Intimate Apparel
Encyclopedia
Intimate Apparel is a play written by Lynn Nottage
. The play is a co-production and co-commission between Center Stage
, Baltimore
, Maryland, and South Coast Repertory
, Costa Mesa, California
.
The play is set in New York City in 1905 and concerns a young African-American woman who travels to New York to pursue her dreams, becoming an independent woman as a seamstress.
, the cast featured Shane Williams (Esther), Brenda Pressley (Mrs. Dickson), Kevin Jackson (George Armstrong) and Sue Cremin (Mrs. VanBuren). It next ran at the South Coast Repertory from April 11, 2003 through May 18, 2003 diected by Whoriskey and with the same Center Stage cast.
The play made its New York debut off-Broadway
at the Roundabout Theatre, running from March 17, 2004 to June 6, 2004. Directed by Daniel J. Sullivan
, it featured Viola Davis
(Esther), Lynda Gravatt (Mrs. Dickson), and Corey Stoll
(Mr. Marks).
It ran at several regional theaters, including the Mark Taper Forum
in Los Angeles from July 27-September 12, 2004, the Southern Repertory Theatre in New Orleans, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
in Chicago (January 2005), and City Theatre
in Pittsburgh (May 2007).
Drama Desk Awards
Outer Critics Circle Awards
Lucille Lortel Awards
Lynn Nottage
Lynn Nottage is an American playwright whose work often deals with the lives of women of African descent, African Americans and women. She was born in Brooklyn and is a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005, and a MacArthur Genius...
. The play is a co-production and co-commission between Center Stage
Center Stage (theater)
Center Stage is the state theater of Maryland and Baltimore's largest professional producing theater. Center Stage was founded in 1963 as a regional playhouse....
, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland, and South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
, Costa Mesa, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The play is set in New York City in 1905 and concerns a young African-American woman who travels to New York to pursue her dreams, becoming an independent woman as a seamstress.
Production history
The play had its world premiere at Center Stage on February 2, 2003. Directed by Kate WhoriskeyKate Whoriskey
Kate Whoriskey was the artistic director of the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington, USA, for a year, departing in April, 2011 after the theater's board cancelled the remainder of the 2011 season due to financial problems. Whoriskey had been co-Artistic Director of Intiman along with Bartlett...
, the cast featured Shane Williams (Esther), Brenda Pressley (Mrs. Dickson), Kevin Jackson (George Armstrong) and Sue Cremin (Mrs. VanBuren). It next ran at the South Coast Repertory from April 11, 2003 through May 18, 2003 diected by Whoriskey and with the same Center Stage cast.
The play made its New York debut off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Roundabout Theatre, running from March 17, 2004 to June 6, 2004. Directed by Daniel J. Sullivan
Daniel J. Sullivan
Daniel J. Sullivan is an American theatre and film director and playwright.-Life and career:Sullivan was born in Wray, Colorado, the son of Mary Catherine and John Martin Sullivan. He was raised in San Francisco, where he graduated from San Francisco State University...
, it featured Viola Davis
Viola Davis
Viola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
(Esther), Lynda Gravatt (Mrs. Dickson), and Corey Stoll
Corey Stoll
Corey Daniel Stoll is an American stage and screen actor. He received a Drama Desk Award nomination as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for Intimate Apparel, opposite Tony winner and Oscar nominee Viola Davis. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1998...
(Mr. Marks).
It ran at several regional theaters, including the Mark Taper Forum
Mark Taper Forum
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles from July 27-September 12, 2004, the Southern Repertory Theatre in New Orleans, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Tony Award-winning Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry in the basement of a church in Highland Park, Illinois. It has since relocated to Chicago's Halsted Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Its name comes from...
in Chicago (January 2005), and City Theatre
City Theatre (Pittsburgh)
City Theatre is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh's South Side. It specializes in productions of new plays and has commissioned new works by playwrights on the national theatre scene, including Christopher Durang, Adam Rapp, and Jeffrey Hatcher...
in Pittsburgh (May 2007).
Awards and nominations
The play won the 2004 Steinberg New Play Award, presented by The American Theatre Critics Association to "outstanding new plays produced around the United States, outside of New York City".Drama Desk Awards
- Outstanding Actress in a Play – Viola Davis (win)
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play – Corey Stoll (nomination)
Outer Critics Circle Awards
- Outstanding Off-Broadway Play (win)
- John Gassner Award – Lynn Nottage (win)
- Outstanding Director of a Play (nomination)
- Outstanding Costume Design of a Play – Catherine ZuberCatherine Zuber- Broadway :Zuber's Broadway credits include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , Born Yesterday , Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, South Pacific , The Coast of Utopia , The Light in the Piazza , Edward Albee's Seascape , Awake and Sing! ,...
(nomination)
Lucille Lortel Awards
Lucille Lortel Awards
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986...
- Outstanding Set Design – Derek McLaneDerek McLaneDerek McLane is an American set designer for theatre, opera, and musical theatre). He graduated with a BA from Harvard College and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama....
(win) - Outstending Costume Design – Catherine Zuber (win)
- Outstanding Play (nomination)
- Outstanding Director (nomination)
- Outstanding Lead Actress – Viola Davis (nomination)