Rajiv Joseph News

Two people and the simultaneously cringe-worthy and fascinating ways in which their messy lives get all mixed up. At 90 minutes without an intermission, this is a wonderfully well-written piece of theater, and one that's a worthy kick-off for Milwaukee's new Constructivists. Artistic Director Jaimelyn Gray says this play captures the kind of the work they hope to produce: 'Funny, quirky, sad, with a mess of emotion.' 

2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award recipient Dallas Theater Center (DTC) announces titles for the 2018-2019 season, including the heartwarming, southern comedy Steel Magnolias; the critically-acclaimed Broadway play and winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, Sweat; William Shakespeare's delightful comedy, Twelfth Night; the acclaimed comedy, then film, Real Women Have Curves; a world premiere play set in Dallas, Penny Candy; a new play fresh off the New York theater season, The Wolves, and a fascinating play about the relationship between Muhammad Ali and Stepin Fetchit, Fetch Clay, Make Man. Productions will take place at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. Full season subscriptions are on sale now at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org and by phone at (214) 880-0202.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2018 National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards. Now in their 11th year, these awards honor outstanding trustees of U.S. opera companies for their exemplary leadership, generosity and audience-building efforts on behalf of their respective organizations.

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series and Mark Cortale are pleased to present Patti LuPone with Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. The one-night-only event is Monday, March 5, 2018 with performances at 6:30pm and 9pm in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted).

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights writing in the English language. Chosen from over 150 nominated plays, the Finalists are:

Iconic star of The Office actor and comedian Rainn Wilson will return to the stage in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production ofThe Doppelg nger (An International Farce). Wilson leads the cast as Thomas Irdley/Jimmy in the world premiere production.

The Unicorn Theatre announces the appointment of Justin Audibert as the company's new Artistic Director. Justin will take up the position in summer '18, taking over from Purni Morell who steps down as Artistic Director this spring after nearly seven years in the role.

2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award Recipient Dallas Theater Center (DTC), in association with the Theatre Division of Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University (SMU), presents Frankenstein at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. Directed by DTC's Associate Artistic Director Joel Ferrell, Frankenstein begins on Feb. 2 and runs through March 4. A Pay-What-You-Can performance will be Sunday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m., and Press Night will be Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to Frankenstein are on sale now at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org and by phone at (214) 880-0202.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of the Obie Award-winning play You Got Older, written by Clare Barron and directed by Jonathan Berry. This bawdy, irreverent and touching play features four ensemble members Glenn Davis (Mac), Audrey Francis (Hannah), Francis Guinan (Dad) and Caroline Neff (Mae), along with Emjoy Gavino (Jenny), David Lind (Matthew) and Gabriel Ruiz (Cowboy).

The Lark announces that after a five year hiatus, its BareBones program will return in March 2018, with a workshop production of In the Middle by Donja R. Love (soft, Sugar in Our Wounds) to be directed by Saheem Ali (Twelfth Night, The Public Theater). In the Middle is the third and final play in Love's trilogy, The Love* Plays, a surrealistic exploration of *Queer Love during pivotal moments in Black History: Slavery (Sugar in Our Wounds), The Civil Rights Movement (Fireflies), and the Black Lives Matter movement (In the Middle). The workshop will run at The Lark's BareBones Studio from March 2 11, 2018, at 311 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor, in New York City.

The Boston One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) returns for The 7th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival!

Ensemble Theatre Company (BETC) continues to bring the best of American theatre to with the regional premiere of Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Stephen Weitz, Producing Artistic Director. Joseph is one of America's premiere dramatists and a 2010 Pulitzer finalist for his play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Guards at the Taj won the 2016 Obie Award for Best New American Play.

The Dramatists Guild of America is proud to announce they will present the 2018 Horton Foote Playwriting Award to playwright James Anthony Tyler at the Dramatists Guild's awards presentations in 2018. This year's award finalist is Fernanda Coppel. The Richenthal Foundation is again sponsoring the award.

The Boston One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) returns for The 7th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival!

The Lark announces that Leah Nanako Winkler, author of Kentucky, Two Mile Hollow, and Death for Sydney Black, will be the 2017-19 recipient of the Jerome New York Fellowship. The fellowship, designed to support an early career writer of extraordinary ability, promise, and vision, provides stipends of $25,000 in the first year and $15,000 in the second, in addition to an Opportunity Fund of $5,000 to be used for purposes of additional creative expenses such as travel, research, and workshops. The fellowship is designed to be a life-sustaining platform of support, allowing the fellow to focus on their craft, and to generate and develop a significant body of work.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of BLKS by award-winning poet and playwright Aziza Barnes and directed by Nataki Garrett.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) presents the New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Lortel and Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph's (Guards at the Taj) play Describe the Night, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (Animals Out of Paper).

TheaterJones reports that Dallas Theater Center's Director of New Play Development, Lee Trull, has been accused of harassing a Southern Methodist University Student.

Last night, December 4, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust awarded playwrights Ayad Akhtar and Lucas Hnath with 2017 Steinberg Playwright Awards. The acclaimed writers were honored at the 10th Annual 'Mimi' Awards that were presented at Lincoln Center Theater. BroadwayWorld has photos from the ceremony below!

The One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) and INTAR continue their acclaimed collaboration with The 6th Annual INTAR One-Minute Play Festival, with part of the proceeds to benefit UNIT 52, INTAR's training program for emerging artists. Following sold-out performances in more than twenty cities, this festival aims to celebrate Latinx voices and investigate the cultural zeitgeist through this exciting process.