The Circle Repertory Company , originally named the Circle Theater Company , was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by director Marshall W. Mason , playwright Lanford Wilson , director Rob Thirkield, and actress Tanya Berezin , all of whom were veterans of the Caffe Cino . The plan was to establish a pool of artists — actors, directors, playwrights and designers — who would work together in the creation of plays. In 1974, The New York Times critic Mel Gussow acclaimed Circle Rep as the "chief provider of new American plays."
25-565: Marshall W. Mason was succeeded as Artistic Director (1969–1987) by co-founder Tanya Berezin (1987–1995). In 1995, Austin Pendleton succeeded her, with actress Lynn Thigpen as associate artistic director and Milan Stitt as executive director. Originating in the 1960s, a time when many experimental theaters arose, this company outlasted many others. The Company moved their home to the Sheridan Square Playhouse at 99 Seventh Avenue South in
50-546: A Kiss (1989–90), William Mastrosimone 's Sunshine (1989), Jon Robin Baitz 's Three Hotels (1992–93), Larry Kramer 's The Destiny of Me (1992–93), and Terrence McNally 's It's Only a Play (1981). Circle Rep plays received numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize , Tony Awards , New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards , Obie Awards , Drama Desk Awards , and the company was honored with AT & T On Stage Award,
75-531: A Play began its Broadway run at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on August 28, 2014, in previews and officially opened on October 9, 2014. McNally rewrote the play again to bring the setting to the current day, and replaced the character of Emma with Gus, an aspiring actor. It was originally scheduled for a limited 18-week engagement, through January 4, 2015, that was later extended to June 7, 2015. Tom Kirdahy produced and Jack O'Brien directed, with
100-681: A Projects-in-Progress series called Circle Rep Lab. The Lab's Artistic Director was first Daniel Irvine, then Michael Warren Powell . At its height the Lab had over 300 active members (actors, writers directors and designers). Plays selected for this series received a week of rehearsal and a four-performance run. Several of these plays went on to become major productions the following season or at other theaters, and include such original stagings as Marsha Norman's 'Night, Mother, Bill C. Davis' Mass Appeal , and William M. Hoffman's As Is . The literary office, headed by B. Rodney Marriott and followed by Milan Stitt ,
125-456: A building or structure in Manhattan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . It%27s Only a Play It's Only a Play is a play by Terrence McNally . The play originally opened off-off-Broadway in 1982. It was revived off-Broadway in 1986, and on Broadway in 2014. The plot concerns a party where a producer, playwright, director, actors and their friends eagerly wait for
150-477: A cast that starred Nathan Lane as James Wicker and Matthew Broderick as Peter Austin. Also featured in the cast were Megan Mullally as Julia Budder, Stockard Channing as Virginia Noyes, F. Murray Abraham as Ira Drew, Rupert Grint as Frank Finger, and Micah Stock as Gus. In November 2014, it was announced that the play would extend its run through January 18, 2015, at the Schoenfeld, and then transfer to
175-484: A hit. Cast of characters John Simon , in his review of the 1982 off-off-Broadway production for New York Magazine called the play "truly amusing", while noting that the play is missing "the interaction of characters on a plot as well as confrontational level." Michael Kuchwara , in his review of the 1986 off-Broadway production for the Associated Press , called the play a "maliciously funny diatribe about
200-458: A theatre in 1996, the theatre was located at 99 7th Avenue South in Greenwich Village . Prior to being a theatre, the building was host to The Nut Club , a famous nightclub frequented by people such as Lionel Barrymore , Jimmy Durante , Eddie Cantor , and Mae West . The building was originally built as a garage, on the foundations of a church demolished in 1917 for the construction of
225-403: Is joined by the director, a lead actor, and assorted friends and hangers-on (including a critic) as they nervously wait for the late-night reviews printed in the newspapers. As they wait, they gossip and name-drop celebrities who are in attendance and chat about their respective theater experiences. Virginia Noyes, the star of the show, is taking drugs. James Wicker, an old friend of the playwright,
250-449: Is now a successful TV actor who turned down the lead in the play, and is relieved and secretly thrilled about the bad reviews that arrive. And, although Ira Drew is a theater critic, he is very critical of the theater because he has no talent to actually participate, despite his secretly writing plays. Not discouraged by the bad reviews for The Golden Egg , the assembled parties eagerly make plans for their next play, which they know will be
