Kathleen Chalfant News

The New School for Drama has announced that BAFTA Award-winning English playwright, director and screenwriter Sir David Hare will serve as distinguished Artist-in-Residence for one week beginning today, November 12, 2012.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, November 3rd, Cantori's 2012-13 season opener FELIX UND CLARA, featuring Kathleen Chalfant, was postponed to tonight, November 11th at 7:30 p.m.

The New School for Drama has announced that BAFTA Award-winning English playwright, director and screenwriter Sir David Hare will serve as distinguished Artist-in-Residence for one week beginning Monday, November 12, 2012.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, November 3rd, Cantori's 2012-13 season opener FELIX UND CLARA, featuring Kathleen Chalfant, has been postponed to November 11th at 7:30 p.m.

Fengar Gael's The Island of No Tomorrows, an erotic, quixotic musical fantasy directed by Lorca Peress runs at Interart Theatre from November 2nd through 18th. The play, a co-production between Interart Theatre Development Series and MultiStages New Works Contests, is part of the League of Professional Theatre Women's "30 Plays Celebrate 30 Years Series". The cast features Richarda Abrams*, Jen Anaya, Debra Cardona* (Mary Poppins: National Tour, On The Twentieth Century: Goodspeed Opera House), Pedro Carmo (Pan Am), Veronica Cruz* (Ariel Dorfman's Widows: 59 E 59 St. Theatres), Alexis Lauren Kinney*, Lina Sarrello* and Alexis Sweeney. *(Members of Actors' Equity)

As part of the League of Professional Theatre Women's 30th Anniversary 30 Plays Celebrate 30 Years project, an evening dedicated to poetry written and performed by poets P.J. Gibson, Carol Hall, Anne Hamilton, Harriet Slaughter, Mira Spektor and Gayl Teller will be presented at the Cherry Lane Theatre tonight, October 29th at 7:30. Cara Reichel will direct. Melody Berger will provide incidental music.

Fengar Gael's The Island of No Tomorrows, an erotic, quixotic musical fantasy directed by Lorca Peress runs at Interart Theatre from November 2nd through 18th. The play, a co-production between Interart Theatre Development Series and MultiStages New Works Contests, is part of the League of Professional Theatre Women's "30 Plays Celebrate 30 Years Series". The cast features Richarda Abrams*, Jen Anaya, Debra Cardona* (Mary Poppins: National Tour, On The Twentieth Century: Goodspeed Opera House), Pedro Carmo (Pan Am), Veronica Cruz* (Ariel Dorfman's Widows: 59 E 59 St. Theatres), Alexis Lauren Kinney*, Lina Sarrello* and Alexis Sweeney. *(Members of Actors' Equity)

The US premiere of Felix und Clara by Dutch composer Jacques Bank describes the troubled relationship of Clara Schumann and her son Felix -- the chorus sings the voice of Felix, and noted actor Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America; Wit) takes the role of Clara.

As part of the League of Professional Theatre Women's 30th Anniversary 30 Plays Celebrate 30 Years project, an evening dedicated to poetry written and performed by poets P.J. Gibson, Carol Hall, Anne Hamilton, Harriet Slaughter, Mira Spektor and Gayl Teller will be presented at the Cherry Lane Theatre on Monday, October 29th at 7:30. Cara Reichel will direct. Melody Berger will provide incidental music.

Sophie's choice was a casual coin flip compared with decision forced upon a young mother in Alexander Dinelaris' drama recalling the Ottoman Empire's Armenian genocide, Red Dog Howls.  As a 91-year-old grandmother enduring life with the memory of a horrific confrontation with three sadistic Turks, Kathleen Chalfant gives an extraordinarily convincing performance balancing pain and dark humor, climaxing with an agonizing scene where she reveals a sickening secret.  But Chalfant's performance, certainly worth remembering when award season comes along, is all the production has to recommend.

This September, Maryland's largest regional theater CENTERSTAGE will premiere MY AMERICA, a first-of-its kind project that features a thought-provoking collection of 50 original monologues written and performed by some of the nation's leading playwrights and stage actors.

While nobody ever said musical theatre was easy – at least, nobody with any real knowledge of the art – you would think that in writing a musical about the first worldwide beloved figure of the 20th Century there wouldn't be too much trouble establishing empathy.  But the surprisingly dry and emotionless Chaplin, presented in a respectably strong Broadway production, tries to cram so many facts into its two acts that there's Little Room left for feeling.

CENTERSTAGE announces its electrifying, one-of-a-kind artistic initiative, My America-50 new monologues by 50 of America's leading and emerging playwrights, all filmed by award-winning filmmaker Hal Hartley. The films will debut at the theater today, September 28, and begin a staggered release online at www.centerstage.org/MyAmerica, culminating on Election Day, November 6.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo present Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll. The show opened on September 24, an dyou can check out photos from the big opening below!

SOUNDING BECKETT - a singular evening of theater and music that pairs three plays by Samuel Beckett from his 'ghost period' with new works by contemporary composers written expressly in response to those plays - will be presented tonight, September 14-23 at the Classic Stage Company (136 E. 13 St.) in Manhattan.

The Civilians (Steven Cosson, Artistic Director), the award-winning New York-based theater company known for projects investigating real life topics, presents Let Me Ascertain You: Occupy #S17 on September 17 at Joe's Pub. The cabaret will focus on the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, and will feature monologues and songs crafted from interviews with activists conducted by Civilians artists throughout the past year. The one-night-only performance in The Civilians' entertaining and thought-provoking style will illuminate many of the diverse individual voices behind these large-scale protests, examine how this dynamic call to action has evolved, and explore what its future holds.