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Event Program
WED, JUNE 08
Hosted by Denis O’Hare
Beauty and the Beast by Simon Rich
Performed by Arian Moayed
Exposure by Percival Everett
Performed by by Denis O’Hare
Make Yourself Into a House by Grace Shuyi Liew
Winner of the 2022 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize
Performed Emma Kikue
How to Take Dad to the Doctor by Jenny Allen
Performed by Jennifer Mudge
What Feels Like the World by Richard Bausch
Performed by James Naughton
At this Performance of Selected Shorts: Real-time captioning (CART) will be available in our theater for patrons with hearing loss, deafness, and/or different language and learning needs. CART can be accessed through individual smartphones and tablets at bit.ly/SymphonySpace_Captions.
Emma Kikue is thrilled to be a part of Selected Shorts, reading such a beautiful story. Onscreen, she has appeared in Love Life, The Sinner, Bull, Instinct, Elementary, Madam Secretary, The Code, Braindead, and Josie and Jack. Her stage credits include God Said This at Primary Stages, Song of the Northwoods at Audible Theater Audio Play, what you are now at Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Fruiting Bodies at Ma-Yi. Kikuke will appear in the forthcoming film The Adults.
Emma Kikue is thrilled to be a part of Selected Shorts, reading such a beautiful story. Onscreen, she has appeared in Love Life, The Sinner, Bull, Instinct, Elementary, Madam Secretary, The Code, Braindead, and Josie and Jack. Her stage credits include God Said This at Primary Stages, Song of the Northwoods at Audible Theater Audio Play, what you are now at Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Fruiting Bodies at Ma-Yi. Kikuke will appear in the forthcoming film The Adults.
Iranian-born, award-winning actor Arian Moayed is the co-founder of Waterwell, a civic-minded and socially conscious non-profit art and education company. Moayed is the creator of the Emmy-nominated thriller The Accidental Wolf and the film adaptation of Waterwell’s The Courtroom, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring. He is currently at work on an autobiography about his family’s immigration journey. Notable acting credits: Broadway's The Humans (Drama Desk Award), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Tony nomination), Guards at the Taj (Obie Award), Emmy-winning Succession (HBO), and Shonda Rhimes’ series, Inventing Anna (Netflix).
Iranian-born, award-winning actor Arian Moayed is the co-founder of Waterwell, a civic-minded and socially conscious non-profit art and education company. Moayed is the creator of the Emmy-nominated thriller The Accidental Wolf and the film adaptation of Waterwell’s The Courtroom, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring. He is currently at work on an autobiography about his family’s immigration journey. Notable acting credits: Broadway's The Humans (Drama Desk Award), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Tony nomination), Guards at the Taj (Obie Award), Emmy-winning Succession (HBO), and Shonda Rhimes’ series, Inventing Anna (Netflix).
Jennifer Mudge most recently appeared in Molière in the Park’s Tartuffe (NYT Critic’s Pick), the indie horror feature The Requin with Alicia Silverstone, the world premiere of Will Eno’s The Plot at Yale Rep, and Actors Theatre of Louisville’s remote-capture Romeo and Juliet: Louisville 2020. On stage, she has appeared in Rocky, The Philanthropist, Reckless, The End of Longing, Into the Woods (Lucille Lortel Award nomination), Dutchman (Drama Desk nomination), and more. Film and television credits include The Irishman, The Surrogate, Twelve, Nostalgia, The Drummer, Beautiful Dreamer, My America, Shades of Blue, Boss, and Elementary. Producing credits include Broadway for Biden’s A Concert for the Soul of the Nation and NYCLU’s Sing Out for Freedom.
Jennifer Mudge most recently appeared in Molière in the Park’s Tartuffe (NYT Critic’s Pick), the indie horror feature The Requin with Alicia Silverstone, the world premiere of Will Eno’s The Plot at Yale Rep, and Actors Theatre of Louisville’s remote-capture Romeo and Juliet: Louisville 2020. On stage, she has appeared in Rocky, The Philanthropist, Reckless, The End of Longing, Into the Woods (Lucille Lortel Award nomination), Dutchman (Drama Desk nomination), and more. Film and television credits include The Irishman, The Surrogate, Twelve, Nostalgia, The Drummer, Beautiful Dreamer, My America, Shades of Blue, Boss, and Elementary. Producing credits include Broadway for Biden’s A Concert for the Soul of the Nation and NYCLU’s Sing Out for Freedom.
James Naughton has won Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical for City of Angels and Chicago. On Broadway, he directed the Tony-nominated productions of Arthur Miller’s The Price and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, starring Paul Newman. He also directed the television production of Our Town for Showtime and Masterpiece Theatre. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including The Devil Wears Prada, Damages, The Paper Chase, Gossip Girl, Ally McBeal, Planet of the Apes, Hostages, Turks & Caicos, The Affair, The Tap, The Independents, The Romanoffs, The Accidental Wolf, and And Just Like That….
James Naughton has won Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical for City of Angels and Chicago. On Broadway, he directed the Tony-nominated productions of Arthur Miller’s The Price and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, starring Paul Newman. He also directed the television production of Our Town for Showtime and Masterpiece Theatre. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including The Devil Wears Prada, Damages, The Paper Chase, Gossip Girl, Ally McBeal, Planet of the Apes, Hostages, Turks & Caicos, The Affair, The Tap, The Independents, The Romanoffs, The Accidental Wolf, and And Just Like That….
Denis O’Hare is known for his versatility and multiple roles on the series American Horror Story. His screen credits include Garden State, A Mighty Heart, Michael Clayton, Milk, The Comedians, Duplicity, The Good Wife, True Blood, The Normal Heart, Dallas Buyers Club, This Is Us, Big Little Lies, Lizzie, The Goldfinch, American Gods, Dr. Seuss' the Grinch Musical, The Postcard Killings, The Nevers, The Accidental Wolf, and Infinite Storm. He won a Tony Award for his performance in Take Me Out and a Drama Desk Award for his role in Sweet Charity. He is the co-writer and star of An Iliad, and co-author of The Good Book. O’Hare’s upcoming projects include The Nevers and American Horror Story.
Denis O’Hare is known for his versatility and multiple roles on the series American Horror Story. His screen credits include Garden State, A Mighty Heart, Michael Clayton, Milk, The Comedians, Duplicity, The Good Wife, True Blood, The Normal Heart, Dallas Buyers Club, This Is Us, Big Little Lies, Lizzie, The Goldfinch, American Gods, Dr. Seuss' the Grinch Musical, The Postcard Killings, The Nevers, The Accidental Wolf, and Infinite Storm. He won a Tony Award for his performance in Take Me Out and a Drama Desk Award for his role in Sweet Charity. He is the co-writer and star of An Iliad, and co-author of The Good Book. O’Hare’s upcoming projects include The Nevers and American Horror Story.
Jenny Allen is a writer and performer whose works include the fable collection The Long Chalkboard and, most recently, Would Everybody Please Stop?, a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. She wrote and starred in the award-winning one-woman show I Got Sick Then I Got Better. Allen’s writing has been featured in several anthologies, including Disquiet, Please!: More Humor Writing from the New Yorker and The 50 Funniest American Writers, edited by Andy Borowitz.
Jenny Allen is a writer and performer whose works include the fable collection The Long Chalkboard and, most recently, Would Everybody Please Stop?, a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. She wrote and starred in the award-winning one-woman show I Got Sick Then I Got Better. Allen’s writing has been featured in several anthologies, including Disquiet, Please!: More Humor Writing from the New Yorker and The 50 Funniest American Writers, edited by Andy Borowitz.
Richard Bausch is the author of thirteen novels, including Hello to the Cannibals; Before, During, After; Peace; and the forthcoming Playhouse. He has published eight volumes of short stories, including The Selected Stories of Richard Bausch (The Modern Library); The Stories of Richard Bausch; Wives & Lovers: 3 Short Novels; Living in the Weather of the World; and, forthcoming, The Fate of Others. He has won a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, and the REA Award, among others. Bausch teaches in the Writing Program at Chapman University.
Richard Bausch is the author of thirteen novels, including Hello to the Cannibals; Before, During, After; Peace; and the forthcoming Playhouse. He has published eight volumes of short stories, including The Selected Stories of Richard Bausch (The Modern Library); The Stories of Richard Bausch; Wives & Lovers: 3 Short Novels; Living in the Weather of the World; and, forthcoming, The Fate of Others. He has won a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, and the REA Award, among others. Bausch teaches in the Writing Program at Chapman University.
