Jessi D. Hill News

59E59 Theaters announces the 2014 line up for the annual EAST TO EDINBURGH festival, beginning on Tuesday, July 8 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 27. The performance schedule varies.

terraNOVA Collective has announced the 2014 Groundworks New Play Series at Cherry Lane Studio this June. The 2014 Groundworks New Play Series features the 6 new plays developed through the 2014 Groundbreakers Playwrights Group, and 2 new soloNOVA ARTS Workshops. This year's playwrights work has been produced or developed with numerous prestigious theatres including The Public, Joe's Pub, New York Theatre Workshop, The Old Vic, Roundabout Theatre Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Edward F. Albee Foundation, Sundance Theatre Lab and Lincoln Center.

Casting has been announced for the 2014 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity Gala 'One Acts for a Cause' set to take place on Sunday, June 22 at 7:30pm at the East 13th Street Theater (136 East 13th Street).The evening, which will benefit the non-profit NYC food services agency City Harvest, will feature Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter)?, three-time Tony Award nominee Mary Beth Hurt (Crimes of the Heart, films The World According to Garp & The Age of Innocence), Caissie Levy (currently starring as Fantine in LES MISERABLES), Phoebe Strole (Spring Awakening, Glee), Jonathan Walker (Rocky, The Assembled Parties), Eric Lenox Abrams (All The Way), Kellie Overbey (The Coast of Utopia) Tina Benko (Irena's Vow, Top Girls) & Andrew Garman (Salome with Al Pacino), Obie Award-winners Russell G. Jones (Ruined) & ?Eisa Davis (Sustained Excellence, Passing Strange), and Courtney Thomas (Eve Ensler's Emotional Creature), Jon Norman Schneider (The Architecture of Being) and Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Ruined, Chappelle's Show).

The Wild Root Company, a New York City-based production endeavor committed to the development of new work from emerging playwrights and screenwriters, will present two industry readings of rising playwright Jonathan Kravetz's hysterical farce The Beast in My Pants. The readings will be held today, April 17, 2014 at 3:00 and 8:00 pm at The Creative Center at Manhattan Theatre Club. Jessi D. Hill (Associate Artistic Director of terraNOVA Collective) will direct. Sean Hudock will produce the readings.

The Wild Root Company, a New York City-based production endeavor committed to the development of new work from emerging playwrights and screenwriters, will present two industry readings of rising playwright Jonathan Kravetz's hysterical farce The Beast in My Pants. The readings will be held on Thursday April 17, 2014 at 3:00 and 8:00 pm at The Creative Center at Manhattan Theatre Club. Jessi D. Hill (Associate Artistic Director of terraNOVA Collective) will direct. Sean Hudock will produce the readings.

Creative teams have been announced for the 2014 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity Gala 'One Acts for a Cause' set to take place on Sunday, June 22 at 7:30pm at the East 13th Street Theater (136 East 13th Street). The evening, which will benefit the non-profit NYC food services agency City Harvest, will showcase world premiere one-act plays by four acclaimed playwrights: Obie Award-winner Israel Horovitz's St Anne's Soup which will be directed by Planet Connections Festivity founder and Co-Artistic Director Glory Kadigan (Neil LaBute world premieres Over the River at The Signature, Two Minute Warning), Wendy MacLeod's Community Service which will be directed by Lucille Lortel nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God), Snap! by Winter Miller which will be directed by Jessi D. Hill (Associate Artistic Director at terraNOVA Collective) & Eric Ehn and the Tenderloin Opera Company's Frail/Ingilin which will be directed by Mia Rovegno (Good Goods, Exquisite Corpse). Casting will be announced in May.

After winning the FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award and Best Production at Prague Fringe Festival, HUMAN FRUIT BOWL makes the leap to Off-Broadway. This acclaimed portrait of live nude modeling is written by Andrea Kuchlewska, performed by Harmony Stempel, and directed by Jessi D. Hill. Presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center in association with terraNOVA Collective & soloNOVA Arts, performances of this limited engagement begin tonight, March 27 at the Rose Nagelberg Theater. Opening night is March 30.

After winning the FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award and Best Production at Prague Fringe Festival, HUMAN FRUIT BOWL makes the leap to Off-Broadway. This acclaimed portrait of live nude modeling is written by Andrea Kuchlewska, performed by Harmony Stempel, and directed by Jessi D. Hill. Presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center in association with terraNOVA Collective & soloNOVA Arts, performances of this limited engagement begin March 27 at the Rose Nagelberg Theater. Opening night is March 30.

After winning the FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award and Best Production at Prague Fringe Festival, HUMAN FRUIT BOWL makes the leap to Off-Broadway. This acclaimed portrait of live nude modeling is written by Andrea Kuchlewska, performed by Harmony Stempel, and directed by Jessi D. Hill. Presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center in association with terraNOVA Collective & soloNOVA Arts, performances of this limited engagement begin March 27 at the Rose Nagelberg Theater. Opening night is March 30.

