It’s hard to believe that more than a year has passed since we brought Edwin Booth home to the New York City stage with the world premiere of EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth. The process of crafting the music, text, and lyrics was, itself, a journey of several years. Translating that work into an Off-Broadway production was an adventure on an altogether different scale.
Once we found a theater available during the appropriate time frame (an adventure in its own right), our team began to grow to include a new director, a casting director, actors, an assistant for our wonderful stage manager, a new musical director, an orchestrator, musicians, and a fight director. Designers joined us, along with general management, public relations and advertising teams, box office and ticket sales staff, crew members, agents, union reps armed with rule books, and insurance, unemployment, and pension folk. In a matter of weeks, the journey toward presenting a relatively intimate production had acquired quite a large group of fellow travelers.
Many aspects of the journey were utterly magical, infused with passion, creativity, discovery, and delight. Others were bit more…challenging. Yet, each moment contributed a unique thread to the rich fabric of the adventure we call life.
Though I’d had a good deal of experience as a producer in the dance world, producing in the theater was an extraordinary education. The past year has afforded the core members of the Great Circle Productions team the time to reflect on what we learned. Now we’re preparing to move forward into the next phase of our adventure—exploring new avenues for refining, revising, and presenting EDWIN to a broader audience. Perhaps Edwin Booth will go on tour in the present day, as he did in his own era.
Most of us know a lot about growing pains—the physical and emotional aches we feel as we move from one stage of life to another. As we’ve journeyed toward bringing EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth back home to New York City at St. Clements, we’ve certainly endured a few “slings and arrows.” I’m happy to say, however, that whatever challenges we’ve faced have been answered by outrageously good fortune.
The immensely talented Christopher Scott has joined us as director. Chad McArver, a genius on and Off-Broadway, has graciously committed himself to designing the set and lighting. One of my dearest friends, Emmy Award winner David Zyla, is designing costumes for the production. In the coming weeks, we’ll give you a few peeks at the deigns and glimpses of the rehearsal process.
We also owe an immense debt of gratitude to our casting director, Stephanie Klapper, and her team for assembling a truly remarkable cast. And with great delight we announce that our management company is Dailey-Monda.
Yet our joy as we move forward is tempered by sorrow at the loss of a dear Juilliard colleague James Houghton—the founder and artistic director of the Signature Theater Company and a true titan of the theater world. In his honor, we are dedicating EDWIN to his memory.
Edwin Booth Comes Home
Finding a theater to produce a new work in New York City could be seen as a challenging task or a magnificent adventure. We’ve chosen to take the latter view. Finding a home for EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth has an extraordinary journey. Though we’ve been surprised by the politics of supporting theater in a city supposedly renowned for its support for the performing arts, after a long search we’ve found the perfect home for EDWIN:St Clement’s, one of the most storied Off-Broadway theaters in New York City.
In 1962, St. Clements initiated “a ministry to the theater arts” under the direction of Reverend Sidney Lanier, a cousin of Tennessee Williams. It has served as the home of premieres by David Mamet, Terrence McNally, Sam Shepard, Martha Clarke, and Julie Taymore. Many of America’s greatest performers have appeared there, including Zero Mostel, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, Nathan Lane, Harvey Fierstein, and Al Pacino.
Best of all, St. Clement’s was built in the 19th century. When you enter that magnificent space, you can’t help but feel, “Yes, this is the kind of place in which Edwin Booth would have performed!”
The performance at St. Clement’s is a very limited New York City engagement. The production will preview September 4, 6 & 7. We’ll open on September 8. At the moment we’re planning to run only through September 18.
Catch it then, or be the first to say “I could have caught it when.”
At the moment the cast, and where we will present next, remain a secret.
High Kicks
At the end of February, we kicked off our very first crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for the April previews of EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth at the Players. The response was astonishing! Within three days we’d raised half the amount of our $5,000 goal—and the pledges kept coming as chilly winter finally (and rather grudgingly) gave way to spring. By the end of our month-long campaign, we’d raised more than $7,000, fifty percent more than our initial goal.
