Following the performance, audience members enjoyed a special talkback hosted by NY1 theatre producer and reporter Frank DiLella and Playbill Magazine editor Blake Ross. The two were joined by members of the cast to discuss the impact that young people and theatre can have on social change, specifically the marriage equality movement.
Last season, Playbill and NY1 partnered with the Tony Award-winning revival of The Normal Heart to help expose young people to Larry Kramer’s powerful play. This series will continue throughout the season with relevant Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
Producers announced Nov. 29 that Standing on Ceremony will play its final performance Off-Broadway Dec. 18. *
Following an acclaimed series of performances in Los Angeles, Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays began previews Nov. 7 and opened Nov. 13 at Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre.
The premiere cast comprises Tony Award winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone), Richard Thomas (most recently seen on Broadway in Race), Tony Award nominee Craig Bierko (The Music Man), Tony Award winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Daytime Emmy nominee Mark Consuelos ("All My Children") and Emmy Award nominee Polly Draper ("thirtysomething"). (Standing on Ceremony will feature a rotating cast of actors from theatre, film and television.)
Directed by Stuart Ross, Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays includes a mix of short plays that address the on-going battle for marriage equality throughout the United States. Among the writers whose works are featured are Obie Award winner Mo Gaffney, Heideman Award winner Jordan Harrison, Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman, Emmy and WGA Award winner Joe Keenan, Tony Award nominee Neil LaBute, Sundance Jury Prize winner Wendy MacLeod, Obie Award winner José Rivera, Obie and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Paul Rudnick, and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright.
Conceived by Brian Shnipper, Standing On Ceremony began as a series of benefit events in Los Angeles, taking on a life of its own as an inspiring theatrical evening.
The show's producers, Joan Stein and Richard Frankel, previously announced that the production has partnered with Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. Standing On Ceremony will donate a portion of all ticket sales to Freedom to Marry and other organizations promoting marriage equality.
The performance schedule for Standing On Ceremony follows: Tuesdays-Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 3 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM and 7 PM.
The show is produced Off-Broadway by Joan Stein, Richard Frankel, Annette Niemtzow, Fakston Productions, Harley Medcalf, Jon Murray, Harvey Reese, in association with Diana Buckhantz and Niclas Nagler. Joe Watson is executive producer.
The Minetta Lane Theatre is located at 18 Minetta Lane. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.standingonceremony.net.
