Stuart Carden

More Pics from Crime and Punishment at The Rep

2010-03-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

A Few Quick Pics of Crime and Punishment at The Rep of St. Louis...

2010-03-15T00:59:00.003-04:00

Featuring:
Jimmy King - Raskolnikov
Triney Sandoval - Porfiry
Amy Landon - Sonia

And design work by:
Gianni Downs - Scenic Design
Brian Bembridge - Lighting Design
Andre Pluess - Sound Design and Composition
Garth Dunbar - Costumes

SM: Champe "The Queen of St. Louis" O'Leary

Upcoming in the 09-10 Season

2009-07-27T18:09:00.010-04:00

After two fantastic seasons as associate artistic director at City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh I've just recently returned home to Chicago. But I'll have the chance to reconnect with the City Theatre crew this fall when I return to direct David Harrower's Blackbird featuring Chicago's Steve Pickering and Pittsburgh's Robin Abramson.

Later in the season I'll head out to St. Louis to join the incredible folks at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis to direct an adaptation by Curt Columbus and Marilyn Campbell of one of my favorite Russian novels, Crime and Punishment.

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE at The Rep Nominated for 5 Kevin Kline Awards

2009-01-19T16:20:00.005-05:00

Nominations were announced on Monday, January 18th

The Lieutenant of Inishmore was nominated for:
Outstanding Production of a Play -- St. Louis Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Director of a Play -- Stuart Carden
Outstanding Set Design of a Play -- Gianni Downs
Outstanding Lead Actor of a Play -- David Whalen
Outstanding Ensemble of a Play -- David Whalen, Keira Keeley, Matt DeCaro, Dan McCabe, Chris McHale, Sean Meehan, Keith Gallagher

The Awards will be announced March 30

Video from Lieutenant at THE REP

2008-09-23T08:45:00.003-04:00

Click here for a montage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l88bWxcZWE

Click here for an interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TAhSXBET9Q

Click here for the making of Sean Meahan's head:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtfdmkeTa3A

Momentum Festival 2008 -- Refreshing Plays for the Summer

2008-04-27T12:23:00.007-04:00

New for me this year at City Theatre is producing the Momentum Festival of New American Plays. With A.D. Tracy Brigden and Lit Manager Carlyn Aquiline we have selected four new plays in various stages of development for the festival.

The hot line-up includes:
Long Story Short by Brendan Milburn and Val Vigoda -- with Tracy Directing (this will be a week long work-shop culminating in two public readings)
Speak American by Eric Simonsen -- with Eric directing (a four day workshop with two public readings
When January Feels Like Summer by Cori Thomas -- with Billy Porter directing (two day rehearsal and reading)
Him by Daisy Foote -- I'll direct this one (two day rehearsal and reading)

It is a unique festival in that the plays are a mix of texts that we have slated for production in the 2008-09 season as well as works by playwrights we are just getting to know. This year Long Story Short and Speak American are the plays already slated and January and Him are works by exciting playwrights that we want to know better.

The big weekend of readings takes place June 12-15 and is scheduled in a way that allows playwrights to hear one another's work and promotes a dialogue between these artists. We'll hold playwright and industry panel discussions, and a musical theatre writing workshop aimed at providing working writers, as well as audience members a window into the type of new play development we do at City. And since everyone loves a party (especially the lushes at City Theatre) we'll throw one almost every night of the festival, celebrating the work of these excellent playwrights and the twenty five actors and directors participating in Momentum 2008.

Check out City's website in May for more details. www.citytheatrecompany.org

The Rep's Lieutenant Logo

2008-03-31T23:18:00.004-04:00

Love this.........................

Another go at LIEUTENANT

2008-02-14T17:07:00.007-05:00

Just got word from the splendid Steve Woolf at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis that I will kick off the 2008-2009 Off-Ramp series in the Grandel Theatre with THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE.

http://www.repstl.org/

Steve and I have been corresponding for almost two years now beginning with an exchange about PILLOWMAN which he and I were both directing within a short period of time. That lively conversation turned to other ideas, theatrical and otherwise, over the following season. But we recently came back round to McDonagh and the idea of putting together a production of LT. of INISHMORE.

This will be my first time working with Steve, The Rep and their staff but already appreciate their generous spirit and professionalism. I can't wait to get out to St. Louis and rip up this fiercely black and comic eviseration of political extremism and perverted idealism. It is undoubtedly the funniest and likely the most violent, anti-violence play ever written. Bring on the splatter.

As the team develops I'll update.

More Love for LIEUTENANT

2008-01-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

Thrilled to find that The Lieutenant of Inishmore was named the "Number One Theater Story of the Year" by Alice Carter at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

It was a ripping good time to direct and I'm hoping for the chance to tackle it again outside of Pittsburgh soon. The brilliant cast included David Whalen, Matt DeCaro, Will Brill, Amy Ward Phil Winters, Jarrod DiGiorgi and Jason McCune. Killer special effects from Steve Tolin, fantastic scenic design from Gianni Downs, beautifully layered lights from Jim French, rockin sound design from Liz Atkinson (Go Pogues!) and splatter canvas costuming by Marissa Miskanin. Stage Manager Alicia DeMara wrangled blood, cats, the cast as well as me with style.

