August Wilson News

The Playwrights' Center and Jerome Foundation are pleased to announce the 2016-17 Jerome Fellows, Many Voices Fellows and Many Voices Mentees. The Jerome Fellowship for emerging playwrights is the Jerome Foundation's longest-awarded program, entering its 40th year. The Many Voices Fellowship was created in 1994 in partnership with the Jerome Foundation and significantly expanded in 2013.

Broadway Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 4/15/2016.

Casting has been announced for the Providence return engagement of the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, playing at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) from April 26 - May 1, 2016. The cast of JERSEY BOYS will be led by Matthew Dailey (Tommy DeVito), Aaron De Jesus (Frankie Valli), Keith Hines (Nick Massi), and Drew Seeley (Bob Gaudio) as The Four Seasons, with Barry Anderson and Thomas Fiscella.

Black Ensemble Theater announces its 11th annual Black Playwrights Festival, April 24-27, 2016, as part of the company's Black Playwrights Initiative (BPI). 

Today in 2000, The Wild Party opened at the Virginia Theatre (now the August Wilson Theatre), where it ran for 68 performances. The Wild Party is a musical with a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by LaChiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name. The Broadway production coincidentally opened during the same theatrical season (1999-2000) as an off-Broadway musical with the same title and source material. Its plot centers on a party - fueled by bathtub gin, cocaine, and uninhibited sexual behavior - hosted by Queenie and Burrs, whose relationship is disintegrating. The cast included Toni Collette (making her Broadway debut) as Queenie, Mandy Patinkin as Burrs, and Yancey Arias as Black.

HAVING OUR SAY is the theatrical adaptation by Emily Mann of the joint memoir of the same title published in 1993 by Dr. Bessie Delany and Miss Sadie Delany, who were then both over 100 years old. The evening is a delight as well as a fine history lesson. This co-production (with Long Wharf Theater in New Haven) will run in Hartford through April 24.

The Public Theater announced an additional one-week extension today for the New York premiere of Head of Passes, part of Oskar Eustis' 10th anniversary season.

Ebony Jo-Ann, a 'Blackgold' acclaimed Blues vocalist, multiple award winning Broadway, film and television actress, and social activist, is in residence during the month of April at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, 254 W. 72nd St. in New York, for the first time since 2011, to reprise Nuttin' But the Blues, the Sugar Bar's weekly Blues series, which she co-created with the late Nick Ashford. Check out a preview here!

Ebony Jo-Ann, a 'Blackgold' acclaimed Blues vocalist, multiple award winning Broadway, Film and television actress and social activist, is in residence during the month of April at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, 254 W. 72nd St. in New York, for the first time since 2011, to reprise Nuttin' But the Blues, the Sugar Bar's weekly Blues series, which she co-created with the late Nick Ashford.

Broadway Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 4/8/2016.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) (Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director; David Roberts, Managing Director), will open its spring season with their 2nd Annual Spring Fundraiser, April 11, 2016. An intimate evening of music featuring the breathtaking vocals of Mykal Kilgore, most recently seen at CTH as Benny Raindrop in The Classical Theatre of Harlem's original musical, The First Noel at The Apollo Theater, and NBC's The Wiz Live. The Classical Theatre of Harlem's 2016 season is rounded out with its yearly free Uptown Shakespeare in the Park production of Macbeth in the summer, a new production of Fit For the Queen by renowned playwright Betty Shamieh, its ongoing monthly Reading Series, and the Apollo Theater mainstage production of The First Noel. 

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announces that Courtney B. Vance, Savion Glover, Joe Mantello and David Marshall Grant have joined the Monte Cristo Award program celebration for award-winning stage and film director, playwright, and actor George C. Wolfe. Vance - an O'Neill alumnus who also starred with Tom Hanks in "The Lucky Guy" on Broadway under the direction of Wolfe - will present the Award.

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: The new musical HAZEL, starring Klea Blackhurst, opens tonight in Chicago, and KING AND COUNTRY's David Tennant stops by our SAG Career Conversations series!

Casting has been announced for the St. Louis engagement of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, playing at the Fox Theatre May 18-22. The cast of JERSEY BOYS will be led by Matthew Dailey (Tommy DeVito), Aaron De Jesus (Frankie Valli), Keith Hines (Nick Massi) and Drew Seeley (Bob Gaudio) as The Four Seasons, with Barry Anderson and Thomas Fiscella.

The Playhouse on Rodney Square will present the Wilmington premiere of  the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, from May 10-15, 2016.  Tickets for JERSEY BOYS begin at $50, and may be purchased by calling The Playhouse Box Office at 302.888.0200, or online at www.ThePlayhouseDE.org. Discounts are available for seniors, military, and children 12 and under, as well as groups of 10 or more.

True Colors Theatre Company and Jujamcyn Theaters have announced that the 8th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition will take place on Monday, May 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street).  

Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning actress Mary Louise Wilson will be the Guest of Honor at the 34th annual Elliot Norton Awards on Monday, May 23, 2016 at 7 PM, at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre.  The ceremony will feature nominated musical performances, the awarding of The Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence, a post-ceremony party, and surprise appearances and performances.  Tickets for the much anticipated evening are on sale at the Citi Center Box Office, at www.citicenter.org or by calling (866) 348-9738.

The Dramatists Guild Fund presented their Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award to actress Audra McDonald and playwright Craig Lucas just last night. McDonalad was unable to attend the event due to her SHUFFLE ALONG schedule, but the show went on and BroadwayWorld was also there for the festivities. Check out photos below!

The upcoming film adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play FENCES will welcome back another pair of Broadway actors.

Signature Theatre has announced that Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks will be the Residency One Playwright for the 2016-2017 season.