming weeks. Second Stage's Spring Off-Broadway productions will be performed on the Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). |
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