In all, 64 generous people backed our campaign. Many were dear friends and family members; but we also made some new friends along the way, including a history buff from Pennsylvania and an elementary school teacher from Maryland, who runs a blog devoted to the events surrounding Lincoln’s assassination. By far the most popular reward chosen in return for pledges were tickets to the previews of EDWIN on April 8th and 9th, and it was a real “kick” to see so many friends, old and new, turn out to support us in person!
Moving Forward, Looking Back
It’s hard to believe that more than a year has passed since we brought Edwin Booth home to the New York City stage with the world premiere of EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth. The process of crafting the music, text, and lyrics was, itself, a journey of several years. Translating that work into an Off-Broadway production was an adventure on an altogether different scale.
Once we found a theater available during the appropriate time frame (an adventure in its own right), our team began to grow to include a new director, a casting director, actors, an assistant for our wonderful stage manager, a new musical director, an orchestrator, musicians, and a fight director. Designers joined us, along with general management, public relations and advertising teams, box office and ticket sales staff, crew members, agents, union reps armed with rule books, and insurance, unemployment, and pension folk. In a matter of weeks, the journey toward presenting a relatively intimate production had acquired quite a large group of fellow travelers.
Many aspects of the journey were utterly magical, infused with passion, creativity, discovery, and delight. Others were bit more…challenging. Yet, each moment contributed a unique thread to the rich fabric of the adventure we call life.
Though I’d had a good deal of experience as a producer in the dance world, producing in the theater was an extraordinary education. The past year has afforded the core members of the Great Circle Productions team the time to reflect on what we learned. Now we’re preparing to move forward into the next phase of our adventure—exploring new avenues for refining, revising, and presenting EDWIN to a broader audience. Perhaps Edwin Booth will go on tour in the present day, as he did in his own era.
Most of us know a lot about growing pains—the physical and emotional aches we feel as we move from one stage of life to another. As we’ve journeyed toward bringing EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth back home to New York City at St. Clements, we’ve certainly endured a few “slings and arrows.” I’m happy to say, however, that whatever challenges we’ve faced have been answered by outrageously good fortune.
The immensely talented Christopher Scott has joined us as director. Chad McArver, a genius on and Off-Broadway, has graciously committed himself to designing the set and lighting. One of my dearest friends, Emmy Award winner David Zyla, is designing costumes for the production. In the coming weeks, we’ll give you a few peeks at the deigns and glimpses of the rehearsal process.
We also owe an immense debt of gratitude to our casting director, Stephanie Klapper, and her team for assembling a truly remarkable cast. And with great delight we announce that our management company is Dailey-Monda.
Yet our joy as we move forward is tempered by sorrow at the loss of a dear Juilliard colleague James Houghton—the founder and artistic director of the Signature Theater Company and a true titan of the theater world. In his honor, we are dedicating EDWIN to his memory.
Edwin Booth Comes Home
Finding a theater to produce a new work in New York City could be seen as a challenging task or a magnificent adventure. We’ve chosen to take the latter view. Finding a home for EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth has an extraordinary journey. Though we’ve been surprised by the politics of supporting theater in a city supposedly renowned for its support for the performing arts, after a long search we’ve found the perfect home for EDWIN:St Clement’s, one of the most storied Off-Broadway theaters in New York City.
In 1962, St. Clements initiated “a ministry to the theater arts” under the direction of Reverend Sidney Lanier, a cousin of Tennessee Williams. It has served as the home of premieres by David Mamet, Terrence McNally, Sam Shepard, Martha Clarke, and Julie Taymore. Many of America’s greatest performers have appeared there, including Zero Mostel, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, Nathan Lane, Harvey Fierstein, and Al Pacino.
Best of all, St. Clement’s was built in the 19th century. When you enter that magnificent space, you can’t help but feel, “Yes, this is the kind of place in which Edwin Booth would have performed!”
The performance at St. Clement’s is a very limited New York City engagement. The production will preview September 4, 6 & 7. We’ll open on September 8. At the moment we’re planning to run only through September 18.
Catch it then, or be the first to say “I could have caught it when.”
At the moment the cast, and where we will present next, remain a secret.
High Kicks
At the end of February, we kicked off our very first crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for the April previews of EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth at the Players. The response was astonishing! Within three days we’d raised half the amount of our $5,000 goal—and the pledges kept coming as chilly winter finally (and rather grudgingly) gave way to spring. By the end of our month-long campaign, we’d raised more than $7,000, fifty percent more than our initial goal.
In all, 64 generous people backed our campaign. Many were dear friends and family members; but we also made some new friends along the way, including a history buff from Pennsylvania and an elementary school teacher from Maryland, who runs a blog devoted to the events surrounding Lincoln’s assassination. By far the most popular reward chosen in return for pledges were tickets to the previews of EDWIN on April 8th and 9th, and it was a real “kick” to see so many friends, old and new, turn out to support us in person!
Edwin Premiere
In Sept. 2016, Great Circle Productions presented the world premiere of EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth, a new musical that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the actor’s return to the stage. The new work featured music by Marianna Rosett and book and lyrics by Eric Swanson. Directed by Christopher Scott (A Class Act, Masterworks Theatre Company) the cast featured Dana Watkins (In Masks Outrageous and Austere) as Edwin Booth, with Adam Bashian (Phantom of the Opera, On Your Toes), Paul DeBoy (A Dirty Shame, Red Dead Redemption), Todd Lawson (Summer and Smoke, Top Floor), Deanne Lorette (La Bete, Benefactors), Ben Mayne (Forever Plaid, Vinyl), and Patricia Noonan (Death Takes a Holiday, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice).
Edwin Booth was the finest American Shakespearean actor of his day. Eight months after his brother assassinated President Lincoln, he returned to the stage, braving death threats and public outrage. EDWIN takes us backstage on that fateful night, revealing the private grief of a man struggling to redeem his family’s name.
Edwin Premiere
In Sept. 2016, Great Circle Productions presented the world premiere of EDWIN, The Story of Edwin Booth, a new musical that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the actor’s return to the stage. The new work featured music by Marianna Rosett and book and lyrics by Eric Swanson. Directed by Christopher Scott (A Class Act, Masterworks Theatre Company) the cast featured Dana Watkins (In Masks Outrageous and Austere) as Edwin Booth, with Adam Bashian (Phantom of the Opera, On Your Toes), Paul DeBoy (A Dirty Shame, Red Dead Redemption), Todd Lawson (Summer and Smoke, Top Floor), Deanne Lorette (La Bete, Benefactors), Ben Mayne (Forever Plaid, Vinyl), and Patricia Noonan (Death Takes a Holiday, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice).
Edwin Booth was the finest American Shakespearean actor of his day. Eight months after his brother assassinated President Lincoln, he returned to the stage, braving death threats and public outrage. EDWIN takes us backstage on that fateful night, revealing the private grief of a man struggling to redeem his family’s name.
First Project: Edwin
2016 will mark the 150th anniversary of the return to the stage of one of the most gifted actors in American history, as well as the 400th anniversary of the passing of William Shakespeare. To commemorate these two events, we have created a work of theatre, music, and history called EDWIN,The Story of Edwin Booth. The focus of this project is the life of Edwin Booth, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day and the older brother of John Wilkes Booth. The work, as presently conceived, has been created for seven performers and a small orchestra.
Edwin’s life mirrors the scope and depth of Shakespearean drama. Through great courage in the face of public and private tragedies, he saved himself and his family several times from disaster. As a boy he was sent on the road as caretaker of his father—a brilliant, but abusive, volatile and alcoholic actor—and in the process, transformed adversity into opportunity and mastered the craft of acting. He met his first wife, Mary Devlin, while playing Romeo to her Juliet. They fell in love, married and had a daughter; but two years later, Mary died, leaving him with an infant to raise and an extended family of mother and siblings to support. Two years later, his brother assassinated Lincoln, and Edwin and his family faced poverty, public outrage, and death threats. Only Edwin’s courage in returning to the stage, not knowing whether he would be vilified or killed, saved his family from ruin.
EDWIN begins on the evening Edwin returns to the stage for the first time after Lincoln’s assassination, his personal history playing out in a series of ghostly encounters with figures from his past, and culminating in the moment he steps onto the stage to play Hamlet. Because his story takes place during the period before, during and after the Civil War—a time of unprecedented, violent divisiveness—Edwin’s life not only encompasses our nation’s history, but also reflects disturbing trends in contemporary society; for once again, our nation confronting perilous divisions.
