Derrick Sanders News

2015-16 McKnight Theater Artist Fellows Aimee K. Bryant and James A. Williams will present selections from theatrical works in progress on June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Southern Theater. Advance reservations for this free event are strongly recommended and can be made at pwcenter.org, info@pwcenter.org or 612-332-7481. The Southern Theater is located at 1420 South Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.

Chicago Public School student Ireon Roach was awarded first place in the National August WilsonMonologue Competition, which was held May 2, 2016, at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway in New York City. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the special night below!

Chicago Public School student Ireon Roach was awarded first place in the National August Wilson Monologue Competition, which was held May 2, 2016, at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway in New York City.

Center Stage announces a 2016/17 homecoming season featuring four mainstage shows and a return to its Baltimore building after a year-long $28 million renovation. Season highlights include a world-premiere adaptation and Center Stage commission of Toni Morrison's Jazz directed by Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, two Baltimore premieres and the grand opening of the new building.

The League of Chicago Theatres, Goodman Theatre, the University of Illinois at Chicago and competition organizer Derrick Sanders announce the top three Chicago finalists for the 7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition: Ireon Roach from Nicholas Senn High School (first place, performed Ruby, King Hedley II), Danielle Chmielewski from Lincoln Park High School (second place, performed Tonya, King Hedley II) and Tevion Devin Lanier from Nicholas Senn High School (third place, performed Becker, Jitney).

Twenty-one Chicago high school students will perform in the August Wilson Monologue Competition Finals on Monday, March 7, 2015 at 6:00 pm at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. for a chance to represent Chicago in the National Competition in New York City. Judges for this years' competition include Narda Alcorn, Equity Stage Manager on many August Wilson productions, playwright Lydia Diamond and actor Allen Gilmore, who has performed in numerous August Wilson plays.

The League of Chicago Theatres and the Gene Siskel Film Center will present a screening of MY AMERICA, TOO (Taking Theater to the Streets) followed by a panel discussion hosted by Chicago director by Derrick Sanders. This collection of short films, commissioned by Baltimore's Center Stage Theatre, will be presented at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. in Chicago, today, February 20 at 12 p.m.

The League of Chicago Theatres and the Gene Siskel Film Center will present a screening of MY AMERICA, TOO (Taking Theater to the Streets) followed by a panel discussion hosted by Chicago director by Derrick Sanders. This collection of short films, commissioned by Baltimore's Center Stage Theatre, will be presented at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. in Chicago, on Saturday, February 20 at 12 p.m.

American Players Theatre (APT) announces its 37th Summer Festival Season, June 3 - October 16, 2016, a diverse lineup of eight classical and contemporary plays in repertory that includes the return and work of two visiting Chicago directors: Derrick Sanders, founding Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre Company directing The African Company Presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown in APT's intimate 200-seat Touchstone Theatre; and Jeff Award winner William Brown taking on William Shakespeare's King Lear in APT's flagship 1140-seat outdoor amphitheater on the Hill.

Happy Holidays! It's the last week to vote for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Madison Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 18. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31!

Time is running out to vote for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Madison Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 18. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31!

Voting is fully underway for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Madison Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 11. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.

Voting has opened for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Madison Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of November 27th. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.

Voting has opened for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Madison Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of November 27th. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.

American Players Theatre (APT) is excited to announce its 37th season, which will run June 4 to October 16, 2016. In APT's flagship outdoor amphitheater, William Shakespeare will bookend the Hill season with The Comedy of Errors and King Lear. Also playing on the Hill: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard.

I don't often stay for the post show discussion. Ordinarily, the show stands on its own and I am content with that. Every once in a while, however, a show stirs something within me that insists I stay to hear what the cast or the directors have to say. American Players Theatre's latest production of Athol Fugard's The Island is one such show.

n a tribute to Athol Fugard and his 1973 Tony and Drama Desk Critic Award winning play, American Players Theatre in their Touchstone Theater stages The Island. When first produced by Fugard in South Africa, the play attempted collaboration between the black and white actors and/or prisoners in a theatrical protest agianst the country's injust apartheid policies. The original actors and co-writers, John Kani and Winston Nishona, were actually imprisoned on South Africa's Robben Island where the country's eventual preseident Nelson Mandela spent more than 25 years. During this period in time, even the name Robben Island was prohibited from being spoken outloud.

American Players Theatre (APT) will launch its 36th Season tonight, June 6, 2015 with a preview performance of William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. The performance begins at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are still available.