Here's the blurb:

THEATER

1. "The Lieutenant of Inishmore": Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre triumphed with its production of Martin McDonagh's blood-spattered yet laugh-out-loud funny satire denouncing zealotry and terrorism.

And the link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/living/arts/theater/s_545182.html

Boy Wonder

2008-01-03T22:10:00.001-05:00

Inexplicably at the age of 34 I've been named a Boy Wonder! My colleague George Cederquist, who long held this mantle, must be sickened to find himself dethroned. The reception I've been given thus far in Pittsburgh, from the media as well as the theatre community, has been great. Check this one out below....

Washington Observer-Reporter
"....Stuart Carden became a boy wonder in the pittsburgh theater community after directing "Stones in His Pockets," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" and "the Pillowman" for Pittsburgh Irish and classical Theatre and also because he successfully launched the area premiere of "A Picasso" at City Theatre. But his days of moonlight in Pennsylvania are over. Just in time for Christmas, the talented Mr. Carden moved from Chicago to Pittsburgh so that he could begin his job associate artistic director at City Theatre."

Year in Review

2007-12-30T14:01:00.000-05:00

A thrilling, tumultuous and life-changing year for me both professionally and personally. Some end of the year validation in the way of Top Ten and Year in Review lists is always a nice way to think back over the year. I was pleased to find two of my productions, one in Pittsburgh and one in Chicago make some notable lists. Find them below:

For Merchant on Venice with Silk Road Theatre Project

1. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, "All of Chicago a world-class stage

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/stage/chi-1223_best_jonesdec23,1,5600749.story

A risky, rambunctious, acerbic and highly intelligent piece of new
writing, this omnicultural take on the troubled Shakespearean classic
introduced us to the work of Shishir Kurup. And Stuart Carden's
lively, punky, premiere production was a great leap forward for Silk
Road and a perfect match for such an insouciant script.

2. Hedy Weiss, Chicago Tribune, "A bite of the apple, and more"

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/weiss/709670,SHO-Sunday-Theater23.article

Silk Road Theatre's exuberant Bollywoodized production of "Merchant on
Venice," Shishir Kurup's contemporary take on Shakespeare, with Los
Angeles' diverse Indian community in the spotlight.

3. Time Out Chicago Theater staff, Time Out Chicago, "Ten Most
Wanted: We pick the year's best"

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/theater/25190/ten-most-wanted

In transferring Shakespeare's Merchant to present-day SoCal,
playwright Shishir Kurup gave the Bard a dash of hip-hop flavor and
Bollywood flair, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Shifting Shakespeare's Christian-Jew conflict to Hindus and Muslims,
Kurup managed to comment on everyday religious discord and the
challenge of reconciling traditional values with modern America.
Stuart Carden's production assembled a bevy of too-rarely-seen
nonwhite actors, led by fiery Anish Jethmalani as a Shylock tough
enough to rival Mike Nussbaum's.

4. Venus Zarris, PerformInk, "Emotional Vocabulary Lessons"

http://www.performink.com/Framesets/2frmBody.html

Silk Road Theatre Project's Merchant On Venice took another
Shakespearian standard and transformed it into an amusing spectacle of
cultural intersections. It was a polemic on theological and ethnic
collisions that illuminated the overlooked Hindu-Muslim American
communities, thereby emancipating the general perceptions of our all
too homogenized body politic.

For Lieutenant of Inishmore
with Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Top Ten Plays of the Year
The Lieutenant of Inishmore'
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07361/844586-325.stm

Martin McDonagh turns the nostalgic images of the sainted rural Irish and their revolutionary struggles into a farcical conflict between country buffoons and a homicidal maniac with a sentimental heart. The result is a bloody good, bloody bloody comedy, with even a small bloom of love.

Washington Observer Reporter
Top Ten Plays of the Year http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/12_28_THEATER_YEAR_IN_REVIEW

Announcement in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

2007-12-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

In the Wings: Changes at City Theatre

Thursday, November 22, 2007

• Kellee Van Aken is leaving City Theatre, where she has worked, she reckons, "for more than half my life," starting as an assistant stage manager as a Pitt sophomore and rising to be artistic associate to artistic director Tracy Brigden.

Stuart Carden will be joining City Theatre's staff as associate artistic director, replacing Kellee Van Aken.

Replacing her will be Chicago-based director Stuart Carden, with the title associate artistic director. Carden is well known here from his years earning an M.F.A. in directing at CMU, from the four shows he has directed for City ("A Picasso," "The Moonlight Room," 2003 and 2004 Young Playwrights Festivals) and even more from the shows he's directed for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre ("The Lieutenant of Inishmore," "The Pillowman," "The False Servant," "Stones in his Pockets"). He also directed "Big Love" for No Name Players and has been on the Post-Gazette's annual list of best directors the past three years.