With EDWIN, we have chosen to examine our country’s past from the perspective of salvation through acts of courage, hope, and love in the midst of war and devastation. Fusing elements of music, theatre, and history, we are creating a work that will enchant and inspire, and offer an opportunity to discover anew, a transformational epoch in American culture.
First Project: Edwin
2016 will mark the 150th anniversary of the return to the stage of one of the most gifted actors in American history, as well as the 400th anniversary of the passing of William Shakespeare. To commemorate these two events, we have created a work of theatre, music, and history called EDWIN,The Story of Edwin Booth. The focus of this project is the life of Edwin Booth, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day and the older brother of John Wilkes Booth. The work, as presently conceived, has been created for seven performers and a small orchestra.
Edwin’s life mirrors the scope and depth of Shakespearean drama. Through great courage in the face of public and private tragedies, he saved himself and his family several times from disaster. As a boy he was sent on the road as caretaker of his father—a brilliant, but abusive, volatile and alcoholic actor—and in the process, transformed adversity into opportunity and mastered the craft of acting. He met his first wife, Mary Devlin, while playing Romeo to her Juliet. They fell in love, married and had a daughter; but two years later, Mary died, leaving him with an infant to raise and an extended family of mother and siblings to support. Two years later, his brother assassinated Lincoln, and Edwin and his family faced poverty, public outrage, and death threats. Only Edwin’s courage in returning to the stage, not knowing whether he would be vilified or killed, saved his family from ruin.
EDWIN begins on the evening Edwin returns to the stage for the first time after Lincoln’s assassination, his personal history playing out in a series of ghostly encounters with figures from his past, and culminating in the moment he steps onto the stage to play Hamlet. Because his story takes place during the period before, during and after the Civil War—a time of unprecedented, violent divisiveness—Edwin’s life not only encompasses our nation’s history, but also reflects disturbing trends in contemporary society; for once again, our nation confronting perilous divisions.
With EDWIN, we have chosen to examine our country’s past from the perspective of salvation through acts of courage, hope, and love in the midst of war and devastation. Fusing elements of music, theatre, and history, we are creating a work that will enchant and inspire, and offer an opportunity to discover anew, a transformational epoch in American culture.
Biography
Edwin Booth was born on November 13, 1833, under a sky lit by a meteor shower, which residents of the family farm in Maryland regarded as an omen of greatness. The second eldest of five surviving children of British-born actor Junius Brutus Booth, Edwin was sent on the road at the age of 13 to look after his father as he toured the major cities of the eastern United States; for although Junius was a gifted actor, he was also a notorious alcoholic, frequently spending his earnings in taverns or failing to show up for performances.
During the five years Edwin travelled with his father, he learned the craft of acting: first while watching and listening backstage, then appearing in minor roles. At 17, he triumphantly assumed the title role in Shakespeare’s Richard III in New York City, substituting for his father, who was “indisposed.” In 1852, he accompanied his father and his eldest brother, Junius Jr. (also an actor) to California, where new theatres were being built in the wake of the Gold Rush and fortunes could be made. But the California tour proved disappointing, and Junius Sr. chose to head home. Edwin, craving independence, decided to stay. Unattended for the first time in years, his father died on the trip home, an event that filled young Edwin with guilt and remorse.
In 1856 Edwin returned east, and slowly built a reputation as the heir of his brilliant father, while bringing his own unique brand of naturalistic, quiet intensity to his roles. Four years later, he married a young actress, Mary Devlin—whom he’d met playing Romeo to her Juliet. They had a daughter, Edwina in 1861; but weakened by childbirth and troubled by Edwin’s own plunge into alcoholism, Mary died in 1863.
Battling another round of grief and guilt, Edwin gave up drinking and threw himself into work, assuming management of the Winter Garden Theater in New York, where he solidified his reputation with a record-breaking run of 100 performances of Hamlet. In 1864, he and his brothers, Junius Jr. and John Wilkes, appeared together onstage for the first and only time, in a production of Julius Caesar, a benefit to raise funds for the statue of Shakespeare in Central Park. His place in the theatrical firmament seemed assured—until catastrophe struck again, when his younger brother assassinated President Lincoln. Public outrage and death threats forced Edwin to retire from the stage; but, faced with the responsibility of supporting not only his daughter, but his mother and sisters, as well, he braved the dangers and returned to the Winter Garden as Hamlet in January, 1866.
