Richard Montoya News

Chicago's historic Studebaker Theater will become the home of live opera with a contemporary adaptation of Henry Purcell's 1692 "The Fairy Queen," a reimagining of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" presented by Chicago Opera Theater (COT) beginning November 5.

Single Black Female, Lisa B. Thompson's two-woman comedy exploring the lives of 30-something middle-class African American women in urban America, will open Crossroads Theatre Company's 2016-17 season, Oct. 6-23.

Chicago's historic Studebaker Theater will become the home of live opera with a contemporary adaptation of Henry Purcell's 1692 "The Fairy Queen," a reimagining of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" presented by Chicago Opera Theater (COT) beginning November 5. The California-based performance troupe Culture Clash and COT's Andreas Mitisek put a modernized spin on Purcell's adaptation of Shakespeare's classic with an edgy and hilarious examination of the messes mere mortals make of relationships. "The Fairy Queen" will be performed at Chicago's historicStudebaker Theater (410 S. Michigan Ave). The press performance will be November 5 at 7:30 p.m.Subsequent performances will be November 11 at 7:30 p.m. and November 13 at 3 p.m.

Single Black Female, Lisa B. Thompson's two-woman comedy exploring the lives of 30-something middle-class African American women in urban America, will open Crossroads Theatre Company's 2016-17 season, Oct. 6-23.

Borderlands Theater presents the rolling world premiere of Nogales: Storytellers in Cartel Country by Richard Montoya (American Night, Water & Power) of the acclaimed Chicano performance troupe Culture Clash (Bowl of Beans, Chavez Ravine.) Nogales: Storytellers in Cartel Country traces in reverse the devastating headlines of a Mexican boy shot by US Border Patrol across the border fence. San Francisco theater artist, Sean San Jose, co-founder ofCampo Santo, directs. Nogales: Storytellers in Cartel Country begins with previews September 7th, Opening gala September 9th, and closes September 25th.

Director Joshua Chase Gold has been selected to be the 2016 SDCF Charles Abbott Fellow. He will be assisting Charles Abbott on his production of South Pacific at Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, PA.

Artistic and General Director Andreas Mitisek today announced Long Beach Opera's (LBO) 2017 season. “LBO's  38th season will offer four operas new to Southern California,” said Mitisek. “We'll bring stories that play against the tide of conventions and that are also quintessentially American.  And, we'll work alongside a broad range of collaborators to tell these stories.  As always, to paraphrase Robert Frost, we take the road less travelled, and that makes all the difference.

Award-winning Los Angeles writer-performers Richard Montoya ('Chavez Ravine' and 'Water & Power') and Roger Guenveur Smith ('Rodney King' and 'The Watts Tower Project') take part in a DouglasPlus: Conversations event, 'Excavating Venice of America,' today Wednesday, June 1 at 8 p.m., at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Award-winning Los Angeles writer-performers Richard Montoya ("Chavez Ravine" and "Water & Power") and Roger Guenveur Smith ("Rodney King" and "The Watts Tower Project") will take part in a DouglasPlus: Conversations event, "Excavating Venice of America," on Wednesday, June 1 at 8 p.m., at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre.         

Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks' poignant new drama, FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) opened last Sunday, April 17, 2016, at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. Directed by Jo Bonney, the West Coast premiere of 'Father Comes Home...' plays through May 15. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening festivities below!

As part of the kick-off event for the 2016 Kennedy Center (KC) American College Theater Festival, a special preview of the EVERY 28 HOURS PLAYS will be performed and livestreamed as part of KC's Millennium Stage Series. The preview consists of an excerpt of the collection with more than 30 one-minute plays inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, with participation by theater makers and institutions across the nation and showcases the creative outcome of a community outreach residency in Ferguson and St. Louis County, Missouri in the fall of 2015.

Running November 20 - December 6, 2015, Boulder-based LOCAL Theater Company presents the World Premiere of James McLindon's dark comedy FAITH at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder.

Running November 20 - December 6, 2015, Boulder-based LOCAL Theater Company presents the World Premiere of James McLindon's dark comedy FAITH at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder.

BootStrap Theater Foundation is pleased to announce the world premiere of 'Arctic Requiem: The Story of Luke Cole and Kivalina' created by Sharmon J. Hilfinger and Joan McMillen, directed by Tracy Ward. This multifaceted theatrical production will run October 23 - November 15 at San Francisco's Z Below Theater 450 Florida Street with an Opening Night on Sunday, October 25, 5 p.m.

Trinity Rep invites the public to a kick-off performance of the nationwide theater initiative, Every 28 Hours, on Monday, October 26, 2015. The project responds to the statistic that every 28 hours, a black person is killed by police. Following a week-long workshop in St. Louis, Missouri with playwrights from around the country, the first public reading of up to 90 one-minute plays resulting from the workshop will be held in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater on Monday, October 26, 2015 at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public.

BootStrap Theater Foundation is pleased to announce the world premiere of 'Arctic Requiem: The Story of Luke Cole and Kivalina' created by Sharmon J. Hilfinger and Joan McMillen, directed by Tracy Ward. This multifaceted theatrical production will run October 23 - November 15 at San Francisco's Z Below Theater 450 Florida Street with an Opening Night on Sunday, October 25, 5 p.m.

California Shakespeare Theater continues its 2015 season with groundbreaking playwright Charles Ludlam's high-camp homage to the horror genre, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Directed by Jonathan Moscone in his final production as Cal Shakes Artistic Director, and featuring Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent, The Mystery of Irma Vep plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from tonight, August 12 through September 6.

Karen Zacarias' new telenovela-inspired comedy Destiny of Desire receives its world premiere at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, kicking off the company's 66th season with dramatic storytelling and comic flair. Zacarias, an inaugural resident playwright of the theater's American Voices New Play Institute whose previous credits include The Book Club Play and Legacy of Light, collaborates with renowned director Jose Luis Valenzuela, Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company, to bring the Latin-American telenovela genre to life on stage. Destiny of Desire runs September 11-October 18, 2015 in the Kreeger Theater.

California Shakespeare Theater continues its 2015 season with groundbreaking playwright Charles Ludlam's high-camp homage to the horror genre, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Directed by Jonathan Moscone in his final production as Cal Shakes Artistic Director, and featuring Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent, The Mystery of Irma Vep plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from August 12 through September 6.

American Revolutions is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 10-year commissioning program (2008-2018) of up to 37 new plays that look at moments of change in America's past, with the goal of helping to establish a shared understanding of our national identity and illuminate the best paths for our nation's future.