Three-Day John Patrick Shanley Festival

Award-Winning Playwright, Screenwriter and Director to Appear in Person

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The North Fork Arts Center in Greenport, in partnership with Brave New Works, announces an extraordinary three-day festival celebrating the work of Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning writer John Patrick Shanley from March 20-22, 2025. This special event, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Gerry Byrne, offers film screenings, in-person discussions with Shanley himself, and a rare staged reading of new work directed by the celebrated playwright and director.

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“We’re honored to welcome John Patrick Shanley to the North Fork Arts Center for this remarkable celebration of his contributions to American theater and film,” said Tony Spiridakis, Executive Director of North Fork Arts Center. “This festival represents the kind of programming we aim to bring to the North Fork – events that connect our community with extraordinary artists and their work.”

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The festival schedule includes:

Thursday, March 20 – Screening of “Doubt” 6:30 PM

The festival begins with a screening of the acclaimed film adaptation of Shanley’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. This powerful drama explores themes of faith, moral certainty, and the complexities of truth. The screening will be followed by an in-house discussion on the film’s themes led by the NFAC team. Suggested donation: $15.

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Friday, March 21 – “Moonstruck” Screening + Talkback with John Patrick Shanley 6:30 PM

Day Two features Shanley’s Academy Award-winning screenplay “Moonstruck,” starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. This beloved romantic comedy captures the heart of Italian-American culture in New York City. The evening includes authentic cannolis from the same bakery featured in the film and culminates with an intimate talkback session with Shanley himself, moderated by Tony Spiridakis. Suggested donation: $25.

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Saturday, March 22 – Staged Reading: “Five Steps to Transcendence”

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The festival concludes with a special staged reading of new work written and directed by Shanley and co-produced by Brave New Works. “Five Steps to Transcendence” presents five short stories about men and women that culminate in moments of epiphany. By turns tragic, funny, and deeply romantic, the evening takes us through alleyways, balconies, and coffee shops, before finally arriving at a rather unusual massage experience. Following the 90-minute reading, Shanley and the cast will participate in a talkback, offering insights into the theatrical creative process. Suggested donation: $50.

All events will be held at the Sapan Greenport Movie Theatre.

For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.northfork-artscenter.org/events or contact info@northfork-artscenter.org

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John Patrick Shanley

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John Patrick Shanley is from The Bronx. His plays include Prodigal Son, Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Savage in Limbo, Italian-American Reconciliation, Welcome to the Moon, Four Dogs and a Bone, Dirty Story, Defiance, Beggars in the House of Plenty, and his newest play Brooklyn Laundry will premiere at Manhattan Theater Club.

His theatrical work is performed extensively across the United States and around the world. For his play, Doubt, he received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In the arena of screenwriting, he has ten films to his credit, most recently Wild Mountain Thyme, with Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, and Christopher Walken. His film of Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis, which he also directed, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other films include Five Corners (Special Jury Prize, Barcelona Film Festival), Alive, Joe Versus the Volcano (which he also directed), and Live From Baghdad for HBO (Emmy nomination). For his script of Moonstruck he received both the Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for best original screenplay. In 2009, The Writers Guild of America awarded Mr. Shanley the Lifetime Achievement In Writing.

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Brave New Works

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Brave New Works is a new play development group founded by Sasha Emerson and Casey Stangl. Longtime colleagues at the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Stangl is an acclaimed director and producer based in LA, and Emerson is a dramaturg and producer in NYC. They have been creatively involved with multiple award winning plays and authors, including Stephan Adly Guirgis, Samuel D. Hunter, Bekah Brunstetter, Will Arbery, Paula Vogel, Jiehae Park, Kimberly Belflower, Ruby Rae Spiegel and Dave Harris, among many others.

Brave New Works supports artists throughout the development and earliest readings and productions of their plays. We provide a link between writers, directors, dramaturgs and actors and their future audiences, illuminating the artistic process. We believe that art is our way out of darkness; the beauty and sensitivity of the theatrical world should be available to all.

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North Fork Arts Center provides an inclusive cultural arts center where people of the North Fork community can come together to be entertained, educated, and inspired by world cinema, live performances, fine art exhibitions, lecture series, and hands-on arts training. NFAC is committed to improving the quality of life in our community by promoting an appreciation for cultural arts, creativity, and critical thinking.

The North Fork Arts Center is a vibrant cultural hub dedicated to promoting artistic excellence and fostering community engagement through a diverse range of programming, including live performances, exhibitions, and educational initiatives. Under the leadership of Executive Director Tony Spiridakis and Creative Director Shannon Goldman, the center aims to enrich the cultural landscape of the North Fork region by providing enriching cultural experiences that inspire, engage, and unite our community.

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