Education

Class is back in session! Casebook returns this March with a 9-week class designed to give you an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole, by Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor, directed by Patricia McGregor.

Casebook allows audiences unprecedented access to the artists involved in the creation of a new work from rehearsal to production. Each year, New York Theatre Workshop designates one of its productions as a case study and hosts a class designed to provide theatre lovers of all experience levels with a true insider’s view of the life of a theatre artist and the process of realizing a full professional production.

Sessions include:

• In-depth discussion and exploration of the process of making a theatre piece
• Conversations with the playwright, director, actors, and production staff responsible for bringing each unique Casebook production to life
• Opportunities to observe tech rehearsal in progress, engage with the collaborators, and tour the stage to see the inner-workings of the set up close
• Attendance at two performances at different points in the process to compare the evolution of the piece and celebrate with the collaborators

The Making of Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole

March 18– May 13, 2025
Tuesdays, 6:30–8:30PM
All sessions will take place in NYTW’s 3rd Floor Rehearsal Room, located at 83 E 4th St (between Bowery and 2nd Ave). The 3rd Floor Rehearsal Room is accessed by climbing three flights of stairs. Unfortunately, the building is not equipped with an elevator.

About Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole
Despite being the voice that built Capitol Records, Nat “King” Cole’s groundbreaking NBC variety show faced cancellation as they could not find a sponsor. Now, on the night of his final broadcast, Nat must decide whether to quietly step out of the spotlight, or, as his friend Sammy Davis Jr. urges, “go out with a bang.” Tony and Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo (Rustin) and NYTW Usual Suspect and Artistic Director Patricia McGregor (The Refuge Plays) bring us this electrifying exploration of the soul of an American icon who fought to break through America’s color barrier in the early days of television. Starring Emmy Award nominee Dulé Hill (“The West Wing,” “Psych”) as Nat “King” Cole and Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts (The Refuge Plays, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) as Sammy Davis Jr., Lights Out features Nat’s hit songs, like “Nature Boy,” “It’s a Good Day,” “Smile” and “Unforgettable.”

Class Schedule & Session Topics:

March 18 – Introduction to NYTW
March 25 – Playwriting and Directing
April 1 – Music and Choreography
April 8 – Rehearsal Observation and Stage Management
April 15 – Acting/Design
Week of April 22 – Tech Observation Week (various times)
April 29 – Dress Rehearsal
May 6 – Producing/Marketing/Engagement
May 13 – Preview Performance & Post-Show Celebration
Schedule subject to change

Please note that sessions cannot be recorded or livestreamed. Performances will take place at our theatre located at 79 E 4th St (between Bowery & 2nd Ave). Class schedule and topics are subject to change.

Tuition & Registration

$400 for Non-Members
$350 for Members and SmartPass Holders
$300 for Premiere Members and Repeat Defenders

Thanks to our generous supporters, we’re able to provide access without cost to a limited number of BIPOC participants who identify as students, artists, and/or theatre lovers of diverse backgrounds. Scholarship applications will be available beginning in mid-January. Have questions? Contact Gaven Trinidad at GavenT@nytw.org.

REGISTER HERE

Praise for CASEBOOK:

• “I could have stayed all night – completely engrossing.”
• “Hearing about the process in a very personal way made this more than informative – [you get] the sense of a director as an artist.”
• “It gave me a whole new appreciation of the workings of an off-Broadway theatre. I loved all of it.”
• “This class was much more up-close-and-personal than I was expecting, which was wonderful.”

Previous Casebook sessions have followed our productions of How to Defend Yourself (Spring 2023), On Sugarland (Spring 2022), Sing Street (Fall 2019), Hurricane Diane (Spring 2019), Hundred Days (Fall 2017), Sojourners & Her Portmanteau (Spring 2017), Hadestown (Spring 2016), The Invisible Hand (Fall 2014), Love and Information (Spring 2014), Sontag: Reborn (Spring 2013) and Food and Fadwa (Spring 2012).

To receive Casebook updates and for all other inquiries, please email classes@nytw.org. If you have questions or would like to speak to someone about whether this class is right for you, please call NYTW’s Education Department at 646-957-9575.