Bill Clarke News

Oscar Wilde's much-loved and enduring masterpiece, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST tells the story of two bachelor friends, dandy Algernon Moncrieff and reliable John (Jack) Worthing, as they take on double lives to court the attentions of the desirable Gwendolyn Fairfax and the romantic Cecily Cardew. But the gallants must then grapple with the uproarious consequences of their ruse...and with the formidable Lady Bracknell. The results are a world filled with chaos, mistaken identity, and laughter.

Berkshire Theatre Group has announced Tony Award-winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie) has joined the cast as Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner David Auburn will direct BTG's production.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre will present the New England premiere of A Woman of the World by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman from May 15-30.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre will present the New England premiere of Until the Flood by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith from April 17 to May 2 – via video on demand only, according to Nancy L. Donahue Artistic Director Courtney Sale and Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas.

Palm Beach Dramaworks presents Skylight by David Hare Opens February 7 i??at the Don and Ann Brown Theatre.

Shakespeare's tragic tornado of familial and political civil war will take the stage at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction January 22 - February 9. For tickets and information, call (802) 296-7000 or visit northernstage.org. Tickets start at $34 for adults and $19 for students.

Jeannine Kaspar will take over the starring role of Karen Lukoff in MsTRIAL at New World Stages beginning January 3, 2020. The role was originally played by Christine Evangelista who is leaving MsTRIAL to return to shooting a?oeThe Walking Dead.a?? Tickets are $49- $89 and can be purchased by visiting Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200.

The NY debut of MsTRIAL will open this Wednesday December 4 at New World Stages.Starring Christine Evangelista (TV's 'The Arrangement,' 'The Walking Dead,' Film: Bleed For This) with Janie Brookshire (Broadway's The Philanthropist. TV's 'Blue Bloods'), Dep Kirkland (TV's ' Twin Peaks,' 'Law & Order'), Alan Trinca (NY: Friends The Musical Parody. Regional: A Clockwork Orange), Gayle Samuels (Broadway's Children of a Leser God, Sunset Boulevard) with understudies Bill Coyne (NY: L'il Abner) and Jeannine Kaspar (TV: 'The Loudest Voice,' 'Law & Order: SVU').

The NY debut of MsTRIAL announces its cast starring Christine Evangelista (TV's a?oeThe Arrangement,a?? a?oeThe Walking Dead,a?? Film: Bleed For This) with Janie Brookshire (Broadway's The Philanthropist. TV's a??Blue Bloodsa??), Dep Kirkland (TV's a?oe Twin Peaks,a?? a?oeLaw & Ordera??), Alan Trinca (NY: Friends The Musical Parody. Regional:  A Clockwork Orange), Gayle Samuels (Broadway's Children of a Leser God, Sunset Boulevard) with understudies Bill Coyne (NY: L'il Abner) and Jeannine Kaspar (TV: a?oeThe Loudest Voice,a?? a?oeLaw & Order: SVUa??). 

The NY debut of MsTRIAL announces its cast starring Christine Evangelista (TV's a?oeThe Arrangement,a?? a?oeThe Walking Dead,a?? Film: Bleed For This) with Janie Brookshire (Broadway's The Philanthropist. TV's a??Blue Bloodsa??), Dep Kirkland (TV's a?oe Twin Peaks,a?? a?oeLaw & Ordera??), Alan Trinca (NY: Friends The Musical Parody. Regional: A Clockwork Orange), Gayle Samuels (Broadway's Children of a Leser God, Sunset Boulevard) with understudies Bill Coyne (NY: L'il Abner) and Jeannine Kaspar (TV: a?oeThe Loudest Voice,a?? a?oeLaw & Order: SVUa??).

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH is one of two Pulitzer Prize winning plays by Thorton Wilder. Though the other, OUR TOWN, is far better known and far more frequently produced. The title comes from a phrase in the book of Job (19:20) and refers to the commonly used expression: to have escaped by the skin of one's teeth. The biblical reference is rather fitting. Like the bible, this play is meant to express an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material form; a symbolical narrative. Biblical references are woven through this allegorical play that in the course of three acts spans thousands of years of human experience.

The Skin of Our Teeth is now open at Berkshire Theatre Group! What did the critics have to say? Read all the reviews!

The sometimes confusing, amusing, and thought-provoking play premiered in 1942. This production has been freshened up a bit and includes modern references some of which are particularly relevant to the Berkshires. The main characters are George and Maggie Antrobus, their two children, Henry and Gladys, and Sabina, who appears as the family's maid in the first and third acts, and as a beauty queen temptress in the second act. The play's action takes place in a relatively modern setting but is full of anachronisms reaching back to prehistoric times.

While UD Rep Ensemble's general modus operandi is classic plays from the likes of Moliere, Shakespeare and Thornton Wilder, their mission statement includes production of contemporary classics as well. Artistic Director Sandy Robbins is smitten by Theresa Rebeck, a prolific and award-winning American playwright, novelist and television writer.

Sit in a crowded attic room, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You never get to go outside, and during the day you can't make any noise. If you do, monstrous people will find you can take you away to be killed simply because you're different from them. Do this for two years. Now, one last thing, have a positive attitude the entire time. Such is the ordeal Anne Frank, a 13-year-old girl, her family and others had to endure during the German occupation of Amsterdam between 1942 and 1944 and, of course, the subject of one of the most famous accounts during World War II, "The Diary of Anne Frank", currently being presented in play form at Seattle Children's Theatre. But beyond the lovely performances and impactful presentation, hopefully viewers will come away realizing how fortunate we are for the freedoms we still have and how important it is to look out for those that are being marginalized.

Regional theaters are increasingly presenting some of the most significant new plays. Last night one of the most notable of these organizations, Palm Beach Dramaworks was the location of the World Premiere of Lyle Kessler's House on Fire.

Palm Beach Dramaworks presents The World Premiere of Lyle Kessler's House on Fire Opens December 7 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre

Admissions, a brand-new dramedy by playwright Joshua Harmon, provides a timely and realistic view into contemporary upper-middle-class liberalism, with its barbed humor and challenging subject matter.

The Rep is kicking off its 2018-2019 Studio Theatre season with Admissions, Joshua Harmon's 2018 Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Play. Directed by Steven Woolf, it's a biting piece of theatre whose acidic humor goes straight for the throat.

Indiana Repertory Theater closes its season with the slamming of the door, or rather many slamming doors, in Noises Off. I'll admit that farces don't tend to tickle my funny bone, but this one is an exception to the rule. It rises above the general stereotype of mistaken identities and slapstick (though there is plenty of both) by adding another brilliant layer. It is a play within a play, three acts and two intermissions packed with nonstop humor.