Edward Albee News

The award-winning actor PETER FRANCIS JAMES ('Stuff Happens') has joined the cast of PROPHECY, Karen Malpede's play which will begin previews Off-Broadway on May 29 prior to an official press opening on June 8 at the East Fourth Street Theatre (83 E. 4 St.) in Manhattan.

Previews begin Wednesday, June 2 for the Lincoln Center Theater production of A. R. Gurney's new play, THE GRAND MANNER., directed by Mark Lamos, at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 W. 65 Street). Kate Burton, Boyd Gaines, Bobby Steggert and Brenda Wehle comprise the four character cast of its world premiere production which will open on Sunday, June 27.

Two River Theater Co. has decided-due to popular demand-to extend their run of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin. The show will now run until June 13, 2010.

Celebrities join singles in THE FIX-UP SHOW, hosted by J. Keith van Straaten. Real celebrities. Real singles. Real fun.

The celebrated, award-winning actors Kathleen Chalfant, André De Shields, and George Bartenieff will be joined by Brendan Donaldson and Najla Said ('Palestine') in the U.S. premiere of Karen Malpede's new play PROPHECY, beginning previews May 27 prior to an official press opening on June 4, 2010 at East Fourth Street Theatre (83 E. 4 St.) in Manhattan.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater has announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Little Doc, written by award-winning filmmaker Dan Klores and directed by John Gould Rubin. Opening the company's 16th Season, performances of Little Doc will begin Friday, June 11 at Rattlestick Theatre (224 Waverly Place). The official opening night is set for Thursday, June 17. The production is scheduled to run through July 18.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce a two week extension of the American premiere production of Olivier Award nominee Moira Buffini's play GABRIEL, which will now play through Sunday, June 20, 2010 Off Broadway at Atlantic's Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street).

On Sunday, May 23, the Drama Desk Association hosted the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Former Drama Desk Award winner Patti LuPone hosted the ceremony, which honored the best of Broadway and off in the 2009-2010 season. BroadwayWorld.com provided live coverage on the site throughout the ceremony and was also present in the audience to capture the best of the evening.

Final casting is announced for the special one-night-only reading of Stan Richardson's VERITAS to benefit Lambda Legal. Two new cast members - Chase Peacock (Broadway: American Idiot, Papermill: High School Musical) and Chad Hoeppner (Broadway: Come Back Little Sheba, Butley) join Matt Doyle (Broadway: Spring Awakening, Bye Bye Birdie), Tate Ellington (Broadway: The Philanthropist; Film: Remember Me), Eric Nelson (Broadway: 13), Mitch Dean (Altar Boyz), Blake Daniel (Broadway: Spring Awakening), Matt Steiner (The Acting Company's Jane Eyre), Wayne Wilcox (Broadway: Coram Boy, TV: Gilmore Girls), and Christian Coulson (Film: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).

Casting is complete for the special May 25 one-night-only reading of Stan Richardson's VERITAS to benefit Lambda Legal, directed by Ryan J. Davis.

Glenn Close, Richard Gere, Carey Lowell, Edie Falco, Christopher Meloni, Isaac Mizrahi, Lynn Redgrave, Edward Albee, Greg Louganis, Richard Belzer, and Cindy Adams are among the many celebrities that are featured in Docurama Film's My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story, directed by Mark St. Germain. The film is set to be released on DVD on May 25.

Here are the winners of the 2010 Drama Desk Awards... Outstanding Play: Alan Ayckbourn, My Wonderful Day Annie Baker, Circle Mirror Transformation Lucinda Coxon, Happy Now? **John Logan, Red ** WINNER Geoffrey Nauffts, Next Fall Bruce Norris, Clybourne Park Outstanding Musical:

Know Theatre of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Fringe Festival is proud to announce The 2010 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. The 7th annual festival is scheduled to kick-off June 1st with CityBeat's official Fringe Kick-off Party. The festival will continue through June 12th with 29 productions and more than 170 artists.

Last night, May 23, the Drama Desk Association hosted the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Former Drama Desk Award winner Patti LuPone hosted the ceremony, which honored the best of Broadway and off in the 2009-2010 season. BroadwayWorld.com provided live coverage on the site throughout the ceremony and was on hand at the event to capture the starry arrivals.

The DIARY 21 PROJECT - an Arts-In-Education collaboration of Vineyard Theatre, Young Playwrights Inc., and The Anne Frank Center USA designed to teach students literacy and tolerance through the arts, using Anne Frank's diary and legacy as inspiration - presents the benefit performance ARE WE WRITING LOUD ENOUGH? featuring selections from new plays by students of Washington Irving High School and Lab School for Collaborative Studies and performed by the Vineyard Theatre Student Company, on Monday, May 24 at 7:00pm at Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) in Manhattan.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced that Kate Burton, Boyd Gaines, Bobby Steggert and Brenda Wehle will comprise the four character cast of its world premiere production of A. R. Gurney's new play, THE GRAND MANNER.

New Georges (Susan Bernfield, Artistic Director; Sarah Cameron Sunde, Associate Director), the OBIE Award-winning downtown theater company founded in 1992, and New Feet Productions will present the world premiere of Emily DeVoti's thought-provoking new play 'MILK,' directed by Jessica Bauman.

The Canadian Stage Company's Festival of Ideas & Creation returns May 10 - 22 to the Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto.

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, the Signature Theatre Company's 2010-2011 season will celebrate Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner. The season's first two productions include Parts 1 and 2 of the first New York revival of ANGELS IN AMERICA: A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES, directed by Michael Greif; the New York premiere of iHo: THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, also directed by Michael Greif and co-produced with The Public Theater; and THE ILLUSION, Kushner's freely adapted version of Pierre Corneille's L'Illusion Comique, directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer.

The SIS Company of Tokyo will present Edward Albee's A HOME AT THE ZOO next month. The production will be directed by renowned stage performer Tetsuya Chiba. It will star Shinichi Tsutsumi, Kyoko Koizumi, and Nao Omori, all well-known in Tokyo for their work in television, film, and stage projects. Opening night is set for June 17, and the production is scheduled to run through July 19 at Theatre Tram, a short distance from the Sangenjaya Station (Denen-toshi or Setagaya lines). Tickets are priced at ¥7,000. For more information, please call the SIS Company at (03) 5423-5906, or visit www.siscompany.com.