David S. Leong News

The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University has announced its 2014 Humanities events. The events, produced in tandem with CATF's July 11-August 3 repertory season, will feature playwrights Christina Anderson, Charles Fuller (winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Thomas Gibbons, Bruce Graham, and Chisa Hutchinson; CATF will also host guest speakers Miranda Petersen (Protect Our Defenders Foundation), Bruce Duncan and the Bina48 Artificial Intelligence unit (Terasem Movement Foundation), Theresa M. Davis (University of Virginia), Dr. Julia Sandy-Bailey (Shepherd University), and David Leong (Theatre VCU).

Tracy Letts's script is brought to life by a small, intimate cast sprinkled with local performers.

Arena Stage presents Charles Ludlam's comic masterpiece The Mystery of Irma Vep. This clever, quick-change marathon ransacks literary, cinematic and pop culture as it satirizes everything from Hitchcock's Rebecca and classic horror film The Mummy's Curse to Wuthering Heights and Shakespeare. Arena Stage is excited to welcome back Brad Oscar (Broadway's Spamalot and The Producers, Arena's Cabaret and Damn Yankees) and J. Fred Shiffman (The Arthur Miller Festival, She Loves Me, Cabaret) as they portray all of the characters--men, women and monsters--in this gender-bending 'tour de force.' The Mystery of Irma Vep runs June 6 - July 13 at Arena Stage in Crystal City. The press opening performance is Thursday, June 12 at 8:00 p.m.