One Arm
May 19 to July 2, 2011
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
Based on the short story and screenplay by Tennessee Williams
Adapted for the stage and directed by Moisés Kaufman
with: Noah Bean, KC Comeaux, Claybourne Elder, Steven Hauck,
Todd Lawson, Christopher McCann, Greg Pierotti and Larisa Polonsky

Based on Tennessee Williams' unproduced screenplay of his own classic short story, this new adaptation from pioneering theatrical auteur Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project, I Am My Own Wife, 33 Variations) follows Ollie, a young boxing champ who loses his arm and turns to hustling to survive. A collaboration with Tectonic Theater Project.

“Fast, Fierce, Brutally Beautiful.” - New York Magazine
“Sexually Raw.” - Bloomberg
“Starkly Compelling.” - NY Daily News

Marie and Bruce
March 14 to May 7, 2011
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
by Wallace Shawn
Directed by Scott Elliott
with: Tina Benko, Russell G. Jones, Cindy Katz, Devin Ratray,
Alok Tewari, Marisa Tomei, Adam Trese, Frank Whaley and Alison Wright

Relentlessly daring playwright Wallace Shawn returns to The New Group to continue his vibrant collaboration with Scott Elliott (Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever, Threepenny Opera). This comedic masterpiece of marital strife recounts the day that Marie (Marisa Tomei) finally resolves to tell her charming and impossibly positive husband Bruce (Frank Whaley) that she's had enough.

“DEVASTING, POIGNANT. A keenly nuanced satire revived in HIGH STYLE.
A perfectly pitched symphony of egos and obsessions. SUPER CAST!”
- Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Blood From A Stone
December 13 to February 19 , 2011
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
by Tommy Nohilly    directed by Scott Elliott
with: Gordon Clapp, Ann Dowd, Thomas Guiry,
Ethan Hawke, Natasha Lyonne and Daphne Rubin-Vega

An electric and darkly comic portrayal of a troubled working-class family in New Britain, CT. Travis visits his parents home to check on his brother Matt and his mother, only to find himself sucked into intractable conflicts, and a whole household on the verge of implosion. Blood From A Stone is a stunning and shattering debut by Tommy Nohilly.

“Keenly Observed and Flawlessly Acted! AN IMPECCABLE PRODUCTION!”
- Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

• OBIE Award Winner •
(Outstanding Performance Ethan Hawke)
• Outer Critics Cirle Award nomination •
(Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play)

The Kid
April 16 - May 29, 2010
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
Book by Michael Zam
Music by Jack Lechner
Lyrics by Andy Monroe
Based on the book by Dan Savage
Musical Staging by Josh Prince
Directed by Scott Elliott
featuring: Kevin Anthony, Zachary Berger, Susan Blackwell,
Jane Brockman, Jill Eikenberry, Jeannine Frumess, Ann Harada,
Tyler Maynard, Brooke Sunny Moriber, Justin Patterson,
Christopher Sieber, Lucas Steele, Michael Wartella

Winner of the 2009 BMI Foundation Jerry Bock Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, THE KID is based on the true story of what happens when sex columnist Dan Savage and his boyfriend decide to start a family.

“"EFFERVESCENT! ENGAGING AND ON-KEY!"”
- Brantley, The New York Times

A Lie of the Mind
January 30 - March 30, 2010
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
by Sam Shepard    directed by Ethan Hawke
featuring: Keith Carradine, Josh Hamilton, Marin Ireland
Laurie Metcalf, Alessandro Nivola, Maggie Siff
Frank Whaley, Karen Young

Blinded by jealousy and rage, Jake believes he may have murdered his wife. While Jake seeks refuge in the home of his unstable mother, his brother Frankie goes to investigate and soon finds himself caught in the confusing currents of revenge and longing. A LIE OF THE MIND, noted by Shepard as "a love ballad, a little legend about love", depicts two families shaken by sudden violence. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play in 1986.

