The Institute played to two standing-room only crowds at Xavier High School in New York Jan. 25-26. “We were adding chairs each night. Our veteran cast gave performances people will be talking about for a long time,” says 2nd Act Co-founder and the play’s director and author John N. Frank. Frank wrote the play in […]
The 2nd Act Players are on their way to New York City for their Jan. 25-26 production of The Institute a little earlier than planned because of a major snow storm rapidly approaching their home base in the Chicago area. “We’re small which also makes us nimble. Our first rehearsal for our New York production […]
We’ve assembled an all-star, veteran cast for the New York City staged-readings/ premiere of The Institute Jan. 25-26 at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Performances, which are free to the public, will take place each evening at 7:30, lasting roughly two hours The cast (and characters they will play): ALAN ALTSCHULER (DANNY/MR. DONALAN) Alan’s favorite […]
The 2nd Act Players are taking their original drama The Institute to New York for staged readings January 25 and January 26 at 7:30 p.m., at the school which inspired the play, Xavier High School in Manhattan. The 2nd Act Players will be co-producing the play with Xavier Theatre and Film of Brooklyn, whose mission is […]
The 2nd Act Players’ will be mounting a weekend of staged readings of Cofounder John N. Frank’s play The Institute next January in New York City. The performances, tentatively scheduled for Jan 25-26, will take place at Frank’s high school, Xavier, which serves as the inspiration for the setting of the play itself. “To see […]
2nd Act Players veteran Julie Mitre has been cast to play Mrs. Grant in the Chicago-based Saint Sebastian Players’ upcoming production of The Front Page this summer. Mitre holds the distinction of having appeared in more 2nd Act Players’ productions than any other female cast member in the company’s five-year history. She made her 2nd […]
Kirsty Collins had a busy 2016-2017 with the 2nd Act Players, playing Miss Salvati, a central character in The Institute which we produced in October and November, 2016, and then serving as assistant director for Last Days of Wonder, part of our One-Act Play festival earlier this year. Now, “I am in rehearsal for a […]
Being in and out of the hospital has hurt my efforts to tell friends about the show and get them to attend. I’m hoping the many people I know who have yet to come will surprise me and turn out this final weekend.
Veterans will be admitted free-of-charge to the Saturday, Nov. 12 performance of The Institute, Coming of Age during the Vietnam War. Play author John N. Frank will hold a discussion session on the play with audience members following the show. “This is our second veterans’ night. The discussion we had with four Vietnam vets after […]
We want to immerse our audience members, especially those who are too young to remember the Vietnam era, in those times so they can understand the larger context in which the play takes place.