London Wall Newsletter

Next at the Mint...

NEXT AT THE MINT

London Wall

by John Van Druten

February 1 - March 30, 2014 FPC Hotline: (212) 315-0231 Address: 311 W. 43rd St. Suite 307 New York, NY 10036 Box Office: Mon.- Sat Noon-6pm Sun.- Noon-3pm (begins 2/1) Performances: Tues., Wed., Thurs. 7pm Friday & Saturday 8pm Saturday & Sunday 2pm Wednesday Matinees: 2/19 & 3/12 No Performances: 2/18, 2/25, 3/11 & 2/1 at 8pm Full Price: $55 FPC Price: $38.50 (Use Code: FPC)

CheapTix: $27.50 (when available) www.minttheater.org

“AN ABSOLUTE CHARMER… CHARTS THE DILEMMAS OF THE SINGLE OFFICE GIRL WITH WRY HUMOR AND RARE INSIGHT.” The Arts Desk

By

JOHN VAN DRUTEN Directed By DAVIS McCALLUM begins

FEBRUARY 1, 2014

Mint “alumni” in LONDON WALL For our production of John Van Druten’s LONDON WALL we are welcoming back three Mint favorites. You may have seen Jonathan Hogan in last season’s A Picture of Autumn by N.C. Hunter. Laurie Kennedy, who was previously seen with Mr. Hogan in The Madras House, also starred in our 2011 production of Arnold Bennett’s What the Public Wants. In 2009, Julia Coffey was nominated for a Drama League Distinguished Performance Award for her performance in the Mint’s production of The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome back such talented folks to our next production.

LONDON WALL tells the story of Pat Milligan, a naïve young typist who falls for the charms of a predatory junior lawyer.

Watching with concern is the firm’s senior secretary (Coffey), her too-timid suitor, and several others in the office. Presiding over all is Mr. Walker (Hogan), gamely trying to navigate a new kind of office where men and women must work side by side. “Amid the drudgery of everyday tasks there are flashes of passion and aspiration...It’s a gossipy, competitive environment, which is evoked in a wry, elegant and often very funny style that invites comparisons with Mad Men.” (The Evening Standard)

Hogan in A Picture of Autumn.

Photo by Richard Termine

Kennedy in What the Public Wants.

Photo by Richard Termine

Coffey in The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd.

Photo by Richard Termine

MARCH 17TH AT 6PM

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Bruno Walter Auditorium, 65th & Amsterdam

JOHN VAN DRUTEN: A WRITER’S WRITER FEATURING TREASURES FROM THE JOHN VAN DRUTEN PAPERS Join Mint Theater Company and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts for an intimate celebration of LONDON WALL playwright, John Van Druten.

Some writers are not only commercial successes admired by the public—but are so excellent at what they do that their talents are admired and respected by their literary peers. John Van Druten was one of those writers. His correspondence and journal entries reveal a writer who was in constant contact with other playwrights and novelists. These treasures prove Van Druten to be a thoughtful artist who valued the critiques of his literary peers and who formed critiques of established writers as a means of further developing his own craft.

Excerpts from Van Druten’s unpublished essays, letters, diary and plays will be read, revealing the playwright’s relationship with such literary peers as Tennessee Williams, Christopher Isherwood, Carson McCullers, and Rogers & Hammerstein.

A portion of a letter from John Van Druten to Tennessee Williams regarding Williams’ New York Times article “On A Streetcar Named Success”.

A portion of a letter from Richard Rogers to John Van Druten regarding Van Druten’s play Bell, Book and Candle.

A piece of Tennessee Williams’s responding correspondance to John Van Druten with his signature.

Planning on Attending? First-Priority Club Members get reserved seats! Give us a call at (212) 315-0231 or email us at minttheater@minttheater.org and skip the line to get into the event.

