Lee Blessing News

Several Broadway stars are set for the upcoming Primary Stages Concert series, including Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Penny Fuller, Julie Halston, Jamie deRoy, Gregg Edelman, and Karen Mason. The performances will take place in April and May over a one week span that will take place at the 59E59 Theatre.

Nicolas Kent, the award-winning artistic director of London's acclaimed Tricycle Theatre, directs a new version of A Walk in the Woods, Lee Blessing's Pulitzer-nominated play about nuclear negotiations, at Northern Stage in White River Junction, VT. For the first time, with the playwright's input, the play will feature a woman portraying the American negotiator.

Vermont's Northern Stage continues its season with the New England premiere of David Greig's DAMASCUS which will open on February 17 - March 7. The production will be directed by Brooke Ciardelli.

Lee Blessing's 1985 play challenges with poor exposition, unbelievable and underdeveloped characters, and a conclusion that has not been dramatically earned. Fells Point Corner Theater confronts these handicaps in creditable fashion, with a standout performance by Jenn Mikulski.

The critically acclaimed THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE plays its 200th performance tonight since the run began in September, 2009 at Hartford Stage. THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE has been extended by popular demand through Saturday, May 8th at Signature Theatre Company.

Fells Point Corner Theatre announces a schedule change; replacing the no longer available Three Tall Women with Eleemosynary. Written by Lee Blessing and directed by Sherrionne Brown.

Nicolas Kent, the award-winning artistic director of London's acclaimed Tricycle Theatre, directs a new version of A Walk in the Woods, Lee Blessing's Pulitzer-nominated play about nuclear negotiations, at Northern Stage in White River Junction, VT. For the first time, with the playwright's input, the play will feature a woman portraying the American negotiator.

Vermont's Northern Stage continues its season with the New England premiere of David Greig's DAMASCUS which will open on February 17 - March 7. The production will be directed by Brooke Ciardelli.

The Fountain Theatre opens its 20th Anniversary Season with the West Coast premiere of Ifa Bayeza's daring, folk and gospel-infused The Ballad of Emmett Till in celebration of Black History Month. Shirley Jo Finney (Yellowman) directs Bernard K. Addison, Rico E. Anderson, Lorenz Arnell, Adenrele Ojo and Karen Malina White in the five-week run, February 20 through March 20, with low-priced previews beginning February 11.

Even as it debuts another world premiere tonight and eagerly awaits previews for its latest Broadway outing, Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly announces a slate of eight new shows. The Tony Award-winning nonprofit - known for developing exhilarating new plays - introduces a series of stunning scripts and stellar performers for the coming year.

Tony Award winner Michele Pawk is set to star in the upcoming production of THE BLONDE, THE BRUNETTE, AND THE VENGEFUL REDHEAD, opening at Pittsburgh's City Theatre on May 8th. The production will see Pawk take on seven different roles in the one-woman show by Robert Hewett.

PlayPenn expands its activities beyond the annual summer conference to offer three playwriting classes this spring taught by Lee Blessing, Bruce Graham and Michael Hollinger. Each class will be limited to ten people. For complete information and to enroll in the classes, visit www.playpenn.org.

Dayton Theatre Guild will hold auditions on March 1 & 2 for their upcoming production of INDEPENDENCE by Lee Blessing.

Tony Award Winning composer and lyricist William Finn will speak at Kean University on March 1st at 3:30 in the University Center Little Theatre, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ, as part of the 2010 Premiere Stages Artists Series. Premiere Stages, the professional theatre in residence at Kean invites the public to this candid conversation about writing and composing for Broadway.

On Saturday, February 27, Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director) opened John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Mr. Berger. The production will run for a limited engagement through March 14th only at Theater at St. Clement's.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater continues its 15th anniversary season with the world premiere of Blind, by Craig Wright (The Pavilion, Lady). Directed by Lucie Tiberghein (The Pavilion, Geometry of Fire), performances began Wednesday, February 17th, 2010. Opening night is Thursday, February 25th at 7pm. The show is scheduled to run through Sunday, March 21st, 2010.

InterAct Theatre Company continues its long-time relationship with Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-nominated playwright, Lee Blessing, by producing the World Premiere his latest drama, WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA, which begins performances Friday, April 9, and has its official Opening Night on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA takes aim at an American populace that has grown strikingly complacent in the wake of extraordinary global challenges, exposing one of the world's most intriguing and influential conflicts: the battle between the elected leader of the free world and a democracy of millions.

English playwright David Hare has selected blu by Virginia Grise as the 2010 winner of the annual Yale Drama Series competition. The runners-up are Siona MacDuff by Mary Hamilton and Nineteen Kinds of Peril by Tom Lavignino.

Famed director/producer Hal Prince will receive the annual award for achievement in the theater from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, the New York Times is reporting. Executives of the Theatre Center announced Monday that Price will receive the award at a ceremony April 5th.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director) will present John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Mr. Berger, for a limited engagement beginning Tuesday, February 23rd and continuing through March 14th only, at Theater at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues).