Claude Solnik Headshot

Claude Solnik

Birth Place: New York City

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Claude Solnik BIO

Claude Solnik ( https://csolnik.wixsite.com/playwright ) is an award winning journalist, playwright and co-founder of the Textile Theater Co. and the Long Island Rep. whose work has been presented in New York City, Long Island, Philadelphia and Paris. He is the in-house playwright for Theater for the New City, which has presented a wide range of his work.

Mr. Solnik's plays are known for strong subject matter, character and dialogue, ranging from contemporary to historic settings, mixing drama and comedy. A Life in the Rye, directed by Joe John Battista, was named among the top ten plays of the year by theaterscene.net. His play Victoria Woodhull, which tells the story of the first woman to run for president, played at TNC (directed by Donna Mejia) and on Long Island (directed by Robert Previto). As TNC emerged from the pandemic, it presented his play, Sex, Shoplifting and Rock & Roll directed by JD Glickman.

TNC, which has helped develop Pulitzer prize winning plays and long been a home to new work, has presented numerous other plays Solnik has written, A Walk on the Beach (directed by Donna Mejia), based on a true story, is about a sculptor who makes a sculpture of JFK that creates a controversy on the Cape. Birds of Paradise (directed by Nicki Reed), another TNC production, is a historic drama about life in the Great Depression.

Solnik's work includes contemporary stories as well as those set in the past. Sandcastles (directed by Bob and Joanne Domingo) is about a mystical encounter on a beach with a twist at the end. TNC also presented The Fare (directed by Scott David Reeves), telling the story of a Pakistani cabbie's conflict with a banker, after a dispute over the cab fare. Scott David Reeves also directed Grace is Good, a #metoo drama with a twist. Pedro Castillo is Innocent is about an innocent man in prison. Nowhere Man (directed by Donna Mejia) is about a man hired to be Paul McCartney's double. The Bohemians (TNC) and Harmony in A Flat (the Triad) (both directed by Hamza Zaman) are comedies that tell the story of newlyweds moving into an old apartment.

TNC has presented numerous other full length plays Solnik has written including Lady from Limerick, about an Irish woman who travels to New York for plastic surgery; The Falls, about a one night stand that turns into a trip to Niagara Fall; Caretaker of Corofin, about an American abroad, and Butterfly Hour, following the struggles of a soldier who returns home. Imagine, a series of scenes inspired by Beatles songs directed by Thom O'Connor, also had a successful run at TNC.

Other theaters have presented Solnik's work as well. Studio Theatre Long Island presented his Year of the Iguana about Rose and Tennessee Williams directed by David Dubin. Newsday described the writing as "lyrical enough to be worthy of the master." The Bare Bones Theater Co. presented Theater Games , directed by Jeff Bennett, in Northport. All the Sandcastles in the Sahara won first prize as best play in the Northport One Act Festival. Solnik also has adapted work for theater. Theater 294 presented Chekhov's The Kiss, a sprawling adaptation of an Anton Chekhov short story. His play Lemon Tree, about a love affair between a woman and a man who develops Alzheimer's, also had a successful run at Theater 294, which also presented staged readings of The Man With All the Luck and Perfect Night for the Prom.

An award winning journalist and playwright, Solnik seeks to capture character and story on stage. His play The Unamerican, about Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe and Elia Kazan with John John Battista on board to direct, is set for a premier at TNC later this year.

https://csolnik.wixsite.com/playwright

Claude Solnik News


THE BRIEFEST YEAR Comes to Theater For The New City


 Theater for the New City will present The Briefest Year, a new play about people who meet just before the year ends and realize if they don't part ways quickly, they will have spent a year together.

THE SPEED OF SOUND is Coming to Theater for the New City


Experience the captivating story of street musicians who find connection at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Don't miss The Speed of Sound musical at Theater for the New City, running from Dec. 21 to Jan. 7. Get your tickets now!

Review: TAKEDOWN at Theater For The New City


What did our critic think of TAKEDOWN at Theater For The New City?

Theater for the New City presents TAKEDOWN, new play that packs a punch


Discover the powerful and realistic family drama 'Takedown' at Theater for the New City, running from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1. Experience the struggles, love, and wrestling of a grieving family as they navigate life and find redemption.

Review: A STITCH IN TIME at Theater For The New City


What did our critic think of A STITCH IN TIME at Theater For The New City?

