Lucille Lortel News

Erin Cummings, star of TV's 'Spartacus' and 'Pan Am,' attended SILENCE! The Musical at P.S. 122 this past Friday, April 27th, joining a long list of luminaries who have turned up in the audience at the hit show over the past few months including Jodie Foster, Neil Simon, James Earl Jones, Kelly Ripa, Josh Groban, Lisa Lampanelli, Jonathan Demme, Matt Bomer (twice!), Joan Rivers, Chita Rivera, Jeremy Jordan, Stephen Schwartz, John Kander, James Lapine, Jonathan Groff, Justin Kirk, Corbin Bleu, Mario Cantone, David LaChapelle, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, TR Knight, Willie Garson, Seth Rudetsky, Steven Pasquale, John Rando, Telly Leung, Christian Campbell, John McDaniel, Eden Espinosa, Charlotte d'Amboise, Carol Woods, Anika Larsen, and Anthony Heald.

Jeremy Shamos Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Clybourne Park 'I'd like to say I was so cool this morning and that I slept through the nominations but that's definitely not true. I woke up at 7 with kids and made them turn off their cartoons so I could watch the broadcast, which they thought was boring. The we heard my name called and we started jumping around and had a group hug, which included a whoopi cushion my daughter snuck in the middle so it turned into a fart hug. it still all feels a bit surreal and I'm still processing I guess, so much so that when I dropped my kids off at school a teacher pointed out that my shirt was inside out. But this is all very exciting and I'm just happy that the show got the nominations that it did. Mine is just icing on the cake.'

Cristin Milioti, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for ONCE 'I was asleep because we don't have a TV with cable. We watch internet TV and we were asleep, and my phone rang. I groggily answered the phone and I put it together. My agent and manager were on the line to congratulate me. I cant even put it into words- I'm so flored by the company that I'm with- my fellow nominees, I guess you call them. I've admired them for years and it blows my mind. It's been a year of working hard and to see it come to this level is unreal. It hasn't hit me yet!'

Writers' Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, concludes its 20th Anniversary Season with The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett, directed by Joseph Hanreddy, and featuring Deborah Staples.The production runs May 22 - July 29, 2012 at Writers' Theatre, 664 Vernon Avenue in Glencoe. The Press Openings are Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

Off-Broadway's Page 73 Productions - a company dedicated to producing and developing works by early-career playwrights - ends acceptance today, May 1, of applications for its 2013 Development Programs, which include the P73 Playwriting Fellowship.

Film star Olympia Dukakis (Oscar winner for Moonstruck) and husband Louis Zorich ('Mad About You') attended the Off-Broadway hit FREUD'S LAST SESSION Saturday evening, April 28th at New World Stages. See the photo below!

Tony Award-winning director John Rando attended SILENCE! The Musical at P.S. 122 on April 19th, joining a long list of luminaries who have turned up in the audience at the hit show over the past few months including Jodie Foster, Neil Simon, James Earl Jones, Kelly Ripa, Josh Groban, Lisa Lampanelli, Jonathan Demme, Matt Bomer, Joan Rivers, Chita Rivera, Jeremy Jordan, Stephen Schwartz, John Kander, James Lapine, Jonathan Groff, Justin Kirk, Corbin Bleu, Mario Cantone, David LaChapelle, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, TR Knight, Willie Garson, Seth Rudetsky, Steven Pasquale, Telly Leung, Christian Campbell, John McDaniel, Eden Espinosa, Charlotte d'Amboise, Carol Woods, Anika Larsen, and Anthony Heald. See the photo below!

The Ensemble Studio Theatre will honor two of its most distinguished members, the acclaimed actress Lois Smith and two-time Board chair G.H. 'Denny' Denniston, Jr with its 2012 Distinguished Member Award at a "Fun-Raiser" benefit celebration Monday evening, May 14, at 6:45pm at SIR Stage 37, 508 West 37th Street. Tickets are $350. Jill Jaffe is the event designer and producer and Jason Bruffy is director and producer. Additional ticket, table and ad packages are available. For information contact Benefit Coordinator Aubrie Fennecken at (212) 247-4982 x.106

George Morfogen and Jim Stanek will play their final performance in the award-winning Off-Broadway hit FREUD'S LAST SESSION tonight, April 30th.

Young, creative and imaginative minds 'will delight in TheatreworksUSA's brand new children's musical, 'Skippyjon Jones,' coming to Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre on May 19, with performances at 2 and 4 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.'

Today, the still Broadway-bound production has released an official statement noting that "The PRINCE OF BROADWAY company and creative team has been informed that production on the show will continue without Dancap's involvement. Further details will follow shortly."

America's most iconic sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, hosted a special audience Q&A at FREUD'S LAST SESSION immediately after the performance last evening, April 26th, along with the playwright and cast.

The Off-Broadway League today announced this year's host and several of the presenters confirmed to participate in the 2012 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The 27th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at NYU Skirball Center, beginning at 7:00pm EST. This year's ceremony will once again benefit the Actors Fund.

The producers of the Off-Broadway smash SILENCE! The Musical, launched an exciting new website today, April 26th. At the newly revamped and redesigned SilenceTheMusical.com, visitors will now find loads of reviews and updated news about the show, in addition to constantly changing interactive features. There's a direct link to the SilenceTheMusicalNYC YouTube Channel, as well as to their Facebook page and Twitter feed. Click here to check it out.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick, presents Christina Ricci and two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth in the company's upcoming production of William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Directed by Tony Speciale, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM began performances Wednesday, March 28 and play a limited engagement through Sunday, May 6. BroadwayWorld brings you just-released production shots below!

York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director), celebrating the legendary librettist and lyricist Tom Jones with Musicals in Mufti: The Tom Jones Festival, presents the fourth musical in the spring series: Colette Collage, with Book & Lyrics by Tom Jones and Music by Harvey Schmidt. The limited engagement will play 5 performances tonight, April 27 through April 29 at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

American Theater Company (ATC), together with About Face Theatre, presents a co-production of Jonathan Larson's Rent, directed by David Cromer. Rent will run tonight, April 27, 2012 - June 17, 2012 at ATC, 1909 W. Byron. The press openings are Sunday, May 6, 2012 and Monday, May 7, 2012 at 7 pm.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director and Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has been chosen as one of the 40 finalists in this year's Partners in Preservation program, which awards up to $250,000 to the cultural institutions that receive the most votes from its supporters. If selected, Second Stage Theatre will use the grant money to restore the facade of the company's future home, the 100-year old Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. The finalists were presented by celebrity guest Katharine McPhee of NBC's hit "Smash" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thursday, April 26. Second Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre is the only Broadway theatre selected as a finalist.