Ars Nova News

The 2013-2014 season at Cleveland Play House (CPH) continues with the compelling world premiere production of Deborah Zoe Laufer's Informed Consent. Co-produced with Geva Theatre Center, this incredibly thought-provoking production is inspired by the real life court case between the Havasupai Indian tribe and Arizona State University, and sparks an intriguing debate on both ethicality and morality. Directed by Sean Daniels and Sponsored by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth, Informed Consent will serve as the centerpiece to CPH's 2014 New Ground Theatre Festival and will run from April 23 - May 18 in the Second Stage.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were established hit makers when they teamed up to make a musical about cowboys and farmers. What follows was a miracle-Oklahoma!, then Carousel and South Pacific; the list of extraordinary hits goes on. Tonight, April 5 and April 6 and 7 get to know these legends even better at Getting to Know You: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lyrics & Lyricists first look at the two songwriters as a team. Guest artistic director, writer and host Ted Chapin, head of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, shares an insider's perspective on the pair, gleaned from his years with the Rodgers and Hammerstein families; joined by vocalists Lewis Cleale, Mandy Gonzalez, Jonathan Groff, Rebecca Luker, and Phillipa Soo.

LANCE HORNE - the Emmy Award winning composer, musician, vocalist and producer - will headline a special concert evening at Rockwood Table & Stage in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 15 at 8:00 PM with guest artists Ricki Lake, Julie Garnye and Lisa Ann Walter, with special surprise stars. They will perform songs from his acclaimed CD First Things Last in addition to a special preview of The Night Before My Wedding, Horne's upcoming collaboration with Neil Gaiman.

Stageworks Media presents Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth -- an immersive, time-traveling theatrical experience created by Cynthia von Buhler and directed by Wes Grantom (Eager to Lose at Ars Nova). Ms. von Buhler's Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning has, over the past two years, become one of the city's most unique, interactive, and surreal theatrical experiences. Once again, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth brings Ms. von Buhler's unique brand of historic fiction investigation to the legends of John Wilkes and Edwin Booth. Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth is performed monthly on Saturday evenings (usually the first Saturday of the month) at The Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South).

BAY STREET THEATRE NEW WORKS FESTIVAL will take place on April 25-27 at the Bay Street Theatre on the Long Wharf in Sag Harbor, NY. The Festival is produced in Association with SPACE on Ryder Farm. The media sponsor for the festival is Dan's Papers Literary Prize Contest.

Hilarious music duo MEL & EL are back with a brand new edition of their long- running monthly comedy show. THE MEL & EL SHOW returns to NYC at Stage 72, 158 W. 72 Street, on Friday, April 25th at 7:00PM.

49TH Parallel in association the multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE), are thrilled to present the Los Angeles premiere of a new play, BE A GOOD LITTLE WIDOW, written by Bekah Brunstetter (OOHRAH!) and directed by Sara Botsford. BE A GOOD LITTLE WIDOW will preview on Thursday, April 17 at 8pm and will open on Friday, April 18 at 8pm and run for six weeks through Sunday, May 25, 2014 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.

Building on Slant Theatre Project's success with last season's The Steadfast, the company has announced the full cast for The Cloud, a world premiere mistaken-identity comedy written by playwright/comedian Matt Moses. Wes Grantom (Eager to Lose, The Steadfast) directs a cast of four including Teddy Bergman (B'way: Peter and the Starcatcher, Off-B'way: Sex Lives of Our Parents), Ryan King (Now Or Later at Huntington Theatre, The Intelligent Design Of Jenny Chow at the Atlantic Theater Company), Polly Lee (Marie Antoinette at Yale Rep, Wasps at Studio 42), and Emily Walton (Eager to Lose, August: Osage County). Performances for this first full production of Slant Theatre Project's 10th Season will be staged at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue in NYC from May 16-June 1, 2014.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will make its premiere performance at THE RRAZZ ROOM on Thursday, April 17 at 8:00 PM. After extended runs at 54 Below and Joe's Pub in New York, the show will make its Pennsylvania debut with this show. The Meeting* has been called 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post, and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening 'so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight.' The show will feature special guests Colleen McHugh.

Damian (My High School Boyfriend Was Gay) spent his childhood in Philly obsessing over Garbage Pail Kids, X-men comic books, and the board game Clue. Anne ('The Martha Rayes') wrote fan letters to the NBA dream team and love letters to Daniel Stern from her waterbed in Missouri. When these two idiots met, a mutual sick fanaticism took hold. Join these pop culture savants as they gush over their favorites and invite the most exciting comedians, writers, and performance artists to explore their own obsessive tendencies.

