Olympia Dukakis News

'Sometimes life just is preposterous, you know,' screams a frustrated character trying to get another to believe his corner of the jigsaw puzzle of interlocking plots in Craig Lucas' eclectically styled comedy/drama, The Singing Forest; a play that takes us from 21st Century New York to 1930s Vienna to 1940s London via urban romantic comedy, Holocaust drama, dysfunctional family angst, mistaken identity farce and a dash of that Lucas theatrical fantasy. Far funnier and more happily enjoyable than you'd expect, especially considering the horrifying imagine the play's title represents, The Singing Forest manages to examine issues of self-deceit and the limits of both forgiveness and accepting blame for one's actions.

A.C.T. Conservatory Director Melissa Smith announced today that honorary master of fine arts degrees will be conferred upon Grammy Award-winning musician Tracy Chapman and master playwright John Guare.

On Monday, May 4th, Legendary Canadian-born director, Norman Jewison, was awarded The National Arts Club's prestigious Medal of Honor for Film at a dinner held in his honor the historic Gramercy Park venue in New York City.

CAPA's 2009 Summer Movie Series, the longest-running classic film series in America, celebrates its 39th anniversary with a lineup of classics, cult favorites, and most beloved films. The 2009 series will run July 17 - August 30, at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.), and is made possible through the generous support of National City, now a part of PNC.

Academy Award-nominee Edward Norton and Award-winning actor/director Tim Blake Nelson co-hosted Soho Rep SPRING GALA '09 on Monday, May 4th at at The Park (118 10th Avenue btw. 17th &18th Streets).

Academy Award-nominee Edward Norton and Award-winning actor/director Tim Blake Nelson set to co-host SOHO REP SPRING GALA '09 on Monday, May 4th at 6:30 p.m. at The Park (118 10th Avenue btw. 17th &18th Streets)

Academy Award-nominee & Golden Globe-winner Edward Norton ['American History X,' 'Primal Fear'] and Soho Rep board member Tim Blake Nelson ['The Incredible Hulk,' 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'] - who worked together on 2008's 'The Incredible Hulk' and 'Leaves of Grass,' set to be released in 2009 - will co-host the biennial Spring Gala for the nine-time Obie Award-winning Soho Rep on Monday, May 4th starting at 6:30 p.m. at The Park (118 10th Avenue btw. 17th & 18th Streets) in Manhattan.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) presents Craig Lucas' THE SINGING FOREST. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, THE SINGING FOREST will run through Sunday, May 17th. The show celebrated Opening Night on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM at BroadwayWorld.com was there!

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

New Village Arts (NVA) concludes its 2008-2009 season with Four Dogs and a Bone by award-winning playwright and recent Oscar-nominee John Patrick Shanley. NVA Associate Artistic Director Joshua Everett Johnson directs this brutally hysterical satire of Hollywood. Four Dogs and a Bone runs June 4 through 28 at the New Village Arts Theatre, located at 2787 State Street in Carlsbad Village. Tickets range from $25 - $30 and are available by calling the box office at 760-433-3245 or by visiting www.NewVillageArts.org.

The New York Times spoke to the talented young Groff on a variety of subjects, including his recent capacity for getting naked on stage.

To mark the occasion of AMERICAN THEATRE magazine's 25th anniversary, Theatre Communications Groups (TCG) will honor the publication by publishing The American Theatre Reader, a 620-page compilation of significant and insightful articles, essays and interviews from the magazine's first quarter century.

Ensemble Studio Theatre (William Carden, Artistic Director, Paul Alexander Slee, Executive Director) will present Marathon 2009, E.S.T.?s 31st annual festival of new one-act plays, at E.S.T. (549 West 52nd Street). Performances begin Friday, May 22nd, and continue through Saturday, June 27th.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce the complete cast for its final production of the 2008-2009 season - the world premiere of Leslie Ayvazian's play MAKE ME, directed by Atlantic Associate artistic Director Christian Parker.

Manhattan Theatre Source (Jim Lawson, Artistic Director) will present Cathedral, a drama about faith and trauma in today?s Catholic priesthood, April 22 through May 16, 2009 at the theatre's Washington Square Park home (177 MacDougal Street).

Atlantic Theater Company announces complete casting for the world premiere of Leslie Ayvazian's new comedy MAKE ME, directed by Atlantic Associate Artistic Director Christian Parker. Broadway veterans Anthony Arkin (I'm Not Rappaport); Candy Buckley (After The Fall); Jessica Hecht (Julius Caesar); J.R. Horne (The Crucible); Richard Masur (Democracy) and Ellen Parker (The Heidi Chronicles) will star in Atlantic's final production of its 2008-2009 season, beginning previews at Atlantic Stage 2 on May 19 and opening May 31. Playwright and screenwriter Ayvazian's hit Off-Broadway play Nine Armenians won the Kennedy Center's Roger L. Stevens Award, the John Gassner Outer Critics Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) and gala co-chairs Carla Crane and Chandra Geiger Gordon are proud to announce A.C.T.'s 2008-09 season gala, Illuminate the Night, featuring an exclusive performance by Judy Kaye, Tony Award-winning star of A.C.T.'s Sweeney Todd and Souvenir. The entertainment for this wonderful evening also includes performances by A.C.T.'s own Master of Fine Arts Program and Young Conservatory students, created and directed by John Carrafa, the Tony Award-nominated choreographer of Urinetown, the Musical on Broadway and at A.C.T.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that the first preview of Craig Lucas' THE SINGING FOREST has been moved to Friday, April 10 due to the need for additional technical rehearsals. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, THE SINGING FOREST was scheduled to begin previews on Tuesday, April 7 and open on Monday, April 27. The show will now open on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that the first preview of Craig Lucas' THE SINGING FOREST has been moved to Friday, April 10 due to the need for additional technical rehearsals. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, THE SINGING FOREST was scheduled to begin previews on Tuesday, April 7 and open on Monday, April 27. The show will now open on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM.