Alec Baldwin & John Patrick Shanley Premiered Five New One Act Plays To Benefit The Lee Strasberg Creative Center

Alec Baldwin had the idea for a benefit reading to support his alma mater, The Lee Strasberg Creative Center. Titled “Outcasts,” the one-night-only performance featured five one-act plays by John Patrick Shanley.

“My acting career literally began at the Strasberg Institute on 15th Street with Geoffrey Horne and Marcia Haufrecht,” said Alec Baldwin. “I will always be grateful that I began my career here. Strasberg gave me a technique built upon a foundation of truth. Among the great playwrights working today, John Patrick Shanley’s writing, with both the humor and the drama marbled together, demands a focus and agility that I acquired largely through Strasberg. I have long admired Shanley’s remarkable work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate that work while benefiting my theatrical alma mater.”

Said Victoria Krane, president of the Lee Strasberg Creative Center, “This is inspired theater. Yesterday we celebrated Lee Strasberg’s 124th birthday. I want to thank everyone involved, and that unsolicited phone call from Alec Baldwin, who offered to do this fundraiser with John Patrick Shanley and all these amazing actors.”

Four of the evening’s performers — Alec Baldwin, Rebecca De Mornay, Jamie Hector, and Alessandra Mesa — are alumni of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.

“Each of these new pieces gives voice to the overlooked, the unheard, the exiled among us — the true outcasts,” said John Patrick Shanley. “It’s a challenging and exciting evening featuring actors who are fearless in their work.”

The one-night-only event featured five new one-act plays written by Shanley; “The Upside Down Man” with Alec Baldwin and Alessandra Mesa; “The Bonnet” starring the beloved married duo from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Jeff Garlin and Susie Essman; “The Estimate” with Debra Messing and Ivette Dumeng, who also served as co-director for the evening alongside Lori Kee; “Heartbreak” with Sidney Williams, Jamie Hector, and Erick Betancourt; and “Last Night in the Garden I Saw You” with Alec Baldwin and Rebecca De Mornay.

Accompanied by a three-piece jazz band, Ivan Hernandez (“Company,” “Chicago Med”) welcomed guests, “Tonight’s show consists of five short plays. Some of them are challenging. Some of them are a lark. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is which.”

The audience included Meg Ryan, Lee Fryd, Sharon King Hoge, LaVon Kellner, Eleanora Kennedy, Ellie Manko, Gillian McCain, Katharine McEwan, Kathy Roeder, David Strasberg, Lindsey Strasberg, Scarlett Strasberg, Sari Tracht, Desiree Von la Valette, and Roberta Wallach.

The Lee Strasberg Creative Center was founded by Anna Strasberg in 1977 to share the legacy of the “Father of Method Acting” with future generations. It is a nonprofit organization that offers an extensive scholarship program for young actors to train at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, commissions for early-career playwrights, directing fellowships, community outreach programs, and cultural collaborations. It also maintains the archive of Lee Strasberg’s lectures, teaching, and historical resources. For more information, visit strasberg.edu.