“SHEPARD'S RICHEST AND MOST PENETRATING PLAY!
Hawke's cast leaps so high you may feel the safe,
solid Earth receding beneath you!” - Brantley, The New York Times

• OBIE Award Winner •
(Outstanding Performance - Laurie Metcalf)
• 5 Lucille Lortel Award nominations •
(Outstanding Revival; Outstanding Featured Actor- Keith Carradine;
Outstanding Featured Actress - Laurie Metcalf;
Outstanding Scenic Design - Derek McLane;
Outstanding Sound Design - Shane Rettig)
• 2 Drama Desk Award nominations •
(Outstanding Director - Ethan Hawke; Outstanding Music in a Play - GAINES)

The Starry Messenger
October 24 - December 19, 2009
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan
featuring: Matthew Broderick, Stephanie Cannon, Kieran Culkin
Merwin Goldsmith, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Grant Shaud
J. Smith-Cameron, Missy Yager

The Starry Messenger follows an astronomy teacher whose carefully circumscribed world is upended by an unexpected encounter that changes everything. Two-time Oscar nominee Kenneth Lonergan, in his highly-anticipated return to The New Group following the 1996 premiere of This is Our Youth, teams up with his childhood friend, two-time Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick and Oscar-nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace).

“"MATTHEW BRODERICK'S FINEST, MOST AFFECTING
PERFORMANCE IN YEARS!"”
- Brantley, The New York Times

Groundswell
May 4 - June 27, 2009
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
by Ian Bruce    directed by Scott Elliot
featuring: Larry Bryggman, David Lansbury, Souléymane Sy Savané

On the barren, diamond-diving coast of South Africa, Johan and Thami, an ex-cop and a gardener from starkly contrasting backgrounds, maintain a beachfront guest lodge during the off-season while looking for a way out. When Smith, a retired businessman, shows up one foggy night, the two men think they've found an ideal investor for their scheme to buy into a government-run diamond concession. Soon, these rootless men find themselves in a power struggle fueled by greed, desperation and entitlement. GROUNDSWELL is a psychological thriller about hunger and hope, and the glittering promises of a transforming society.

“"A cross between MAMET and FUGARD... A SUSPENSE-STOKED tale of DESPERATE MEN willing to go to DANGEROUS lengths to secure one last chance at a big prize. ENGROSSING and CRISPLY ACTED!"”
- Isherwood, The New York Times

Mourning Becomes Electra
January 27 - April 19, 2009
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
A Trilogy by Eugene O'Neill    Directed by Scott Elliott
featuring: Carolyn Baeumler, Mark Blum, Joseph Cross,
Susan Goodwillie, Mycah Hogan, Robert Hogan,
Jena Malone, Patrick Mapel, Sean Meehan, Anson Mount,
Phoebe Strole, Lili Taylor, John Wojda,
Therese Barbato, Geoffrey Bryant

Lili Taylor (Aunt Dan and Lemon, Say Anything, "Six Feet Under"), Jena Malone (Doubt, Saved!) and Joseph Cross (Milk, Running with Scissors) portray the toxic mother/daughter/son triangle in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece. In this sizzling re-imagining of The Oresteia, three plays combine to create an epic 4-hour journey. At the end of the Civil War, General Mannon's wife and daughter await his return with very different agendas. When battle-scarred son Orin arrives, he finds his house divided. A classic tragedy of Freudian proportions, MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA is a tale of adultery, obsession and madness.


• Lucille Lortel Nomination •
(Outstanding Lighting Design - Jason Lyons)

Mouth To Mouth
October 21 - December 6, 2008
Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row
by Kevin Elyot    directed by Mark Brokaw
featuring: Christopher Abbott, David Cale, Lisa Emery,
Darren Goldstein, Elizabeth Jasicki,
Andrew Polk, Richard Topol

Frank, a gay writer living with AIDS, attends a party at his friend Laura's house to celebrate the return of her teenage son from abroad. As the story shifts back and forth through time, it's clear that Frank may have played an unscrupulous part in the unraveling of his best girlfriend's family. Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Play, Kevin Elyot's West End smash is a haunting, twisting tale of undeclared passion and the fine line between intimacy and betrayal.

“Kevin Elyot shares Chekhov's sense of life as a tragic comedy and conveys it through beautifully written, often funny encounters that throb with isolation and longing.”
- The New York Times