Marvell Repertory Theatre is New York's only professional theatre - and one of only a handful in the entire nation - devoted exclusively to producing new and enduring works in rotating repertory. Running mid-February through early April, 2011, at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex (312 West 36th Street 1st Floor); Marvell Rep's inaugural season includes four magnificent, underperformed works from the world literature, including "Nora", Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House; "In the Shadow of the Glen", the darkly funny one-act by J.M. Synge; "Blood Wedding", by Federico Garcia Lorca; and the New York premiere of Joseph C. Landis' translation of "The Dybbuk" by S. Ansky.
Lenny Leibowitz and Amy Estes founded Marvell Repertory Theatre in 2010 with the intention of giving NYC area theatre actors and audiences the kind of full-immersion theatre experience that a rotating rep can provide. Marvell Rep's first public performance was a workshop production of Before the Rain, an original musical with an all African American cast and a blues and gospel score, at the Producers' Club in May, 2010. This event reflected a primary focus of the mission, the development of new plays and musicals and the advancement of the art form.
Lenny Leibowitz (artistic director) has directed at some of the nation's leading regional and Off-Broadway theatres, including the Olney Theatre, National Players, and New Harmony Theatre (artistic director 2006-10). Some favorite productions include "Amadeus", "The Importance of Being Earnest", "Othello", "The School for Scandal", "My Fair Lady", "The Threepenny Opera", "Hamlet", "A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Glass Menagerie", "The Crucible", and "Much Ado About Nothing". New York credits include the world premiere of "Making Tracks", (workshopped at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre and ran Off-Broadway). Other regional theatre credits include the Huntington Theatre's Breaking Ground Festival (Boston), and Seattle's Intiman Theatre, where he co-wrote, developed and directed an early version of Before the Rain as the recipient of a Freehold grant. A Philadelphia native, he made his professional debut as a piano soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and M.F.A. from Boston University, where he was also a member of the conservatory faculty. He is a member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers and Actors' Equity Association.
Amy Estes (managing director) has worked at some of the leading regional theatres in the U.S., including the Guthrie, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Powerhouse Theatre/New York Stage and Film at Vassar College, Riverside Theatre, and New Harmony Theatre, where she served as managing director and alongside Lenny Leibowitz, helped develop its Repertory Project. Amy was the first Rea Fellow in Theater Management at the Guthrie Theater. She completed a master of fine arts in theatre management at the University of Alabama and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. She is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and has her BA from Vassar College.
Information/Office for Marvell Repertory Theatre 212-518-6085 250 West 99th Street Suite 2B New York, NY 10025 www.marvellrep.org
