Phylicia Rashad News

Westport Country Playhouse will host its third annual open house, "Playhouse Community Day," on Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering a wide variety of family activities, backstage tours, displays and historic artifacts, insight on the upcoming 2012 season and ticket discounts throughout the day. Admission is free and open to the public. There will be complimentary snacks and beverages, including food available for purchase.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer), will celebrate its 43rd Year with a Gala evening on Monday, April 2th, featuring a special concert by Tony winner Lillias White. The event takes place at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, East 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues, at 7pm.

San Francisco's African-American Shakespeare Company has announced that due to unforeseen circumstances the company's World Premiere of Nambi E. Kelley's, XTIGONE, directed by Darrel V. Jones, has been postponed, and removed from African-American Shakespeare Company's current season schedule. A RAISIN IN THE SUN, Lorraine Hansberry's timeless play about a 1950s-era Chicago family longing for a better life, will be the third and final production of the company's 2011-12 season.

Golden Globe and Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah has signed on to star in and executive produce the Lifetime Original Movie Event, Steel Magnolias, a television adaptation of the iconic play and 1989 film of the same name, reuniting her with her producing duo Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, from the Oscar and Golden Globe winning Chicago and Hairspray. (Zadan and Meron also produce Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva and Smash.) She will take on the role of 'M'Lynn' and star alongside an all-star cast that includes Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad as 'Clairee,' Golden Globe and multiple Emmy winner Alfre Woodard as 'Ouiser,' Grammy winner Jill Scott as 'Truvy,' Adepero Oduye as 'Annelle,' and Condola Rashad as 'Shelby.' The announcement was made today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager of Lifetime Networks.

On Monday, March 19 at 7pm, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR will present a conversation with several cast and artistic team members of A Streetcar Named Desire, opening on Broadway on April 22.

The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled to present A RAISIN IN THE SUN at the Sydney Laurence Theatre. The production is set to run from April 13-22nd.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Heather Hitchens, Executive Director) is now accepting applications for the 2012 SpringboardNYC summer program, being held June 5 - 16 in New York City. Limited to 35 participants, SpringboardNYC provides financial aid and multiple scholarship programs to students who qualify.

On Monday, March 19 at 7pm, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR will present a conversation with several cast and artistic team members of A Streetcar Named Desire, opening on Broadway on April 22.

On Monday, March 12th, 2012 Roundabout celebrated Rob Marshall with the 2012 Spring Gala: From Screen to Stage. Rob Marshall began his career with Roundabout working on celebrated musicals such as She Loves Me, Company, Little Me and the Tony Award®-winning Cabaret. When Hollywood beckoned, he directed and choreographed the biggest film musical in years, the Academy Award® winning Chicago, the summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and the star studded NINE among others. BroadwayWorld was inside the event to chat with the star-studded guests. Click below for the action!

Last night, March 12th, 2012 Roundabout celebrated Rob Marshall, with the 2012 Spring Gala: From Screen to Stage. Rob Marshall began his career with Roundabout working on celebrated musicals such as She Loves Me, Company, Little Me and the Tony Award®-winning Cabaret. When Hollywood beckoned, he directed and choreographed the biggest film musical in years, the Academy Award® winning Chicago, the summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and the star studded NINE among others. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities and brings you full photo coverage below!

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents its annual 2012 Spring Gala honoring Academy Award, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Rob Marshall.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's 43rd Annual Awards Show will take place on Monday, March 19, 2012 at A Noise Within in Pasadena. The show will feature performances from previously-announced hosts Jason Graae (recipient of the 2007 Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre) and Lesli Margherita (nominee for Kiss Me, Kate). In addition, the Awards show will feature the Los Angeles premiere performance of My Husband, by Paul Rudnick, a short play added to the New York production of Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Also, Yvette Tucker and Salvatore Vasallo will perform an excerpt from "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," from On Your Toes, choreographed by this year's Hirschhorn Award recipient, Lee Martino.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents its annual 2012 Spring Gala honoring Academy Award, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Rob Marshall.

Jujamcyn Theaters and True Colors Theatre Company have announced the 4th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition will take place on Monday, May 7th at 7:00 p.m. at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). The event, which is free and open to the public, features high school students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh and Seattle performing monologues by the late, legendary American playwright.

With less than two months before the curtain goes up on Westport Country Playhouse's 2012 season, single tickets are now on sale, beginning Tuesday, March 6, at noon. Single tickets may be purchased by phone at 203-227-4177, in person at 25 Powers Court,Westport, or 24/7 online at westportplayhouse.org.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents its annual 2012 Spring Gala honoring Academy Award, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Rob Marshall.

TV Guide reports that Phylicia Rashad has been added to the cast of the pilot episode for NBC's Do No Harm, slated to play Dr. Vanessa Young. Young has a co-worker, Jeffrey Kohl, with a dangerous alter-ego named Ian Price. That alter-ego attempts to destroy him. The pilot is written and produced by David Shulner and directed by Mcihael Mayer.

After completing their 40th anniversary year, highlighted by an all-star gala in May, New Federal Theatre will announce its 2011-'12 season.

Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones and Anthony Lacavera just announced that Ms. Carmen DeLavallade will join the cast of their much anticipated production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Ms. DeLavallade will join the cast led by Blair Underwood as Stanley, Nicole Ari Parker as Blanche, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Stella and Wood Harris as Mitch, completing the cast of Broadway's A Streetcar Named Desire. This production of A Streetcar Named Desire will take over the Broadhurst Theatre beginning its limited run on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 and will celebrate its opening Sunday, April 22, 2012.