Paul Toben News

Fresh from a smash Broadway run, The Lifespan of a Fact is an essential comedy for an age in which every fact is a battleground.

Two River Theater (Artistic Director John Dias, Managing Director Michael Hurst) presents Cyrano by Jason O'Connell and Brenda Withers, adapted from the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, directed by Meredith McDonough in a co-production with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Cyrano opens to the press on Friday, September 27 at 7pm and continues through Sunday, October 13 in Two River's Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ.

Two River Theater (Artistic Director John Dias, Managing Director Michael Hurst) presents Cyrano by Jason O'Connell and Brenda Withers, adapted from the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, directed by Meredith McDonough in a co-production with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Cyrano opens to the press on Friday, September 27 at 7pm and continues through Sunday, October 13 in Two River's Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or tworivertheater.org.

Lucas Hnath's DANA H., now in its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre, recounts a harrowing trauma experienced by the playwright's mother, Dana Higginbotham. In 1997, she was working as a hospice chaplain in Florida when a former patient, a mentally ill ex-convict, kidnapped her for five months. Hnath tells this deeply personal story through a riveting device: actress Deirdre O'Connell lip-syncs to recordings of interviews with the real Dana, conducted by Steve Cosson nearly two decades after the recalled events. Under the direction of Les Waters, this uniquely intimate encounter between audience and narrator offers a terrifying glimpse into the mental and emotional realities of being a survivor of abuse.

Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, launches its 2019/20 Season with Cyrano by Jason O'Connell and Brenda Withers, adapted from the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, directed by Meredith McDonough in a co-production with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Performances will begin in Two River's Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, on Saturday, September 21 and continue through Sunday, October 13. The opening night performance is Friday, September 27 at 7pm. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or tworivertheater.org. 

Preview performances begin September 6 for the world premiere of Dana H. by Lucas Hnath, a?oeone of the freshest playwriting voices to emerge in the past five yearsa?? (The New York Times). A co-production with Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group, Dana H. is an innovative work that 'blurs the lines between documentary and drama' (The Hollywood Reporter) based on the harrowing true story of Hnath's own mother, Dana Higginbotham, and adapted from interviews conducted by Steve Cosson.

Weston Playhouse Theatre Company presents an evening with one of country music's most celebrated stars, ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE (August 1 a?" August 24 | Walker Farm), Tues a?" Sat 7:30pm; Wed & Sat 2:00pm; Sun 3:00pm.

Performances have begun for the world premiere of Lucas Hnath's "Dana H." at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in a co-production with Goodman Theatre. Adapted from interviews with Dana Higginbotham, conducted by Steve Cosson, directed by Les Waters and featuring Deirdre O'Connell in the title role, "Dana H." will open on June 2 and continue through June 23, 2019.

Rehearsals begin for the world premiere of Lucas Hnath's "Dana H." at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in a co-production with Goodman Theatre. Adapted from interviews with Dana Higginbotham, conducted by Steve Cosson, directed by Les Waters and featuring Deirdre O'Connell in the title role, "Dana H." will begin previews May 26, open June 2 and continue through June 23, 2019.

Center Theatre Group has announced that Deirdre O'Connell will play the title role in the world premiere of 'Dana H.' by Lucas Hnath at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in a co-production with Goodman Theatre. Adapted from interviews with Dana Higginbotham, conducted by Steve Cosson and directed by Les Waters, 'Dana H.' will begin previews May 26, open June 2 and continue through June 23, 2019. 'Dana H.' was originally commissioned by The Civilians (New York) and Goodman Theatre; it will appear at the Goodman from September 6 through October 6, 2019, during their 2019/2020 Season.

Chicago audiences will be the first to see August Rush: The Musical, a world premiere musical crafted by some of the top creative artists working in American theater today, based on the Oscar-nominated Warner Bros. film about a musically gifted orphan and the search for his birth parents.

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival announces complete casting for the 2019 Summer Season.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces the cast and creative team for Short Shakespeare! Macbeth, a 75-minute abridged production of William Shakespeare's tale of political intrigue and personal ambition. Adapted and directed by Marti Lyons and featuring a dynamic ensemble cast, the production will be performed for the public on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., February 16-March 16, 2019. After each performance, the actors remain on stage for a question-and-answer session, before joining the audience in the Lobby for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities. 

Actors Theatre of Louisville announces The Santaland Diaries, by David Sedaris, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello, and directed by Associate Artistic Director Meredith McDonough, onstage from November 15-December 23. Described last year as "the adventurous yuletide theater-goers should check out!" by Arts Louisville, Sedaris's holiday tale will play to new audiences with an increased number of performances, in the 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre. The Santaland Diaries is brought to you in part by BB&T.

If you have been even remotely close to a mall and/or department store during the Holiday season, you know well the Scene. Often found within the center of the shopping hub-bub and cleverly placed near the toys, an onslaught of seasonal scenery is in sight: adorable gingerbread houses, cotton-candy like 'snow' drifts that are replete with gumdrops and woodland creatures and candy canes that are 4-8 feet tall that line a snow-covered road where you are assisted by happy helpers that support and guide your way. And we all know to whom that road leads...Santa Claus!!! Oh, the excitement builds just thinking about visiting with Ol' St. Nick, or is that anxiety and nausea?

Actors Theatre of Louisville announces The Santaland Diaries, by David Sedaris, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello, and directed by Associate Artistic Director Meredith McDonough, onstage from November 15-December 23. Described last year as 'the adventurous yuletide theater-goers should check out!' by Arts Louisville, Sedaris's holiday tale will play to new audiences with an increased number of performances, in the 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre. The Santaland Diaries is brought to you in part by BB&T.

Actors Theatre of Louisville is thrilled to announce the upcoming production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from September 18 - October 10, 2018, presented as part of the Brown-Forman Series. In this Tony Award-winning adaptation of the bestselling novel, autistic teenager Christopher investigates the mysterious death of his neighbor's dog after he's wrongly accused of the crime.

Tenacious and intelligent, Christopher is an autistic teenager who's better at solving equations than reading social cues, and he sometimes struggles to navigate a world that's stubbornly out of sync with how his mind works. But when his investigation uncovers painful truths about his family, he dares to strike out on his own, embarking on a thrilling adventure in this Tony Award-winning adaptation of the bestselling novel.

Get a first look at Actors Theatre of Louisville's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the production photos below!

Not so many years ago, a person diagnosed with a behavioral and/or learning disability would have been sent to a 'special' school or home where, most of the time, just their basic needs were met, with little human interaction or development.