News & Notes: Mann named theatrical ‘Person of the Year’

The award acknowledges individuals who have done outstanding theater work over the past year.

Mann, a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University, has been artistic director of McCarter Theatre for 22 seasons. She has directed numerous plays at McCarter, including “Anna in the Tropics” with Jimmy Smits, which won a Pulitzer Prize.

Other works include Christopher Durang’s “Miss Witherspoon” with Kristine Nielsen also off-Broadway; Edward Albee’s “Me, Myself & I” with Tyne Daly and Brian Murray; Sarah Treem’s “The How and The Why” with Mercedes Ruehl; “All Over” with Rosemary Harris; A Doll House with Cynthia Nixon”; “The Cherry Orchard” with Jane Alexander, John Glover and Avery Brooks and “Three Sisters” with Frances McDormand, Linda Hunt and Mary Stuart Masterson.

“The entire McCarter community congratulates Emily on receiving this prestigious honor,” McCarter Theatre Board President Brian McDonald told the Princeton Patch. “This wonderful recognition validates what our audiences and supporters have known for years — Emily Mann is an extraordinary talent and a national treasure.”

This season, Mann is directing Marina Carr’s “Phaedra Backwards” and Danai Gurira’s “The Convert.” She will direct “A Streetcar Named Desire” in spring 2012, which will feature Wood Harris, Nicole Ari Parker, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Blair Underwood.

During Mann’s tenure as artistic director, McCarter won the 1994 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.