Second Stage Theater (2ST)

Second Stage Theater was thrilled to reopen our theaters and return to in-person performances in the fall of 2021. We came back stronger than ever with an exciting and artistically ambitious season that culminated in a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for Take Me Out. Our activities between September 2021 and August 2022 are outlined below. Productions Our season opened with "Letters of Suresh" by Rajiv Joseph. Directed by May Adrales, this world premiere commission explored loneliness, vulnerability, and the importance of human connection. The cast included Ali Ahn, Ramiz Monsef, Kellie Overbey, and Thom Sesma. The play ran from Sept. 14 - Oct. 24 at the Kiser Theater to an audience of 7,061. Next up was "Clyde's" by Lynn Nottage, which ran at the Hayes Theater from Nov. 3, 2021 - Jan. 16, 2022 to an audience of 34,848. Directed by Kate Whoriskey, "Clyde's" tells the story of a group of formerly incarcerated employees at a truck stop sandwich shop. The show was accompanied by a wide range of community outreach events that were developed in conjunction with non-profits that serve justice impacted communities, including the Youth Justice Network, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, and Fortune Society. Our winter show at the Kiser Theater was "To My Girls by JC Lee." This world premiere commission tells the story of a group of friends getting together in Palm Springs for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Directed by Stephen Brackett, the cast included Bryan Batt, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Carman Lacivita, Maulik Pancholy, Noah J. Ricketts, and Britton Smith. It ran from March 22 - May 1, 2022 to an audience of 10,381. Our spring show at the Hayes Theater was "Take Me Out" by Richard Greenberg, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. The play celebrates baseball and highlights the continuing challenges of being a gay person of color in the world of sports. Directed by Scott Ellis, the cast included Patrick J. Adams, Julian Citi, Hiram Delgado, Brandon J. Dirven, Jesse Tyler Fergusson, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Michael Oberholtzer, Eduardo Ramos, Tyler Lansing Weaks, and Jesse Williams. Take Me Out ran from March 9 - June 11 to an audience of 58,075. The season concluded with two productions by emerging writers at 2ST UPTOWN. First up was "53% Of" by Steph Del Rosso, a comedy that skewers the 53% of white women who voted for our 45th President in 2016 - and those who didn't. The cast included Anna Crivelli, Eden Malyn, Marianna McClellan, Grace Rex, Cathryn Wake, and Ayana Workman. The play ran from June 16 - July 10 to an audience of 2,487. The next show was Patience by Johnny G. Lloyd, which took a look at black excellence through the lens of competitive solitaire. The cast included Justin Davis, Jonathan Burke, Nemuna Ceesay, Zainab Barry, and Mary E. Hodges. Patience was seen by an audience of 2,143 during its run from August 1 - 28. Emerging Artists and New Play Development Second Stage's New Play Development programs - including commissions, readings, and workshops -- create a pipeline of bold and engaging new plays for our three stages. As a writer-focused theater, we are 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 19 writers under commission - of whom 13 identify as women and 9 identify as BIPOC. In the past year we have added five new commissions to our roster: Larissa Fasthorse, Danielle Stagger, Johnny G. Lloyd, Daniel Tejera, and Keenan Scott II. Readings and Workshops Readings and workshops are a critical part of the play development process. When writers can hear their words spoken aloud by actors, it can be a significant turning point in their writing process and lead to important revisions. We hosted nine developmental readings in FY22. We also presented the Judith Champion New Voices Reading Series at the Kiser Theater in January. The series included three readings that were free and open to the public: "TOROS" by Danny Tejera, "THE SENSATIONAL SEA MINK-ETTES" by Vivian J.O. Barnes, and "YELLOW DREAM$" by Liqing Xu. The Lark Playwrights Workshop at Second Stage In 2022, Second Stage took on one of the Lark's programs. Five playwrights met in six sessions from April - June. Fellows shared new work, read cold by a group of high caliber actors. Writers invited collaborators and stakeholders to observe their work in development. Community Programs As we returned to live theater, 2ST reimagined our public programs. With support from the Art for Justice Fund, we created partnerships and activities to amplify the messages in Clyde's and engage audiences in conversation about the criminal justice system. With partners that included Fortune Society, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, Broadway Advocacy Coalition, and Project Renewal, we launched a slate of programs that including partner-curated talkbacks, subsidized tickets for community groups, an exhibit of artwork by justice impacted and incarcerated artists, and videos and learning resources to share our work. Apprenticeships and Job Fair Inspired by Clyde's, 2ST launched an Apprenticeship Program for justice-impacted individuals. Our apprentices received hands on training in production, management, and operations, and worked in alignment with our production schedules. We also partnered with Youth Justice Network and Housing Works on our first Fair Chance Job Fair on June 6 at the Hayes Theater, connecting formerly incarcerated and justice system impacted job seekers with employers in the theater and non-profit industries. Simulcasts We provided simulcast streaming for the last two weeks of Letters of Suresh and Clyde's. Nearly 6,000 households from across the US watched the shows in real-time, an experience as close as possible to that of being at the theater. We also 2ST provided access to a simulcast of Clyde's for residents at Rikers Island, a first for the facility. Viewers participated in a pre-show workshop and a virtual talkback.