Stage Door Welcomes Friends, Old and New!
Dick Cavett and Anne Kaufman Schneider (the daughter of Stage Door playwright George S. Kaufman) from an earlier visit to MMC to speak to the cast and crew of the show.
Opening night on Wednesday, November 22nd, welcomed students, faculty, and staff from the Marymount Manhattan community, as well as theatre-lovers from throughout New York City. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house – and the cast and crew were deeply moved to perform for a group of special guests.
“On opening night it was fantastic to have women attend from The Rehearsal Club, on which Stage Door is based, and be so enthused over our production,” said Professor David Mold, Chair of the Division of Fine & Performing Arts, and Director of the show.
The Rehearsal Club, which opened in 1913 as a residence for young women of the stage, became a theatre legend when Stage Door premiered in 1936. The boarding house (called The Footlights Club in the production) was the centerpiece of the show. Seven women who resided in The Rehearsal Club in the 1950’s, ‘60’s, and ‘70’s, came to the Marymount Manhattan production: Jean Preece, Denise Pence, Lee Kelley, Judy Jenson, Kathy Conry, Rise Clemmer, and Terry Baughan.
The women of The Rehearsal Club shared their feedback with MMC’s Theatre Department, giving rave reviews across the board. (Check out their glowing endorsement on The Rehearsal Club’s Facebook page.)
The week’s events continued on Thursday, November 23rd, with an intimate, informal evening hosted by President Judson Shaver in the College’s Regina Peruggi Room. A group of 15 friends of Marymount Manhattan enjoyed a lovely dinner and cocktails before watching the second night of Stage Door. Guests were treated to a few brief words from Professor Mold about the play, and then chatted and mingled before making their way to the performance.
President Shaver was honored to welcome two very special guests: Anne Kaufman Schneider, daughter of the late George S. Kaufman, and Julie Goldsmith Gilbert, grand-niece of Edna Ferber. (Ms. Kaufman Schneider recently participated in a dialogue with columnist and former talk show host, Dick Cavett, for MMC Theatre students, to discuss the life and works of her father.)
Guests included: Keith Merrill, Founder and Artistic Director of the NYC theatre company, Noel & Company; MMC Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Patricia Simon, and her husband, John Simon, who has written on theatre, film, literature, music and fine arts for the Hudson Review, New Leader, New Criterion, National Review, New York magazine, Opera News, Weekly Standard, Broadway.com., the Westchester Guardian and on the Yonkers Tribune website; Barbara Hayward ’72, Vice President of Arts-in-Context Education Foundation; Larry Fuller, Tony nominated choreographer; and Marge Champion; dancer and choreographer of stage and film. (Ms. Champion was featured in the documentary Keep Dancing with dancer Donald Saddler, which featured MMC students.)
Both Ms. Kaufman Schneider and Ms. Goldsmith Gilbert attended the performance that evening, and according to David Mold, Ms. Kaufman Schneider whispered, “The production was excellent, and I’m a tough critic!”
For more information about MMC’s state-of-the-art theatre program, please contact the Theatre Department at (212) 774-0760 or theatre@mmm.edu. And make sure to keep your eyes peeled for upcoming MMC Theatre productions and events!
Published: November 22, 2013
Math Department Holds The Eleventh Annual Pi-Day Contest
