NEW YORK—In honor of Vaclav Havel's 70th birthday and two-month residency at Columbia University's Untitled Theater Company #61, the same company that brought us the Ionesco Festival and recently the NEUROfest presents The Havel Festival, a collection of all of the plays by the internationally acclaimed playwright and former President of the Czech Republic.
Events began October 5 and end on December 4. Performances run from October 26 through December 2. And for the first time ever, the complete works of Vaclav Havel will be presented in a festival that includes one world premiere, four English language premieres, and five additional new translations. All told, there will be 18 productions to complete the collection. "It seems as if this festival is happening at the perfect time. Havel's 70th birthday, his residency at Columbia, our political situation in the United States, and this festival all fit together," said Edward Einhorn, Artist Director for The Havel Festival and Untitled Theater Company. "This may be the most deeply rewarding project I've worked on. ... Havel is a very quiet man, and when you work on his plays you realize that silence, in his writing, means power. It is always those who say less who have the power on stage, whether they are the interrogators or the interrogated." Performances will take place at The Brick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and The Ohio Theater in SOHO, with a special engagement of The Beggar's Opera at Columbia's Miller Theatre.
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The lovely and talented Alexa Ray Joel will perform for a very special audience on Nov. 2 at the Princess Grace Awards Gala at Cipriani in Manhattan. The Princess Grace Foundation-USA was founded to continue the work that Princess Grace began during her lifetime to help financially young emerging talent in theater, dance, and film. The beautiful and talented singer/songwriter Ms. Joel, is currently on tour in support of her independently recorded and distributed debut EP, Sketches.
She was raised in a musical home on Long Island, where Ms. Joel's gift for singing and songwriting was strongly encouraged by her parents. Among her earliest memories is her father singing and playing nursery rhymes for her on the piano. Ms. Joel underwent classical piano training for many years before developing a love of songwriting, discovering her piano training to be a solid foundation for her songwriting. Ms. Joel recognizes the importance of supporting young artists in their studies and in addition to the young recipients who include 17 year old John Mark Giragosian who will receive a scholarship to the Maryland Youth Ballet and top Statue honorees Adam Rapp and Maria Kowroski. The ceremony will be emceed again by CNN's Larry King who is a longtime supporter and friend of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Awards will be presented by Chita Rivera, Jesse L. Martin, and Ethan Stiefel. The second annual Prince Rainier III award, created by Madison Avenue Jewelers Di Modolo, will be presented by Norma Kamali to dance veteran Twyla Tharp.
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Chris Seeger, the lawyer who is well known in show business circles for winning over a billion dollars in class action lawsuits, is giving a fundraiser for his friend Andrew Cuomo, who's running for attorney general, on Monday, Oct. 30, at Sparks Restaurant. They are long-time friends.
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Literally off the bus and onto the New York stage comes emerging young playwright Keith Boynton. Boynton, a former pupil of Constance Congdon while at Amherst College, will premiere two of his one-acts at NYC's Altered Stages in an evening entitled Love, Death, and Interior Decorating. His mother Sandra Boynton, the Grammy nominated songwriter and noted cartoonist, will direct one of the evening's plays. Although new to the New York stage, Boynton's work has been performed by such luminaries as Sam Waterston, Liam Neeson, and Meryl Streep.
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Julie Harris, one of Broadway's greatest actresses, will be honored at Primary Stages 22nd Anniversary Gala Benefit in The Crystal Room at Tavern on the Green on Monday evening, November 6. "Each year, we honor an artist who has made significant contributions to the American theater and the development of new plays in particular," said Primary Stages Artistic Director Andrew Leynse. "The legendary Julie Harris is most deserving of such an honor." Harris won the Tony Award for Best Actress for "I Am a Camera" 1952), "The Lark" (1956), "Forty Carats" (1969), "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" (1973), and "The Belle of Amherst" (1977), as well as five nominations for Best Actress.
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