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Event Program
WED, OCT 23
Hosted by Lauren Groff
Viola in Midwinter by Marie-Helene Bertino
Performed by Rita Wolf
Blessed Deliverance by Jamel Brinkley
Performed by Kyle Beltran
The Happiest Day of Your Life by Katherine Damm
Performed by Santino Fontana
Due to a scheduling conflict, Zabryna Guevara will no longer be appearing at this event.
There will not be a book signing at this event.
Tag us on Instagram @symphonyspace to be featured!
Real-time captioning (CART) will be available in our theater for patrons with hearing loss, deafness, different language and learning needs, and anyone whose experience will be enhanced by CART. To access CART on your individual smartphone or tablet, please visit bit.ly/SymphonySpace_Captions.
Kyle Beltran most recently appeared as Detective Ramon Fisher in the Amazon Prime series American Rust: Broken Justice. Additional select television credits include American Horror Story: NYC on FX, the Emmy–nominated Shonda Rhimes miniseries Inventing Anna on Netflix, the Peabody Award winner David Makes Man on OWN/HBOMax, and the pilot Olga Dies Dreaming on Hulu. Kyle is best known for his work in the theater. He received Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations for his portrayal of Keith in Samuel D. Hunter’s critically acclaimed two-hander A Case for the Existence of God at Signature Theatre. Kyle made his Broadway debut as Usnavi in the Tony Award–winning musical In the Heights, after originating the role on the first national tour. He also appeared on Broadway in The Cherry Orchard opposite Diane Lane. His off-Broadway credits are numerous, including productions at Atlantic Theater Company, Vineyard Theatre, Barrow Street, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, Ars Nova, Clubbed Thumb, The Public Theater, and Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. Regionally, he has been seen at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Goodman Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Steppenwolf, Yale Repertory, and The Old Globe. Kyle is a co-founding member of The Commissary, a grassroots, multi-generational theater collective/social justice initiative. He received his BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University.
Kyle Beltran most recently appeared as Detective Ramon Fisher in the Amazon Prime series American Rust: Broken Justice. Additional select television credits include American Horror Story: NYC on FX, the Emmy–nominated Shonda Rhimes miniseries Inventing Anna on Netflix, the Peabody Award winner David Makes Man on OWN/HBOMax, and the pilot Olga Dies Dreaming on Hulu. Kyle is best known for his work in the theater. He received Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations for his portrayal of Keith in Samuel D. Hunter’s critically acclaimed two-hander A Case for the Existence of God at Signature Theatre. Kyle made his Broadway debut as Usnavi in the Tony Award–winning musical In the Heights, after originating the role on the first national tour. He also appeared on Broadway in The Cherry Orchard opposite Diane Lane. His off-Broadway credits are numerous, including productions at Atlantic Theater Company, Vineyard Theatre, Barrow Street, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, Ars Nova, Clubbed Thumb, The Public Theater, and Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. Regionally, he has been seen at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Goodman Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Steppenwolf, Yale Repertory, and The Old Globe. Kyle is a co-founding member of The Commissary, a grassroots, multi-generational theater collective/social justice initiative. He received his BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University.
Santino Fontana is known for his Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Award–winning portrayal of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in the Broadway production of Tootsie, and for voicing the character Prince Hans in Disney’s Academy Award–winning animated feature Frozen. With Encores!, he has starred in off-Broadway productions of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; 1776; and Zorba. On Broadway, he has starred in The Importance of Being Earnest, for which he won a Clarence Derwent Award; Brighton Beach Memoirs (Drama Desk Award); Act One; Billy Elliot; Cinderella (Tony nomination); and Hello, Dolly! His onscreen credits include the currently airing Grotesquerie, as well as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Sisters, Shades of Blue, Mozart in the Jungle, Submissions Only, Off the Menu, Fosse/Verdon, and Evil, with forthcoming roles in Lost & Found in Cleveland and his film directing debut in Death Wish. Fontana recently starred in the Classic Stage Company’s revival of I Can Get it for You Wholesale, for which he received Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominations.
