Lanford Wilson News

SoHo Playhouse, Inc. (15 Vandam Street, New York City) today announced the three exciting productions that will make up their 2012-13 three-play season.

Bay Street Theatre will present the World Premiere of a musical as the third production of the 2012 Mainstage Season. Tony award winner Lillias White will play Maybelle Smith in BIG MAYBELLE: SOUL OF THE BLUES, written and directed by Paul Levine. Michael Mitchell is the Musical Director; Orchestrations are by Musical Supervisor Kenny Seymour. The show runs Tuesday, August 7 through Sunday, September 2. Showtimes are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8pm with Wednesday matinees on August 15, 22, and 29 at 2pm and a 4pm matinee on Saturdays August 18 and 25. Sunday showtime is at 7pm. Tickets to this spectacular event are $66-76. Previews August 7-10 are sponsored by PCH Builders and Property Management. The week of August 12-18 is sponsored by Peconic Landing.

Stage and screen star Sanaa Lathan (A Raisin in the Sun, Contagion) returns to the title role in Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark for its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. Lathan, who originated the character of Vera Stark in the critically acclaimed New York run, will once again take the stage as the 1930's era maid turned movie star, reunited with original cast member Kimberly Hebert Gregory (Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer) reprising her role as fellow aspiring African American actress Lottie. Broadway vet and Geffen alum Merle Dandridge (Spamalot, Rent, Aida) will take on the spicy role of Anna Mae, who fakes a Brazilian accent for a slice of fame, and former leading lady of ABC's Man Up, Amanda Detmer, will portray Gloria Mitchell, the white starlet dubbed "America's little sweetie pie" and Vera's first employer. Helmed by award-winning director Jo Bonney, the West Coast premiere cast also features Kevin Carroll (Paid in Full, Being John Malkovich), Spencer Garrett (Iron Man 3, Air Force One) and Geffen alum Mather Zickel (Extraordinary Chambers, Rachel Getting Married).

La MaMa will begin its 51st season -- the theatre's 2nd half-century as one of the world's most influential experimental theatres -- with works by Neil LaBute, Marco Calvani, Jean-Claude van Itallie, Ping Chong, Catherine Filloux, Yara Arts Group, John Jahnke and The Hotel Savant, Sheila Callaghan and foolsFURY, The Foundry Theatre featuring Taylor Mac and companies from New York, the U.S., Poland, Uganda and other countries around the world, it has been announced by Mia Yoo, La MaMa's artistic director.

Florida Studio Theatre presents the second show of its Summer season, Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly, which begins performances in FST's Keating Theatre (1241 N. Palm Ave.) tonight, July 25 at 8:00pm. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.Floridastudiotheatre.org, by phone at (941) 366-9000 or by visiting the Box Office. Single tickets to Talley's Folly range from $19-$36.

It's just been announced that this fall, two-time Tony Award winner AL PACINO will be joined on stage by Tony nominee DAVID HARBOUR, Emmy Award winner RICHARD SCHIFF and Tony nominee JEREMY SHAMOS in the Broadway revival of DAVID MAMET'S acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning drama GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. As previously announced, Tony Award nominee BOBBY CANNAVALE has been cast in the role of Richard "Ricky" Roma.

Signature Theatre presents the world premiere of HEARTLESS by Sam Shepard and directed by Daniel Aukin. All tickets for the initial run of the production are $25 as part of the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. The production runs August 7 through September 16, 2012 with an August 27 opening night in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). BroadwayWorld brings you photos of the cast in rehearsal below!

Silk Road Rising presents three staged readings of Shane Sakhrani's new play THE DOCTOR IS INDIAN, directed by Anish Jethmalani, and featuring Minita Ghandi, Puja Mohindra, Kelly O'Sullivan, Anita Chandwaney, Dipika Cherala, Behzad Dabu, Neal Dandade, Kamal Hans, and Khurram Mozaffar.

Signature Theatre has announced that casting is confirmed and tickets are now on sale for the New York premiere of THE TRAIN DRIVER written and directed by Athol Fugard.

Shakespeare's plays continue to shape the minds of aspiring stage stars. Thanks to the Houston Shakespeare Festival (HSF), young audiences have an opportunity to experience these works through performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Uptown Players, a professional theatre group located in the Uptown area of Dallas, has announced its programming for the 2nd annual Dallas Pride Performing Arts Festival. From September 6 - 15, 2012, Uptown Players will present a 10-day festival of plays, musicals and cabaret acts celebrating Dallas Gay Pride.

La MaMa concluded its 50th anniversary season with a successful benefit evening highlighted by entertainment and tributes-the La MaMa 50 Big Bash-on Sunday, June 24 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU in Manhattan. The evening was emceed by the inimitable Tony nominee and longtime La MaMa artist Andre DeShields, who joined other performers, including Gavin Creel, Bill Irwin, David Shiner, Adrian Bailey, Everett Quinton, Lady J and Culture Hub, in entertaining the audience of 600-plus with music and dance that celebrated La MaMa's first 50 years, including an excerpt from its recent hit production of Scott Wittman's JUKEBOX JACKIE featuring Cole Escola and Bridget Everett. The evening was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, who appeared as an actor at La MaMa during the early days of his career. Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, also La MaMa artists, served as the anniversary celebrations' co-chairs. See below for pictures of the BIG BASH's speakers and performers!

Bay Street Theatre will present the World Premiere of a musical as the third production of the 2012 Mainstage Season. Tony Award winner Lillias White will play Maybelle Smith in BIG MAYBELLE: SOUL OF THE BLUES, written and directed by Paul Levine. The show runs Tuesday, August 7 through Sunday, September 2.

Signature Theatre has just announced that tickets are now on sale for the world premiere of HEARTLESS by Sam Shepard and directed by Daniel Aukin. All tickets for the initial run of the production are $25 as part of the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. The production runs August 7 through September 16, 2012 with an August 27 opening night in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Rehearsals began Monday, July 9.

Uptown Players, a professional theatre group located in the Uptown area of Dallas, has announced its programming for the 2nd annual Dallas Pride Performing Arts Festival. From September 6 - 15, 2012, Uptown Players will present a 10-day festival of plays, musicals and cabaret acts celebrating Dallas Gay Pride.

Bay Street Theatre presents the second production of its 2012 Mainstage Season, MEN'S LIVES, which opened officially last Saturday evening, July 7, 2012. The play was written by Joe Pintauro; based on the book by Peter Matthiessen; directed by Harris Yulin. The show runs through Sunday, July 29. Check out photos from opening night below!

The first installment in this series is the 2011 Twentieth Century Fox film Margaret, written and directed by Residency Five Playwright-in-Residence Kenneth Lonergan, tonight, July 10th at 7:00 p.m. in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

For the 16th consecutive year, the Alley Theatre is providing young playwrights the chance to improve and expand their writing skills with its summer program, Houston Young Playwrights Exchange (HYPE).