Doug Wright News

Ten ordinary people. Four sleepless days. One truck. The Williams Street Rep is proud to present the Chicago premiere of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical 'Hands on a Hardbody.'

Playwrights Horizons' world premiere production of GRAND CONCOURSE, a new play by playwright and two-time Obie Award-winning actress Heidi Schreck (author of There Are No More Big Secrets, Creature, Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie'), opens tonight, November 11, 2014.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the return of David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Eric Rosen. This hilarious send-up of David Sedaris' tale of elfin' woe in his brief, misguided career as a Macy's elf, skewers the sentimental love of all things Christmas. This show will feature Brian Sills, who starred in last year's production as Crumpet, the disgruntled Macy's holiday elf. Shanna Jones, whom audiences saw open the production last year as one half of The Shenanigans, will perform holiday musical numbers during the performance. Performances run December 6 through 24 at KC Rep's downtown Copaken Stage in the Power & Light District. Press night is Thursday, December 11, 7pm curtain. This performance, as a work of satire, contains material that might be objectionable to some audiences. Appropriate for ages 16 and up. Past production high resolution photos can be found here.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is proud to announce the Community Choir Program, as part of the upcoming New York premiere of THE EVENTS, written by acclaimed Scottish playwright David Greig.

Playwrights Horizons today announced several major initiatives that will expand the ways in which theater writers are compensated. As a writer's theater dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers and lyricists and to the production of their new work, Playwrights Horizons is committed to establishing new standards in compensation that will directly benefit all of its writers and taking a leadership position in responding to the reality that theater writers are among the lowest-compensated creative artists in America.

New Book from Theatre/Film/Art Publicist Now Available: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER NEWKIRK by Walter Newkirk. Backstage stories about Lena Horne/LENA HORNE: The Lady & Her Music, Sheryl Lee Ralph/ DREAMGIRLS, Grey Gardens The Musical and The Broadway Annies including Sarah Jessica Parker, Andrea McArdle, Shelley Bruce, Alyson Kirk and Alyson Smith are featured in the new book The Secret LIfe of Walter Newkirk.

Ars Nova has announced an additional and final extension of performances for the critically-acclaimed world premiere production Jacuzzi, a new play by Ars Nova's Company-in-Residence The Debate Society, written by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen and directed by Obie Award-winner Oliver Butler. Originally set to play a limited Off-Broadway run through November 1, Jacuzzi recently extended through November 8. Due to high demand, the show has added an additional week of performances and will now play its final performance on Saturday, November 15 at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street). Previews began September 30, with Official Opening Night on October 13.

Luna Theater Company's 13th 'Season of Seduction', commences with the darkly comic QUILLS by Doug Wright, tonight, October 25-November 15; followed by CLOSER by Patrick Marber, January 17 - February 7; and concludes with RASHOMON by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (adapted by Fay & Michael Kanin from the screenplay of Akira Kurosawa), March 21- April 11.

On October 21, Joan and George Hornig hosted the launch of the second season of the Sundance Institute Theatre Club, a series of private dinners in New York for Institute supporters. Guests joined playwright Heidi Schreck for dinner at Chez Josephine before a performance of Schreck's play Grand Concourse at Playwrights Horizons. Schreck's work was supported by the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Scroll down for photos from the event!

?New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) (Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker) is currently accepting applications for the 2015/16 season of its 2050 Fellowship program for emerging playwrights and directors.

Rehearsals begin tomorrow, Tuesday, October 21 for the Playwrights Horizons production of POCATELLO, the world premiere of a new play by Obie, Drama Desk and Lortel awards winner and 2014 MacArthur Foundation 'Genius' grantee Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale at PH, The Few, A Bright New Boise). Directed by Davis McCallum (The Whale at PH, The Few, London Wall, A Bright New Boise, Water by the Spoonful), the play will be the third production of the theater company's 2014/2015 Season.

Sundance Institute today announced the projects and artists that will participate in its two Fall artist development programs: the inaugural Playwrights Studio at Flying Point in Water Mill, NY (October 19-26), as well as the two-week Theatre Lab (November 30 - December 14) for musical theatre, ensemble-generated projects and solo work at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). Under the supervision of Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the initiatives are among the Theatre Program's five annual Labs and Residencies for theatre artists and part of the 24 artist residency labs across many creative disciplines Sundance Institute offers annually.

Previews begin tomorrow, Friday, October 17 at 7:30 PM for the Playwrights Horizons' world premiere production of GRAND CONCOURSE, a new play by playwright and two-time Obie Award-winning actress Heidi Schreck (author of There Are No More Big Secrets, Creature, Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie'). Directed by Kip Fagan (The Revisionist, Asuncion), the play is the second production of the acclaimed theater company's 2014/2015 Season. It follows the critically-acclaimed Bootycandy, a new play written and directed by Robert O'Hara, which concludes its extended run this Sunday evening on the Mainstage.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the Kansas City premiere of Ayad Akhtar's The Who & The What, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre's Artistic Director Eric Rosen. From the 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Disgraced, Ayad Akhtar's play, The Who & The What takes a passionate and searing look at a family divided by faith, bonded by love and searching for truth in contemporary America. A brilliant young Pakistani writer is focused on finishing a controversial novel that bridges the gulf between her modern life and her traditional heritage. But when her conservative father and sister discover her manuscript, they are all forced to confront the beliefs that define then. This production, at KC Rep's downtown Copaken Stage in the Power & Light District, will run tonight, October 17 through November 16.

Ars Nova has announced an additional week of performances for the critically-acclaimed world premiere production Jacuzzi, a new play by Ars Nova's Company-in-Residence The Debate Society, written by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen and directed by Obie Award-winner Oliver Butler. Originally set to play a limited Off-Broadway run through November 1, Jacuzzi will now play through Saturday, November 8 at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street).

Firehouse Theater Company announces its 2014-2015 Season. Details below!

The Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong, New Jersey is proud to open its 2014 - 2015 season with Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID. This production runs today, October 3rd through the 26th.

Today, October 2 at 12:30pm Senior Services of the Chatham's in Chatham, NJ welcomes Walter Newkirk, founder of Walter Newkirk Public Relations LLC and author of memoraBEALEia : A Private Scrapbook about Edie Beale of Grey Gardens for a lecture about Grey Gardens: the critically acclaimed documentary, the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, and the Emmy and Golden Globe winning HBO film film starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. A free screening of the HBO film will be presented followed by a Q&A session with Walter, an expert on all things Grey Gardens.

Tickets for THE INVISIBLE HAND, the second production of the New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) 2014/15 Season, are now on sale at www.nytw.org. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced) and directed by Obie Award-winning director Ken Rus Schmoll (Red Dog Howls),THE INVISIBLE HAND begins previews on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 and officially opens on Monday, December 8, 2014 at New York Theatre Workshop (79 E. 4th Street New York, NY 10003) for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 4, 2015. Cast and creative team will be announced shortly.