Dedication to the Cause: Off-Broadway McNally Work Raised More Than $17K for Katrina | Playbill

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News Dedication to the Cause: Off-Broadway McNally Work Raised More Than $17K for Katrina Marian Seldes' curtain speeches at the end of Off-Broadway performances of Terrence McNally's Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams — which ended its run Oct. 16 — helped raised $17,374.44 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In the days following the tragic disaster, Dedication was among the first shows to make an effort to raise moneys.

Michael Morris (Slag Heap) directs the New York premiere of the work which debuted at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in August 2004. The play began at 59E59 Theaters July 26 and opened Aug. 18 for a run originally slated through Sept. 18 then extended.

Marian Seldes and Nathan Lane opened in the new work which also featured Alison Fraser (Tartuffe, The Secret Garden), Michael Countryman (The Stendahl Syndrome at Primary Stages), Miriam Shor (Book of Days, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and original WTF cast members R.E. Rodgers (Terrorism, "Oz") and Darren Pettie (Hobson's Choice, Unwrap Your Candy). Don Amendolia (Stepping Out) and Matthew Mabe (The Iceman Cometh, Cobb, Corpus Christi) were among the show's final cast, replacing original stars Lane and Rodgers, respectively.

Terrence McNally's Dedication, as the scribe told Playbill.com, is "about a couple (Lane and Fraser) who live in upstate New York. On the weekends, they run, manage and produce a small children's theatre which does things like Puss in Boots and Alice and Wonderland. They are given an opportunity to take over an old abandoned, decaying theatre which was once on the vaudeville circuit. And these people become candidates." He added that the play is about "what price they're willing to pay to have their own theatre."

Seldes — who plays the acid-tongued wealthy socialite Annabelle Willard — won a Tony Award for her turn in Albee's A Delicate Balance. Last seen on the New York stage in Beckett/Albee, her Broadway credits include Equus, Ivanov, 45 Seconds From Broadway, Father's Day, Deathtrap, Ring Round the Moon and Dinner at Eight — she was Tony-nominated for the last four. The design team for Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams features Narelle Sissons (scenic), Laura Crow (costumes), Jeff Croiter (lighting) and Lindsay Jones (sound). Emily N. Wells will serve as production stage manager.

Primary Stages' shows perform at the 59E59 Theaters, at 59 East 59th Street (between Park and Madison Ave.). For more information, visit www.primarystages.com.

 
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