Justin Sayre and The Meeting* - known for a signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between - were named among the Top nightclub shows of 2013 by Time Out New York, and received the 2012 Bistro Award for 'Comedy Artistry' and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance. Each month, the I.O.S gathers to honor an artist or a cultural work that is iconic to the gay community. Justin Sayre, the show's creator, writer and host, serves as the Chairman of the Board of the International Order of Sodomites and brings his singular wit to essential business of the day through such regular features such as 'Letters to the Chairman' and 'New Rulings from the Board.'

Ars Nova presents the world premiere of Charlatan, in a limited Off-Broadway engagement through Saturday, April 12 at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street). Official Opening Night takes place tonight Monday, March 31 at 7:00 PM.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were established hit makers when they teamed up to make a musical about cowboys and farmers. What follows was a miracle-Oklahoma!, then Carousel and South Pacific; the list of extraordinary hits goes on. On April 5, 6 and 7 get to know these legends even better at Getting to Know You: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lyrics & Lyricists first look at the two songwriters as a team. Guest artistic director, writer and host Ted Chapin, head of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, shares an insider's perspective on the pair, gleaned from his years with the Rodgers and Hammerstein families; joined by vocalists Lewis Cleale, Mandy Gonzalez, Jonathan Groff, Rebecca Luker, and Phillipa Soo.

LANCE HORNE - the Emmy Award winning composer, musician, vocalist and producer - will make his Birdland debut with a special concert on Monday, March 31 at 7:00 PM. Lea DeLaria, Joey Arias, Stephen Wallem and Michael Rose have joined the evening as special guests, in addition to the previously-announced Alan Cumming, Alice Ripley and Rachel Dratch. They will perform songs from his acclaimed CD First Things Last in addition to a special preview of The Night Before My Wedding, Horne's upcoming collaboration with Neil Gaiman. Lance will also headline a special concert at Rockwood LA on April 15 with guest stars to be announced and an additional event this spring in San Francisco. He has contributed a movement to Tyler's Suite, a choral song-cycle dedicated to Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers University student that took his life three years ago. The piece, which also includes contributions from Stephen Schwartz, Ann Hampton Callaway and Craig Carnelia, will premiere from the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus on March 25-26. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in Manhattan. Tickets are $30 with a $10 minimum. Visit BirdlandJazz.com for more information.

Erica Saleh's plays have been produced and developed by theaters including Ensemble Studio Theatre, The 52nd Street Project, Studio 42, 3 Graces and The Claque. She is the recipient of a Michener Fellowship and commissions from the EST/SLOAN project and Dramatics Magazine. Erica is a member of the Ars Nova Play Group, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and an alumna of Youngblood. She is a graduate of the Michener Center at the University of Texas and Brown University.

Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman has selected playwright Janine Nabers as the winner of the 2014 Yale Drama Series for her play Serial Black Face, chosen from 1638 entries from 41 countries. As winner of the competition, Serial Black Face will be published by Yale University Press, receive a staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theater, and Ms. Nabers will be presented with the David Charles Horn Prize, a cash award of $10,000.

Producer Robb Nanus (Andrew Lippa's I Am Harvey Milk) is pleased to announce the full cast for the world-premiere production of DEBUTANTE., written by Ryann Weir and directed/created by Annie Tippe. After a sold out presentation at Ars Nova's ANT Fest last June, DEBUTANTE. returns to New York City this spring at the Bernie Wohl Center (647 Columbus Avenue) starting April 23.

INTAR (Lou Moreno, Artistic Director/John McCormack, Executive Director) today announced that Adoration of the Old Woman by Jose Rivera and directed by Patricia McGregor, starring Raul Castillo (HBO's 'Looking'), Danielle Davenport, Jose Joaquin Perez, Socorro Santiago and Carmen Zilles, will continue through April 19th only.

New Georges will present The New Georges Jam On Toast, a brand-new festival featuring work by The New Georges Jam, a 'performance gym' for early-career playwrights and directors founded in 2010 by Lucy Alibar, Jess Chayes, and Portia Krieger. New Georges will take over the legendary downtown performance space Dixon Place (161 Chrystie Street between Rivington and Delancey) from May 14-31 with World Premiere productions running in rep, works-in-progress presentations and cabaret-style shows, for a total of 47 performances over two and a half weeks.

Jennifer Bowles will play the title role opposite Rob McClure in New York City Center Encores! production of Irma La Douce, running for seven performances,May 7 - 11, 2014. The final production of the 2014 Encores! season will also feature Sam Bolen, Allan Corduner, Ben Crawford, Stephen DeRosa, Ken Krugman, Zachary James and Chris Sullivan. Irma La Douce will be directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Chase Brock, with music direction by Rob Berman.