Production History
January – March 2007: Playwright Stan Richardson begins work on a play based on the events of the Harvard Secret Court of 1920. Casting ten young men, Stan writes Veritas with these actors in mind; the company stages the scenes as fast as Stan finishes them.
April 2007: Veritas receives four sold-out workshop performances in the studio at Columbia University’s Schapiro Hall. The student-directed production is mentored by Brian Kulick.
August 2007: Two staged readings of Veritas were performed at the East Thirteenth Street Theater in New York City.
October 2007: Stan refines the script in two private readings sponsored by Classic Stage Company.
January 2010: Director Ryan J. Davis assembles a group of actors to read a new revised version of Veritas in New York City.
April 2010: Veritas is selected to be presented at the New York International Fringe Festival in August.
May 2010: Veritas received a sold-out staged reading in New York City directed by Ryan J. Davis to benefit Lambda Legal, the nation’s oldest and largest legal organization working for the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV/AIDS. The reading was highly anticipated and received generous press coverage. Click here for an article that appeared on Playbill.com, summarizing the highlights of the reading.
August 2010: Alan Cumming, Billy Porter & David Raleigh co-host a benefit party for the play on August 6th. The following week Veritas makes New York Fringe history by selling out its entire run a week before opening night (August 20, 2010) at HERE Arts Center Mainstage Theater. At the Fringe’s closing night ceremony, Veritas is awarded the Fringe’s Overall Excellence Award for Best Ensemble.
September 2010: Veritas is profiled in the Harvard Crimson–the student newspaper that eight years ago originally broke the story of the Harvard Secret Court of 1920. In a separate Harvard Crimson article, Stan advocates for honorary degrees for the young victims of Harvard’s “Secret Court” depicted in Veritas. Veritas is profiled in the Harvard Crimson–the student newspaper that eight years ago originally broke the story of the Harvard Secret Court of 1920.
October 2010: Veritas receives a 2010 Summer Festivals citation from Talkin’ Broadway recognizing “new plays and musicals selected by our panel of jurors as ready to move to the next level of production and development, and to performers of demonstrated excellence.” Sam Underwood also receives a citation for his performance as Joseph Lumbard.
June 2011: The NY Fringe Festival presents a staged reading of Veritas, directed by the author, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre as part of the retrospective leading up to their 15th anniversary.
