Roundabout Theatre Company Inc

ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT: The 2023-24 season marked the first full season for Scott Ellis as Interim Artistic Director of Roundabout. While the programming was largely set by Todd Haimes before his passing, Scott oversaw these productions in his Artistic Director role, and in one case, also in the role as director. In the Todd Haimes Theatre (formerly American Airlines Theatre), we opened the season with I Need That, a comedy by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, and starring Danny DeVito alongside his daughter, Lucy DeVito, and Ray Anthony Thomas. This play was commissioned by Roundabout and had its world premiere in the Haimes. Roundabout next produced in the Haimes a revival of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning play, Doubt: A Parable, directed by Interim Artistic Director, Scott Ellis. This production starred Liev Schreiber and Amy Ryan. Tyne Daly was originally meant to co-star, but had to drop out before first preview due to illness. Her fearless understudy, Isabel Keating, covered the first week of previews while Amy Ryan rehearsed to take over the role. Even with these unforeseen events, the production was a tremendous success. We rounded out the Haimes programming with a revival of Home, by Samm-Art Williams, directed by Kenny Leon. Home marked the first production to come out of Roundabout's Refocus Project, an initiative designed to help expand the American theatre canon and shine a light on under-celebrated plays and artists. Home had been in the first year of Refocus readings and Kenny gave it a stunning production. While Samm-Art Williams was aware that the production was happening, he was unable to participate in rehearsals and sadly passed away just before performances began. The production was a tribute to him and his body of work. In our Off-Broadway Laura Pels Theatre, we began the season with The Refuge Plays by Nathan Alan Davis and directed by Patricia McGregor (who had previously directed Ugly Lies the Bone in the Underground). This ambitious "epic tale told in three generations" was a co-production with New York Theatre Workshop. A reimagining of a family play, it follows a Black family in Illinois over 70 years. This was followed by Jonah by Rachel Bonds, directed by Danya Taymor. This delicate play explores the complexity of intimacy and survival and received excellent notices. Davis, Bonds, and Taymor all made their Roundabout debuts with these productions. On an additional note, Primary Trust by Eboni Booth, which Roundabout produced in the Pels in the 23-24, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for 2023. For Roundabout Underground, we produced Covenant by York Walker, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene. Following the Underground's mission, this was York's New York debut as a writer. The production received a tremendous response and was extended twice. The Refocus Project was in a strategizing year for 2023-24 while we evaluated the first three years of the program. As mentioned above, Roundabout's production of Home in the spring of 2024 was the first full production to come out of that first phase of the Refocus Project. Our Artists-in-Residence programs continued with the 8th year of the Roundabout Directing Fellowship with Autumn Angelettie as our Fellow, and the fifth cohort of the Leon Levy Roundabout Directors Group (RDG). The group is now given an expanded Professional Development Fund that reimburses directors for expenses related to their professional growth in the theatre industry. It is once again led by former Directing Fellow and RDG member, Mack Brown. The program created to provide playwrights with the space, time, and resources they need to create their work - Space Jam - was able to continue into its ninth year. We provided four weeks of studio space, a week at a time, through our flagship program Apollo. In this portion of the program, we worked with approximately 50 artists by providing space in one of our rehearsal studios, and allowing for connections and networking opportunities. We were able to bring back our Solo Mission program, (closed during the pandemic) where we provide a desk for one week for one artist in a co-working space and supported 18 artists with this resource. We also continued our Outer Space program - where we send writers on retreats outside of the city to give them the time and space to focus on their craft. In terms of creative development, the 2023-24 season saw 21 readings and workshops aiming to further develop pieces in our pipeline of work, and 2 new commissions.

