Thursday, May 1, 2014

Broadway Show Offers Outreach To Students

Producers of the widely-honored Broadway drama All The Way say that thanks to generous donations from a number of individuals, the show will be offering free and highly subsidized tickets to students from New York City public high schools for selected performances in May and June. The show is working directly with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the NYCDOE Office of Arts and Special Projects to facilitate the program.

This program is the latest in a series of education outreach initiatives launched by All The Way.

On February 20, 2014, the show hosted (in partnership with The Exchange) America at the Turning Point: Conversations on All The Way, a daylong symposium of panels discussing the artistic development and historical background of the play, which featured contributions from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, educator and civil rights leader Bob Moses, playwright Robert Schenkkan, and star Bryan Cranston.

On April 30, 2014, the show hosted a group of over eighty NYCDOE public high school class presidents, who enjoyed a talkback with Cranston in which they discussed leadership, presidential power, and the politics of the 1960s.

In addition to these special events, All The Way has focused special attention on providing college and high school teachers in the tri-state area with classroom resources, special student group pricing, and talkbacks with cast members. By the end of the show’s run, over 5,000 students from public and private high schools and colleges will have taken advantage of free, subsidized, or discounted student tickets for All The Way.

“Education outreach is crucial to the future of the theater industry,” said lead producer Jeffrey Richards. “The cast, crew, and producers of All The Way have rallied behind this goal, and it’s been gratifying to see the overwhelmingly positive response from students and teachers alike.”

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All The Way has been nominated for a 2014 Tony Award, 2014 Drama Desk Award, 2014 Outer Critics Circle Award and a 2014 Drama League Award for Best New Play.  Bryan Cranston also received nominations for a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.  John McMartin, who plays Senator Richard Russell, received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, and director Bill Rauch received a Drama Desk Award nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination.

All The Way takes audiences behind the doors of the Oval Office and inside the first year of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency and his fight to pass a landmark civil rights bill.  The production opened on March 6th at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd). It was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan and is directed by Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which commissioned the play through its American Revolutions cycle.

It then went on to play a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the A.R.T. from September 13-October 12, 2013 starring Cranston.  The play was awarded the 2013 inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, established through Columbia University in honor of the late Senator Kennedy, honoring new plays or musicals exploring US history and issues of the day. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000, or by visiting the box office of the Neil Simon Theatre.

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All The Way stars Bryan Cranston, Eric Lenox Abrams, Betsy Aidem, J. Bernard Calloway, Rob Campbell, Brandon J. Dirden, James Eckhouse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Christopher Gurr, William Jackson Harper, Michael McKean, John McMartin, Christopher Liam Moore, Robert Petkoff, Ethan Phillips, Richard Poe, Roslyn Ruff, Susannah Schulman, Bill Timoney and Steve Vinovich.

All The Way is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Louise Gund, Jerry Frankel, Stephanie P. McClelland, Double Gemini Productions, Rebecca Gold, Scott M. Delman, Barbara H. Freitag, Harvey Weinstein, Gene Korf, William Berlind, Caiola Productions, Gutterman Chernoff, Jam Theatricals, Gabrielle Palitz, Cheryl Wiesenfeld and Will Trice.

Set design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design by Deborah M. Dryden, lighting design by Jane Cox, composition and sound design by Paul James Prendergast, projection design by Shawn Sagady, the projection design consultant is Wendall K. Harrington, hair & wig design is by Paul Huntley, and the sound consultant is Peter Fitzgerald. The Dramaturge is Tom Bryant and casting is by Telsey + Company William Cantler, CSA.   

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