Philadelphia Theatre Company News

Full casting and the creative team have been announced for the limited, pre-Broadway engagement of NERDS, A New Musical Comedy at North Carolina Theatre's AJ Fletcher Theatre the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, NC. The show will run from January 18, 2013 through February 3, 2013.

In celebration of its 35th anniversary landmark year, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced a global celebration where theatres across the English-speaking world will produce 75 plays by past winners and finalists.

In this week's edition of 'Around the Broadway World: Regional Highlights of the Week', we bring you the most-read stories for the week of October 29. Catch up on all the latest theater happenings from all corners of the world!

Philadelphia Theatre Company opens its 2012-2013 season with the world premiere of the new musical song cycle Stars of David October 17 - November 18 at Philadelphia Theatre Company's home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below.

Stars of David is a world premiere musical based on Abigail Pogrebin's book, Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish. Nancy is a journalist who doesn't feel a connection with her Jewish heritage and decides to embark on a book project to interview well-known figures about their cultural identity. The interviews result in words, videos and musical portrayals of Gloria Steinem, Leonard Nimoy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Joan Rivers, Aaron Sorkin, Tony Kushner, Fran Drescher and more.

New York's newest theater company Breaking Bread Theatre, under the leadership of Co-Artistic Directors Joe Calarco and Jen Waldman, with Third Coast Creative, present a developmental lab of the new musical Ella Minnow Pea by Larson Award-winning writers Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel. The invitation-only presentations will be held tonight, October 25 - 26.

Acclaimed theater company Playwrights Horizons recently announced additional performers participating in the return of its popular benefit evening STORIES ON 5 STORIES: Poetic Justice this evening, October 22.

Acclaimed theater company Playwrights Horizons has announced additional performers participating in the return of its popular benefit evening STORIES ON 5 STORIES: Poetic Justice on Monday evening, October 22.

Following its celebrated opening at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Pullman Porter Blues travels across the country to sweep D.C. audiences along for a ride in its world-premiere co-production at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Inspired by her grandfather's work on the postal trains, playwright Cheryl L. West, whose work at Arena Stage includes Jar the Floor and Play On!, returns with the tale of three Pullman train porters whose journey is underscored by Midwest blues songs, including "Sweet Home Chicago" and "This Train." Directed by Lisa Peterson (Arena's The Rainmaker and The Quality of Life), Pullman Porter Blues runs November 23, 2012 - January 6, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater.

Passage Theatre Company will produce its first main stage play of the 2012-2013 season at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton tonight, October 18 - November 4.

Round House Theatre continues its 2012/13 season with the regional premiere of I Love to Eat by James Still, which runs tonight, October 17 thru November 4. Leon Major directs this look at the delightfully zesty life of renowned chef James Beard. Nick Olcott portrays the culinary maestro described as "the face and belly of American gastronomy." Opening night is Monday, October 22, 2012.

Philadelphia Theatre Company opens its 2012-2013 season with the world premiere of the new musical song cycle Stars of David tonight, October 17 - November 18 at Philadelphia Theatre Company's home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

New York's newest theater company Breaking Bread Theatre, under the leadership of Co-Artistic Directors Joe Calarco and Jen Waldman, with Third Coast Creative, present a developmental lab of the new musical Ella Minnow Pea by Larson Award-winning writers Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel. The invitation-only presentations will be held October 25 - 26.

Janet Brenner and Michael Coco will present Fiction in Photographs, a new musical featuring the music and lyrics of Dan Mills, conceived and directed by Randy Redd, and featuring the photography of Sasha Israel. Three free presentations, open to the public, will be offered at the New World Stages/Stage 1 (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) on Wednesday October 10th (4pm), Thursday October 11th (7pm) and Friday October 12th (7pm).

The William & Eva Fox Foundation and Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, are pleased to announce the seventh round of Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship recipients. The program is designed to support actors' professional and artistic development, to enrich relationships between actors and nonprofit theatres and to ensure continued professional commitment to live theatre. Funded by the Fox Foundation and administered by TCG, the fellowship is one of only a few programs of its kind for actors in the country.

Philadelphia Theatre Company was the top winner of this year's Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre with seven awards, the most of any Philadelphia-area theater company. This brings PTC's total number of Barrymore Awards to 53 cumulative wins and 155 nominations.

Passage Theatre Company will produce its first main stage play of the 2012-2013 season at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton October 18 - November 4.