EDUCATION: During the 2023-2024 season, Education at Roundabout impacted over 30,000 people. Roundabout Partner Schools are NYC-based and represent all five boroughs. Roundabout's education programs use the stimulating power of the arts to inspire and engage through three core program areas, Teaching and Learning, Career Training, and Community Partnerships. Education at Roundabout's season featured a robust slate of programs, primarily focused on expanding our in-person learning and programming. We facilitated in-school classroom residencies, school-wide partnerships, and professional development workshops for teachers. We continued to host our free after-school program, Roundabout Youth Ensemble, while welcoming a new cohort in our technical theatre skills training program, the Theatrical Workforce Development Program (TWDP). Additionally, we grew and further defined our Community Partnership programming with the New York Public Library. Below is an overview of the programs: TEACHING AND LEARNING . Professional Development at Roundabout offers a variety of workshops to enhance each educator's ability to use theatre as an effective teaching tool in the classroom. These workshops are offered throughout the year to teachers, schools, and at DOE city-wide events. Teaching Artists and Staff also facilitate workshops at local and national conferences. Workshops are often customized to meet different learning objectives. [FY24 Impact: 1218 educators] . Roundabout Youth Ensemble is our student-run theatre company where public high school students take responsibility for their learning by making all the artistic, technical, and administrative decisions for each production. Throughout the school year the Manhattan borough company met in-person at Roundabout's rehearsal studios in Midtown. Two borough companies continued meeting in Brooklyn and Staten Island through Roundabout's partnerships with James Madison High School and Port Richmond High School, respectively. In the summer of 2024, the ensembles transitioned to work at Roundabout's Steinberg Center for Theatre to rehearse its original play which was performed in the Roundabout Blackbox to live audiences in August. [FY24 Impact: 65 students; 19 schools] . School Partnerships are at the core of our work, serving middle and high schools with limited access to the arts. The vehicles for learning in School Partnerships are intensive residencies that are thoughtfully developed and tailored to meet the goals of individual schools. The residencies provide in-depth programs that connect the process of theatre production to the school curriculum. Residencies can range from 8-12 Teaching Artist visits in a single classroom to year-long partnerships that take place in several classrooms or grade levels within the school. Specialized Teaching Artists work with educators to determine residency goals and success measurement tools to ensure that residencies fulfill targeted education needs. Throughout the year, Roundabout worked with schools to center student voice and empower students in making their own artistic decisions. [FY24 Impact: 3217 students in 248 residences in classrooms and afterschool] CAREER TRAINING . Career Development at Roundabout offers a wide range of hands-on learning and engagement opportunities for pre-professionals interested in theatre administration or related careers. In the 2023-2024 season, Roundabout invited Alumni of our Internship and Apprenticeship programs to a night of connection and networking at our Blackbox Theatre, followed by attendance at our production of Yellow Face. The Education department also hosted a high school intern during the summer through the Bloomberg Arts Internship program, in which the intern gained hands on-experience in supporting the day-to-day operations of a theatre administration office. Roundabout participates in managing the How To Stand Out workshop series in collaboration with other theatre institutions in New York City, providing professional development and guidance to early career arts administration professionals or those looking to pivot to an arts administration career. [FY24 Impact: 114 participants and alumni] . Hidden Career Path Days returned to in person programming this year at the Todd Haimes [formerly American Airlines] Theatre. These school day field trips, hosted in partnership with the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) labor union, feature the careers of theatrical technicians through hands-on demonstrations that enhance students' knowledge and highlight possible pathways to backstage careers. Students were also able to tour the backstage of various arts and entertainment venues in New York City, including the Steinberg Center, Sondheim Theatre on Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, and City Center. [FY24 Impact: 186 students/pre-professionals] . Theatrical Workforce Development In the fall of 2016, alongside labor union partner the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Roundabout launched the Theatrical Workforce Development Program, which connects young adults to careers in technical theatre. This three-year program trains and places young New Yorkers into paid professional positions. The program is intended to: break down the barriers that prevent young adults from gaining economic stability, bring fresh new voices into a field of high-quality, skill-based jobs in a growing economic sector; and to educate and encourage a new generation of passionate theatre professionals. In 2023-24, the program welcomed a new cohort of Fellows, with all Fellows completing the training year and advancing to jobs and internships in NYC and across the country. [FY24 Impact: 20 Fellows and 46 Alumni served; 240 young adults engaged in recruitment/skill building workshops] COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT . Theatre Plus programs enhance the theatre-going experience for thousands of subscribers and patrons by helping them learn more about the history of the production and its creators. During the 2023-24 season Roundabout's streaming Theatre Talks provided dramaturgical discussions and historical information to over 13171 online viewers. Our in-person post-show engagement events gave time for audience reflection and opportunities to hear directly from the cast and creative teams. [FY24 Impact: 5,875 in-person patrons] . UPSTAGE Guides provide audiences and students with digital access to artist interviews, thematic and dramaturgical essays, designer statements, and research materials related to Roundabout's productions. [FY24 Impact: 7,536 unique online views] . Community Conversations are post show events that aim to deepen audience members' experience with the play and to one another. The format is intended to create space for audience members to share their experience, building a sense of mutual understanding, and therefore, a stronger Roundabout community. [FY24 Impact: 165 patrons] . Community Residencies through New York Public Library and NYC Parks GreenThumb. Within New York Public Library in facilities at 4 NYC neighborhoods were home to Roundabout Artist-in-Residence workshops facilitated by Roundabout Teaching Artists. NYPL Libraries in Harlem (Manhattan), St. George (Staten Island), Grand Concourse (the Bronx) and Clason's Point (the Bronx) and with GreenThumb at 3 community garden locations in East New York, Brooklyn. These free artist-led workshops are for community members to learn theatre skills, including acting, playwriting, sound design, and ensemble building. Workshop participants, as well as any of the library patrons within the community, were able to participate in the program's free ticket voucher offer and attend Roundabout shows. [FY24 Impact: 261 + patrons]

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