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Sonnet Repertory Theatre, Inc. is dedicated to classic theatre for the modern planet. SRT promotes classic plays and adaptations, providing forums for collaboration between emerging artists and established professionals. With Classics in the Classroom, SRT aims not only to entertain, but also to educate young people by engaging them with timeless literature through expressive theatre. |
Special Announcements
Tenth Annual Benefit & Cabaret
Honored Gerald Freedman
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SRT’s Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret, on November 14th at Joe’s Pub, celebrated the career and artistic mastery of internationally regarded director and teacher, Gerald Freedman. ***PHOTO COVERAGE*** Playbill, BroadwayWorld  Gerald Freedman, 2011 Benefit Honoree About Gerald FreedmanThe evening featured performances from some of Broadway’s greatest talents and legends tipping their hats to Freedman, an Obie Award-winner, leading director of Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival from 1960 through 1971 (the last four years as artistic director), and the first American director invited to direct at London’s Globe Theatre. Freedman made theatre history with his off-Broadway premiere of the landmark rock musical Hair, which opened the Public Theatre in 1967. We launched our tenth season with this cabaret benefit event honoring Freedman, present Dean of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, who has influenced the lives of many generations of professionals with his aesthetic. Contributors and PerformersThe evening featured some of Broadway’s greatest, including: Brian d’Arcy James, Christine Baranski, Jennifer Ferrin, Penny Fuller, Hal Holbrook, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Jeremy Jordan, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Terrence Mann, John Mauceri, Mandy Patinkin, Austin Pendleton, Bryce Pinkham, Wesley Taylor, Alfred Uhry, Price Waldman, Emily Young, and included special video tributes by Olympia Dukakis and Chita Rivera.  Freedman with Patti LuPone, John Mauceri, and Jack O'Brien The host of the evening was Wesley Taylor, a Richard Rodgers and Jerry Bock Award-winning actor, who can be seen on Steven Spielberg’s new NBC show “SMASH.” Composers included: Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story – Tony Award nomination, Candide – Tony Award nomination, Wonderful Town – Tony Award, and a Tony Award Special Award recipient), Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens – Tony and Drama Desk Awards nominations for Best Original Score, Happiness – Lincoln Center Theatre, Doll – Richard Rodgers Award, Meet Mister Future – winner of Global Search for New Musicals), Galt MacDermot (Hair – Tony and Grammy Award), Terrence Mann (Cats, Les Misérables – Tony Award nomination, Beauty and the Beast – Tony Award nomination),  Olympia Dukakis and Freedman |
Jack O’Brien Joins Advisory Board
| This February SRT welcomed Tony and Drama Desk award-winning director Jack O’Brien to its Advisory Board. | |
 Jack O'Brien, at SRT's 2010 Annual Benefit / Photo by Monica Simoes |
One of the most respected theater artists in the country, Jack is the director of Lincoln Center’s acclaimed staging of Henry IV, Parts I and II, as well as Broadway’s Catch Me if You Can, Hairspray, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Coast of Utopia, and many others. Jack is a strong proponent of Sonnet Rep’s mission: classic theatre for a modern planet. SRT’s Advisory Board is comprised of select individuals, mentors, and influencers — directors, actors, casting directors, artistic directors, and playwrights — including: Paul Barnes, Gary Beach, William Cantler, Gerald Freedman, Peter Hedges, Joe Mantello, Jack O’Brien, Mary-Louise Parker, Bernard Telsey, and Celia Weston. |
History
Who we are, how it happened and where we’re headed now…
Sonnet Rep was founded in the fall of 2002, by Robyne Parrish and Katrina Thomas Kent, fellow graduates of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (www.uncsa.edu). Along with alumni Ben Cherry and Monica Francisco, the company launched an inaugural production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and a core company was formed.
Since then, Sonnet Rep has produced nine consecutive seasons of classic works on its Mainstage, and several specialty series including The Collaborative Series and Plays in Progress, a forum for new work. SRT has evolved to not only provide a bridge to the professional world for many of the country’s top graduating conservatory talents, but also incorporates and sustains established artists and creators from very diverse backgrounds and styles.
In the spring of 2007, Todd Loyd and Tiffany Little Canfield assumed their current roles as Co-Artistic Directors, implementing an Advisory Board and championing education initiatives to influence the next generation of artists and arts appreciators.
At its core, Sonnet Rep remains supremely dedicated to classic theatre and continues the pursuit of excellence on the stage.
