Richard Greenberg News

On Sunday, March 11, the first anniversary of the great Japanese earthquake, Theater Communications Group is organizing performance events nationwide to raise funds for the Japan Playwrights Association to help the Japanese theater community affected by the disaster. The collective event is called: SHINSAI: THEATERS FOR JAPAN.

Patti LuPone, Richard Thomas, Mary Beth Hurt, Jay O. Sanders and Henry Stram will join forces with the previously announced Michi Barral, Cindy Cheung, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Ken Leung, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jonny Wo, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devasted by last year's earthquake when they appear in this Sunday's March 11 benefit performances of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, at the Great Hall at Cooper Union (Seventh Street at Third Avenue).

The benefit will feature a segment from the 1976 musical Pacific Overtures revised, with new lyrics, especially for the occasion by its creators librettist John Weidman and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim. BroadwayWorld.com is excited to premiere the text from creators John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim.

On Sunday, March 11, the first anniversary of the great Japanese earthquake, Theater Communications Group is organizing performance events nationwide to raise funds for the Japan Playwrights Association to help the Japanese theater community affected by the disaster. The collective event is called: SHINSAI: THEATERS FOR JAPAN.

Patti LuPone, Richard Thomas, Mary Beth Hurt, Jay O. Sanders and Henry Stram will join forces with the previously announced Michi Barral, Cindy Cheung, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Ken Leung, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jonny Wo, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devasted by last year's earthquake when they appear in this Sunday's March 11 benefit performances of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, at the Great Hall at Cooper Union (Seventh Street at Third Avenue).

On March 11, 2012-the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Japan-American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will join over 65 theaters across the country in presenting SHINSAI ("great quake" in Japanese), a benefit reading to support fellow theater artists on the other side of the world. Selections will be drawn from a menu of 10-minute plays and songs that were commissioned from major American and Japanese artists, who have donated their work for this one-night only event. Performance takes place at 7 p.m. at The Garret at the American Conservatory Theater. Tickets are $5 and can be ordered online at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228. All proceeds will benefit the Japan Playwrights Association.

Michi Barral, Cindy Cheung, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Ken Leung, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jonny Wo, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen will be featured in Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a two performance benefit to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devastated by last year's great earthquake (Shinsai). Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, will be performed this Sunday, March 11 at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union (Seventh Street at Third Avenue).

According to Big Pond, actress Julia Roberts hopes to return to theatre. A mother of three children, she compared working in theatre to childbirth.

American Blues Theater (ABT), Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, will participate in a global benefit for the people of Japan, SHINSAI: Theatre for Japan, Sunday, March 11 at 3 p.m. at the Richard Christiansen Theater in Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 North Lincoln Ave. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 with 100% of the proceeds going to SHINSAI. For tickets and more information go to www.americanbluestheater.com or call 312.725.4228.

TOPHER GRACE and OLIVIA THIRLBY will co-star in Second Stage Theatre's production of Paul Weitz's world premiere comedy, LONELY, I'M NOT, directed by Trip Cullman. Preview performances are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 10 at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd street). The production will officially open on Monday, May 7. For tickets or more information, please visit www.2ST.com. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Artistic Director Jenny Gersten announced in Williamstown today the roster of Main Stage and Nikos Stage productions for the 2012 Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) Season, the Festival's 58th season and second under Ms. Gersten's leadership. The Main Stage Season will kick off with a production of Oscar Wilde's classic The Importance of Being Earnest as you've never seen it before, directed by Tony Award-winner David Hyde Pierce (an alum of the Festival's training programs, making his WTF directorial debut), playing from June 26 - July 14, 2012. A new translation of Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country, directed by Tony Award-winner Richard Nelson (James Joyce's The Dead) has also been added to the Main Stage line-up, from August 1 - August 19, 2012. On the Nikos Stage, WTF veteran Jessica Stone (A Funny Thing...Forum) directs Neil Simon's comedy Last of the Red Hot Lovers, playing from July 11 - July 22, 2012, and the World Premiere of Olivier Award-winner Katori Hall's (The Mountaintop) WHADDABLOODCLOT!!!, will run, in association with Signature Theatre, from August 8 - 19, 2012.

According to the New York Times, Playwrights Horizons will present FAR FROM HEAVEN, a new musical with book by Tony Award winner and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out, Three Days of Rain), music by Tony Award nominee Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens) and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens, The Grapes of Wrath), in Spring 2013. The show will also play Williamstown Theatre Festival this summer. The musical was adapted from the acclaimed, award-winning 2002 Focus Features/Vulcan Productions motion picture Far From Heaven, written and directed by Todd Haynes.

Tennessee Repertory Theatre will partner with the Frist Center for the Visual Arts for its upcoming installment of the popular REPaloud series.

To meet popular demand, 2nd Story Theatre has scheduled four additional performances of Richard Greenberg's Tony Award-winning drama, Take Me Out, extending the run through February 19.