Rocco Landesman News

The Public Theater announced the return of Public Forum's holiday tradition, a one-night-only Drama Club reading and discussion of THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER on Sunday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub at The Public. Just in time for the holidays, this exciting evening will feature a reading of Thornton Wilder's 1931 one-act featuring Tarell Alvin McCraney, Ethan Lipton, Andrew Solomon, and Tappan Wilder. Wilder's ingenious, heartbreaking play traces 90 years in the life of an American family, and will spark a discussion about family and storytelling in a society that's rapidly accelerating.

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching a new program to support temporary public art projects that engage communities, enhance creativity and enrich the vibrancy of cities. Bloomberg Philanthropies is inviting mayors in cities with 30,000 residents or more to submit proposals for innovative temporary public art projects that demonstrate close collaboration between artists, or arts organizations and city government. At least three cities will be selected to receive up to $1 million each over two years.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Diane Paulus, Artistic Director and William Russo, Managing Director; announced today that the 2014 recipient of the annual Robert Brustein Award is Rocco Landesman, a long-time Broadway theatre producer, who served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from August 2009 to December 2012.

Why do some actors make it and others don't? Ken Womble sets out to find the answer to this question, one that has fascinated and tormented him for years, in his new book, INSIDE ACT: How Ten Actors Made it and How You Can Too (Hansen Publishing Group, 373 pages, $24.99). To celebrate the release, BroadwayWorld will be featuring chapter previews from the new book. Today, hear from Gary Beach!

The Public Theater announced the 2014 Fall Public Forum season, featuring an exciting line-up of one-night-only readings and discussions that connect dramatic literature to society. Celebrating its fifth year, the popular Public Forum series presents the theater of ideas: conversations and performances with leading voices in politics, media, and the arts.

The Public Theater presents the free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, tonight, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whitney Bashor, Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, author E.L. Doctorow, Jackie Hoffman, Justin Levine, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, and Micah Stock join this exciting evening, which will celebrate Shakespeare and the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro.

The Public Theater announced additional casting today for the free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, on Monday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whitney Bashor, Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, author E.L. Doctorow, Jackie Hoffman, Justin Levine, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, and Micah Stock join this exciting evening which will celebrate Shakespeare and the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that a special free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, will take place on Monday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, with a line-up that includes Sarah Amengual, Michael Cerveris, Colman Domingo, James Earl Jones, Cynthia Nixon, Annie-B Parson, Steven Pasquale, and Michael Stuhlbarg, celebrating the world's greatest writer, American-style. Highlights of the evening will include James Earl Jones reading a scene from Othello, marking his return to the Delacorte after a 40-year absence and celebrating the 50th anniversary of his playing Othello on the Delacorte stage; Michael Cerveris reading a letter by John Wilkes Booth; and Steven Pasquale singing Tony in the "Tonight" duet from West Side Story.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW)'s 2014 Spring Gala honored Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff and President of The Dodgers Michael David on Monday night, May 12, at The Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel. Both are founding partners of Dodger Properties, which is responsible for over 150 productions of some of the most successful theatre on Broadway (56 Tony Awards), Off-Broadway and internationally. Scroll down for photos from the evening's performances and more!

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW)'s 2014 Spring Gala honored Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff and President of The Dodgers Michael David on Monday night, May 12, at The Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel. Both are founding partners of Dodger Properties, which is responsible for over 150 productions of some of the most successful theatre on Broadway (56 Tony Awards), Off-Broadway and internationally. Scroll down for photos of the arrivals!

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) has announced that its 2014 Spring Gala will honor Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff and President of The Dodgers Michael David. Both are founding partners of Dodger Properties, which is responsible for over 150 productions of some of the most successful theatre on Broadway (56 Tony Awards), Off-Broadway and internationally. The gala will take place on Monday, May 12 at The Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel, beginning at 6:30pm.

Last night at Joe's Pub at The Public, Harvey Fierstein, who played a celebrated Tevye in the 2004 revival of Fiddler; Fiddler on the Roof co-creator Sheldon Harnick; original Broadway cast member Austin Pendleton; renowned Yiddish theatermaker Jenny Romaine; Taniesha Duggan, Director of Audience Engagement of Hartbeat Ensemble; andAlisa Solomon, author of Wonder of Wonders, discussed how successive generations of storytellers used Sholom-Alechem's characters to reflect changing concerns about family, identity, and more. Check out photos from the special event below!

The Public Theater will continue its Spring Public Forum series with an exciting new Public Forum Solo, SARAH LEWIS: PICTURES AND PROGRESS, on Monday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub at The Public. Member tickets are on sale now. Single tickets, starting at $25, go on sale Wednesday, March 12 and can be purchased at (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street.

Jujamcyn Theaters has just released a special holiday greeting featuring some of the company's biggest accomplishments of the year, including opening nights, milestones, engagements and more! Check out the video below!

Jamie L. Bennett has been appointed Executive Director of ArtPlace America (ArtPlace), effective January 6, 2014, it was announced today by Rip Rapson, CEO of The Kresge Foundation and Chairman of the ArtPlace Presidents Council. Mr. Bennett, who is currently Chief of Staff and Director of Public Affairs for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for ArtPlace, a unique collaboration of philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, and federal agencies that promotes the inclusion of arts in community development strategies.

The Public Theater announced that Tony Award winner Cynthia Nixon has joined the December Public Forum Drama Club event, The Long Christmas Dinner by Thornton Wilder, on Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub. In Public Forum Drama Club, authors, musicians, journalists, scholars, and actors come together to give onstage readings of one-act plays that have some special resonance in our lives today. Each reading concludes with a discussion of the hard questions that the play raises about our politics, our culture, and the way we live now.

The Public Theater announced that Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare has joined the next Public Forum Drama Club, Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy by Tony Kushner, tonight, November 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub, continuing the fourth season of PUBLIC FORUM.

The Public Theater announced that Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare has joined the next Public Forum Drama Club, Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy by Tony Kushner, on Sunday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub, continuing the fourth season of PUBLIC FORUM.

The Public Theater will continue its Public Forum season with PUBLIC FORUM SOLO: JOSEPH STIGLITZ ON THE RICH AND POOR on Monday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub. This one-night-only event will feature a talk by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz on income inequality and what the artistic community can do about it, followed by a conversation featuring Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC, Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, and Public Works Director Lear deBessonet.

The Public Theater announced that Academy Award winner Holly Hunter has joined the first Public Forum Drama Club, Life By Asphyxiation by Kia Corthron, on Sunday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub, kicking off the fourth season of PUBLIC FORUM.