Royal Court Theatre News

The cast has been announced for Simon Stephens' new play Birdland at the Royal Court Theatre in London (3 April to 31 May - press night 9 April), which looks at fame, money and an out-of-control front man. The full cast is Nikki Amuka-Bird, Daniel Cerqueira, Yolanda Kettle, Alex Price, Charlotte Randle and Andrew Scott.

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are delighted to announce the 38th Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville, running tonight, February 26-April 6, 2014. This year's Festival program will feature (in order of opening):

The first ever production in more than fifty years of Terence Rattigan's Variation on a Theme opens at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre in a strictly limited four-week season from today, 25 February 2014, starring twice Olivier Award nominated Rachael Stirling.

John Tiffany's acclaimed production of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN transfers to the West End having scooped the South Bank award The critically-acclaimed South Bank Sky Arts award-winning production of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN will transfer to London's West End on 26 March for a strictly limited season.

Today, in the midst of preparations for one of the nation's most influential festivals of new work, the Humana Festival of New American Plays, Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein proudly announce Actors Theatre of Louisville's 2014-2015 Season. The 51st Season lineup will include a world-premiere reimagining of Love's Labour's Lost, the musical The Last Five Years, a production of Nina Raine's emotionally-charged drama Tribes, award-winning playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brothers Size, and the return of Naomi Iizuka's At the Vanishing Point-a beautifully-observed portrait of Butchertown with an original score by Ben Sollee. From the exhilaration of infatuation to the heart-wrenching tale of lost love, from one person's fight to find a voice to the dreams and voices of an entire community, the lineup features powerful stories and some of the most exciting artists working in theatre today.

Casting is now complete for the transfer of Julian Mitchell's ANOTHER COUNTRY, directed by Jeremy Herrin. Following a hugely successful run at Chichester's Minerva Theatre last year, it transfers to the Trafalgar Studios, Studio 1 for a limited season, 26th March - 21st June.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker have announced that due to rave reviews and strong ticket sales, Love and Information, written by Caryl Churchill and directed by James Macdonald, will extend for two weeks through Sunday, April 6 at the Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane. Love and Information had been scheduled to run through Sunday, March 23, 2014. Love and Information is produced in association with London's Royal Court Theatre.

Trap Door Theatre extends run of Judith through March 18th. In Howard Barker's Judith, his re-telling for 'the Theatre of Catastrophe' of the apocryphal Book of Judith, the beautiful widowed heroine offers her body as sacrifice to the enemy's general Holofernes in order to save her country only to end up as woman in love 'who kills the thing she loves.'

From today, February 20-March 2, 2014, Houston Ballet presents the North American Premiere of David Bintley's Aladdin, the first work by the celebratEd English choreographer to enter Houston Ballet's repertoire.

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces its 40th Rolling World Premiere: Carson Kreitzer's Lasso of Truth will receive three productions through the Network's Continued Life of New Plays Fund in the 2013/14 season. Lasso of Truth will begin its Rolling World Premiere at Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley, CA, tonight, February 20 - March 16, 2014), followed by performances at Synchronicity Theatre (Atlanta, GA, March 20 - April 13, 2014) and Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City, MO, January 21 - February 8, 2015).

Word for Word presents "36 Stories by Sam Shepard" arranged for the stage and directed by Amy Kossow opening with a press night on Saturday May 24 8pm, running through June 22 (previews May 21-23) at Z Space's second venue, Z Below, at 470 Florida Street. Last year the Magic Theatre spearheaded a multi-theater celebration of Shepard's 70th birthday when they opened their season with Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Buried Child.' Other companies participating in the celebration have been Crowded Fire, American Conservatory Theater in collaboration with Intersection for the Arts/Campo Santo and Word for Word.

Producers Howard Panter and John Frost announced today that the creator of The Rocky Horror Show, Richard O'Brien, would join the production to play the Narrator for the Adelaide season only. The 2014 Australian tour of The Rocky Horror Show is proving to be a phenomenal success with the Brisbane season selling out, and the Perth season kicking off last weekend to great acclaim. The production is receiving standing ovations at every performance, with audiences ecstatically dancing the Time Warp.

Profiles Theatre continues its 25th Anniversary Season with the Midwest premiere of Cock by Mike Bartlett, directed by Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox. The production runs tonight, February 14 - April 6, 2014 at The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway. The press opening is Thursday, February 20 at 8:00pm.

Buzz22 Chicago has announced that tickets for the World Premiere production of Laura Jacqmin's 'Ghost Bike,' directed by Co-Artistic Director Sara Sawicki are now on sale. The production runs March 8 - April 6, 2014 at the Greenhouse Upstairs Mainstage, 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, 60647. Combining elements of Greek, African, and Chinese mythology, 'Ghost Bike' depicts two best friends navigating the ultimate challenge to a friendship through an underworld beneath their home city, Chicago. 'Ghost Bike' is Buzz22 Chicago's next production after 2013's sold out and highly acclaimed production of 'She Kills Monsters' at the Steppenwolf Garage.

The Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center ('the PAC') today announces the establishment of a core team of artistic leaders: David Lan (Artistic Director of London's Young Vic) as Consulting Artistic Director; Lucy Sexton (artist, producer, and Director of the New York Dance & Performance Awards (aka The Bessies)) as Associate Artistic Director; and Andy Hayles, Managing Partner of Charcoalblue (London's National Theatre, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and the future home of Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse), as theater design consultant. Stephen Daldry (director of the films The Hours, Billy Elliot, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and of Billy Elliot the Musical, and former Artistic Director of London's Gate Theatre and Royal Court Theatre) has joined the PAC's Board of Directors. The artistic team is collaborating with the PAC's staff, board and numerous consultants to create a place that is unique on the cultural landscapes of New York, the United States and the world.

Thinking Cap Theatre will present the Florida premiere of Mark Ravenhill's Pool (No Water), a darkly comic, brutally honest investigation of what it means to be an artist and to survive in the art world. The production will run from February 21st through March 8th at the Muse Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

The UK premiere of Superior Donuts by the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Tracy Letts will run in The Little at Southwark Playhouse from tonight, 11 February - Saturday 8 March. Press night is Friday 14 February at 7.30pm.

The Jeff-Recommended world premiere of Laura Jacqmin's Do-Gooder will extend through Saturday, March 1 at North Berwyn Park District's 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th Street in Berwyn. Directed by Artistic Director Ann Filmer, Do-Gooder is the first show in 16th Street's Season Seven 2014: How to Be Good.