THE HOUSE GUEST Comes to the Dramatists Guild Foundation


What happens when a famous musician decides to move in, at least temporarily, with a low-key suburban family? He wants anonymity. They are enthralled with celebrity.

Theater for the New City to Present A Musical Inspired By THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES


'A Stitch in Time,' a new musical that modernizes 'The Emperor's New Clothes,' will fill the kingdom -- or at least the Cabaret -- at Theater for the New City with song and comedy June 22 to July 9.

STEALING MONA LISA Returns Off-Broadway


Fresh off a sold-out run at Theater for the New City, Stealing Mona Lisa - a New Musical is back Off Broadway for a one night performance designed to give theater goers and the industry one more chance to see the show based on the 1911 theft of that famous masterpiece.

Photos: Go Inside Party Honoring STEALING MONA LISA Anniversary


Some members of the cast of Stealing Mona Lisa, a new musical, celebrated this anniversary at Theater for the New City. The show Stealing Mona Lisa - a new musical - is running there through Jan. 8. Check out photos!

Studio Theatre LI to Present PANIC ON THE FRONT PAGE in January


The Mercury Theater of the Air broadcast about a Martian invasion, the process of putting it together and the reaction that followed, as well as myths about it and the media reaction, are the topic of 'Panic on the Front Page,' a new play being presented by Studio Theatre Long Island Jan. 13 to Jan. 29.

STEALING MONA LISA Comes to Theater For The New City This Month


August 21, 1911, wasn't just another day at the Louvre in Paris. Security guards discovered that the Mona Lisa, at a time when art work was being photographed, was missing. Who took the Mona Lisa? The cry spread across newspapers and nations.

BALLOTS OVER BROADWAY to Bring Laughter Before Election Day at Broadway Comedy Club


Joseph Bartosch, Owen Hahner, Samantha Hernandez, Annie Raczko, Ella Phillips and Olivia Whicheloe star in Ballots Over Broadway directed by Raczko and written by Claude Solnik. Shows are Thursday October 27 at 6 p.m., Saturday October 29 at 3 p.m., Sunday October 30 6 p.m. and Sunday October 6 at 5 p.m., all leading up to election day.

FUN AND GAMES Comes to Theater For The New City


 'Fun and Games' begins as a woman brings a man home after meeting him at a bar. Minutes later, another man arrives at the door who had been pursuing her at the bar.

Peter Pan Sequel PANDEMONIUM is Coming to Theater For The New City This Month


Theater for the New City and the Dream Up Festival, the biggest summer theater festival in New York City, are presenting Pandemonium, a sequel to Peter Pan in which the characters from the J.M. Barrie land in and navigate the real world.

PANDEMONIUM Comes to the People's Improv Theater LOFT This Week


Theatergoers of all ages will have a chance to see Peter Pan and Captain Hook navigate the real world, in a new play about what happens when the characters from the J.M. Barrie classic find themselves stranded, marooned or simply freed in the real world.

BEDROOM FARCE, A New Comedy, Debuts at The PIT


It's late at night and a couple are trying to go some sleep in their bedroom, but the man simply can't doze off. Instead, thoughts race through his mind, keeping him awake at night. But what if the people in those thoughts came alive? What if that bedroom filled with person after person, as the ritual of going to sleep instead turned into a virtual reunion?

Peter Pan Sequel Takes Flight At The PIT In A World With Cellphones


Lovers of Peter Pan, Captain James Hook, Wendy and even Tinker Bell can see this cast of legendary, literary characters take flight in a new, fun story at the PIT (People's Improv Theater).

Comedy Show MANHATTAN MYTHS Coming To The PIT


People interested in mythology can find statues and paintings of mythological creatures in Manhattan's museums. The Greek and Roman gods, however, have now given birth to a new comedy show at the PIT that finds humor in myths moved to Manhattan.

BWW Reviews: The Conflicts of Fact, Fiction and Freedom in Solnik's THE UNAMERICAN


Recently concluding performances at Theater for the New City, The UnAmerican questions the power that is supposedly given to those who believe they are above the consensus of the many. Directed by Joe John Battista, Solnik’s play follows the troubled triad of relationships between Marilyn Monroe, Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller - three legendary figures who are criticized and tried for their Communist affiliation

Theater for the New City to Present THE UNAMERICAN


The little told story of Miller, Marilyn and Elia Kazan, the noted director who had been Miller's friend and Marilyn's lover, is the subject matter for The Unamerican, a new play written by Claude Solnik and directed by Joseph John Battista.

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