Classic Stage Company News

THE GOD GAFFE, a new play by John William Schiffbauer, will make its world premiere in the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival.

Berkeley Rep has announced the full company for its 2015-16 season opener Amelie, A New Musical, starring award-winning actress Samantha Barks.

"If life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?" Erma Bombeck, the award-winning humorist and syndicated columnist known for her wry and humorous take on family life, is the subject of the newest project from twin-sister journalists and playwrights Allison Engel and Margaret Engel-the world-premiere drama Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End debuting at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. The Engels reunite with director David Esbjornson (Arena Stage's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) following their collaboration on the smash hit Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, which starred Kathleen Turner in its celebrated 2012 run at Arena Stage.

Samuel French has announced the winners of the 2015 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's leading short play competition. The six winning plays were presented in a Showcase on Sunday, August 9th at the conclusion of the week-long festival at the East 13th Street Theater (Classic Stage Company). These plays will be published, and available for licensing by Samuel French in the 40th Annual edition of its Off Off Broadway Plays collection:

Broadway actors Lucas Caleb Rooney, fresh off of a run in Classic Stage Company's production of Doctor Faustus, and Bryce Pinkham, after a run of The Heidi Chronicles and before returning to his Tony-nominated role in the Tony award-winning musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, have recently returned from Madagascar, where they worked to secure a permanent home for their non-profit organization, Zara Aina.  Also joining them in Madagascar was puppeteer, Annie Worden.

For many San Diegans, their ability to understand and appreciate the wonders of the Bard during our Summer Shakespeare Festival has increased exponentially since they joined us for Thinking Shakespeare Live!, a 90-minute exploration of the language of Shakespeare led by Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and assisted by three professional classical actors.

SO YOU'RE HER by Arnold Shelby is one of 30 plays selected from nearly 1,500 submissions as a finalist in the Samuel French's 40th Annual Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (OOB) in New York City this summer.

The 9th Annual Welcome to Boog City Festival -- 5 Days of Poetry, Music, and Theater -- is headed to New York City!

SO YOU'RE HER by Arnold Shelby is one of 30 plays selected from nearly 1,500 submissions as a finalist in the Samuel French's 40th Annual Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (OOB) in New York City this summer.

Duncan Sheik has a busy year ahead of him! Contributing music to The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, which just opened at the Westside Theatre, he now travels to Poughkeepsie to work on his new musical, Noir, at Vassar's 2015 Powerhouse season. Soon after, rehearsals begin for the first Broadway revival of Spring Awakening, and then he starts preparing for the Broadway transfer of his musical version of American Psycho. Below, he updates BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge on his crazy year ahead!

THE WHITE CASTLE by ANDERSON JOHN HEINZ has been selected from nearly 1,500 submissions to be a finalist in the Samuel French's 40h Annual Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (OOB) in New York City this summer. THE WHITE CASTLE is produced by SARA DEVINEY AND SAMUEL FRENCH OFF OFF BROADWAY SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL and will be presented on August 4th at the East 13th Street Theater (Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13th Street, NYC). THE WHITE CASTLE is one of 30 plays presented during the week-long event. At the end of which, Samuel French's editorial staff will select six titles for publication and licensing.

Samuel French presents The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's premier short play competition August 4 - 9 at the East 13th Street Theater (Classic Stage Company). Chosen from over 1,500 submissions (a record breaking number) from the U.S. and abroad, 30 finalist plays, each running 10-30 minutes in length, will be presented. The Sunday, August 9th presentation is the culmination of the week-long festival at which the six winning plays will be presented.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that Greg Reiner will join the NEA as the director of theater and musical theater starting on September 8, 2015. Reiner will manage NEA grantmaking in theater and musical theater and represent the agency to the field. 

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: James Lecesne brings 'ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS' off-Broadway and more!

Six theatre directors will participate in the third Sundance Institute | LUMA Foundation Theatre Directors Retreat in Arles, France, July 31 through August 12. The Retreat is part of the Institute's year-round work with the theatre community and is one of 24 residency Labs the Institute hosts each year for independent artists in theatre, film, new media and episodic content.

Theater with a View is bringing a production of Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker to Pottstown, PA. The play will open tonight, July 23 for an eight-performance run outdoors at Sycamore Hill, the home of Drs. Veronica Covalesky and Nick Leasure, at 481 Ebelhare Road. Directed by Seth Reich, the production features a cast of New York actors.

THE GOD GAFFE, a new play by John William Schiffbauer, will make its world premiere in the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival.

?KKMWJ Productions, are thrilled to announce, TROY RUPTASH (The Real Don Draper' of Madmen), will be making his directorial debut with "SIBLING RIVALRY."

Classical Greek theatre will take over Classic Stage Company when it begins its 2015/2016 season with the inaugural GREEK FESTIVAL!

BEING SEEN, a new play written by Richard Gustin, starring Broadway's William Youmans, will make its world premiere at The New York International Fringe Festival/Fringe NYC. BEING SEEN will be performed at Venue #12/The Underground (64 East 4th Street).