Kirk Douglas News

After a successful run in Central Park, playing to over 4,000 people, performances resume on Wednesday, June 27 in Rockefeller Park/Battery Park City for New York Classical Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by the company's Founding Artistic Director Stephen Burdman. The production will play this week through June 30, before continuing on to The Battery, Carl Schurz Park, and Brooklyn Bridge Park for performances through July 29. There is no ticketing, and all performances are free and open to the public. Performance schedule can be found at newyorkclassical.org.   

Center Theatre Group has announced the launch of the inaugural L.A. Writers' Workshop Festival: New Plays Forged In L.A., to celebrate some of the freshest and most exciting voices in modern American theatre coming out of Los Angeles and Center Theatre Group's long-standing L.A. Writers' Workshop. To be held annually at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, the festival will feature readings of three new plays by three L.A. Writers' Workshop participants from throughout the program's thirteen year history. The inaugural festival will be on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with readings of "A Kind of Weather" by Sylvan Oswald, "New Life" by Dan O'Brien and "How To Raise A Freeman" by Zakiyyah Alexander.

Celebration Theatre is thrilled to announce that their smash-hit third and final show of its 2017-2018 season, CABARET, is extending through Sunday, August 5 at Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles (now known as the Kit Kat Klub!).

Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell reprise their Tony Award®-winning performances in 'The Humans' for the last stop of the national tour at the Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre. Performances began this week in Los Angeles, check out the opening night arrivals below!

Profiles in History is proud to announce the dates of Love, Liza: The Auction. The 3 day auction will be July 30th, 31st & August 1st, in Los Angeles. 

Center Theatre Group has announced casting for the inaugural L.A. Writers' Workshop Festival: New Plays Forged In L.A., a one day event at the Kirk Douglas Theatre celebrating some of the freshest and most exciting voices in modern American theatre. The festival will take place on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with readings of three new plays by three L.A. Writers' Workshop participants from throughout the program's 13-year history. The readings include "A Kind of Weather" by Sylvan Oswald, "New Life" by Dan O'Brien and "How To Raise A Freeman" by Zakiyyah Alexander.

Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theater of California announced today that CHIRLA will present the continuation of their "Immigration Art Night - A Celebration of Our Immigrant Heritage," (which begins Thursday June 21 at CHIRLA) on Friday, June 22 to kick off the final weekend of Bordertown Now performances.  The same evening, a post-performance talk will be held with multidisciplinary artists Xicanx Sun Cha and Gabriella Sanchez to discuss art as space and catalyst of identity exploration and experimentation curated by House of Arts and Ideas.

An unforgettable love story inspired by one of the most romantic movies of all time. Stephen Sachs directs Deaf actors Deanne Bray (Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, Heroes) and Troy Kotsur (title role in Cyrano at the Fountain, Big River on Broadway) in Sachs' newest play, inspired by the screenplay for Noel Coward's Brief Encounter. The world premiere of Arrival & Departure will open on July 14 and continue through September 30 at the Fountain Theatre. The cast also features hearing actors Jessica Jade Andres, Adam Burch,Brian Robert Burns, Shon Fuller, Kyra Kotsur, Aurelia Myersand Stasha Surdyke.

The Tony Award winning Best Musical Avenue Q will mark its 15th anniversary with 15 special performances at New World Stages (340 W. 50 St.) from July 18 to 29, 2018.

Ryan McCartan (recent Fox remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Disney Channel's Liv and Maddie, Off-Broadway's Heathers: The Musical) will head the cast of a fun and furry musical tale for animal lovers of all ages. The world premiere of Mutt House will play at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City from July 15 through Aug. 5. Previews begin July 10.

LYSISTRATA UNBOUND, a new take on Aristophanes' LYSISTRATA by Eduardo Machado will world premiere June 9, 2018 in an Odyssey Theatre/Not Man Apart collaboration, with John Farmanesh-Bocca directing his wife Brenda Strong in the title role.  We had the chance to ask a few questions of the always working Brenda.

Elevator Repair Service, "one of the city's few truly essential theater companies" (New York Times), is pleased to present the world premiere of Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins.

The Celebration Theatre will be presenting their third and final show of their successful 2017-18 season - Kander & Ebb's CABARET, beginning previews on May 25 and opening on June 1. I managed to get Celebration Theatre's co-artistic director and CABARET's director Michael Matthews to take a short break from his uber-busy schedule to answer a few of our inquisitive queries.

Boston Court Performing Arts Center presents the West Coast premiere of Her Portmanteau written by Mfoniso Udofia and directed by Gregg T. Daniel, May 24 - June 30, 2018 (press opening June 2).  The production stars Joyce Guy (Abasiama), Omoze Idehenre (Adiaha) and Dele Ogundrian (Iniabasi).

Sponsored by The Western Cafe of Bozeman, The Ellen Theatre's annual Summer Western Series kicks off Friday, June 1st. This year it's a brand-new, fantastic lineup of classic gems and modern favorites, starring John Wayne, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Robert Redford and more!

Jennifer Barclay's RIPE FRENZY is produced by Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors) at Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles), as part of a National New Play Network (NNPN) Rolling World Premiere with partnering theaters New Repertory Theatre in Boston and Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta. Winner of the 2016 NNPN Smith Prize for Political Theatre, RIPE FRENZY is directed by Ovation Award-nominee Alana Dietze (Dry Land at the Echo Theater Company and Kirk Douglas Theatre) and projection designs by Obie Award-winner Jared Mezzocchi (Vietgone at Manhattan Theatre Club). Performances will play May 17 through June 17, 2018; with the press opening on Saturday, May 19.

New York Classical Theatre (Stephen Burdman, Artistic Director), New York City's only all-free professional Off-Broadway theatre company, is pleased to announce a new production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to celebrate its 19th Anniversary Season. The production, directed by Mr. Burdman, is the company's first staging of Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers, and will be presented in five New York City parks - Central Park, Rockefeller Park/Battery Park City, The Battery, Carl Schurz Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park - with performances from June 5 through July 29 at 7:00 PM. There is no ticketing, and all performances are free and open to the public. New York Classical Theatre also invites audiences to experience unique behind-the-scenes access to open rehearsals on selected dates for each of the five park stagings. 

DIE, MOMMIE, DIE! is a campy noir classic that follows the devious actions of fading Hollywood star Angela Arden, played to the hilt by Drew Droege in drag. Think of Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard" and throw in a bit of Joan Crawford's attitude and you get the idea of who Angela Arden is. And let me tell you, Droege is a wonder running across the stage in high heels, always dressed to feminine perfection by costumer Allison Dillard. But Angela is trapped in an unhappy marriage and plots to kill her husband, Hollywood producer Sol Sussman (Pat Towne) in order to be with her young, and very well-hung lover Tony Parker (Andrew Carter). His endowment is a running gag throughout the play, aimed at almost every other character at some point, a bit too suggestive and sexy for young audiences.

The Celebration Theatre production of "Die, Mommie, Die!," which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre, will open Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m. Written by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann, "Die, Mommie, Die!" is currently in previews and will close May 20.

Casting is set for the Celebration Theatre production of 'Die, Mommie, Die!' which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre. Written by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann, 'Die, Mommie, Die!' will begin previews May 10, open May 12 and close May 20.