upcoming

enrichMINT events

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 after the matinee: MAYA CANTU JOHN VAN DRUTEN: SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL Maya Cantu is a dramaturg, scholar and theater historian devoted to the revitalization of forgotten classics. She is currently completing her Doctor of Fine Arts degree at Yale School of Drama. Maya is Mint Theater’s Dramaturgical Adviser and the author of the Van Druten biography that appears in our program.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 after the matinee: WILLIAM J. MANN AUTHOR OF BEHIND THE SCREEN: HOW GAYS AND LESBIANS SHAPED HOLLYWOOD John Van Druten’s identity as both a gay man and talented playwright led to his becoming part of a circle of eminent gay writers living in California during the 1940s and 50s, gathered around British author Christopher Isherwood. William J. Mann will discuss Van Druten’s identity and significance as a gay writer.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 after the matinee: JULIE K. BEREBITSKY AUTHOR OF SEX AND THE OFFICE: A HISTORY OF GENDER, POWER AND DESIRE LONDON WALL offers a look at women’s continuing fight to be seen as professional equals in the workplace. Professor Berebitsky’s new book, Sex and the Office: A History of Gender, Power and Desire is the first monograph to historicize our understanding of sexual harassment in the workplace.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 after the matinee: MARGARET BOE BIRNS AUTHOR OF “JOHN VAN DRUTEN” IN THE COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MODERN DRAMA Margaret Boe Birns is a lecturer on English, American and European Literature of the 20th and 19th Centuries. She teaches the courses ‘The Novel Today” and “Masterpieces of 19th Century Fiction” at New York University and “19th Century Masterpieces: Three Great Social Novels” at The New School. She is also a published poet.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 after the matinee: JUDITH R. WALKOWITZ AUTHOR OF NIGHTS OUT: LIFE IN COSMOPOLITAN LONDON The typists of LONDON WALL muse upon nights “up west” as they manage relationship and workplace pressures. Professor Walkowitz will discuss the lives—and night lives—of London shorthand typists between the wars. Her book Nights Out: Life in Cosmopolitan London reveals how London’s Soho district became a showcase for a new cosmopolitan identity in the early to mid-twentieth century.

EnrichMINT Events are supported in part by a grant from the Michael Tuch Foundation.

All events take place immediately after the performance and usually last about fifty minutes.

They are free and open to the public. Speakers and dates subject to change without notice.

After LONDON WALL join us for...

This spring, Mint Theater presents another neglected comedy by the author of DR. KNOCK…

DONOGOO

By Jules Romains Translated and Directed by Gus Kaikkonen DONOGOO by Jules Romains tells the story of a group of wily fortune-hunters who hatch a global Ponzi scheme. Through a mass media blitz, they convince people across the world to invest in the new city of Donogoo—a place that doesn’t exist.

DONOGOO was originally published in 1920 as a novel in the form of a mock film scenario. It wasn’t until the opening of the Théâtre Pigalle in Paris that re-fashioning DONOGOO into a play was even deemed possible by Romains. Opened in 1929, the Pigalle was billed as the most modern theatre in the world, employing the latest developments in theatrical design and backstage machinery. Though impressive, the Pigalle faced an uncertain fate in its first year of operation as it was unable to find a production suited to its mammoth technological capabilities. Finally, Romains’ cinematic tale—which swings wildly from a scene atop the Moselle Bridge, to an office, to the wilds of South America—could be fashioned into a play script.

DONOGOO opened in October of 1930 and was so successful it saved the struggling Théâtre Pigalle from ruin. Le Figaro called the play, “a complete triumph; filled with very amusing burlesque, an atmosphere of adventure, and written with all the skill and vitality that one expects from the author of KNOCK.” Yet, the play remains all but unknown in the English-speaking world; it has been performed only once in this country, in 1961. “A spoof of scientific accuracy, high finance, trade, patriotism, pioneering, and a host of momentous and minute matters,” wrote The New York Times, calling the play “sharp and amusing.”

Our production of DONOGOO which features a vibrant new translation by Gus Kaikkonen, who will also direct. Gus previously translated and directed Jules Romains’ DR. KNOCK for the Mint in 2010.

Mint Theater is pleased to present DONOGOO—a satire whose sting remains sharp today—with performances beginning June 3rd, 2014.

Begins June 3, 2014 FPC Hotline: (212) 315-0231 Box Office: Mon.- Sat Noon-6pm Sun.- Noon-3pm (begins 6/3) Performances: Tues., Wed., Thurs. 7pm Friday & Saturday 8pm Saturday & Sunday 2pm Wednesday Matinees: 6/18 & 7/9 No Performances: 6/17, 6/24 & 7/8 Full Price: $55 FPC Price: $38.50 (Use Code: FPC)

CheapTix: $27.50 (when available) www.minttheater.org

Dear Friends, Happy Holidays!

This edition of your First-Priority Newsletter features information about two upcoming shows.

Many of you may have already ordered your tickets for London Wall by John Van Druten; if not, all of the details you need are enclosed within. Even if you have, I think you’ll be interested to see who will be in the cast, and to read about the EnrichMint Events we have lined up—including a special event on March 17th that will take place at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts.

As First-Priority Club Members, we promise that you’ll be the first to know about what’s happening at the Mint. Look inside this newsletter for information about our spring production: a wickedly sharp satire from France!

Welcome to those of you who have joined the First-Priority Club this fall—thank you so much for your generous support. And, of course, a huge thank-you to our old friends! (If you haven’t yet renewed your support for the Mint, I hope we’ll hear from you soon!)

FIRST PRIORITY CLUB

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for your continued support and interest. Best wishes from all of us here at the Mint for a wonderful Holiday season.

from your friends at the Mint Theater

Best wishes,

Jonathan

first priority club news www.minttheater.org (212) 315-0231 311 West 43rd Street, Suite # 307 New York, NY 10036