Currently, Carden is associate artistic director of Chicago's Silk Road Theatre Project, where he received raves for "Merchant on Venice," Shishir Kurup's polycultural deconstruction in blank verse of "The Merchant of Venice." Along with many classical productions, he's helped develop more than 20 new plays. He has taught at a half-dozen colleges and is an expert in several influential acting styles. Brigden points out his contributions to City will include a knowledge of the Chicago acting pool. He starts at City the last week in December.

Latest Scoop

2007-11-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh here I come! I'm thrilled to say I'll join City Theatre in Pittsburgh as Associate Artistic Director starting January, 2008. Artistic Director, Tracy Brigden just rang this morning to seal the deal.

www.citytheatrecompany.org

My relationship with City goes back six years when, fresh out of graduate school, I directed in their young playwrights festival. The following year I rejoined them for the same gig and then was asked to direct the Regional Premiere of Tristine Skyler's The Moonlight Room. Most recently, in the fall of 2006, I worked with the excellent City Theatre regular, Rebecca Harris and the fantastic NYC actor Mark Zeisler on Jeffrey Hatcher's A Picasso.

The position should be a snug fit as City Theatre is known to be a thriving center for new work. I'm looking forward to working with City Theatre regulars as well as bringing in playwrights with whom I've developed relationships over the years. I'm particularly anxious to get my hands dirty with MOMENTUM: new plays at different stages. This new works festival is a unique opportunity for playwrights to test material at various stages of development in a supportive and invigorating environment alongside several other playwrights also developing new work. And of course I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside Tracy, Carlyn, Greg and the excellent design and production staff with whom I've had a blast collaborating as director.

World Premiere of Merchant on Venice

2007-10-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

Excerpted Reviews from Shishir Kurup's Merchant on Venice

From Chris Jones @ Chicago Tribune

"Hottest Ticket in Town" "Highly Recommended"

" Shishir Kurup's remarkable polycultural deconstruction of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, will have an extensive international life...10 times as funny, smart, and intellectually stimulating as The Bomb-itty of Errors...a must-see for anyone who follows progressive approaches to Shakespeare...a big, new, risky, rambunctious show...uncannily accurate and transformative...a superb piece of passionate, irreverent, insightful writing...if you have a teenager studying this difficult play, a trip to see Kurup's eye-popping version will have their eyes bulging out of their sockets."

"Stuart Carden's very lively production is a new high for Silk Road. Anchored by the complex Anish Jethmalani as Sharuk, the piece also features a very funny performance from Tariq Vasudeva and rich, punky work from the youthful likes of Sadieh Rifai, Amira Sabbagh and, especially, Pranidhi Varshney as Portia, er, Pushpa."

"Silk Road has been promising us new work of international repute. They have most assuredly delivered."

From Hedy Weiss @ Chicago Sun-Times

"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ...hip, funny, ingeniously reconfigured world premiere...Kurup has a Salman Rushdie-like fluency in cross-cultural, pop-cultural hijinks...highly ornamented, wildly comical linguistic flights...a feast of behavioral and musical correspondences that do Shakespeare proud..."

"Director Stuart Carden's exceptionally buoyant, Bollywood-infused production with an ethnic cast that clearly thrives on this material...ambitions and delicious on many levels...the energy and emotional intensity never flag."

"Note to New York's Public Theater, producer of Shakespeare in Central Park: Send a scout to see the Silk Road Theatre Project's hip, funny, ingeniously reconfigured world premiere of "Merchant on Venice," Shishir Kurup's reinvention of Shakespeare's most controversial play."

From Kerry Reid @ Chicago Reader

"Highly Recommended" "Critics Pick"

"Shishir Kurup doesn't merely update the Elizabethan vernacular (he keeps the iambs) in his bold, smart, sardonic reinvention of one of Shakespeare's most troubling plays. He also skillfully weaves in post-9/11 paranoia about "the other" as well as the prejudices of competing immigrant groups on LA's Venice Boulevard."

"Bold, smart, sardonic reinvention...skillfully weaves in post-9/11 paranoia...layers of cultural dissonance both intriguing and disturbing."

"Stuart Carden's spirited world premiere staging highlights equally the script's sinister undertones and its giddy polyglot mix of traditional and pop-culture references."

From Barbara Vitello @ Daily Herald

" A sparkling production directed by Stuart Carden"

"BRAVO ...both more hopeful and more ambiguous than Shakespeare's...Kurup's wit and wordplay and the pop culture references peppering the play make it so palatable to a 21st century audience...this show delights...an eloquent plea for tolerance and forgiveness...Kurup solves Shakespeare's problem."

From Kris Vire @ Time Out Chicago

"Carden's playful production matches Kurup's SoCal script: a refreshing breath of smoggy air."

"A bracing, ingenious pop-cult revamp of Shakespeare's Merchant proves that the Bard's themes and style still resonate.

"The Muslim Sharuk is played by Anish Jethmalani as equal parts fire and ice."

"Sharuk is neither caricatured villain nor martyred victim. The playwright equalizes the blame for the conflict in the trial scene, highlighting the two sides' efforts to demonize one another rather than focus on what they share (made more compelling here, where both factions are minorities in the so-called great melting pot)."

Through November 18th at Silk Road Theatre Project
www.srtp.org