Philadelphia Theatre Company News

The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team for the West Coast Premiere of The Scottsboro Boys, the critically acclaimed musical about an infamous chapter in American history.

Philadelphia Theatre Company today announced two selections in their 2012-2013 mainstage season- Seminar by Theresa Rebeck and The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. The remainder of the season will be announced shortly.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced casting for its production of First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb in the Eisenhower Theater June 8 to July 1, 2012. The musical revue will star Heidi Blickenstaff, James Clow, Alan H. Green, Leslie Kritzer, Patina Miller, and Matthew Scott. Originally produced at Signature Theatre in Virginia and co-conceived by David Loud and Eric Schaeffer, the production features music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and will be directed by Eric Schaeffer. Jon Kalbfleisch will conduct the 22-piece Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Press opening night is Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

Broadway's Rodney Hicks, last seen on Broadway in The Scottsboro Boys will make a guest appearance on GRIMM, this May in an episode centered around the fairy tale of 'big foot'.

Brian Stokes Mitchell headlines Philadelphia Theatre Company's annual Gala on Monday, April 30 at The Hyatt at the Bellevue. The event, which kicks off with a Silent Auction beginning at 6:00 PM, will honor Bala Cynwyd residents Marilyn and J. Robert Birnhak for their many years of support to both Philadelphia Theatre Company and its home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.

Fool for Love runs through March 25 at the Centre Theater, Norristown's professional theater at 208 DeKalb St. in downtown Norristown. Show-times are 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are 20 and can be purchased online at www.ticketleap.com. Call 610-279-1013 for information or visit the web at www.ironagetheatre.org.

Philadelphia Theatre Company will present the second production and East Coast premiere of Barrymore Award-winning playwright Bruce Graham's newest play The Outgoing Tide, running March 23-April 22 at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

Topdog / Underdog is the story of two brothers, abandoned by their parents as adolescents, Lincoln and Booth. Both feeling powerless, they find themselves competing for the topdog position. Lincoln, the older brother, is now divorced, and living with Booth in a seedy, dilapidated room in a boarding house. They have no running water, but they have plenty of liquor. The room is furnished without comforts and with minimal furniture, including milk crates and a sheet of cardboard that serves as the card table for Booth to practice his 3-card monte hustle.

Act II Playhouse presents the Philadelphia-area premiere of the Broadway drama Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies, directed by Act II Producing Artistic Director Bud Martin.

HUNGER: IN BED WITH ROY COHN is a world premiere fantasy play by Joan Beber about Roy Cohn, the attorney whose hunger for power and prominence ultimately destroyed him.

Philadelphia Theatre Company will expand its PTC@Play project into an annual Festival beginning next spring thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of its Knight Arts Challenge, a $9 million initiative supporting innovative projects that inspire and enrich Philadelphia's communities.

The new off-Broadway show OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES will begin performances on Tuesday May 1 and open on May 20 at the Westside Theatre.

Philadelphia Theatre Company announces BILL CAIN as the first recipient of the Terrence McNally New Play Award for the research and development of his newest play about Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins which has the working title Unvarnished. The Terrence McNally New Play Award is a $10,000 cash prize given annually to recognize a new play that celebrates the transformative power of art. The Award will also include a year of development support at PTC, including readings as well as administrative support and networking to help manage the future of the play beyond its time at PTC.

In a dingy hotel room in the American west, two lovers grapple with their past, their future and the shocking secret that binds them together. Sam Shepard delves into the horror and humor of a family running from its past in Fool for Love.

Fool for Love opens March 2 and runs through March 25 at the Centre Theater, Norristown's professional theater at 208 DeKalb St. in downtown Norristown. Show-times are 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are 20 and can be purchased online at www.ticketleap.com. Call 610-279-1013 for information or visit the web at www.ironagetheatre.org.

The 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.S. playwright and Texas native Jennifer Haley for her play The Nether. At a private reception in London on February 28, the transatlantic theatre community gathered to honor the playwright and finalists of the annual prize.

Philadelphia Theatre Company will present PTC@Play, a two-week festival of new work on February 2-March 11 at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).