Elaine May

"I have nothing to say that everybody doesn't know already. I just want everybody to see it the way I do." – Elaine May

Like her early improvisational comedy sketches, Elaine May's career continues to take fresh twists and adventurous turns. A comedian, actor, and writer and director for both stage and screen, May got her start as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, where she teamed up with Mike Nichols in the late '50s. From performances in college and cabaret clubs, Nichols and May went on to become one of the most successful comedy duos of the day, appearing on all the major TV entertainment shows and on Broadway for a year-long, sold-out engagement in 1960. Conceived improvisationally, then reshaped for audiences, their skits incorporated material that nibbled on the edges of propriety and dipped into the dark corners that were skirted over in the '50s—like extramarital affairs and racial prejudice.

After splitting with Nichols in the early '60s, May put her multiple acting, writing, and directing talents to use. Among her early memorable projects was a one-act play, Adaptation (Drama Desk Award, 1969), which she wrote and directed in an off- Broadway, double bill with Terrance McNally's Next.

May was one of the first women to pioneer an inroad into Hollywood's bastion of male directors. Her first credited film was A New Leaf (1971), co-starring Walter Matthau as a high-living, impoverished playboy who woos a bumbling, career-focused, millionaire botanist, played by May. Writer and director, May was praised for pulling traditional gender roles inside out. (Unhappy with the studio's editing, she sued unsuccessfully to have her name removed from the credits.) A year later, May directed The Heartbreak Kid (1972), which she co-wrote with Neil Simon. Included in the cast was her daughter Jeannie Berlin, who earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

Success again came to May with Heaven Can Wait (1978), a remake of the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan. May and Warren Beatty co-wrote the script, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. She also directed and scripted Ishtar (1987), starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. In uncredited rewrites, May left her distinctive mark on Reds (1981) and Tootsie (1982). For such work, she has earned a reputation as "one of the legendary script doctors in the business." Critics also applaud the cohesiveness of her scripts, the natural flow of her dialogue, and her keen insight into the foibles of human behavior and the problems of contemporary society—topped by a vision both generous and optimistic.

Alan Arkin

“I know that if I can't move people, then I have no business being an actor.” – Alan Arkin

Alan Arkin has long been recognized as an actor of great talent and versatility on stage, screen and television. Born in New York, Alan launched his career with Chicago's Second City improvisational revue. This led to his first part on Broadway, the lead in Carl Reiner's play “Enter Laughing,” for which he won a Tony Award. After becoming a successful actor and director on Broadway, Arkin received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his first feature film, Norman Jewison’s THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING. He received a second Oscar nomination and the New York Critic's Award for his performance in THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. Some of his many other films have included WAIT UNTIL DARK, CATCH-22, the original version of THE IN-LAWS, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, MOTHER NIGHT, and THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING. He has written and directed two short films, T.G.I.F. and PEOPLE SOUP. The first opened the 1967 New York Film Festival, and the latter received an Oscar nomination.
Arkin starred in the highly acclaimed A&E television series “100 Centre Street” written and directed by Sidney Lumet. Other television appearances include his Emmy-nominated performances in PENTAGON PAPERS for the FX network and ESCAPE FROM SOBIBOR. He guest starred as the father of his real-life son, Adam Arkin, on “Chicago Hope,” which earned him yet another Emmy nomination. He was seen in HBO’s AND STARRING PANCHO VILLA AS HIMSELF with Antonio Banderas for director Bruce Beresford, as well as in Steven Soderbergh’s episode of the anthology film EROS. Arkin most recently starred in FIREWALL with Harrison Ford, and voiced a character in Jerry Seinfeld’s upcoming animated BEE MOVIE. He will also be seen in the forthcoming SANTA CLAUSE 3 with Tim Allen
When not occupied as an actor or director, Arkin is likely to devote his time to music or writing. He has written six books, all published by Harper/Collins, the latest a children’s book entitled Cassie Loves Beethoven, published by Hyperion. An earlier work, The Lemming Condition, has sold steadily for twenty years, and was honored by The Book Sellers of America by being placed in the White House Library.

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