Santino Fontana is known for his Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Award–winning portrayal of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in the Broadway production of Tootsie, and for voicing the character Prince Hans in Disney’s Academy Award–winning animated feature Frozen. With Encores!, he has starred in off-Broadway productions of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; 1776; and Zorba. On Broadway, he has starred in The Importance of Being Earnest, for which he won a Clarence Derwent Award; Brighton Beach Memoirs (Drama Desk Award); Act One; Billy Elliot; Cinderella (Tony nomination); and Hello, Dolly! His onscreen credits include the currently airing Grotesquerie, as well as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Sisters, Shades of Blue, Mozart in the Jungle, Submissions Only, Off the Menu, Fosse/Verdon, and Evil, with forthcoming roles in Lost & Found in Cleveland and his film directing debut in Death Wish. Fontana recently starred in the Classic Stage Company’s revival of I Can Get it for You Wholesale, for which he received Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominations.
Lauren Groff is the author of seven books, including Fates and Furies and Florida, both of which were finalists for the National Book Award; the novel Matrix, which was shortlisted for the National Book Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal; and her latest, The Vaster Wilds, which was published in 2023. She is a winner of the Story Prize, a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, and in 2017, was named one of the Best of Young American Novelists by the literary magazine Granta. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Groff opened a bookstore, The Lynx, in Gainesville, Florida, in 2024.
Lauren Groff is the author of seven books, including Fates and Furies and Florida, both of which were finalists for the National Book Award; the novel Matrix, which was shortlisted for the National Book Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal; and her latest, The Vaster Wilds, which was published in 2023. She is a winner of the Story Prize, a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, and in 2017, was named one of the Best of Young American Novelists by the literary magazine Granta. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Groff opened a bookstore, The Lynx, in Gainesville, Florida, in 2024.
Rita Wolf has been featured in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance with the Transport Group and Out of Time at The Public Theater, both co-productions with The National Asian American Theatre Company; and The Michaels and What Happened? The Michaels Abroad, written and directed by Richard Nelson, at The Public Theater and Hunter College. Additional theater credits include An Ordinary Muslim at New York Theatre Workshop, The American Pilot at Manhattan Theatre Club, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, and the premiere of Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul at New York Theatre Workshop and BAM. Last spring, Wolf was a Beinecke Fellow at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University while appearing in Caryl Churchill's play Escaped Alone.
Rita Wolf has been featured in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance with the Transport Group and Out of Time at The Public Theater, both co-productions with The National Asian American Theatre Company; and The Michaels and What Happened? The Michaels Abroad, written and directed by Richard Nelson, at The Public Theater and Hunter College. Additional theater credits include An Ordinary Muslim at New York Theatre Workshop, The American Pilot at Manhattan Theatre Club, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, and the premiere of Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul at New York Theatre Workshop and BAM. Last spring, Wolf was a Beinecke Fellow at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University while appearing in Caryl Churchill's play Escaped Alone.
Marie-Helene Bertino is the author of the novels Beautyland, Parakeet, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, 2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas, and the short story collection Safe as Houses. Awards include the O. Henry Prize, the Pushcart Prize, the Iowa Short Fiction Award, and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship in Cork, Ireland. She has taught for NYU, The New School, and Institute for American Indian Arts. She currently teaches in the Creative Writing program at Yale University. “Viola in Midwinter” will appear in her second short story collection, forthcoming in 2025.
Marie-Helene Bertino is the author of the novels Beautyland, Parakeet, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, 2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas, and the short story collection Safe as Houses. Awards include the O. Henry Prize, the Pushcart Prize, the Iowa Short Fiction Award, and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship in Cork, Ireland. She has taught for NYU, The New School, and Institute for American Indian Arts. She currently teaches in the Creative Writing program at Yale University. “Viola in Midwinter” will appear in her second short story collection, forthcoming in 2025.
