Ars Nova News

Due to demand, a one-week extension has been announced for The Wildness: Sky-Pony's Rock Fairy Tale, presented by Ars Nova in collaboration with The Play Company. Originally set to play through March 19, this world premiere production will now play a limited Off-Broadway engagement through March 26 at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street). This new work, with text by Obie Award winner Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Worsham and songs by Kyle Jarrow, is directed by Tony Award nominee Sam Buntrock and choreographed by Chase Brock. The Wildness: Sky-Pony's Rock Fairy Tale features David Blasher, Lilli Cooper, Jeffrey Fernandes, Katie Lee Hill, Kyle Jarrow, Jamie Mohamdein, Sharone Sayegh, Lauren Worsham (Drama Desk Award winner and Tony Award nominee) and Kevin Wunderlich. Previews began February 16 and the show celebrated its Official Opening Night on Monday, February 29.

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club will present the world premiere of LOVE'S REFRAIN, a new solo play by Justin Sayre from April 1-3 and 8-10. Tracing the lives of stars from nebula to supernova, Sayre extracts a fresh definition for love in his latest performance piece. Wedding personal stories with the science and poetry of astronomy, LOVE'S REFRAIN is romanticism for the modern age. The piece is directed by acclaimed visual artist Matthu Placek with costume design by Dusty Childers and a musical score by David John Sokolowski.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced today the 2016/17 Season, the first to be curated by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro and the Steppenwolf artistic team. The new season brings many exciting changes that embrace expanded artistic offerings, flexibility and a diverse selection of experiences, featuring the ensemble in ways both familiar and new. In 2016/17, Steppenwolf will produce an expanded six-play Subscription Season, as opposed to the previous five-play season, in a new format that features four plays in the Downstairs Theatre with the opportunity for subscribers to choose between two productions in the Upstairs Theatre.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents the latest cabaret performance from Amy Jo Jackson, host of the 54 Concert Lab and Mrs. Peacock from the 30th Anniversary Reading of CLUE..

Just in! BroadwayWorld has just learned that producer Howard Kagan has announced that NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 will begin Broadway performances this October at the Imperial Theatre. Grammy-nominated multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban will make his long-awaited Broadway debut as 'Pierre' alongside Denee Benton as 'Natasha.'

Award-winning musical theatre writing Joel B. New is combining his loves of songwriting, performing, and Jessica Fletcher to create something unique, weird, unexpected, and very him: an EP of songs inspired by 'Murder, She Wrote'.

Sundance Institute today announced the eight new projects selected for its pilot Theatre Lab in the MENA region, held in Morocco, May 2016. The Lab is part of the Institute's international cultural exchange programs for independent artists, which include a new, multi-year commitment to support artists from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), broadening the work of its East African Theatre Exchange over the past 15 years. For the Lab, the Institute will provide promising, fresh voices from the U.S. and MENA region with a rigorous artistic retreat and new opportunities for cross-cultural discovery, artistic reflection and creative experimentation.

Theater Reconstruction Ensemble (John Kurzynowski, Artistic Director; Reed Whitney, Producing Director) proudly presents the world premiere of Rhinbecca, NY, created and performed by Theater Reconstruction Ensemble, and conceived and directed by John Kurzynowski. Rhinbecca, NY runs from March 4 - 19, 2016 in a limited engagement at The Brick, located at 579 Metropolitan Avenue between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Scroll down to see photos from the production!

In an opium den at the turn of the 20th century, Willow sacrifices her life to pay off her father's debt by working in an occult underground society called 'The Cave.' In this musical exploration of fairy tales, myths, and spiritualism, Willow fights to find light not only in the grim and strange shadow-world around her, but also within herself.

? The American Theatre Wing announced today that the 2016 Jonathan Larson Grants recipients are Cesar Alvarez (book, music and lyrics), Nikko Benson (music and lyrics), Carson Kreitzer (book and lyrics), and Sam Salmond (book, music, and lyrics). Four prestigious grants of $10,000 each, totaling $40,000, will be presented on Monday, March 21, 2016 at a private event at the WNYC Greene Space. The event will feature special performances of the recipients' work.

59E59 Theaters will welcome the Ricochet Collective with HAPPILY AFTER EVER, written by Laura Zlatos and directed by Sherri Eden Barber. HAPPILY AFTER EVER begins performances on Wednesday, March 30 for a limited engagement through Saturday, April 16.  Press opening is Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday - Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org. 

The Play Company's (PlayCo) Idea Lab series complements the productions in their 2016 season by bringing together artists, scholars, writers and community leaders for stand-alone events to examine themes raised in the shows. Following performances of the world premiere of The Wildness, a co-produced with Ars Nova, Playco will present three post show events over three Thursdays, March 3, 10 & 17.

Theater Reconstruction Ensemble presents the world premiere of RHINBECCA, NY, created and performed by Theater Reconstruction Ensemble, and conceived and directed by John Kurzynowski. RHINBECCA, NY runs from tonight, March 4, through March 19, 2016 in a limited engagement at The Brick, located at 579 Metropolitan Avenue between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in costume below!

Women's Project Theater, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty and Managing Director Maureen Moynihan, is thrilled to announce the complete lineup for the inaugural Pipeline Festival, showcasing the work of the celebrated WP Lab residency for playwrights, directors and producers from March 24 - April 23 at the McGinn/ Cazale Theater at Broadway & 76th Street.

First Draughts is a developmental reading series produced by Amios, a theater collective whose mission is to build community through art. First Draughts is dedicated to expanding first produced at Shotz (Amios' monthly short-play series) into full-length plays over the course of a six-month development process.

After performances that generated standing ovations from SRO crowds, and subsequently earned a 2015 BroadwayWorld.com New York Cabaret Award nomination for "Best Alt Cabaret Show," Raquel Cion is bringing Me & Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie back to The Slipper Room, the popular burlesque/variety club on New York's Lower East Side (167 Orchard Street), for a three-show run beginning Thursday, March 24 at 8 pm (with additional shows on April 21 and May 15, also 8 pm). Tickets are $15 General Admission; $25 for Reserved. www.slipperroom.com

Southern Rep Theatre is pleased to announce Dawn Renee Jones as the winner for the 2015 Ruby Prize for her play, A HEAP SEE.