Arena Stage News

From March 7 through April 5, 2014, SpeakEasy Stage Company will present the New England premiere of the acclaimed Off-Broadway drama THE WHALE by Samuel D. Hunter.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will host 22 theatrical offerings from 20 different countries during WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014 that will run for three weeks March 10-30, 2014 throughout the Center. The international festival features contemporary theater works offering 13 fully staged productions, 4 theater-focused installations, 3 readings of new works, and 2 forums. From Olivier and Tony Award-winning puppetry to innovative perspectives on old classics, a diverse showcase of theatrical expression will be represented by countries spanning the globe including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, England, France, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine, Scotland, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, and the United States.

Word for Word presents "36 Stories by Sam Shepard" arranged for the stage and directed by Amy Kossow opening with a press night on Saturday May 24 8pm, running through June 22 (previews May 21-23) at Z Space's second venue, Z Below, at 470 Florida Street. Last year the Magic Theatre spearheaded a multi-theater celebration of Shepard's 70th birthday when they opened their season with Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Buried Child.' Other companies participating in the celebration have been Crowded Fire, American Conservatory Theater in collaboration with Intersection for the Arts/Campo Santo and Word for Word.

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that John Aylward, Kristen Bush, Beth Dixon, Barbara Garrick, Jan Maxwell, Luke Niehaus, Kevin O'Rourke and Michael Simpson will be featured in its upcoming production of THE CITY OF CONVERSATION, a new play by Anthony Giardina, directed by Doug Hughes. THE CITY OF CONVERSATION begins previews Thursday, April 10 and opens on Monday, May 5 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street). Additional casting for THE CITY OF CONVERSATION will be announced at a later date.

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, are thrilled to announce in this, their 23rd season, the world premiere of SOVEREIGN BODY, written by Emilie Beck and directed by Scott Alan Smith (That Good Night, Lady). SOVEREIGN BODY will preview on Saturday, March 22 at 8pm; Sunday, March 28 at 2pm and Thursday, March 27 at 8pm and will open on Friday, March 28 at 8pm and run through Saturday, May 10 at the Historic Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, CA.

Soho Rep. announces casting and performance dates for the world premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's An Octoroon, directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson. The production, April 23-May 18, concludes a banner New York season for the celebrated playwright, whose Appropriate makes its New York premiere February 25-April 6 at Signature Theatre.

From February 4-23, Abrons Art Center presents the New York premiere of Pig Iron Theatre Company's Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Start with a shipwreck, take one part mistaken identity, add in a comedic love triangle and mix with excessive drinking, melodramatic breakdowns and a live, Balkan-inspired score, and you've got a raucous take on one of Shakespeare's most wicked comedies. Alternately absurd and heartfelt, Twelfth Night, or What You Will is replete with practical jokes, gender confusion, and thwarted love.

Due to popular demand Virginia's Signature Theatre announces that the world premiere musical Beaches is now extended through March 30, 2014. Adapted from the beloved 1985 novel by Iris Rainer Dart, Beaches is directed by Signature Theatre's Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Follies, Million Dollar Quartet). This heartfelt chronicle of a decades-long friendship between two unforgettable women stars Mara Davi (Broadway's A Chorus Line and The Drowsy Chaperone) as Bertie and Alysha Umphress (Broadway's American Idiot and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) as Cee Cee Bloom.

Seattle Repertory Theatre announced today six commissions that are in development as part of the New Play Program, including an adaptation of Kirsten Grind's bestseller The Lost Bank: The Story of Washington Mutual - The Biggest Bank Failure in American History.

Molly Beach Murphy and Taylor Riccio will present LBJ'S GREATEST HITS + MOLLY MURPHY & NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON ON OUR LAST DAY ON EARTH, February 28-March 2, 2014, at Incubator Arts.

The Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2014 preview performances begin tonight, February 14, and the season will open Friday night, February 21 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre with Shakespeare's The Tempest (director, Tony Taccone). On Saturday, Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (Juliette Carrillo) takes the stage, as does the classic Marx Brothers musical The Cocoanuts (David Ivers), and Sunday afternoon Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors (Kent Gash) opens in the Thomas Theatre.

A "5, 6, 7, 8," the countdown begins for Segerstrom Center's popular Six Days of Broadway musical theater summer camps returning June 23 through July 6. During the week-long sessions, students learn and participate in musical performance, monologue interpretation, audition technique, scene work, dance and much more.

The Falcon Theatre, Abbie Phillips and Jan Kallish in association with theLookingglass Theatre Company are thrilled to present the West Coast Premiere of THE LAST ACT OF LILKA KADISON, written by Nicola Behrman, David Kersnar, Abbie Phillips, Heidi Stillman and Andy White and directed by Dan Bonnell. This is the first association between the Falcon Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre Company of Chicago, 2011 recipient of the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. THE LAST ACT OF LILKA KADISON will begin previews on Wednesday, March 19; will open on Friday, March 28 and continue throughSaturday, April 19 at the Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Dr. in Burbank.

The Pearl Theatre Company continues its 30th anniversary season-the second season in its new home on West 42nd Street-with a new production of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, adapted from the French by Paul Bowles. Linda Ames Key, making her Pearl debut, directs this touchstone of French existentialism in its first Off-Broadway production in over 15 years. The cast includes Pearl Resident Acting Company (RAC) member Jolly Abraham as Inez and Pearl RAC member Branford Cover as Cradeau along with Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris as Estelle and Pete McGilligot as Valet.

The Rainbow Theatre Project presents Say You Love Satan by D.C.-native Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa in the third slot of their inaugural season of concert readings. Directed by John Moletress, Satan plays at Source in D.C. on Monday, February 24, 2014 at 7:30 p.m., and will be preceded by a reading of Frank Anthony Polito's short play, White Room w/ Red Door, directed by The Rainbow Theatre Project's Producing Artistic Director, H. Lee Gable.

Geva Theatre Center's 2014 Fielding Studio Series continues with Stranded on Earth by Eric Coble and directed by William Brown. The production begins performances on March 6 and runs in the Fielding Nextstage through March 23.

The Pearl Theatre Company continues its 30th anniversary season-the second season in its new home on West 42nd Street-with a new production of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, adapted from the French by Paul Bowles. Linda Ames Key, making her Pearl debut, directs this touchstone of French existentialism in its first Off-Broadway production in over 15 years. The cast includes Pearl Resident Acting Company (RAC) member Jolly Abraham as Inez and Pearl RAC member Branford Cover as Cradeau along with Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris as Estelle and Pete McGilligot as Valet.

A masterpiece of 20th Century theatre thunders back to life in a must see production. Kathleen Turner triumphs as Courage and Molly Smith's staging is solid in every way.

San Jose Repertory Theatre announces its 2014-2015 season with two world premieres, a mix of new work and reimagined classics and larger than life characters sizzling with international flair for a theatrical journey that spans more than 2,000 years, multiple continents and spectacularly diverse music.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for the world-premiere historical drama Camp David, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright and directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith. Based on true events surrounding the 1978 Camp David Accords, the play follows the 13-day meeting between President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as they attempted to create the impossible: peace in the Middle East. The production features Tony Award nominee Hallie Foote (Broadway's Dividing the Estate) as Rosalynn Carter, Egyptian actor and activist Khaled Nabawy (Kingdom of Heaven, Fair Game) as Anwar Sadat, Tony Award winner Ron Rifkin (Alias, Broadway's Cabaret) as Menachem Begin and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as President Jimmy Carter. Camp David runs March 21-May 4, 2014 in the Kreeger Theater.