Percival Everett is the author of more than 30 books, including Wounded, which won the 2006 PEN USA Literary Award; Erasure, winner of the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; Big Picture, winner of the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature; Zulus, winner of the New American Writing Award; and the story collection Damned if I Do. His latest books are The Trees and Telephone, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
Percival Everett is the author of more than 30 books, including Wounded, which won the 2006 PEN USA Literary Award; Erasure, winner of the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; Big Picture, winner of the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature; Zulus, winner of the New American Writing Award; and the story collection Damned if I Do. His latest books are The Trees and Telephone, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
Born and raised in Malaysia, Grace Shuyi Liew is a lesbian poet and fiction writer currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has appeared in Kenyon Review, West Branch, Black Warrior Review, Best of the Net, and elsewhere. She has received awards from the Center for Fiction in New York, Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and more. She is the author of the poetry collection Careen (Noemi Press, 2019), which has been named in Electric Literature’s 14 Unmissable Poetry Books of 2019 and Entropy magazine’s Best Poetry Books of 2019. Liew is writing a novel set in a gambling resort city in Malaysia.
Born and raised in Malaysia, Grace Shuyi Liew is a lesbian poet and fiction writer currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has appeared in Kenyon Review, West Branch, Black Warrior Review, Best of the Net, and elsewhere. She has received awards from the Center for Fiction in New York, Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and more. She is the author of the poetry collection Careen (Noemi Press, 2019), which has been named in Electric Literature’s 14 Unmissable Poetry Books of 2019 and Entropy magazine’s Best Poetry Books of 2019. Liew is writing a novel set in a gambling resort city in Malaysia.
Simon Rich is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. He has written for Saturday Night Live, Pixar, and The Simpsons and is the creator of the TV shows Man Seeking Woman and Miracle Workers, which he based on his books. His other collections include Ant Farm, Spoiled Brats, and Hits and Misses, which won the 2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor. His latest book, New Teeth, was published in 2021.
Simon Rich is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. He has written for Saturday Night Live, Pixar, and The Simpsons and is the creator of the TV shows Man Seeking Woman and Miracle Workers, which he based on his books. His other collections include Ant Farm, Spoiled Brats, and Hits and Misses, which won the 2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor. His latest book, New Teeth, was published in 2021.
“Beauty and the Beast” by Simon Rich, from New Teeth: Stories (Little, Brown and Company, July 2021). Copyright © 2021 Simon Rich. Used by permission of Levine, Greenberg, Rostan Literary Agency.
“Exposure” by Percival Everett, from Half an Inch of Water: Stories (Graywolf, September 2015). Copyright © 2015 by Percival Everett. Used by permission of Graywolf Press, graywolfpress.org.
“Make Yourself Into a House” by Grace Shuyi Liew. Winner of the 2022 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize. Copyright © 2022 by Grace Shuyi Liew. Used by permission of the author. Special thanks to guest judge Min Jin Lee.
“How to Take Dad to the Doctor” by Jenny Allen, from Would Everybody Please Stop? (Sarah Crichton Books, June 2017). Copyright © 2017 by Jenny Allen. Used by permission of A3 Artists Agency.
“What Feels Like the World” by Richard Bausch. Copyright © by Richard Bausch. Used by permission of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.
Selected Shorts is supported by the Dungannon Foundation, creator of The Rea Award for the Short Story.
Support is also provided by the NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund in The New York Community Trust, the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Charina Endowment Fund, the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, The Achelis and Bodman Foundation, the Henry Nias Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Michael Tuch Foundation, the Vidda Foundation, the Axe-Houghton Foundation, the Lemberg Foundation, and The Grodzins Fund.
Selected Shorts is also made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, and 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.
Support for CART Captioning is provided in part by TDF TAP Plus with support from NYSCA.
Symphony Space thanks our generous supporters, including our Board of Directors, Producers Circle, and members, who make our programs possible with their annual support.
Flowers courtesy of PlantShed.
It’s a truly extraordinary moment to be here for the 21/22 Symphony Space season! We are so grateful to the independent venue operators who banded together to initiate the Save Our Stages campaign, which became the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. Through the leadership of Senator Chuck Schumer, and with bipartisan support from many Senators and Representatives, the creative community was bolstered by this special funding. All of us at Symphony Space extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every individual who recognized the unmistakable power and importance of the arts in this most critical moment.
Kathy Landau Executive Director
Peg Wreen Managing Director
Isaiah Sheffer*
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1988)
Artistic Director (1988-2010)
Founding Artistic Director (2010-2012)
Allan Miller
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1988)
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
Matthew Love Consultant for Literary Programs
Magdalene Wrobleski Literary Assistant
Antonio Brown Intern
Mollie Gordon Intern
*in memoriam