Event
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The long-running public radio program Selected Shorts returns to the Stissing Center for an afternoon of funny and poignant tales about the people who live just beyond the next door. Presented by Symphony Space, acclaimed actors Jane Curtin, Deborah S Craig, Michael Emerson and host Joanna Gleason bring to life short fiction that celebrates the unexpected bonds, everyday tensions, and quiet acts of connection that shape our communities.
Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy.
(Actors are subject to Change)
Bios
Jane Curtin has appeared on Broadway in Noises Off, Candida, and Our Town. Her off-Broadway work includes Love Letters and the musical revue Pretzels, which she co-wrote. She starred in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun and won back-to-back Emmy Awards for her role on Kate & Allie. She is an original cast member of Saturday Night Live and also starred in the television film series The Librarian and its spin-off, The Librarians. Her film credits include Coneheads; Antz; I Love You, Man; I Don’t Know How She Does It; The Heat; The Spy Who Dumped Me; Can You Ever Forgive Me?; Ode to Joy; Godmothered; Queen Bees; and Jules, opposite Sir Ben Kingsley. She starred on the television series Unforgettable and has had guest appearances on The Good Wife, 48 Hours ’til Monday, The Good Fight, Broad City, United We Fall, and Bupkis. Curtin can currently be seen on the Netflix mini-series The Residence.
Joanna Gleason won a Tony for her portrayal of the Baker’s Wife in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into The Woods. Her other Broadway and off-Broadway credits include The Normal Heart; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, for which she received a Tony nomination; I Love My Wife; Happiness; Joe Egg, for which she received a Tony nomination; Sons of the Prophet; and The Real Thing; to name only a few. Her television credits include The West Wing, The Newsroom, Love and War, Bette, and many more. Films include Hannah and Her Sisters, Boogie Nights, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Skeleton Twins, and many more. She has written and directed two films: a short, Morning Into Night, which debuted at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and was selected for the Cambridge Film Festival; and a feature, The Grotto, which won the Best Narrative Feature premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival in 2022 and is now available on iTunes and Amazon. She has been reading stories for Selected Shorts for almost 40 years.
Deborah S. Craig is an award-winning actress, writer, and singer who made Broadway history creating the first Korean American character when she originated the role of Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a role based on her own overachieving childhood, which earned critical acclaim and a Drama Desk Award. Her theater work includes premieres with Ma-Yi Theater Company, Red Bull Theater, Second Stage, Soho Playhouse, and NAATCO. On screen, her work includes Me Time opposite Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg; Meet Cute with Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson; and The Tiger’s Apprentice with Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding (Paramount Animation). She currently recurs on And Just Like That… and Elsbeth, with additional credits including Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, The Blacklist, Better Things, Workaholics, Transparent, and Hart of Dixie. Craig was a series regular opposite Ken Jeong in The Emperor of Malibu, created by Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan. A writer-performer and Ma-Yi Writers Lab alum, her work has been published in Playwrights Horizons’ Almanac, Mochi Magazine, HuffPost, and Comediva, and her original sketches have achieved “Immortal” status on Funny or Die for culturally impactful, widely resonant comedy. She has performed in concerts as a vocalist, and her original songs have been featured in the films Baby Steps, Reading by Braille, and Purity. Criag volunteers with Covenant House, Sing Me a Story, and Young Storytellers, and divides her time between Los Angeles and New York City with her rescue sharpuggle, Mandoo. IG: @thedeborahscraig
Michael Emerson made his New York debut in the role of Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency. His Broadway credits include The Iceman Cometh and Hedda Gabler. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner for The Practice and Lost, and he has had leading roles in the series Person of Interest and Evil. He has appeared in the horror classic Saw, the medieval thriller Name of the Rose, and episodes of The X-Files, Parenthood, and Mozart in the Jungle. Emerson is currently at work on the series Fallout. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, Carrie Preston.
Over thirty-five years ago, Selected Shorts was born on the stage at Symphony Space and quickly became one of the best-known shows of its kind, spawning a popular public radio show, podcast, audio collections, and national tours. The series was conceived with a simple premise: take great stories by well-known and emerging writers and have them brought to life by terrific actors of stage and screen. Whether featuring stories around a lively theme, the favorite works of a guest author, or a special collaboration, each Selected Shorts event is a unique night of literature in performance.
The public radio show and popular podcast is recorded live from performances at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space in New York, as well as around the US on tours. Selected Shorts began in 1985 and still enjoys sell-out audiences today during its season on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. As one of the premiere reading series in New York City, the show attracts some of the biggest names in entertainment.
In Banning Hall
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