275-504: The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in a run from January 23, 2015, to March 29, 2015. Martin Short replaced Lane in the role of James Wicker as of January 7, 2015. Additionally, Katie Finneran and Maulik Pancholy replaced Mullally and Grint. On January 29, 2015, it was announced that the play would further extend its run until June 7, 2015. Nathan Lane returned to the cast on March 31, 2015, (after
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#1733122438257300-615: The Circle in the Square Theatre 's former home at 159 Bleecker Street. The last production at the theatre was Graydon Royce and Geoffrey C. Ewing 's (who also starred in) Ali in 1992. The building became a restaurant and jazz club under the name Garage Restaurant and Cafe, which closed in 2015. This article about a theater building in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about
325-3064: The Award for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway from the Lucille Lortel Awards , and the Pride Agenda's Artistic Vision Award, and more. A distinguished group of actors developed from Circle Repertory Company. The list of actors who called Circle Rep home includes Kathy Bates , Timothy Busfield , Bobby Cannavale , Lindsay Crouse , Jeff Daniels , John Dossett , Brad Dourif , Lisa Emery , Conchata Ferrell , Mari Gorman , Jonathan Hadary , Trish Hawkins, Judd Hirsch , Jonathan Hogan , Barnard Hughes , William Hurt , Judith Ivey , Cherry Jones , Swoosie Kurtz , Zane Lasky, Lou Liberatore , Joe Mantello , Debra Monk , David Morse , Cynthia Nixon , Lisa Pelikan , Tonya Pinkins , Christopher Reeve , Tony Roberts , Daphne Rubin-Vega , Sharon Sharth, Ben Siegler, Helen Stenborg , Danton Stone , Beatrice Straight , Richard Thomas , Fritz Weaver , and Patricia Wettig . Other Circle Rep alumni include Joan Allen , Alec Baldwin , Dan Bonnell, Kelly Connell, Olympia Dukakis , William Fichtner , Laurence Fishburne , Scott Glenn , Farley Granger , Ed Harris , Melissa Joan Hart , Heavy D , Timothy Hutton , Piper Laurie , Christine Lahti , Jennifer Jason Leigh , John Malkovich , Demi Moore , Mary-Louise Parker , and Gary Sinise . Other company and Circle LAB actors included David Arrow, Michael Ayr, Steve Bassett, Tanya Berezin , Craig Bockhorn, Maggie Burke, Marylouise Burke, Paul Butler, Lynn Cohen , Katherine Cortez, Cyndi Coyne, Cathryn Damon, Jack Davidson, Danielle Delgado, Jake Dengel, Anthony DiMaria , Pamela Dunlap, Claris Erickson, Neil Flanagan, Mary Lea Floden, Lindsey Ginter , Stephanie Gordon, Steve Gregan, Charles T. Harper, Michael Higgins, Ruby Holbrook, Jonathan Hogan, Laura Hughes, Ken Kliban, Zane Lasky, Bobo Lewis , Lou Liberatore, Robert LuPone , Sharon Madden, Jeff McCracken , Edward J. Moore, Jordan Mott, Bruce McCarty, Randy Noojin, Monica Parks, Burke Pearson, Michael Warren Powell, Scott Rymer, Sharon Schlarth, Richard Seff, Timothy Shelton, Ben Siegler, Nancy Snyder , June Stein, Ife Oshun, Brian Tarantina , Rob Thirkield, and Jimmie Ray Weeks, among others. Company designers were John Lee Beatty and David Potts for sets, Dennis Parichy and Malcolm Sturchio for lights, Jennifer von Mayrhauser and Laura Crow for costumes, Chuck London and Stuart Warner for sound. Company composers have been Norman L. Berman , Jonathan Brielle, and Peter Kater . Company stage managers were Fred Reinglas, MA Howard and Denise Yaney. Production Managers included Earl Hughes, Jody Boese, Kate Stewart and Karen Potosnak. In 1979 Circle Rep returned to their original concept of rotating rep, producing two plays in repertory; Hamlet , and Schiller's Mary Stuart . By 1982 Circle Rep had outgrown its theater and began to present some works on other stages. Running parallel to
350-726: The Broadway opening was canceled. In 1984, McNally said that after Broadway, Broadway closed he was no longer confident, but finally realized that having a show close is not the worst thing that could happen. The play, rewritten and retitled, was produced off-off-Broadway by Manhattan Punch Line at the Actors and Directors Theatre, in November 1982. Paul Benedict directed, with a cast that included Frances Cuka as Julia Budder, Richard Leighton as James Wicker, Paul Guilfoyle as Frank Finger, Ken Kliban as Ira Drew and Harriet Rogers as Emma. The play
375-532: The IRT 7th Avenue line. The Sheridan Square Playhouse opened on May 6, 1958 with a production of Jacinto Benavente 's 1907 play The Bonds of Interest ( Los intereses creados ). It soon hosted a two-year revival of the musical Leave It to Jane . The theatre became the home of the Circle Repertory Company in 1972, hosting their plays through the 1993-1994 theatre season, after which the company relocated to
400-574: The classics, Circle Rep became celebrated for its productions of new plays, particularly those in the style that has been labeled "lyric realism," with Lanford Wilson being the leading voice of the genre. Marshall W. Mason directed dozens of Wilson's plays starting with Balm in Gilead in 1965, Home Free! and The Madness of Lady Bright in London (1968) and continuing at Circle Rep with Sextet (Yes) in 1971. In addition to major productions Circle Rep ran
