Kwame Kwei-Armah News

Only one play in history has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Broadway's Tony Award for Best Play, and London's Olivier Award for Best New Play. Securing the 'Triple Crown' of theatre has made Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park one of the most acclaimed American plays in recent memory, earning accolades from such diverse critics as Entertainment Weekly ('indisputably, uproariously funny') to The New Yorker ('superb, elegantly written and hilarious'). Cleveland Play Housewill present this wickedly funny and fiercely provocative play from March 21 - April 13 in the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare.

Center Stage opens the fifth show in its current season with William Shakespeare's beloved romantic adventure, Twelfth Night, on Wednesday, March 12. Twins Viola and Sebastian, separated in a shipwreck, find themselves washed ashore in a beautiful but mysterious land. Revelry, disguises, swashbuckling, and pining lovers abound as our cast of characters are caught in a maze of mistaken identity, intrigue, and mismatched ardor. Center Stage Associate Artistic Director Gavin Witt takes audiences on a journey into the exotic and glamorous world of Illyria with Twelfth Night, running through April 6.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra previews next season with highlights.

Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announce the Orchestra's 2014-2015 season, its eighth under the direction of Maestra Alsop. The full schedule and details about each production follow.

Center Stage, a leading regional theater and the State Theater of Maryland, announced today that an agreement has been reached to extend the contracts of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah through June 2018 and Managing Director Stephen Richard for a similar timeframe. Since their arrivals in 2011 and 2012, Center Stage has experienced a flurry of innovative programming that has delighted audiences in Baltimore and received national recognition.

The Public Theater and British Council announced today that they will present THE ARTISTS EXCHANGE on Saturday, March 8 at 12:00 p.m. with MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney and CenterStage's Kwame Kwei-Armah swapping stories about creating theater on both sides of the pond. All tickets to this exciting one-on-one discussion at Joe's Pub at The Public are free and can be reserved on-line at www.publictheater.org or by calling (212) 967-7555.

Rehearsals begin today for Kansas City Repertory Theatre's production of Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning Broadway hit comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, directed by the Rep's Artistic Director Eric Rosen, and running March 14 - April 6 at Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a co-production with Center Stage in Baltimore.

February is Membership Appreciation Month at Center Stage, with something special for both current Members as well as patrons ready to take the plunge with Center Stage. Kicking off this week, Center Stage is setting a 300 Member Challenge-to get 300 new Members by February 28-with a very special deal. In addition, gifts, giveaways, social media outreach, and more will celebrate those patrons who have already made the commitment to making world-class theater possible here in Baltimore.

Center Stage announces this week casting for the upcoming production of William Shakespeare's beloved romantic adventure, Twelfth Night. Under the direction of Center Stage Associate Artistic Director Gavin Witt, the production begins rehearsals this week, preview performances start March 5, and the show runs through April 6.

Poignant Irish comedy deserved its standing ovation.

After conducting a thorough national search, the Alliance Theatre has announced that Mike Schleifer has been chosen as the new General Manager of the Alliance Theatre, beginning March 3, 2014. Schleifer steps into the position left vacant by Max Leventhal, who served the Alliance for 10 seasons before transitioning to the role of Owners' Representative to the Woodruff Arts Center in September, 2013. Schleifer brings to his new role 19 years of theatre management experience in a variety of company leadership and stage management positions.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, announces new leadership of its board of directors and three new members. Diane Rodriguez, associate producer/director of new play production at Center Theatre Group, succeeds Phillip Himberg, producing artistic director of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, as board president. Robert Hupp, producing artistic director of Arkansas Repertory Theatre, joins playwright Lydia. R. Diamond as joint vice presidents. Tim Jennings, managing director of Children's Theatre Company, succeeds Roche Schulfer, executive director of Goodman Theatre, as treasurer. Ralph Bryan, managing director-investments of Wells Fargo Advisors, remains as secretary.

Center Stage announced today that Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning comedy, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, will join Center Stage's 2013-14 Season. The production, which will run in place of Naomi Wallace's The Liquid Plain, begins previews on April 16, opens on April 23, and runs through May 25.

Baltimore, MD-December 2013. Center Stage announces casting for the upcoming Stones in His Pockets, by Marie Jones. Directed by Derek Goldman, rehearsals for this award-winning Irish comedy begin Monday, December 16. Preview performances will start January 15 and the production runs through February 23.

The Lark Play Development Center announces a BareBones workshop production of Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau (Detroit '67 and Sunset Baby), the third and final play in her Detroit cycle, to be directed by Artistic Director of Baltimore's Center Stage and Chancellor of the University of the Arts London, Kwame Kwei-Armah. The workshop will run at Lark's BareBones Studio from February 21 - March 3 at 311 West 43rd Street in New York City. All tickets will be free and will open for reservations in January.

Buoyed by captivated audiences and great reviews, Center Stage's production of A Civil War Christmas has broken the theater's single ticket daily gross record, becoming one of the best-selling shows in the company's 50-year history. As dates fill up for this new holiday classic by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, an additional performance has been added to closing weekend, on Sunday, December 22 at 7:30 pm.

Center Stage announces today the first Play Lab of the 2013-14 Season. KJ Sanchez (ReEntry) and American Records will present a workshop reading of their newest piece under development, The American Football Project, December 6-8.

Center Stage announces today the first Play Lab of the 2013-14 Season. KJ Sanchez (ReEntry) and American Records will present a workshop reading of their newest piece under development, The American Football Project, December 6-8.

The Public Theater will begin previews for the Mobile Shakespeare Unit's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING on Monday, November 25. Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and featuring choreography by Chase Brock, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING follows a three-week tour, bringing free Shakespeare to audiences who have limited or no access to the arts. The Shakespeare comedy will run at The Public Theater through Sunday, December 15, with an official press opening on Tuesday, December 3. All tickets are $20.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust honors playwrights Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph at the Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright 'Mimi' Awards tonight, Monday, November 18, 2013 at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York. The 'Mimi' Awards are presented biennially to honor the accomplishments of some of the most gifted up-and-coming American Playwrights and to recognize the promise they hold for the future of American theater.