Pre-production for first season The Mirror Theater formed a board of directors in advance of the first season. In 1984, John Elting Treat, a noted philanthropist and member of the
U.S. National Security Council under Presidents
Carter and
Reagan, became Chair of The Mirror. He followed Morton Leavy, Esq. a renowned theatrical attorney on
Broadway, and John Breglio, also a New York attorney and producer of the 2006 revival of
A Chorus Line. The board at that time included
Sam Spiegel—the producer of films
On the Waterfront,
The Bridge on the River Kwai, and
Lawrence of Arabia—Archie E. Albright, then President of the Foreign Policy Association,
Patricia Kennedy Lawford, wife of actor
Peter Lawford and sister to the late
President John F. Kennedy, and
Anna Sosenko, celebrated producer and songwriter. All were board members when the
Royal Shakespeare Company sponsored The Mirror's first Benefit. The Mirror's 3rd Benefit, in 1986, took place at the illustrious Limelight nightclub with
Frank Zappa as Master of Ceremonies. Titled “Rock the Rep,” the Benefit auctioned off such items as an autographed
David Bowie tuxedo and a pair of
David Lee Roth’s tights.
First season MRC’s first repertory season included productions of
Rain by John Colton,
Paradise Lost by
Clifford Odets,
Inheritors by
Susan Glaspell, and
The Hasty Heart by
John Patrick. By this time, the company included actors
Anthony Hopkins,
Maxwell Caulfield,
Julie Harris,
Juliet Mills,
Mason Adams,
David Cryer,
Matthew Cowles, and
Tom Waites, as well as director
Austin Pendleton. Company designers were Ron Placzek (scenery), Heidi Hollman (costumes), Mal Sturchio (lighting), and Rob Gorton (sound). The productions were initially presented at a small 70-seat Off-Off-Broadway theater at the Real Stage Acting School The season garnered critical attention. The company's work on the revival of
John Patrick’s
The Hasty Heart received praise;
Rain, directed by
John Strasberg, was noted primarily for the leading role of “Sadie Thompson,” played by MRC's Artistic Director
Sabra Jones, whom
Mel Gussow termed “the only reason to see the production” and who usually played only minor roles in productions. aided by John Strasberg's memories of his father Lee telling him the history of the Group Theater. The first season of repertory was dedicated to The Group and to the Royal Shakespeare Company. For this season,
Paul Newman,
Dustin Hoffman, and
Al Pacino joined the Mirror as Major Donors in response to a matching grant from Laurance S. Rockefeller. Artist-in-residence
Geraldine Page won positive reviews as both “Queen Elizabeth” in
Vivat! Vivat Regina! and as the eponymous Madwoman in
The Madwoman of Chaillot, as one reviewer stated, “Miss Page delights.”. Three productions of the MRC's second season are available for viewing at the
NY Public Library for the Performing Arts:
The Madwoman of Chaillot starring
Geraldine Page and
F. Murray Abraham;
Clarence, starring Geraldine Page and
David Cryer; and
Vivat! Vivat Regina!, starring
Geraldine Page and
Sabra Jones.
Third season In MRC's third season at St. Peter's Church,
Elizabeth Franz joined the company for the U.S. Premiere of
Maxim Gorky’s
Children of the Sun, while
Tovah Feldshuh, who spoke of the repertory experience as “the greatest work you can do as an actor,” joined to appear in a revival of
William Saroyan's
The Time of Your Life directed by Peter Mark Schifter.
Acknowledgement by Geraldine Page In 1986, MRC Artist-in-Residence
Geraldine Page won the
Oscar for Best Actress for the film
The Trip to Bountiful. In her acceptance speech, Page thanked the Mirror Repertory Company. The award was presented by fellow MRC member
F. Murray Abraham. == Arts In Education, Maine, London, and 1990s productions ==