Jessica Jahn News

COAL COUNTRY will run at The Public Theaterthrough Sunday, March 29, with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 3.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) will begin performances for the world premiere of the new play COAL COUNTRY, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen with original music by Steve Earle, on Tuesday, February 18 with a Joseph Papp Free Preview performance in the Anspacher Theater. Directed by Jessica Blank, this riveting new work will run through Sunday, March 29, with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 3.

History. Her story. Our story. This new play about Gloria Steinem and the women she has partnered with in a decades-long fight for equality is brought to life by a dynamic ensemble of performers. Fifty years after Gloria began raising her voice and championing those of others, her vision is as urgent as ever. Gloria's belief in talking circles as a catalyst for change offers us all a path forward. The first act is Gloria's story; the second is our own.

Primary Stages presents The Confession of Lily Dare, written by and starring Charles Busch (The Tribute Artist, You Should Be So Lucky) and directed by Carl Andress (The Divine Sister, The Tribute Artist). The cast also includes: Nancy Anderson (Sunset Boulevard), Christopher Borg (Judith of Bethulia), Howard McGillin (The Phantom of the Opera), Kendal Sparks (Judith of Bethulia) and Jennifer Van Dyck (Judith of Bethulia).

PRIMARY STAGES presents The Confession of Lily Dare, written by and starring Charles Busch (The Tribute Artist, You Should Be So Lucky) and directed by Carl Andress (The Divine Sister, The Tribute Artist). 

Nowadays there appears to be an increasing awareness in the theatre about presenting women characters through the aesthetic of male playwrights and directors, much of it involving the movie term 'male gaze' which was coined by Laura Mulvey in the 70s to describe the disproportionately sexualized manner in which women were presented in film.  From that context, it's possible to conclude that this is what playwright/actor Charles Busch has been commenting on all along.

PRIMARY STAGES presents The Confession of Lily Dare, written by and starring Charles Busch (The Tribute Artist, You Should Be So Lucky) and directed by Carl Andress (The Divine Sister, The Tribute Artist). Performances began at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) on January 11, 2020, with opening night set for January 29, for a limited run through March 5, 2020.

San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock today announced the Company's 98th season, which opens on September 11, 2020 with an Opening Night Celebration featuring soprano Albina Shagimuratova and tenor Pene Pati in concert with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra conducted by Music Director Designate Eun Sun Kim. Opening Night festivities include San Francisco Opera Guild's Opera Ball, BRAVO! CLUB's annual Opening Night Gala and two new events: the Opera Supper in the Veterans Building's elegant Green Room and, for the entire audience, a celebratory, post-concert toast to the season.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University has announced additional programming associated with its upcoming production of Gloria: A Life. Upcoming activities embody Gloria Steinem's lifelong efforts to achieve equity, inspire empathy, and build community. Activities include Act II talking circles with special guests, partnerships more than forty not-for-profit organizations, a donation drive, and a companion historical exhibition.

Cincinnati Opera is pleased to announce the casting of principal roles for composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith's new opera Castor and Patience, which will have its world premiere in Cincinnati, July 16 - 26, 2020, highlighting the company's 100th anniversary season.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced complete casting today for the world premiere of the new play COAL COUNTRY, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen with original music by Steve Earle. Directed by Jessica Blank, this riveting new work will begin performances in the Anspacher Theater with a Joseph Papp Free Preview performance on Tuesday, February 18. COAL COUNTRY will run through Sunday, March 29, with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 3.

PRIMARY STAGES has announced casting for The Confession of Lily Dare, written by and starring Charles Busch (The Tribute Artist, You Should Be So Lucky) and directed by Carl Andress (The Divine Sister, The Tribute Artist). Performances begin at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) on January 11, 2020, with opening night set for January 29, for a limited run through March 5, 2020.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Producer Diane Borger, have announced the creative team and cast of Gloria: A Life, presented in association with the McCarter Theatre Center and by special arrangement with Daryl Roth.

On Site Opera, an organization dedicated to presenting site-specific opera productions in non-traditional venues throughout New York City, will present the return of Gian Carlo Menotti's perennial one act opera Amahl and the Night Visitors at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen December 4-8, following its critically acclaimed run in 2018. 

Cincinnati Opera announces the casting of principal roles for composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith's new opera Castor and Patience, which will have its world premiere in Cincinnati, July 16 - 26, 2020, highlighting the company's 100th anniversary season.

A summer's trip to Cooperstown, NY, is for two distinct audiences: Those who come for the Baseball Hall of Fame and those, like me, who come for the opera--the Glimmerglass Festival, under General Director Francesca Zambello, where i caught up with the John Corigliano-William Hoffman THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES, the brand-new BLUE by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson and a program with Supreme Court Justice (and opera buff) Ginsburg commenting on some of her favorite works.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Mary McDonnell has been cast in the title role of Gloria Steinem in Emily' Mann's Gloria: A Life, the opening production in McCarter Theatre Center's 2019-2020 Theater Series. 

Blue, a new work by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson, had its world premiere at The Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, New York, this weekend.

Lyric Opera has staged a grand, traditional WEST SIDE STORY that serves as a veritable primer for this iconic musical. With director Francesca Zambello at the helm, who is no stranger to directing classic musicals, Lyric's production celebrates the beauty and complexity of Leonard Bernstein's stunning score and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. All the hallmarks of a classic WEST SIDE STORY are present here, starting with the urban-yet-polished set design from Peter J. Davison (with that famous balcony intact)

Lyric's new grand-scale coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece West Side Story opens tonight and features Broadway star Corey Cott as Tony and rising star Mikaela Bennett as Maria. Additional lead casting includes Brett Thiele (Riff),Amanda Castro (Anita), Manuel Stark Santos (Bernardo), and Adam Soniak (Action). Performances run through June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets are on sale now starting at $29 and can be purchased at lyricopera.org/wss or by calling 312-827-5600.