Ensemble Studio Theatre News

American Lyric Theater presents the first public libretto reading for the 2013-2014 season as part of its popular series, The Living Libretto, at the National Opera Center today, October 16th, 2013. Featuring guest actors from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, each event is the culminating reading of an extensive libretto workshop conducted for new operas being written by ALT Resident Artists under the auspices of the company's Composer Librettist Development Program.

UglyRhino Productions will present TinyRhino: Horror Movie Edition on Tuesday, October 29th at 8 p.m. Come celebrate Halloween with six spooky new plays by up and coming playwrights and directors that pay homage to the classic horror movie genre.

Colt Coeur's Play Hotel reading series will present staged readings of two plays: a boy put this girl in a cage with a dog and the dog killed the girl by Clare Barron andUmma Lappa Soon by Claire Kiechel on Monday, October 28th at 6pm (Barron play) & 8pm (Kiechel play) in the Bernie B. Jacobs room of the Sardi's building at 234 W. 44th Street, in Times Square.

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are delighted to announce that Lucas Hnath's new play, The Christians, will receive its world premiere at Actors Theatre during the 38th Humana Festival of New American Plays. The Christians, which was commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville, will be directed by Les Waters and performed in the Pamela Brown Auditorium. The production will begin previews on March 4, open on March 6 and run through April 6, 2014.

The Civilians, the award-winning New York-based theatre company, announces the members of its 2013-14 R & D Group. The group's emerging and established artists were selected from over one hundred applicants. The R & D Group is comprised of artists from multiple theatrical disciplines. Each artist or creative team will develop an original work over the season. The artists and projects were selected to represent a range of different strategies for making new work from creative inquiry and research. This diversity of approach helps feed a culture of innovation in the group, making the R & D Group an effective lab of experimentation for the field of investigative theater.

Manhattan Theatre Club has announced full casting for the American premiere of Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly and directed by Erica Schmidt. Joining previously announced cast members Reed Birney (Blasted, Our Leading Lady), Kristen Bush (Kin, The Common Pursuit), Tony nominee Amelia Campbell (A Streetcar Named Desire, Our Country's Good) and Margaret Colin (The Columnist, 'Gossip Girl'), are Francois Battiste (Magic/ Bird), Michael Crane (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson off-Broadway), Ethan Phillips (Golden Age) and Zach Shaffer ('Smash').

IATI Theater has announced the World Premiere of Light of Night, written by Cecilia Copeland and directed by Mariana Carreño King. Light of Night will run for only 12 performances at IATI Theater (64 East 4th Street). Performances begin tonight, October 10th and continue through Sunday, October 27th. All performances will be in English.

For VC's 12th Season, 'NYC's Best Army of Geeks' brings its critically acclaimed show, ALICE IN SLASHERLAND, back to NYC! Now featuring an updated script, new fights, new special FX, and introducing VC's own Robert Ross Parker in the role of Edgar the Demonic Bear! This Halloween, come party with the Geeks for Vampire Cowboys Alice in Slasherland. Written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Robert Ross Parker, the show will feature: Tom Myers, Eugene Oh, Robert Ross Parker, Nicky Schmidlein, Bonnie Sherman and Emily Williams. The show runs October 24 - November 2, 2013.

Ego Actus and Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC) present the US Premiere of NORWAY PLAYS: DRAMA BEYOND IBSEN. The evening features two 70-minute one act plays by contemporary Norwegian playwrights, both of whom have won the prestigious Ibsen Award: THE RETURNING by Fredrik Brattberg (directed by Henning Hegland) and MORE by Maria Tryti Vennerod (directed by Joan Kane). Previews of this limited Off-Broadway engagement begin November 9 at Theater For The New City with opening is slated for November 13.

Carla Ching's new play is a theatrical crime caper that's fast, funny, dark and dangerous. Fast Company is the first of the four world premieres on the Julianne Argyros stage during South Coast Repertory's 50th season. The show runs today, Oct. 6-27.

American Lyric Theater presents the first public libretto reading for the 2013-2014 season as part of its popular series, The Living Libretto, at the National Opera Center on Wednesday, October 16th, 2013. Featuring guest actors from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, each event is the culminating reading of an extensive libretto workshop conducted for new operas being written by ALT Resident Artists under the auspices of the company's Composer Librettist Development Program.

Ensemble Studio Theatre Artistic Director William Carden has chosen a comic, mythic elevation of the gritty subculture of American cockfighting by a 25-year-old playwright to open the Ensemble Studio Theatre's 46th season.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust today announced it will honor playwrights Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph at the Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright 'Mimi' Awards on Monday, November 18, 2013 at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York. The 'Mimi' Awards are presented biennially to honor the accomplishments of some of the most gifted up-and-coming American playwrights and to recognize the promise they hold for the future of American theater.

IATI Theater has announced the World Premiere of Light of Night, written by Cecilia Copeland and directed by Mariana Carreño King. Light of Night will run for only 12 performances at IATI Theater (64 East 4th Street). Performances begin Tuesday, October 10th and continue through Sunday, October 27th. All performances will be in English.

The Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning Ma-Yi Theater Company -- one of the nation's leading theaters dedicated to developing and producing new and innovative plays by Asian American writers -- will celebrate its 25th anniversary season in 2013-14, beginning with the New York premiere of Bike America by Mike Lew, with its official opening night tonight, October 1 Off-Broadway at The Theater at St. Clement's (423 W. 46 St.) in Manhattan.

IATI Theater is pleased to announce the World Premiere of Light of Night, written by Cecilia Copeland and directed by Mariana Carreño King. Light of Night will run for only 12 performances at IATI Theater (64 East 4th Street). Performances begin Tuesday, October 10th and continue through Sunday, October 27th. All performances will be in English.

Three Day Hangover gets all romantic with R+J: Star-Cross'd Death Match, their next Shakespeare drinking theatrical extravaganza performed in a bar with audience participation and booze. Lori Wolter Hudson directs a cast of ten, including Nick Mills* (The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, The Steadfast) as Romeo and Suzy Jane Hunt* (Broadway's Dead Accounts, rogerandtom) as Juliet, with Matt Bradley*, Garrett Deagon, Grace Gealey*, David Hudson*, Paul Kite*, Jenna Panther*, Brendan Spieth*, and Titus Tompkins*. Six performances will be staged at Harley's Smokeshack (Midtown), 356 West 44th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10036 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm from today, September 25-October 4, 2013.

The Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning Ma-Yi Theater Company -- one of the nation's leading theaters dedicated to developing and producing new and innovative plays by Asian American writers -- will celebrate its 25th anniversary season in 2013-14, beginning with the New York premiere of Bike America by Mike Lew, with previews tonight, September 24 prior to an official opening night on October 1 Off-Broadway at The Theater at St. Clement's (423 W. 46 St.) in Manhattan.