Micki Grant News

Due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, the Dramatists Guild of America is cancelling their 2012 Awards Night on Monday, November 5 at The Players Club. The Dramatists Guild will reschedule the Awards Night to a later date, which will be announced in the coming weeks. The Guild's thoughts and well wishes are with everyone affected by the storm and they are most appreciative of your understanding during this difficult time.

The Dramatists Guild of America has just announced the recipients of their annual awards, which will be presented at an awards ceremony hosted by Lisa Kron on Monday, November 5, 2012, at the Players Club in New York. Performers include Amanda Green, Mary Testa, and Kenita Miller.

Casting is complete for Prospect Theater Company's upcoming production of WORKING at 59E59 Theaters.

Prospect Theater Company, one of America's leading producers of new musical theater, has announced programming for its 2012 - 2013 season. Season subscription packages featuring tickets to all three productions are offered at the discounted rate of $99 (or $125 for Premium seating) until October 15. Visit www.ProspectTheater.org or call (212) 352-3101 and use code EB2012.

According to the Huffington Post, stage and screen star Sherman Hemsley recently passed away in his Texas home. He was 74 years old.

59E59 Theaters has announced the roster of shows for the Fall 2012 Season, including the New York premiere revival of Stephen Schwartz' WORKING, beginning Dec. 1, 2012. This is the newly revised, critically acclaimed version of WORKING that recently had a successful run at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago, after premiering at the Asolo in Sarasota and Old Globe in San Diego.

Masterworks Broadway continues to make good on its promise to open its vaults with more classic cast recordings previously unavailable in the CD era. Working (1978 Original Broadway Cast), Call Me Madam (Dinah Shore and the Original Broadway Company, 1950) and Desert Song (1959 Studio Cast) will be available as downloads through all major digital service providers and as disc-on-demand with the original cover art, via Arkivmusic.com and Amazon.com.

The producers and cast of August Strindberg Rep invite you to share the Off-Broadway opening of their production of Strindberg's 'Playing With Fire' tonight, June 21 at 8:00 PM in Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street (East Village). The performance will be followed by a reception in the theater space.

August Strindberg's Chekhovian comedy, 'Playing With Fire' (Leka med elden, 1893), in a translation by Ulrika Brand that has been newly adapted by Obie-winner Leslie Lee, Executive Director of Negro Ensemble Company, will be presented tonight, May 18 to June 10 with an all-black cast as the inaugural production of August Strindberg Repertory Theatre, directed by Robert Greer. The play, to be staged at New School for Drama, 151 Bank Street (West Village), will be a co-production of August Strindberg Repertory Theatre and Negro Ensemble Company in association with Theater Resources Unlimited.

August Strindberg's Chekhovian comedy, 'Playing With Fire' (Leka med elden, 1893), in a translation by Ulrika Brand that has been newly adapted by Obie-winner Leslie Lee, Executive Director of Negro Ensemble Company, will be presented May 18 to June 10 with an all-black cast as the inaugural production of August Strindberg Repertory Theatre, directed by Robert Greer. The play, to be staged at New School for Drama, 151 Bank Street (West Village), will be a co-production of August Strindberg Repertory Theatre and Negro Ensemble Company in association with Theater Resources Unlimited.

WORKING, the musical by Studs Terkel, Stephen Schwartz, and Nina Faso will open March 16, 2012 at The Production Company's The Lex Theatre in Hollywood's Theatre Row District.

WORKING, the musical by Studs Terkel, Stephen Schwartz, and Nina Faso will open March 16, 2012 at The Production Company's The Lex Theatre in Hollywood's Theatre Row District.

Pioneer, innovator and the voice of an entire new musical theatre generation coming in the dawning of the age of GLEE, Tony Award recipient and Grammy-winning composer, lyricist and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda has merged the worlds of the two most significant of original American art forms - musicals and rap - in such a striking and surprisingly inventive way with his hit musical IN THE HEIGHTS - currently touring the country - and is setting out to do the same with his fresh collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning NEXT TO NORMAL composer Tom Kitt on their new musical BRING IT ON!, currently in previews out of town in Los Angeles as it eyes New York. In addition to discussing the development of IN THE HEIGHTS and BRING IT ON! in detail, Miranda and I also outline his experience working alongside the two modern-day masters of the musical theatre - Stephen Sondheim and the recently deceased Arthur Laurents - on the Spanish translation and new lyrics for the recent bilingual revival of WEST SIDE STORY - in addition to his forthcoming ALEXANDER HAMILTON project, which Miranda recently performed a medley from for President Obama himself at the White House Poetry Jam. As if all of that were not enough, we also delve into his thought process as he sets out to take on one of Sondheim's most challenging roles in all of musical theatre - that of Charley Kringas in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at Encores!, under the direction of James Lapine. Plus, news on his new feature film THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN, as well as recollections of his fondest Broadway shows, scores, cast albums, movie musicals and general musical and theatrical inspirations - and his favorite Shakespeare plays, too - as well as much, much more!

Actors' Equity Association announced today that James Earl Jones is the recipient of the 2011 Paul Robeson Award. Created in 1971, the Award recognizes a person who best exemplifies the principles by which Mr. Robeson lived.

As a part of a century-old tradition, a photo shoot was held in Times Square today for a photoshoot featuring 'Black Stars of the Great White Way,' but not everyone was thrilled about this year's gathering. Dramatists Guild executive director Ralph Sevush realead the following statement on the event:

WORKING will close on June 5, 2011 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago). WORKING opened March 2, 2011 to unanimous rave reviews and has had more than 100 standing ovations from delighted audiences.