Peter Brook News

FoolsFURY has announced the program for the fifth FURY Factory festival of ensemble theater, July 6 - 20, 2014.

The Miami Herald reported last week that 'Sotto Voce' by Nilo Cruz, which Theater for the New City commissioned and produced for its world premiere February 15 to March 9, will be staged by legendary director Peter Brook in a French version in the future, with other versions to follow. Mr. Brook, Director of Theatre du Nord in Paris, was quoted as calling the play 'beautiful.'

Jennifer Bowles will play the title role opposite Rob McClure in New York City Center Encores! production of Irma La Douce, running for seven performances,May 7 - 11, 2014. The final production of the 2014 Encores! season will also feature Sam Bolen, Allan Corduner, Ben Crawford, Stephen DeRosa, Ken Krugman, Zachary James and Chris Sullivan. Irma La Douce will be directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Chase Brock, with music direction by Rob Berman.

I truly appreciate when a show realizes it doesn't need all the flash, all the bells and whistles, in order to be great. Sometimes a show has such a simple and straightforward story to tell that it just needs to tell it. Such is the case with "The Suit" currently playing at the Seattle Rep. This heartbreaking tale has such simple innate beauty that it needs only some chairs, a few musicians and a trio of gifted actors to convey the tragic allure of itself.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: CABARET begins previews tonight, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block are set to sing with The New York Pops, and looking ahead to Sunday, LES MIS returns to Broadway!

Playwrights Foundation (PF) Cutting Ball Theater and Tides Theatre announced the Des Voix…Found In Translation Biennial 2014, a Festival of New French Plays and Cinema in San Francisco May 1-25, 2014. Des Voix…Found In Translation is an international exchange project that initiates the translation of vanguard French and American playwrights, supporting the presentation of their work to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Des Voix…Found In Translation features new play readings-May 8-11 at Tides Theatre and also includes: A Festival of New French Cinema May 4, 11, 18 & 25 featuring some of the most dynamic French screenwriters in this generation, concurrently at Tides Theatre; A rare "Bal Litteraire" A New Play Nightclub on Friday May 9 at 7 PM , Hosted with Nathalie Fillion of La Cooperative d'Ecriture (Cooperative Writing) at The French American International School. Go to www.desvioxfestival.com for the full schedule.

Peter Brook is one of the world's most respected and revolutionary directors of contemporary theatre. To help his actors achieve extraordinary performances, he has a special exercise, called 'the Tightrope,' which evolved over decades of experimentation and practice into a process of transformation that makes theatre real and new for actor and audience alike. In this quietly eloquent and unique film, director Simon Brook - Peter's son - reveals how the Tightrope works its dramatic alchemy.

The Kennedy Center's international theater festival got off to a truly moving start, thanks to a three-evening visit from Peter Brook's company, Theatre des Bouffes du Nord and their touring production of Can Themba's short story, "The Suit." Set in South Africa, in the suburban village of Sophiatown, "The Suit" is a cautionary tale of infidelity, jealousy, and the heavy toll that vengeance can take. It was a rare opportunity for Washington audiences to experience one of the world's master artists at work-an artist whose 60+ year career has spanned any number of innovations, but whose style has remained deceptively simple.

General and Artistic Director Michael Egel and the Board of Directors have announced casting for the operas of the 42nd Summer Festival Season. The three, full-scale grand operas will be presented in 15 performances between June 27 and July 20, 2014 at the Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola Iowa. A fourth production will run for 3 performances on July 10 and 19 at the newly renovated Des Moines Social Club in Des Moines as part of the company's newly-minted 2nd Stages Series. The Summer Festival Season repertory includes the return of a timeless operatic classic paired with two operas which will be company premieres - the first is a modern masterpiece and the second is a sparkling farce by opera's greatest comedic composer, Rossini. It's truly a season for everyone from first-time opera-goers to lifelong devotees highlighted by Des Moines Metro Opera's exceptional attention to details, including casting some of the most remarkable vocal talent in America today.

The Prince Music Theater presents the Tony Award and Olivier Award-winning director Peter Brook's production of The Suit today, February 26-March 8. Set in South Africa, The Suit tells a tale of love, revenge and redemption.

The Prince Music Theater presents the Tony Award and Olivier Award-winning director Peter Brook's production of The Suit February 26-March 8. Set in South Africa, The Suit tells a tale of love, revenge and redemption. Tickets are on sale now at PrinceMusicTheater.org.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will host 22 theatrical offerings from 20 different countries during WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014 that will run for three weeks March 10-30, 2014 throughout the Center. The international festival features contemporary theater works offering 13 fully staged productions, 4 theater-focused installations, 3 readings of new works, and 2 forums. From Olivier and Tony Award-winning puppetry to innovative perspectives on old classics, a diverse showcase of theatrical expression will be represented by countries spanning the globe including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, England, France, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine, Scotland, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, and the United States.

Due to critical acclaim and brisk ticket sales, The Flea Theater is proud to announce a second extension of MY DAUGHTER KEEPS OUR HAMMER through March 1st. This World Premiere by Brian Watkins is directed by Flea Resident Director Danya Taymor (I Hate Mexicans) and features members of The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea.

The Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center ('the PAC') today announces the establishment of a core team of artistic leaders: David Lan (Artistic Director of London's Young Vic) as Consulting Artistic Director; Lucy Sexton (artist, producer, and Director of the New York Dance & Performance Awards (aka The Bessies)) as Associate Artistic Director; and Andy Hayles, Managing Partner of Charcoalblue (London's National Theatre, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and the future home of Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse), as theater design consultant. Stephen Daldry (director of the films The Hours, Billy Elliot, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and of Billy Elliot the Musical, and former Artistic Director of London's Gate Theatre and Royal Court Theatre) has joined the PAC's Board of Directors. The artistic team is collaborating with the PAC's staff, board and numerous consultants to create a place that is unique on the cultural landscapes of New York, the United States and the world.

Dulaang UP (DUP), University of the Philippines-based student theater organization, officially closes its 38th theater season by retooling a three-year-old children's play into a more complex theater piece. ANG NAWALANG KAPATID, a Filipinized musical adaptation of ancient India's most revered epic, The Mahabharata, runs until Sunday, February 23 at Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater (2nd floor Palma Hall), featuring the Dulaang UP Ensemble led by Teetin Villanueva, Vince Pajara, John Abella, and Ross Pesigan.

Ian McKellen, who stars in the Broadway repertory season of Harold Pinter's NO MAN'S LAND and Samuel Beckett's WAITING FOR GODOT, will be featured on Friday's episode of 'LIVE with Kelly & Michael.' Locally the program can be found on WABC7 at 9:00AM.

Due to critical acclaim and popular demand The Flea Theater has announced a limited extension of MY DAUGHTER KEEPS OUR HAMMER through February 22nd. This World Premiere by Brian Watkins is directed by Flea Resident Director Danya Taymor (I Hate Mexicans) and features members of The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea.

Michael Pennington, two-time Olivier Award nominee, an artist of international stature and one of England's greatest classical actors, will play the title role in William Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear directed by Arin Arbus. For the second production in Theatre for a New Audience's inaugural season at its first permanent home, the new Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place in Brooklyn, Mr. Pennington leads a company of 22 actors. King Lear begins previews March 14 for an opening March 27 and a run through May 4.

Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Broadway World have partnered for an filmed Conversations Q&A series to recognize and celebrate the vibrant theatre community in New York City and the union actors who aspire to have a career on the stage and screen. The most recent conversation featured stage and screen titans Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, moderated by BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. Check out Part 1 of the conversation HERE and Part 2 below!