Lucille Lortel News

Walnut Street Theatre's Independence Studio on 3 brings back the spirit of Philadelphia's own Ethel Waters with her life stories and memorable songs in Ethel!

Act II Playhouse presents the Philadelphia-area premiere of the Broadway drama Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies, directed by Act II Producing Artistic Director Bud Martin.

FELA!, the international sensation heralded on three continents, is a provocative hybrid of dance, theatre and music exploring the extravagant world of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. FELA!, comes to Boston for a limited engagement, playing at the Cutler Majestic Theatre Tuesday, April 24 through Sunday, May 6. The press opening is scheduled for Wednesday, April 25 at 7 PM.

The Off-Broadway League today announced the date and location for the 2012 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway, as well as this year's honorary award recipients. The 27th Annual Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at NYU Skirball Center, beginning at 7:00pm EST.

The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) announces a one-week extension of its hit revival of BEYOND THE HORIZON - Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about two brothers in love with the same woman - with performances now set to run through April 15 on the Irish Repertory's Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION is set to open tonight, March 9th at 8 PM at Pittsburgh Public Theater. Under the direction of Mary B. Robinson, the Pittsburgh debut of FREUD'S LAST SESSION stars Jonathan Crombie as C. S. Lewis and David Wohl as Sigmund Freud.

Susan Stroman, winner of the Tony award for both direction and choreography of the original Broadway production of The Producers, will direct and choreograph the fully staged production of The Producers at the Hollywood Bowl.

New York's smash hit play FREUD'S LAST SESSION is set to open tomorrow night, March 9th at 8 PM at Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Broadway's Blair Baker (Oleanna, Broadway and Mark Taper Forum), stars in a new one-woman show When it Ended the First Time, at the 2012 Emerging Artists Theatre New Work series. Written by Zac Kline (Messed Up Here Tonight, Big Star California), directed by Matthew Klein (The Mekka Collective) and Produced by NYC's Missing Bolts Productions.

The Flea Theater and The Civilians present the New York Premiere of The Civilians' YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: TALES FROM MY PARENTS' DIVORCE, by Anne Kauffman, Matthew Maher, Caitlin Miller, Jennifer R. Morris, Janice Paran and Robbie Collier Sublett. Conceived by Jennifer R. Morris and directed by Anne Kauffman, previews begin April for this limited-run Off-Broadway engagement, with opening night slated for April 12.

According to Deadline.com, Jeremy Strong has joined the cast of TNT's upcoming pilot LA NOIR. The project will be written and directed by Frank Darabont.

Broadway In Chicago has announced that FELA! is extending its Chicago engagement one week, by popular demand, and will now play the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) for three weeks March 27 - April 15, 2012.

Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons will hold its annual Spring Gala on Monday evening, June 11th at the event space 583 Park Avenue. Titled "The Highest Standard", the evening will celebrate its five Pulitzer Prize-winning productions and honor the creators of these memorable works for the theater. The honorees are James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George), Bruce Norris (Clybourne Park), Stephen Sondheim (Sunday in the Park with George), Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy), Wendy Wasserstein (The Heidi Chronicles) and Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife).

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's production of the 2010 Best Play Tony Award Winner, Red.

Alfred R. Kahn, in association with Culture Project (Allan Buchman, Artistic Director), will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of Out of Iceland by Drew Larimore, directed by Josh Hecht. Michael Bakkensen, Jillian Crane and Lea DeLaria star. Out of Iceland will begin previews March 24th Off-Broadway at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, between Broadway and Church). Opening night is set for Sunday April 1st (7pm). This limited engagement runs through Sunday April 22nd.

La Jolla Playhouse just announced that The Nightingale, by the creative team behind the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening: Steven Sater (book and lyrics) and Duncan Sheik (music), directed by Tony Award nominee Moises Kaufman (33 Variations), will be part of the Playhouse's 2012/2013 season. Running in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre July 10 - August 5, 2012, The Nightingale will be presented as part of the Playhouse's acclaimed Page To Stage Play Development Program.

Producers Broadway Across America (John Gore, Thomas B. McGrath, Beth Williams), Howard Kagan and Barry Brown have just announced that the new Broadway musical TUCK EVERLASTING will have its pre-Broadway world premiere at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Colonial Theatre (106 Boylston Street) in June of 2013. With a book by Tony Award nominee Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde), music by Chris Miller (The Burnt Part Boys), lyrics by Nathan Tysen (The Burnt Part Boys) and directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon), TUCK EVERLASTING is based on the novel by Natalie Babbitt. Broadway production details, design team and casting for TUCK EVERLASTING will be announced at a later date.