New theatre collective #Theatre5Alliance has tapped over two dozen Broadway stars to create short vignettes in support of regional American theatres. The lineup includes Tony winners André De Shields, Judith Light, Laurie Metcalf, Bryan Cranston, Priscilla Lopez, John Lithgow, Judd Hirsch, John Larroquette, Hal Linden, Joe Mantegna, and Tony Shalhoub.
Additional performers include Kim Brockington, Bruce Davidson, Stacy Keach, Dan Lauria, Jodi Long, Wendie Malick, Carolyn McCormick, Patty McCormack, Alfred Molina, Ed O’Neill, Lou Diamond Phillips, James Pickens Jr, Stephen Root, Charles Shaughnessy, Peter Scolari, Joe Spano, Chris Sullivan, Reno Wilson, Henry Winkler, and Robert Wuhl.
#Theatre5Alliance is comprised of Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Durango PlayFest, Laguna Playhouse, New Jersey Repertory, and Seven Angels Theatre. Like many performing arts groups worldwide, each of these organizations was forced to cancel summer performances due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The project is the brainchild of Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years, Lombardi), who called upon friends in the industry to create videos of themselves reading works they’ve written under the banner “Keeping Live Theatre Alive.” Filmmaker Jeremy Fletcher will edit the individual videos, with the alliance theatres making them available on their websites beginning August 29.
“Every sector in society has been impacted negatively by COVID-19, including theaters,” says Lauria. “I wanted to raise awareness of the plight of these organizations while celebrating how actors are keeping their creative juices flowing.”
To learn more about the presentations, visit the website of any participating theatre link above.
