New York Theatre Workshop announces details of its 2009-10 season

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) have announced plans for NYTW's 2009-10 season. One of New York's non-profit theatre companies, NYTW will present a 27th season that includes work by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, Rebecca Gilman, and Geoffrey Cowan and Leroy Aarons. A fourth production, scheduled for spring 2010, will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2009-2010 Season (listed by date of first performance):

Aftermath
Playwright: Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen
Director: Jessica Blank
Synopsis: March 20, 2003. A date that the ordinary people of Iraq will never forget. A day that changed their lives forever. The day the Americans arrived in their country .New York Theatre Workshop sent Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the award-winning creators of The Exonerated, to Jordan in June 2008 to find out firsthand what happened to the Iraqi civilians as a result of the events that began on that fateful day. They interviewed some 35 people�a cross-section of lives interrupted�who fled the chaos and violence that befell Iraqi society for the relative safety of Jordan. Following the visit to Amman, Jessica and Erik edited their conversations with the Iraqis and have turned them into a theatrical event.
Date: Sep � Oct 2009

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
Based on the novel by Carson McCullers, adapted by Rebecca Gilmans
Director: Doug Hughes
Synopsis: Follows the story of deaf John Singer as he navigates the world without his dearest friend who has been committed to an insane asylum. When Singer moves to a small Southern town, the locals flock to him as a newfound confidant, seeking compassion and understanding from the one person who needs it the most. Singer�s isolation in the world is mirrored in a few of the townspeople he meets along the way�a caf� owner, a rebellious teenager, a black physician, and an idealistic labor organizer�whose dreams have been shattered.
Date: Nov � Dec 2009

Top Secret: The Battle For The Pentagon Papers
Playwright: Geoffrey Cowan and Leroy Aarons
Director: John Rubinstein
Synopsis: Based on interviews and documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, 'Top Secret' is an inside look at The Washington Post's decision to publish the classified study documenting U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The epic legal battle went to the nation's highest court and asked the question 'In a democratic society, when, if ever, should a government be allowed to protect secrets in the name of national security?'
Date: Spring 2010

Of the 2009/2010 season, NYTW Artistic Director James C. Nicola says, �During these trying economic times, New York Theatre Workshop has had to make some difficult choices, including reducing the number of productions in the 2008/09 Season to three. I am pleased to announce that, between the increase of support from our intrepid supporters and the ingenuity and flexibility of NYTW�s Board and staff, we will be able to add a fourth production to the 2009/2010 season."

"While we may all be feeling the need for caution and moderation in our lives right now, it strikes me that the artists whose work will appear in our next season feel no such constraint in the creativity and imagination they bring to bear on their work. In fact, to me it seems a particularly bountiful year�beginning with Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen�s Aftermath, an unblinking look at the consequences of the American intervention in Iraq, to Rebecca Gilman�s and Doug Hughes�s view of Carson McCullers� cathartic novel The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, to the political drama of Top Secret: The Battle For The Pentagon Papers. In addition to these wide-ranging productions, we are currently considering a number of delicious possibilities for our fourth production, to be chosen and announced as soon as we can.