James Lapine News

Center Theatre Group has announced that Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles will appear in David Mamet's 'Oleanna', the third production of the Mark Taper season, replacing the previously announced 'Uncle Vanya.' That production was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. Tony-winning Broadway director Doug Hughes will stage 'Oleanna,' which is scheduled to run May 28th through July 12th. Opening night is scheduled June 5th.

Over 300 current and past New York City high school students and the 22 mentors and 5 guest mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation ceremony tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27 at 6:00pm at Professional Performing Arts School (328 West 48 Street).

Wendy Kesselman's 'The Black Monk', which ran Off-Broadway from November 30th, 2008 through January 3rd, 2009, featuring Austin Pendleton, Elon Rutberg, Julie Craig, and Scott Robertson - under the direction of Kevin Newbury and musical direction of Chris Berg (with cellist Arthur Cook), will be making an original cast recording on Monday, May 25th, 2009. The album will be produced/engineered by Grammy Award winner John Kilgore. It will be released online in the fall exclusively on iTunes, and a record deal is pending.

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present An Evening With...William Finn & Friends on Monday, June 15th at 7:00PM at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Bedford Streets.

Previews are now underway at Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) for the New York premiere of Our House, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (The Butterfly Collection and Bad Dates at Playwrights Horizons, Broadway's Mauritius, co-author of Omnium Gatherum). A scathing new comedy that shakes up Reality TV, Our House is the final production of the theater company's 2008/2009 Season.

Over 300 current and past New York City high school students and the 22 mentors and 5 guest mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation ceremony on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:00pm at Professional Performing Arts School (328 West 48 Street). This year has been Open Doors biggest year ever with a total of 27 mentors and guest mentors working with 20 groups of students from New York City high schools, representing all five boroughs.

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Producing Director Richard M. Parison, Jr., presents a workshop of a new play, I Got Sick Then I Got Better by Jenny Allen, directed by James Lapine and Darren Katz, as part of the theater's 15th Anniversary Season. Performances will take place at BSC's Stage 2 space, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 at 8pm, with a Sunday matinee May 17 at 3pm.

The New York Times Company announced today that its first New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award, a prize to honor an American playwright with a recent professional theater debut in New York City, will be awarded to Tarell Alvin McCraney for his play 'The Brothers Size.'

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) is now accepting entries for its popular LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to its next production, the New York premiere of OUR HOUSE, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (The Butterfly Collection and Bad Dates at Playwrights Horizons, Broadway's Mauritius, co-author of Omnium Gatherum). At least 50 tickets will be available via the online lottery.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) is now accepting entries for its popular LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to its next production, the New York premiere of OUR HOUSE, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (The Butterfly Collection and Bad Dates at Playwrights Horizons, Broadway's Mauritius, co-author of Omnium Gatherum). At least 50 tickets will be available via the online lottery.

Rehearsals have begun for David Mamet's 'Oleanna,' which begins previews May 28 and continues through July 12 at the Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum (opening night is Friday, June 5). 'Oleanna' features Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles under the direction of Tony Award-winner Doug Hughes.

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Producing Director Richard M. Parison, Jr., presents a workshop of a new play, I Got Sick Then I Got Better by Jenny Allen, directed by James Lapine and Darren Katz, as part of the theater's 15th Anniversary Season. Performances will take place at BSC's Stage 2 space, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 at 8pm, with a Sunday matinee May 17 at 3pm.

San Jose Repertory Theatre is proud to conclude its 2008-2009 season with the smash hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The Tony® award-winning musical comedy ? one of Broadways most talked about hits ? is in attendance at San Jose Rep. This hilarious tale of six adolescent outsiders vying for the Spelling Bee title is directed by Timothy Near. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee begins previews on May 9, opens on May 15 and closes June 7.

Rehearsals are now underway at Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) for the New York premiere of OUR HOUSE, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (The Butterfly Collection and Bad Dates at Playwrights Horizons, Broadway's Mauritius, co-author of Omnium Gatherum). A scathing new comedy that shakes up Reality TV, OUR HOUSE is the final production of the theater company's 2008/2009 Season.

Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, widely considered the most influential artist working in American musical theater over the past half-century, will visit Indiana University in April at the invitation of IU's Department of Theatre and Drama.

Rick Culbertson, in association with Lynn Marks and Paradox Entertainment, today announced that Divorce! The Musical will have an open-ended run at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd.). The world premiere production, now in its fourth smash month, features music, lyrics and book by 2008 Frederick Loewe Award-winner Erin Kamler (Runway 69 at New Dramatists). Multi award-winning director Rick Sparks (They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?) directs and musical stage this comedy about one couple?s hellish journey to un-tie the knot. Divorce! The Musical also features musical direction and arrangements by Ovation Award-winner David O (Ubu Roi and Jason Robert Brown?s 13).

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) will hold its annual Spring Gala Benefit on Monday evening, April 27th at Guastavino's (409 East 59th Street).

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) will hold its annual Spring Gala Benefit on Monday evening, April 27th at Guastavino's (409 East 59th Street).

In his New York Post column today Friday, April 24th, Michael Riedel writes that the new Stephen Sondheim show 'iSondheim' may have been saved from the 'never been' bin by the Roundabout Theatre Company.

Big Noise Theatre Company, a division of Winnetka Theatre, presents Sunday in the Park with George April 24 through May 17 Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at The Prairie Lakes Theater 515 E. Thacker Street, Des Plaines.