Alfre Woodard News

DTF opens its 39th Summer Season New Play Reading series with a new play by local favorite Theresa Rebeck. The play, Zealot, is a finalist for the Susan Blackburn Prize and is set at the British consulate in Mecca, where a tactical tea is interrupted by news of nearby violence. When a witness seeks asylum, a diplomatic battle of wits ensues, while a life hangs in the balance. The reading will star renowned actress Alfre Woodard and will be directed by award winning director John Doyle.

Music Theatre International (MTI) and iTheatrics recently joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House to support The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities' (PCAH) successful Turnaround Arts initiative, a program designed to help turn around low-performing schools, narrow the achievement gap, and increase student engagement through the arts. The program was celebrated at the White House with a special showcase of various schools from around the country who have benefitted from the initiative.

Sony Pictures Television today announced several exciting changes within the ranks of the senior staff of its successful daytime talk series The Queen Latifah Show naming Todd Yasui as Executive Producer and Jack Mori and Ianthe Jones as Co-Executive Producers leading into the show's sophomore season.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: Atlantic Theater Company's OUR NEW GIRL opens off-Broadway tonight, and BAKERSFIELD MIST, starring Kathleen Turner, kicks off in the West End!

DTF opens its 39th Summer Season New Play Reading series with a new play by local favorite Theresa Rebeck. The play, Zealot, is a finalist for the Susan Blackburn Prize and is set at the British consulate in Mecca, where a tactical tea is interrupted by news of nearby violence. When a witness seeks asylum, a diplomatic battle of wits ensues, while a life hangs in the balance. The reading will star renowned actress Alfre Woodard and will be directed by award winning director John Doyle.

The Dorset Theatre Festival is up and running with its 7th Annual Writers Retreat hosted by Theresa Rebeck in collaboration with The Lark New Play Development Center. Each spring, accomplished writers from across the country are invited to the quaint village of Dorset, where they spend their days writing, their evenings reading new pages, discussing each other's work and generally sharing the process of growing new plays. The Retreat's mission is to support top playwrights, giving them time and space away from their day to day career pressures to concentrate completely on process while getting input from peers and in particular from playwright Theresa Rebeck, who hosts the retreat each spring. "It is exciting how many of our writers began plays at the retreat that have gone on to productions at some of the top theaters across the country. DTF is truly making its mark on the national landscape and that is a dream come true for me personally," says Dina Janis, Artistic Director of DTF.

Coming off a season in which the network catapulted to No. 1 in the 18-49 demo and saw double-digit improvement in many prominent timeslots, NBC has announced a line-up of popular returning series, inventive new comedies, compelling new dramas and season seven of the Emmy Award-winning musical competition series 'The Voice.'

Variety reports that NBC has drafted STATE OF AFFAIRS to series. The CIA drama stars Katherine Heigl and comes from executive producer and writer/director Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist).

Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!

The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced its jurors – a diverse group of 33 industry leaders, including award-winning filmmakers, writers, producers, acclaimed actors, respected journalists and entrepreneurs.

One Village Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand, brings you Black Coffee on DVD and digital download today, April 8, 2014.

On Friday, April 4, Alfre Woodard attended Mothers and Sons at Broadway's John Golden Theatre, and stopped backstage to meet Tyne Daly and the cast of the production. Check out photos from Woodard's visit below!

Dorset Theatre Festival has announced the line-up for its Summer 2014 Season which will include the 6 time Tony Award-winning play RED by John Logan starring Tim Daly, a World Premiere of the summer comedy Out of the City by renowned playwright Leslie Ayvazian, the 20th Year Anniversary revival of the smash comedy All in the Timing by Tony Award-winner David Ives, and the 60th Anniversary revival of the Agatha Christie classic The Mousetrap.

Alfre Woodard will take on the role of the President of the United States in NBC's upocoming drama pilot STATE OF AFFAIRS

Award-winning filmmaker Bill Benenson announced today that his latest documentary film, The Hadza: Last Of The First, will have its World Premiere at the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C. on March 24th

BET Networks has acquired this year's #1 new talk show, Sony Pictures Television's The Queen Latifah Show, to air beginning Monday, March 31.

One Village Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand, brings you Black Coffee on DVD and digital download April 8, 2014.

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska at this afternoon's 29th Film Independent Spirit Awards. Blue Jasmine, Fruitvale Station, Blue is the Warmest Color, Short Term 12, This is Martin Bonner and 20 Feet From Stardom also received awards at the ceremony, which is held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

The NAACP and TV One announce today that Stevie Wonder will perform, Kevin Hart has been added as a presenter, and Kerry Washington, Michael B. Jordan, Terrence Howard, Alfre Woodard, David Oyelowo, Chandra Wilson, Shemar Moore and Regina King have been confirmed to attend the 45th NAACP Image Awards. The two-hour star-studded special will broadcast LIVE on TV One from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday, February 22, 9:00 p.m./6:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will also include 'The 45th NAACP Image Awards Red Carpet Live' one-hour pre-show at 8:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre's 44th anniversary will culminate with a special Gala at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (199 Chambers Street) on Sunday evening March 16th. This special event saluting NFT, for over 40 years a seminal force in Black Theater, will be hosted by Danny Glover and Debbi Morgan. Honorary Chairmen are Harry Belafonte and Hon. Mayor David N. Dinkins. The celebration will kick off at 4pm, and feature performances from Daniel Beaty, Impact Repertory Theater (Academy Award Nominee, 'Raise It Up' from the film August Rush), Chuck Jackson, and Valerie Simpson.