NOTABLE FOLK (under construction)

Many who worked at NPT in the early years of their careers went on to have productive careers in the arts.

Here are a few. (There are many to be added - soon!)

KAREN BROOKS HOPKINS

I first met Karen when she was an undergrad at the University of MD, College Park, MD. Our paths crossed now and then because of mutual friends, but the best thing that happened is that we were able to lure her away from the JCC in Rockville to become our first development director for New Playwrights’ Theatre. I think it can be said that Karen’s work in her short couple years at NPT totally altered our theatre company in many very good ways. Karen boosted our donated income by a major percentage, helped grow our Board and laid the groundwork for all future fund-raising. Her success in Washington did not go unnoticed. Harvey Lichtenstein at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) lured her to NYC and off she went. That was 35 years ago. This past June (2015) Karen retired at President of BAM (1999-2015). Her extraordinary work at BAM resulted in the organization being awarded The Presidential Medal of Arts in 2014. If I can find a better picture of her and President Obama, I will.

KAREN at her desk in the NPT office in 1979

Ken Bloom, KAREN and me at DRAMA BOOKSHOP in NYC when Ken was signing copies of his 101 GREATEST MUSICALS OF ALL TIME (a great coffee table book now in it's about 17th printing!).

Me, Ken Bloom and KAREN after dinner at the 2nd Avenue Deli in Jamuary 2016.

Marcia Gay Harden

Marcia Gay Harden (right) pictured here with TG Finkbinder in Deborah Pryor's play BURRHEAD. Marcia currently stars in TV's CODE BLACK and has numerous other TV, Broadway and feature film credits. Marcia received two Academy Award nominations and won best supporting actress for her performance as Lee Krasner in POLLOCK.

Yeardley Smith

YEARDLEY SMITH (then 18 years old) performed in the Tim Grundmann musical comedy revue THE NEW IMPROVED BRIDE OF SIROCCO (or the Texas Chainsaw Musical). Yeardley's credits now include movies, Broadway and, of course TV - Lisa Simpson.

Molly Smith

MOLLY SMITH (right) in Ken Arnold's THE HOUSE OF BEDLAM (as Ulga Rudge - Jim Brady was Ezra Pound). Molly founded the Perserverance Theatre Co. in Alaska and is now Artistic DIrector of Arena Stage.

This is a text! You can edit, move, copy or delete it.

Russell Metheny

Russ came to Washington, DC as a puppeteer in 1970 and stayed on designing sets and entire theatres (Studio). He haslong sincemoved to NYC, his base for working up set designs for a long list of regional theatres - yet he is still in Washington,DC, kind of... one of the Studio Theatre theatres is named the"Russell Metheny."

Barbara Keiler

Playwright BARBARA KEILER (DOWN ONE - a comedy - 78-79 Season) morphed into uber-successful novelist Judith Arnold chalking up hits on several best seller lists. Three new comic mysteries are coming out this year (2016).

Fred Strother

FRED STROTHER has been featured in many productions around Washington as well as in feture films (Clara's Heart, Moscow On The Hudson, 12 Monkeys) television (The Wire, Law & Order SVU) and on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Follies.

Russell's set for Mark Stein's THE AMSTERDAM THEATRE PRESENTS LIVE FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

BARBARA on the set of DOWN ONE

FRED (left) as Choko and Tom Craner as Dante (right) in CANTICLE a musical based on Dante's INFERNO book & lyrics by Michael Champagne and music by Willam Penn - May 1977

MIKE WILLIS

This is a text! You can edit, move, copy or delete it.

JIM BRADY

This is a text! You can edit, move, copy or delete it.

RON CANADA

This is a text! You can edit, move, copy or delete it.