425-665: The company. The list of playwrights who also worked at Circle Rep includes Jon Robin Baitz , John Bishop , Julie Bovasso , Michael Cristofer , Keith Curran , William Missouri Downs , Charles Evered , Jules Feiffer , Herb Gardner , A.R. Gurney , Peter Hedges , William M. Hoffman , Albert Innaurato , Corinne Jacker , Arthur Kopit , Jim Leonard, Jr., Roy London , Craig Lucas , David Mamet , Timothy Mason , William Mastrosimone , Mark Medoff , Patrick Meyers, Marsha Norman , Robert Patrick , Joe Pintauro , Murray Schisgal , Sam Shepard , Milan Stitt , Paula Vogel , Tennessee Williams and Paul Zindel . Circle Repertory Company
450-829: The early 1970s and performed there through 1994. (In the early 1980s the name Sheridan Square Playhouse was dropped in favor of Circle Repertory Theatre.) The company closed its doors in 1996 after 27 years. Circle Repertory Company, also called Circle Rep, became home to some of the most prolific talent in the American theater. Co-founder and resident playwright, Lanford Wilson , wrote The Hot L Baltimore (1972-1973 season), The Mound Builders (1974-1975 season), Serenading Louie (1975–76 season), Fifth of July (1977-1978 season), Talley's Folly (1979-1980 season), A Tale Told (1980-1981 season, later revised as Talley & Son ), Angels Fall (1982–83 season), Burn This (1986–87 season), and Redwood Curtain (1992–93 season) for
475-505: The opening night reviews of their Broadway play. It's Only a Play was revised from an unsuccessful 1978 play originally entitled Broadway, Broadway , which had closed during tryouts in Philadelphia in 1978. Geraldine Page and James Coco were in the Philadelphia cast, and the play was set to open on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre . However, the Philadelphia reviews were negative and
500-509: The play he was in, The Iceman Cometh , ended). Additionally, T.R. Knight joined the cast as Frank Finger on March 31, 2015. On December 17, 2014, it was announced that the play had recouped its "$ 3.9 million capitalization". Variety noted the "consistent strength of the show's box office" and called it a "megaseller". A wealthy first-time Broadway producer, Julia Budder, is throwing an opening night party for The Golden Egg at her luxurious Manhattan home. The playwright, Peter Austin,
525-507: The playwrights were Kenneth Lonergan and Jonathan Marc Sherman . Michael Warren Powell became the artistic director of a successor company, Circle East, which continued the work of the LAB until Powell's death in 2016. Sheridan Square Playhouse The Sheridan Square Playhouse was an Off-Broadway theatre in New York City that was active from 1958 through the early 1990s. Closed as
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#1733122438257550-720: Was nominated for the 1986 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play. A revised version was produced by the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson at the Doolittle Theatre, Los Angeles, California, in April 1992. John Tillinger directed, with a cast that featured Eileen Brennan (Virginia Noyes), Sean O'Bryan (Gus, a waiter), Charles Nelson Reilly (James Wicker), David Hyde Pierce (Frank Finger), Dana Ivey (Julia Budder), Paul Benedict (Ira Drew), Željko Ivanek (Peter Austin) and Doris Roberts (Emma). It's Only
575-616: Was one of the few that read unsolicited scripts and plays and responded with detailed criticism. To the end of developing scripts and plays, the company ran two reading series, Friday Readings and Extended Readings. The company collaborated with the Dramatists Guild on a series called Young Playwrights Festival, founded by Stephen Sondheim and Gerald Chapman in 1981. For the festival, ten plays with writers ranging from 8 to 18 were chosen for full production or staged readings. Plays were produced at Circle Rep with professional actors. Among
600-535: Was revived off-Broadway by the Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center Stage 1, with previews starting December 17, 1985, and running from January 11, 1986, to January 26, 1986. Directed by John Tillinger , the cast featured Christine Baranski (Julia Budder), Paul Benedict (Ira Drew), Mark Blum (Peter Austin), James Coco (James Wicker), David Garrison (Frank Finger), Joanna Gleason (Virginia Noyes) and Florence Stanley (Emma). John Tillinger
625-557: Was the launching pad of acclaimed productions such as Mark Medoff 's When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1973–74), Edward J. Moore's The Sea Horse (1973–74), Tennessee Williams' Battle of Angels (1974), Jules Feiffer 's Knock Knock (1975–76), Albert Innaurato 's Gemini (1976–77), Sam Shepard 's Fool for Love (1982–83), William M. Hoffman 's As Is (1984–85), Lanford Wilson 's Burn This (1986–87), John Bishop 's The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 (1986–87), Craig Lucas 's Reckless (1990) and Prelude to
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