Artist Bio

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, executive director; Andrew Leynse, artistic director; Elliot Fox, managing director) most recently collaborated with the Goodman on In The Continuum during the 2006/2007 Season. It was founded in 1984 as a nonprofit theater company with the mission of pro­ducing new plays and nurturing the development of playwrights. Primary Stages has significantly contributed to the nonprofit theater community, producing 22 seasons and more than 90 produc­tions. By fostering an environment in which writers are encouraged to explore the scope of their creative vision, Primary Stages has been instrumental in developing the skills of hundreds of young artists as well as helping to create a library of new works for the American theater. Primary Stages has given life to new plays (many of them world premieres) by such writers as A.R. Gurney, Terrence McNally, Julia Jordan, Conor McPherson, Charles Busch, Willy Holtzman, Romulus Linney, Donald Margulies, Melissa Manchester, John Patrick Shanley, Lanie Robertson, Gen LeRoy, David Ives, Con­stance Congdon and Mac Wellman. Over the years the company has received considerable critical acclaim as well as numerous theater and literary awards, including the Lucille Lortel, the Obie, the Outer Critics Circle, several Drama Desk nominations and three AUDELCO Awards. The Stendhal Syndrome; No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs; One Million Butterflies; Boy; Indian Blood; Sabina; and In The Continuum are among the many plays that received their world premieres at Primary Stages.

(June 2007)