Anna-Deavere Smith News

Five years in development, 'Small Axe' is a compelling, timely, provocative and inspiring new piece of Verbatim Theatre now playing at the Theatre Centre. It is presented by The Theatre Centre and Project: Humanity (PH). Founded in 2008, PH calls itself 'a non-profit organization raising awareness of social issues through the arts.' It reunites actor/writer Andrew Kushnir and director Alan Dilworth, who previously collaborated in 2010 on PH's 'The Middle Place,' a successful play about Toronto's homeless youth. Premiered at SummerWorks, it was restaged as a coproduction of Theatre Passe Muraille, Canadian Stage and PH.

Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater continues their seventh season with You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown directed and choreographed by Christina Lazo (Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show with Altarena Playhouse; All Shook Up, West Side Story with Tri Valley Repertory Theatre; A Chorus Line, Catch Me If You Can with Woodminster; and Bye Bye Birdie with Contra Costa Musical Theatre). Previews begin February 19 and runs from February 21 to March 15, 2015 at the Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. in Berkeley. Tickets are now available through the Box Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org.

From clown to actor, from performer to playwright, from actor to social commentator, Bill Irwin, Billy Porter, and Anna Deavere Smith share their artistic journeys in Philadelphia Theatre Company's new Theatre Masters series. Launched as part of PTC's celebration of its 40th Anniversary season, Theatre Masters will offer an array of Monday night on-stage interviews with major theatre artists with whom PTC has worked, each sharing their personal journey of transformation and creative growth over time and how it has impacted both their art and their lives. This season's schedule features Bill Irwin on February16, Billy Porter on March 23, and Anna Deavere Smith on May 11.

Philadelphia Theatre Company's continues its 40th Anniversary season with the Tony Award-nominated play Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally February 6-March 8. Directed by Wendy Goldberg, the cast features Hugh Kennedy, Emmy Award-winning actress Michael Learned, James Lloyd Reynolds, and Patrick Gibbons and Jacob D. Wilner in alternating performances.

Casting has been completed for Red Tape Theatre's (RTT) upcoming Chicago Premiere of The Walk Across America for Mother Earth. (Full cast list below) Tickets are on sale now at www.steppenwolf.org and 312.335.1650. All performances will be held at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre located at 1624 N Halsted St, as part of the sixth annual Garage Rep. General Admission tickets are $20, with a limited number of discounted student tickets for each performance and 'Pay What You Can' tickets for Wednesday performances only. A complete performance schedule of the 2015 Garage Rep can be found at www.steppenwolf.org.

59E59 Theaters will welcome the world premiere of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, written by Tom Dulack and directed by Michael Parva. Produced by The Directors Company and part of the 59E59's inaugural 5A Season, THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS begins performances on Saturday, January 17 at 8 PM for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 1. Opening Night is Tuesday, January 27 at 7 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7 PM; Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM. Single tickets are $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

Summer saw the passing of two of opera's most iconic figures: Licia Albanese, at the age of 105, and Carlo Bergonzi, at 90.

Nominations have been revealed for the 46th annual NAACP Image Awards. The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, and be broadcast live on TV One.

Artistic Director Carin Silkaitis is proud to announce the launch of The Other Theatre Company, a new Equity theatre company, and its debut production, Anna Deavere Smith's Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. The production, directed by Jason W. Gerace, will play at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., January 23 – February 22. Previews are Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m.Opening/Press night is Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. (NOTE: performance times have been updated as of January 12). Preview tickets are $20 with the regular run tickets $25 and may be purchased atbuzzonstage.com/theatres/other-theatre-company. For more information, please visit theothertheatrecompany.com.

The Public Theater announced the return of Public Forum's holiday tradition, a one-night-only Drama Club reading and discussion of THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER on Sunday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub at The Public. Just in time for the holidays, this exciting evening will feature a reading of Thornton Wilder's 1931 one-act featuring Tarell Alvin McCraney, Ethan Lipton, Andrew Solomon, and Tappan Wilder. Wilder's ingenious, heartbreaking play traces 90 years in the life of an American family, and will spark a discussion about family and storytelling in a society that's rapidly accelerating.

In the spirit of Anna Deavere Smith and The Laramie Project, several area theatre artists are creating a new work in the wake of the increased allegations against superstar and hometown favorite Bill Cosby. The Bill Cosby Assault is set to debut in the 2015 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Right now, the producer has gathered some of the city's top theatre artists and they have begun a Kickstarter campaign at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1401536246/the-bill-cosby-assault-a-play. Money raised will fund the completion of the play by a writing team and director, a workshop with the actors, and some of the production costs of the 2015 Fringe Festival debut.

The world's largest solo theatre festival concluded its season with an awards ceremony held on Sunday, November 23, 2014 at Theatre Row in New York City. It was the closing night for a ten-week season of solo theatre and the fifth anniversary of the festival, a resident company at Theatre Row.

Today, November 21, the Metropolitan Opera Guild's 80th Annual Luncheon presents 'Brava, Jessye!' to salute the legendary Jessye Norman, who recently wrote about her life in a memoir titled Stand Up Straight and Sing!

The Public Theater announced a second extension for the critically acclaimed FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), a world premiere play written by Public Theater Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks. Directed by Jo Bonney, FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) will now run through Sunday, December 7. It was originally scheduled to close on November 16 and extended the first time through November 30.

The Public Theater announced a two-week extension today for the critically acclaimed FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), a world premiere play written by Public Theater Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks. Directed by Jo Bonney, FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) began previews on Tuesday, October 14 in the Anspacher Theater and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, November 16. It will now run an additional two weeks through Sunday, November 30.

Playwrights Foundation (PF) and The New York based company, The One-Minute Play Festival are thrilled to announce the 5th Annual SF One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF), December 15th and 16th, 2014 - an evening of more than 80 brand new one minute plays by 53 Bay Area playwrights -- a highly vaunted group, all written within the past month specifically for the event.

59E59 Theaters will welcome The Directors Company with ON A STOOL AT THE END OF THE BAR, written by Robert Callely and directed by Michael Parva. ON A STOOL AT THE END OF THE BAR begins performances on Friday, November 14 for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 14. Press Opening is Thursday, November 20 at 7:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM & 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Please note, there is no performance on Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving). Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will present El Pasado Nunca Se Termina/The Past Is Never Finished, an opera featuring the internationally renowned ensemble Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitla?n, on May 13, 16, and 17, 2015 in the Wortham Theater Center, it was announced by HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers and Managing Director Perryn Leech. HGO's 2010 mounting of the world's first mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna/To Cross the Face of the Moon, with Mariachi Vargas, not only captivated audiences in Houston, but went on to hit runs in Paris, San Diego, Chicago, and Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. HGO brought Cruzar back to Houston in 2013 for three sold-out performances. Now the company will present a second mariachi opera from the same creative team of Jose? “Pepe” Marti?nez and Leonard Foglia, fresh from its March 2015 world premiere at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Set on a Mexican hacienda in 1910, just prior to the Mexican Revolution, the story traces how the country's cultural conflicts and nationalistic struggles shape one family across generations. El Pasado Nunca Se Termina/The Past Is Never Finished will be sung in Spanish and English with projected translations.

PBS today announced additional details relevant to its special broadcast of AMERICA AFTER FERGUSON, a one-hour town hall meeting exploring the many issues brought into public discourse in the wake of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri.

PBS today announced additional details relevant to its special broadcast of AMERICA AFTER FERGUSON, a one-hour town hall meeting exploring the many issues brought into public discourse in the wake of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri.