Chris Durang News

McCarter Theatre Center is a recipient of an Art Works grant of $35,000 to aupport the McCarter LAB, a year-round creative incubator that provides key support to writers at all stages of their careers, cultivating meaningful artistic relationships and original works for McCarter's main stages and future co-productions. National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $30 million in grants as part of the NEA's first major 2017 funding announcement.

Audiences first became aware of Jaston Williams as half of the citizens of Tuna, Texas with the debut of Greater Tuna in 1982. The saga continued with A Tuna Christmas, Red, White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas. The plays have been performed on and off Broadway at the Kennedy Center, the Edinburgh International Arts Festival, the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. and all over America. He has received Washington DC's Helen Hayes Award nominations for A Tuna Christmas and Red, White and Tuna as well as the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Award for Greater Tuna. He also received the L.A. Dramalogue Award for both Greater Tuna and A Tuna Christmas. A Tuna Christmas was published in 'Best Plays of 1995.' For several years, Jaston toured in Larry Shue's The Foreigner, for which he received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actor. He performed in The Fantasticks at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre and directed the musical Bad Girls Upset By The Truth at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. A recipient of the Texas Governors Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts by a Native Texan he performed at the White House on three occasions. His hometown of Austin, Texas has seen him perform at the State Theatre in Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs and at Zachary Scott Theatre in Jay Presson Allen's Tru, for which he received the Austin Critics Table Award for Best Actor in a drama. He has appeared at Zach Theatre in The Laramie Project and next month is joining their production of A Christmas Carol as Scrooge. His play, Romeo and Thorazine, work-shopped at Zach in November 2001. He work-shopped his autobiographical one-man show I'm Not Lying to critical acclaim at the State Theatre and returned it there for a full production in February of 2004 as well as a benefit performance at Washington DC's Kennedy Center. His autobiographical play Cowboy Noises premiered in Austin in February 2008 to critical acclaim. Broadway World recently sat down with Jaston for a Q & A session during the run of his latest play A WOLVERINE WALKS INTO A BAR.

Broadwayworld.com interviewed Leslie Ayvazian who wrote Out of the City, now showing at Passage Theatre Company in Trenton. Directed by Murphy Davis, Ayvazian also plays Carol in the show.

For one night only, award winning playwright Christopher Durang will reunite with singing group Dawne at Feinstein's/54 Below.

International City Theatre presents a send-up of Chekhov's plays that is so completely hilarious, it doesn't even matter if you think Chekhov is just the name of that Russian guy on Star Trek. Mary Jo DuPrey helms a new production of the deliciously wacky, Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang for a June 10 opening, with two low-priced previews taking place on June 8 and June 9.

James Houghton, Richard Rodgers Director ofJuilliard's Drama Division, announced today that Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire will join Marsha Normanas new co-director of Juilliard's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program, beginning in the fall 2016 semester. Mr. Lindsay-Abaire, an alumnus of the program, will succeed Christopher Durang, who has served as co-director of the program with Ms. Norman since 1994.

The Old Globe opens its 2015-2016 Season with IN YOUR ARMS, a World Premiere dance-theatre musical featuring direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Godspell, Lincoln Center Theater's The King and I and South Pacific) and original music by Tony Award winner Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island; two-time Oscar nominee for Anastasia). The production begins tonight, September 16, with an opening slated for September 24, and runs through October 25, 2015.

Among them, the company can claim 18 Tony Awards, 4 Pulitzer Prizes, 6 Pulitzer finalist distinctions, 3 Emmy Awards, and 2 Academy Awards; to list all their honors would take several pages.

Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) announces Bucks County's own John Augustine to return (The Hummingbird's Tour, 2014, Director) to the Bucks County Playhouse stage as 'Larry' in Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY, running May 29-June 21. Augustine will play alongside Broadway's Candy Buckley (Scandalous, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cabaret) as 'Joanne'.

The Northwest Actors Lab and Bainbridge Performing Arts join forces in January to present the 5th Annual ONE ACT FESTIVAL. The festival showcases the very best talent Bainbridge has to offer in a selection of short comedies by renowned playwrights, along with several pieces written by our own talented scribes.

The Geffen Playhouse presents the West Coast premiere of Choir Boy. This new production -- featuring gospel music -- will highlight several performers from the Manhattan Theatre Club run. Nicholas L. Ashe and Grantham Coleman will join the previously announced Jeremy Pope.

The Geffen Playhouse announces the complete cast for the West Coast premiere of Choir Boy. This new production -- featuring gospel music -- will highlight several performers from the Manhattan Theatre Club run. Nicholas L. Ashe and Grantham Coleman will join the previously announced Jeremy Pope.

Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will feature Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

The Old Globe presents Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning farce Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, which will include Candy Buckley as Masha, Marcia DeBonis as Sonia, Tyler Lansing Weaks as Spike, Allison Layman as Nina, Martin Moran as Vanya, and Haneefah Wood as Cassandra. Jessica Stone will direct, based on the Tony-nominated Broadway direction of Old Globe Associate Artist Nicholas Martin, whose loss on April 30 devastated the theatre world*. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will run today, May 17 - June 22, 2014 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run tonight, May 17 through the 21st. Opening night is May 22 at 8:00 p.m.

The Old Globe today announced the cast of Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning farce Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, which will include Candy Buckley as Masha, Marcia DeBonis as Sonia, Tyler Lansing Weaks as Spike, Allison Layman as Nina, Martin Moran as Vanya, and Haneefah Wood as Cassandra.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for recent Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Appearing in titles roles are Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

Today, Artistic Director Robert Falls announces that his longtime associate, Producer Steve Scott, will direct Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning, 'deliriously funny, hilariously demented' Broadway hit, in Spring 2015 (dates TBA). A loving send-up of Chekhov's greatest works, Vanya makes its Chicago premiere in the Albert Theatre as part of the Subscription series in the theater's 90th Anniversary 'Season to Celebrate.' (One play is TBA.)

Parson's Nose Theater (PNT) presents Anton Chekhov's masterpiece with their usual comedic twist in this weekend's Readers' Theater Series production of The Seagull: A Tragicomedy.