On the night he died, a wild thunderstorm caused a blackout in the Gramercy Park area where Edwin had made his home—a fitting and dramatic signal of the departure of a remarkable performer, whose birth had been heralded by a rain of shooting stars.
Biography
Edwin Booth was born on November 13, 1833, under a sky lit by a meteor shower, which residents of the family farm in Maryland regarded as an omen of greatness. The second eldest of five surviving children of British-born actor Junius Brutus Booth, Edwin was sent on the road at the age of 13 to look after his father as he toured the major cities of the eastern United States; for although Junius was a gifted actor, he was also a notorious alcoholic, frequently spending his earnings in taverns or failing to show up for performances.
During the five years Edwin travelled with his father, he learned the craft of acting: first while watching and listening backstage, then appearing in minor roles. At 17, he triumphantly assumed the title role in Shakespeare’s Richard III in New York City, substituting for his father, who was “indisposed.” In 1852, he accompanied his father and his eldest brother, Junius Jr. (also an actor) to California, where new theatres were being built in the wake of the Gold Rush and fortunes could be made. But the California tour proved disappointing, and Junius Sr. chose to head home. Edwin, craving independence, decided to stay. Unattended for the first time in years, his father died on the trip home, an event that filled young Edwin with guilt and remorse.
In 1856 Edwin returned east, and slowly built a reputation as the heir of his brilliant father, while bringing his own unique brand of naturalistic, quiet intensity to his roles. Four years later, he married a young actress, Mary Devlin—whom he’d met playing Romeo to her Juliet. They had a daughter, Edwina in 1861; but weakened by childbirth and troubled by Edwin’s own plunge into alcoholism, Mary died in 1863.
Battling another round of grief and guilt, Edwin gave up drinking and threw himself into work, assuming management of the Winter Garden Theater in New York, where he solidified his reputation with a record-breaking run of 100 performances of Hamlet. In 1864, he and his brothers, Junius Jr. and John Wilkes, appeared together onstage for the first and only time, in a production of Julius Caesar, a benefit to raise funds for the statue of Shakespeare in Central Park. His place in the theatrical firmament seemed assured—until catastrophe struck again, when his younger brother assassinated President Lincoln. Public outrage and death threats forced Edwin to retire from the stage; but, faced with the responsibility of supporting not only his daughter, but his mother and sisters, as well, he braved the dangers and returned to the Winter Garden as Hamlet in January, 1866.
On the night he died, a wild thunderstorm caused a blackout in the Gramercy Park area where Edwin had made his home—a fitting and dramatic signal of the departure of a remarkable performer, whose birth had been heralded by a rain of shooting stars.
Future Projects
Ladies Unsuited for Travel, The Flight of the Portuguese Court Ladies: 1807–a film by Emmy® Award winning producer, Molly McBride, that examines the process of shedding the superficial parts of oneself and making space for something deeper.
The Mischling–a book by Bärli Nugent, D.M.A., Assistant Dean and Director of Chamber Music, The Juilliard School. A daughter pauses mid-life to explore the true but hidden story behind her half-Jewish mother’s unexpected survival in Hitler’s Austria, from the winds of National Socialism that swept the Vienna Reichsakademie after the 1938 Anschluss, to the student life of one of Austria’s youngest piano virtuosos, and the actions of two unpredictably visionary Nazi leaders.
Future Projects
Ladies Unsuited for Travel, The Flight of the Portuguese Court Ladies: 1807–a film by Emmy® Award winning producer, Molly McBride, that examines the process of shedding the superficial parts of oneself and making space for something deeper.
The Mischling–a book by Bärli Nugent, D.M.A., Assistant Dean and Director of Chamber Music, The Juilliard School. A daughter pauses mid-life to explore the true but hidden story behind her half-Jewish mother’s unexpected survival in Hitler’s Austria, from the winds of National Socialism that swept the Vienna Reichsakademie after the 1938 Anschluss, to the student life of one of Austria’s youngest piano virtuosos, and the actions of two unpredictably visionary Nazi leaders.
