Al Pacino News

The 2013 Honorees for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance, the 5th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater for an Outstanding Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production, and the newly established John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, were announced today. The winners will be celebrated at the 69th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony set for a new day and time, representing a change from past years, on Monday evening, June 3, 2013 beginning at 6:45 p.m. at the Music Box Theater (239 West 45th Street), home of the current Broadway revival of Pippin.

Variety reports that Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline, Jane Birkin and Dominique Pinon are set to star in the comedy drama MY OLD LADY. The project will be a big screen adaptation of the stage play by Israel Horovitz, who will make his feature film directorial debut.

According to Deadline, Al Pacino has officially walked away from DESPICABLE ME 2 - which is set to hit theaters in only two months.

Articulate Theatre Company has announced the NYC premiere production of Jenny Connell Davis' DRAGON, directed by Cat Parker. DRAGON will play a limited engagement as part of the 4th Annual Planet Connection Theatre Festivity at the Robert Moss Theatre (440 Lafayette St., 3rd Floor). Performances begin Wednesday, May 29 and continue through Monday, June 17.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present a new production of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle featuring Christopher Lloyd (Azdak), directed by Brian Kulick (who directed Brecht's Galileo last season), and featuring new music by Tony Award-winning singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). The Caucasian Chalk Circle will begin performances tonight, May 3 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 9. The official opening is Thursday, May 30.

Waterwell announces the addition of Kyra Sedgwick, Bobby Cannavale and Stephen Adly Guirgis to its roster of Master Class Artist's for the company's inaugural Summer Theater Lab. They join the previously announced Megan Hilty (Smash), Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) and Beau Willimon (House of Cards). Faculty and commissioned artists will be announced shortly.

The Pace University Department of Performing Arts is producing a concert of works by Adam Guettel, performed Tony award-winning composer of the musicals The Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins, Myths & Hymns and accompanied by Pace Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Musical Theater students and alumni.

Soho Rep presents the world premiere of Lucas Hnath's play A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney.

Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking! ends its run today, April 28, at the 47th Street Theatre (304 West 47th Street). The smash musical, which received unanimous raves from critics and audiences alike, broke all box-office records at the 47th Street Theatre and won spots on the Top Ten Lists of Time Magazine and the Associated Press, begins its hiatus in order to make room for The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre's own season, as required by the show's lease agreement with the theatre.

Theatre Company of Lafayette presents 'Glengarry Glen Ross' by David Mamet, directed by Ian Gerber.

Chichester Festival Theatre will unveil its temporary state-of-the-art auditorium, Theatre in the Park, with a major new production of the musical Barnum, presented in association with Cameron Mackintosh. The production will be co-directed by Timothy Sheader, Artistic Director of the Open Air Theatre Regent's Park and Liam Steel, with rising Broadway star Christopher Fitzgerald in the title role, alongside the award-winning Tamsin Carroll as Barnum's wife, Chairy.

The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) in collaboration with Producer Eva Price and the Broadway revival of the Tony Award winning musical Annie announced a new collaboration to raise awareness and funds for arts education programs for underserved students throughout New York City.

Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Jenny Gersten has announced casting for the 2013 summer season's exciting slate of productions. On the Main Stage, the cast of Animal Crackers (playing June 26 - July 14, 2013) will include Jonathan Brody (Naked Boys Singing), Adam Chanler-Berat (Peter and the Starcatcher), Mara Davi (Death Takes a Holiday), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Good People), Ellen Harvey (How to Succeed...), and Jacob Ming Trent (Hands on a Hardbody), all making their WTF debuts.

Soho Rep's FEED program is designed to enrich audiences' and artists' experience of Soho Rep's plays through live events, print publications and online content. Through the program's post-performance series, Soho Rep willoffera number of events - artist dialogues, presentations, etc - during the world premiere of Lucas Hnath's play A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, directed by Sarah Benson (April 30 - May 26).

There are only a few more performances to catch for Gerard Alessandrini's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND KICKING! at the 47th Street Theatre (304 West 47th Street). The smash musical, which received unanimous raves from critics and audiences alike, broke all box-office records at the 47th Street Theatre and won spots on the Top Ten Lists of Time Magazine and the Associated Press, will begin its hiatus on Sunday, April 28, in order to make room for The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre's own season, as required by the show's lease agreement with the theatre.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced additional casting today for the 2013 season of free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. This summer, all performances for THE COMEDY OF ERRORS and LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, A NEW MUSICAL will begin at 8:30 p.m. with running times of approximately 90 minutes, no intermission.

Today we are talking to a versatile stage and screen actress who has scored in a number of unique roles on Broadway and around the country in addition to making a recent mark with her work on the Broadway-themed web series IT COULD BE WORSE - the passionate and compelling Alison Fraser. Discussing her vast resume and some of her most fondly remembered performances to date, Fraser opens up about her remarkable career thus far - including her work originating parts in IN TROUSERS, MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS, THE SECRET GARDEN, ROMANCE/ROMANCE, GUNMETAL BLUES, THE DIVINE SISTER and more - and looks ahead to her most recent projects, current, upcoming and beyond. Most importantly, Fraser details the finer points of LOVE THERAPY, the new Wendy Beckett play she stars in Off-Broadway and outlines her continuing collaboration onstage with the playwright, having previously starred in CHARITY CASE, as well as what we can expect from the realistic new drama, opening April 29. Additionally, Fraser sheds some light on her recent work in the world premiere of the Tennessee Williams play IN MASKS OUTRAGEOUS AND AUSTERE and how that led to her new solo revue, THE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS SONGBOOK. Plus, memories of appearing in GYPSY on Broadway with Patti LuPone and working with Arthur Laurents on that as well as his own final play, cameoing on SMASH, reflections on her memorable musical partnerships with husband Rusty Magee and noted FALSETTOS songwriter William Finn, as well as thoughts on the contemporary theatre scene and her various theatre-related web projects, favorite recent shows and much, much more!

THE KING'S SKELETON: RICHARD III REVEALED is produced by the only team allowed access to the scientists, the archaeological dig, and the scientific tests to determine the skeleton's identity, which were carried out in complete secrecy. The new two-hour special will premiere on Smithsonian Channel tonight, April 21, 2013 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Gary Naylor sees Judas, or is it everyone else, on trial.