After winning the FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award and the Creative Award for Best Production at Prague Fringe Festival, HUMAN FRUIT BOWL makes the leap to Off-Broadway. This acclaimed portrait of live nude modeling is written by Andrea Kuchlewska, performed by Harmony Stempel, and directed by Jessi D. Hill. Presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center in association with terraNOVA Collective & soloNOVA Arts, performances of this limited engagement begin previews March 27 at The Rose Nagelberg Theater. Opening night is slated for March 30.

terraNOVA Collective has announced the six talented playwrights selected, from a record-breaking number of submissions, for the 2014 Groundbreakers Playwrights Group, a unique playwriting intensive for these individuals to collaborate and cultivate work, meeting once a week for 18 weeks. The artists are ALEXANDRA COLLIER (We Play for the Gods), STEVE DiUBALDO (Coyote and the Origin of Death), SUKARI JONES (The River Is Me), BOO KILLEBREW (co-founder of CollaborationTown), JORDAN SEAVEY (co-Artistic Director CollaborationTown), and MFONISO UDOFIA (2013 Sundance Theatre Lab Resident Playwright and a 2013 Summer Yale Resident).

The One-Minute Play Festival and New Georges have created a dynamic partnership for The 1st George Sand Invitational One-minute Play Festival with part of the proceeds to benefit New Georges' indispensable workspace for women theater artists: The Room.

After a sold-out run in September, The Sister Rosettas are back with five more performances. A revival of the rock/pop-punk/cabaret music of world touring MING DYNASTY, last seen on City Stages in 2009 alongside Diana Ross, Ben Harper, and Al Green, now brings new front woman Diana Oh and bassist/songwriter Philippe Arman to the stage. The story of how this new collaboration was formed fuses old songs and new and is led by veterans Eric Miranda, Kole Smith and Matt Harrington.

After a sold-out run in September, The Sister Rosettas are back with five more performances. A revival of the rock/pop-punk/cabaret music of world touring MING DYNASTY, last seen on City Stages in 2009 alongside Diana Ross, Ben Harper, and Al Green, now brings new front woman Diana Oh and bassist/songwriter Philippe Arman to the stage. The story of how this new collaboration was formed fuses old songs and new and is led by veterans Eric Miranda, Kole Smith and Matt Harrington.

terraNOVA Collective, 2013 Caffe Cino Award Recipient from the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, and Producing Artistic Director, Jennifer Conley Darling are excited to announce terraNOVA Rx, a unique prescription for your health, four exciting shows playing in repertory as part of their 11th Season. terraNOVA Rx is an extension of terraNOVA's Groundbreakers Playwrights Group which is entering its 5th year. terraNOVA Rx includes TRANQUIL by Andrew Rosendorf, directed by Lucie Tiberghien; WINK by Jen Silverman, directed by Jessi D. Hill; DEATH FOR SYDNEY BLACK by Leah Nanako Winkler, directed by Kip Fagan; and the final production will be ANIMALS COMMIT SUICIDE by J. Julian Christopher, directed by Jose Zayas. terraNOVA RX will play November 6th through December 15th, 2013 at IRT Theater (located in the Archive Building at 154 Christopher St, New York).

The Flying Carpet Theatre (FCT) presents the New York premiere of THE MEDICINE SHOWDOWN, a new play by Topher Payne and Adam Koplan that interweaves a traditional story (inspired by Henrik Ibsen's classic 'Enemy of the People') with scenes from a turn-of-the-century medicine show, complete with tap dance, old time melodrama, country music and vaudevillian comedy. THE MEDICINE SHOWDOWN begins performances October 12 prior to an official press opening of October 16 at the East 4th Street Theatre (83 East 4th Street - btw. Bowery and Second Avenue) in Manhattan.

IRT Theater has announced its current and upcoming shows, now through October 2013. Details below!

Great Pretender Productions is proud to bring Hi, Hitler - A comedic solo show by Lucie Pohl to NYC performances at the 2013 Women atWork Festival (October 2), Emerging Artist Theater One Woman Standing (October 9), 2013 EstroGenius Sola Voce Festival (October 23) and theDixon Place Mainstage Series (October 25).

The Flying Carpet Theatre (FCT) presents the New York premiere of THE MEDICINE SHOWDOWN, a new play by Topher Payne and Adam Koplan that interweaves a traditional story (inspired by Henrik Ibsen's classic "Enemy of the People") with scenes from a turn-of-the-century medicine show, complete with tap dance, old time melodrama, country music and vaudevillian comedy. THE MEDICINE SHOWDOWN begins performances October 12 prior to an official press opening of October 16 at the East 4th Street Theatre (83 East 4th Street - btw. Bowery and Second Avenue) in Manhattan.

The music of legendary Asian rock group, Ming Dynasty, is revived in The Sister Rosettas, presented by terraNOVA Collective tonight, September 13th and September 20th & 27th at 9:30 at IRT Theater. Featuring Diana Oh.