Jamel Brinkley was raised in the Bronx and Brooklyn. He is the author of Witness: Stories, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize. His debut collection, A Lucky Man: Stories, was a finalist for the National Book Award, among other honors, and the winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. His writing has appeared in A Public Space, Ploughshares, Zoetrope: All-Story, and The Paris Review, among other journals. He was a Carol Houck Smith Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and has received an O. Henry Award and the Rome Prize. Brinkley teaches at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Jamel Brinkley was raised in the Bronx and Brooklyn. He is the author of Witness: Stories, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize. His debut collection, A Lucky Man: Stories, was a finalist for the National Book Award, among other honors, and the winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. His writing has appeared in A Public Space, Ploughshares, Zoetrope: All-Story, and The Paris Review, among other journals. He was a Carol Houck Smith Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and has received an O. Henry Award and the Rome Prize. Brinkley teaches at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Katherine Damm’s short stories have appeared in Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, New England Review, and elsewhere. She holds an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.F.A. from the Programs in Writing at the University of California, Irvine. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives in New York with husband, son, and poodle, where she is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Marymount Manhattan College.
Katherine Damm’s short stories have appeared in Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, New England Review, and elsewhere. She holds an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.F.A. from the Programs in Writing at the University of California, Irvine. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives in New York with husband, son, and poodle, where she is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Marymount Manhattan College.
Heidi Pitlor is the author of the novels The Birthdays, The Daylight Marriage, which was optioned for film, and Impersonation. She has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 2007. She is the director of Heidi Pitlor Editorial and the editorial director of the literary studio Plympton. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Lit Hub, Ploughshares, and elsewhere.
Heidi Pitlor is the author of the novels The Birthdays, The Daylight Marriage, which was optioned for film, and Impersonation. She has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 2007. She is the director of Heidi Pitlor Editorial and the editorial director of the literary studio Plympton. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Lit Hub, Ploughshares, and elsewhere.
The Best American series, launched in 1915, is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of print and online publications. A guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. Selected Shorts has partnered with Best American since 1995.
“The Happiest Day of Your Life,” by Katherine Damm, from The Best American Short Stories 2024 (Mariner Books, 2024). First appeared in The Iowa Review (Volume 52, Issue 2/Issue 3, Winter 2022/2023). Copyright © 2023 by Katherine Damm. Adapted version of the text used by permission of the author.
“Viola in Mid-Winter,” by Marie-Helene Bertino, from The Best American Short Stories 2024 (Mariner Books, 2024). First appeared in Bennington Review (Issue 12, December 2023). Copyright © 2023 by Marie-Helene Bertino. Adapted version of the text used by permission of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC and the author.
“Blessed Deliverance,” by Jamel Brinkley, from The Best American Short Stories 2024 (Mariner Books, 2024). First appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story (Volume 26, No. 4, Winter 2022/2023). Copyright © 2023 by Jamel Brinkley. Adapted version of the text used by permission of The Wylie Agency, LLC and the author.
Selected Shorts is supported by the Dungannon Foundation, creator of The Rea Award for the Short Story.
Symphony Space’s season of programming is also made possible by the generous support of the Seedlings Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, Charles D. Fleischman Charitable Trust, Susan Bay Nimoy, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, PECO Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Michael Tuch Foundation, Axe-Houghton Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation, The Grodzins Fund, The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of North America, and Theatre Development Fund.
Programming is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Symphony Space thanks our generous supporters, including our Board of Directors, Producers Circle, and members, who make our programs possible with their annual support.
Floral design by PlantShed.
Kathy Landau Executive Director
Peg Wreen Managing Director
Isaiah Sheffer*
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Artistic Director (1990-2010)
Founding Artistic Director (2010-2012)
Allan Miller
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Jennifer Brennan Director of Literary Programs
Drew Richardson Lead Producer of Literary Programs
Vivienne Woodward Producer of Literary Programs
Mary Shimkin Director of Broadcast & Literary Initiatives
Sarah Montague Selected Shorts Radio Producer
Miles B. Smith Selected Shorts Recording Engineer
Matthew Love Consultant for Literary Programs
Magdalene Wrobleski Literary Assistant
Leigh Reid Literary Intern
Mia Testa Literary Intern
*in memoriam