Olympia Dukakis News

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Carey Perloff announced today the casting for the West Coast premiere of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's landmark play focusing on the early years of the AIDS crisis in New York City in the 1980s. Directed by five-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart unfolds like a real-life political thriller as a tight-knit group of friends refuse to let doctors, politicians, and the press bury the truth about an epidemic ravaging the gay community behind a wall of silence. The Normal Heart performs a limited run September 13-October 7, 2012, at the American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). Press night is Wednesday, September 19, at 8 p.m. The Normal Heart is presented in association with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C., by special arrangement with Daryl Roth.

HERO Theatre announced the full cast for their benefit staged reading of Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings" to be led by Emmy Award winner William H. Macy, star of Showtime's Shameless and Joe Manganiello of HBO's True Blood and feature film Magic Mike. The cast includes Tim Bagley, Stephanie Beatriz, Elisa Bocanegra, Dan Donohue, Brent Jennings, and Sam Murphy. The director is John Frank Levey. The benefit will be held on Sunday, July 29 at 6pm at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA and will include a silent auction.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION, the runaway hit play by Mark St. Germain, ends its run on Sunday, July 22nd at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). The date also marks the show's two-year anniversary. Upon the New York closing of FREUD'S LAST SESSION on July 22nd, the production will have played a total of 775 performances and eight previews.

Outfest 2012, the 30th Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, has announced that it will screen a never-before-broadcast episode of ABC's hit comedy show "Happy Endings." Following the screening, members of the cast and creating team will take part in a Q&A, including cast members Adam Pally (Max), Casey Wilson (Penny), Stephen Guarino (Derrick), as well as creator and executive producer David Caspe and executive producer Jonathan Groff. The panel and screening will take place today, July 22 at 1:00pm at the Director's Guild of America (DGA 1).

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced the ten actors who will participate in the 2012 Lunt- Fontanne Fellowship Program, a widely acclaimed national program to serve the future of American theatre. Today, July 22-July 29, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will join Broadway legend Joel Grey for an intensive, weeklong master class and immersion experience at Ten Chimneys, the National Historic Landmark estate of Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin.

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced that Washington, D.C. actors E. Faye Butler, Christopher Bloch, and Brad Oscar have been selected as 2012 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION, New York's smash hit play by Mark St. Germain, will host the last in its series of popular post-performance discussions tonight, July 20th led by one of the show's producers, Jack Thomas, and the show's cast. They will also conduct a Q&A session with the audience.

Soho Rep, in association with John Adrian Selzer, is pleased to announce that OBIE Award-winner Roberta Maxwell will join the cast of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya on Wednesday, July 25, replacing Rebecca Schull as Maria.

Ebony Repertory Theatre (ERT - Founder/Producer Wren T. Brown), now in its fifth year, announced today, that they will present the Los Angeles Premiere of FRATERNITY by internationally acclaimed, award-winning playwright/screenwriter Jeff Stetson (Keep the Faith and And the Men Should Also Gather). Henry Miller (James Baldwin's The Amen Corner) is set to direct this riveting award-winning political drama. FRATERNITY will play October 3 - 28, 2012, with the official press opening on Friday, October 5 at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center (4718 W. Washington Blvd.) in Los Angeles.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION by Mark St. Germain will end its run this Sunday, July 22nd at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). The date also marks the show's two-year anniversary. Upon the New York closing of FREUD'S LAST SESSION, the production will have played a total of 775 performances and eight previews.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION, the runaway hit play by Mark St. Germain, will end its run on Sunday, July 22nd at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). The date also marks the show's two-year anniversary. Upon the New York closing of FREUD'S LAST SESSION on July 22nd, the production will have played a total of 775 performances and eight previews.

HERO Theatre has announced that Joe Manganiello of HBO's True Blood and feature film Magic Mike has joined previously announced Emmy Award winner William H. Macy, star of Showtime's Shameless and Academy Award nominee for Fargo, in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings", directed by John Frank Levey. The benefit will be held on Sunday, July 29 at 6pm at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA. The event will include a silent auction.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION, the runaway hit play by Mark St. Germain, celebrated its 750th New York performance yesterday, June 30th at New World Stages (240 West 50th Street). FREUD'S LAST SESSION is the winner of the 2011 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play. In celebration of the official end of the school year, the show's producers recently released an additional block of $20 student tickets for all performances this summer.

In response to overwhelming demand, amid extraordinary critical acclaim, Soho Rep, in association with John Adrian Selzer, extends the world premiere of CHEKHOV'S UNCLE VANYA-the new version by playwright Annie Baker, directed by Sam Gold-through August 26.

Lorenzo Pisoni's celebrated one-man show, Humor Abuse, returns to American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) for an exclusive limited engagement.

Outfest 2012, the 30th Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, has announced that it will screen a never-before-broadcast episode of ABC's hit comedy show "Happy Endings." Following the screening, members of the cast and creating team will take part in a Q&A, including cast members Adam Pally (Max), Casey Wilson (Penny), Stephen Guarino (Derrick), as well as creator and executive producer David Caspe and executive producer Jonathan Groff. The panel and screening will take place on Saturday, July 22 at 1:00pm at the Director's Guild of America (DGA 1).

Working Theater presents the Off-Broadway production of The Best of TheaterWorks!: Stories from the 99%. The production will feature six of the best short plays to come out of Working Theater's TheaterWorks! program. The 10-year old program teaches working men and women (bus drivers, doormen, 911 operators, DMV workers etc.) to write and perform their own short plays about their experiences at work. The classes end with a stage reading style performance where the students are teamed with professional actors and directors. This production however will be fully realized by a professional cast and crew.

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced the ten actors who will participate in the 2012 Lunt- Fontanne Fellowship Program, a widely acclaimed national program to serve the future of American theatre. July 22-29, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will join Broadway legend Joel Grey for an intensive, weeklong master class and immersion experience at Ten Chimneys, the National Historic Landmark estate of Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin.