Ensemble Studio Theatre News

Samuel French has announced a talented roster of judges for the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (OOB Festival), the nation's premiere short play competition, running from August 5th-10th at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre.

The Berkshire Playwrights Lab, continues its 2014 season of readings of innovative and exciting new plays with a presentation of Jennifer Maisel's Out of Orbit at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA) on July 30 at 7:30 p.m.

As one of the largest theatrical events in the world, The New York International Fringe Festival boasts an impressive roster of world premieres yearly. Of them, Los Angeles native Joshua Metzger's new play Sitting Shiva will see its first three dimensional presentation this August. Christopher Scott will direct the 90 minute play. The Broadway and Regional vet cast includes Eddie Boroevich*, Neal Mayer*, and Jeffery Plunkett*. The Production Stage Manager is Katy Moore*, and the production will be designed by Joan Racho-Jansen. *Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association. Sitting Shiva is an AEA-approved showcase.

It's 1967. Lyndon B. Johnson is in office, Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis have just become an "item," protests against the Vietnam war are going strong - and Judge Francis Biddle, former Attorney General under FDR and Chief Judge at the Nuremburg Trials, is 81 years old. Trying, the award-winning play inspired by the real-life experiences of playwright Joanna McClelland Glass as personal secretary to Biddle during the last year of his life, opens at International City Theatre on Aug. 22, directed by John Henry Davis and starring Tony Abatemarco and Paige Lindsey White.

The love that dare not speak its name becomes exactly that in Bill McMahon's heart-tugging work Cover, a play which examines the fault lines found in even the most committed relationships. Produced by Tony Award-winning producer Jim Kierstead and directed by Paul J. Michael, Cover will be performed today, July 15 at 6pm, Thursday, July 17 at 7:45pm, Saturday, July 26 at 4:15pm, Sunday, July 27 at 7pm, Monday, July 28 at 7:30pm and Tuesday, July 29 at 6pm at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, located at 312 West 36th Street.

Lincoln Center Theater has announced the addition of two new plays to its 2014-2015 season: THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX by Bathsheba Doran, to be directed by Sam Gold, which begins previews Thursday, February 5, and opens on Monday, March 2, at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater; and the LCT3 production of VERITE by Nick Jones, to be directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, beginning Saturday, January 31 through Sunday, March 15, and opening on Wednesday, February 18 at the Claire Tow Theater.

Following a sold out run in New York, US actress, comedian and writer Lucie Pohl takes her show 'Hi, Hitler' directed by Solonova's Jessi D. Hill to 59E59 Theatre before making her Edinburgh Festival debut at the prestigious Gilded Balloon for the month of August. The show runs today, July 10-13, 8:30 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at Theatre C.

What place do values such as teamwork and loyalty have in today`s constantly changing marketplace? Can a middle-aged business owner who clings to these values unite his staff at a weekend retreat and save his small travel agency from the recession? Will a perfectly executed trust fall do the trick?

In 'Voices of Swords' by Kari Floren, the late thirties son of a woman facing heart surgery hires a forty-something personal organizer to minister to his lonely yet indomitable mother. The organizer is already struggling unsuccessfully to reunite her own family. As she is sorely tested by this job, her growing toward the light is an object lesson to Baby Boomers, whose struggles to care for dependent parents are a preoccupation of our age. The comedic drama will be presented August 15 to September 7 by Right Down Broadway Productions at Walkerspace, 46 Walker Street. Eve Brandstein directs a cast of mostly Broadway regulars including Loni Ackerman, Bob Ari, Phillip Christian, Gillien Goll, Michael McKenzie and Celia Schaefer.

Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA), under the artistic direction of Ben Donenberg, returns to the Japanese Garden at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare Campus for the third consecutive summer, with a Los Angeles-centric summer production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet -- directed by Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre alum Kenn Sabberton -- for seventeen performances only, today, July 8 to 26 (press opening July 13).

Following a sold out run in New York, US actress, comedian and writer Lucie Pohl takes her show 'Hi, Hitler' directed by Solonova's Jessi D. Hill to 59E59 Theatre before making her Edinburgh Festival debut at the prestigious Gilded Balloon for the month of August. The show runs July 10-13, 8:30 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at Theatre C.

This week's featured composers are Joe Iconis, Lance Rubin, and Jason SweetTooth Williams whose song 'Spin Those Records' from their new musical Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo! was sung by the legend herself at their concert at 54 Below. You may recognize Annie Golden from the hit TV show 'Orange is the New Black' or from the Original Broadway Cast of HAIR. Today, we are thrilled to share a clip of the song written for Annie by Joe Iconis, Lance Rubin, and Jason SweetTooth Williams!

square product theatre kicks off its 9th Season with the World Premiere of SLAB, adapted by Gleason Bauer and Emily K. Harrison from the forthcoming novel by Mississippi born, Denver-based writer Selah Saterstrom. SLAB will be presented in the ATLAS Black Box theater on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, July 31-August 16, 2014.

New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to present the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of Lucky Me by Robert Caisley, directed by SuzAnne Barabas and starring Dan Grimaldi, Wendy Peace, Michael Irvin Pollard and Mark Light-Orr.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE) Chicago's only Equity theatre devoted to the work of women theatre artists, and Artistic Director Tara Mallen are proud to announce the extension of the Chicago premiere of Courtney Baron's Eat Your Heart Out, directed by Hallie Gordon, through July 12 at Rivendell's performance venue, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. The performance schedule is Today - Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. Please note: there are no performances Friday, July 4 or Saturday, July 5. The running time is approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. Tickets for the extension go on sale Tuesday, June 24 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.RivendellTheatre.org or by phone, 773.334.7728.

Kicking off its 27th Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents Death Tax, by Lucas Hnath, and directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman. Death Tax runs September 2, 2014 - October 12, 2014 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Friday, September 12, 2014 at 7:30 p.m..

What place do values such as teamwork and loyalty have in today`s constantly changing marketplace? Can a middle-aged business owner who clings to these values unite his staff at a weekend retreat and save his small travel agency from the recession? Will a perfectly executed trust fall do the trick?

Bay Street Theater is pleased to announce that the Tony award-winning comedy TRAVESTIES, by Tom Stoppard, is now on stage through July 20. The production is directed by Gregory Boyd. Tickets can be purchased online now at www.baystreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500, 11 am to Showtime. For more information about Bay Street Theater log on to www.baystreet.org.

Off The Beaten Track presents D.B. Gilles "The girl who loved the Beatles,"From Australia to LA, the Australian premiere is coming to the LA Fringe before a NY, London, and Paris tour. Opening June 13th at The Elephant Space. Tickets are $10.00

Nick Gehlfuss (Shameless, The Newsroom), Shawn Hatosy (Southland, Reckless), Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Alicia Witt (Justified, 88 Minutes) are cast in the Geffen Playhouse production of Reasons to Be Pretty, nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play (2009). Helmed by Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Randall Arney, Reasons to Be Pretty will be performed in the Gil Cates Theater July 29 to August 31 with an opening night of August 6.