Sam Shepard News

Broadway stars Emily Padgett and Matthew Hydzik will star as "Alex" and "Nick" in the world premiere of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Padgett and Hydzik will be joined on stage by the legendary Rachelle Rak in the role of "Tess." Sergio Trujillo, director and choreographer for the production returned to the home of FLASHDANCE and launch of the world premiere, Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, to announce the lead casting from a press conference. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Kevin McMahon, CEO of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, were also on hand to welcome the cast and creative team to Pittsburgh and to make a proclamation, naming January 1, 2013 as FLASHDANCE DAY. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary,FLASHDANCE kicks off a national tour January 1-6 at Heinz Hall and continues on to more than 20 cities with additional bookings to be announced:

La MaMa has announced that its facilities and theatres will re-open this week after having been closed due to Hurricane Sandy, bringing some much needed life, art and people power back to the East Village neighborhood La MaMa has called home for 50 years. Starting today, La MaMa Galleria (6 E. 1 St.) re-opens its exhibit BRAD GREENWOOD/eat the wolfe. The exhibit is on view each day from 1 to 7:30 p.m. through November 11.

The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble's Student Outreach Program, THE ODDS, and the Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy present the world premiere of a multi-disciplinary performance piece that takes as its subject the biographical life of Andy Warhol and the intersection of the counterculture, art world, and social and cultural shifts in the 60s through the 1980s. Tina Kronis and Leslie Ferreira direct Untitled Warhol Project for eight performances only from tonight, November 8 through November 18 at the Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles. The production will be remounted at Los Angeles City College for four performances, November 29 through December 1.

A Red Orchid Theatre's (AROT) Board of Trustees and Gala Committee, together with Rockit Ranch Productions, has announced the 2012 A Red Orchid Gala. The 2012 Gala will celebrate 20 years of creating exceptional, ensemble-based theater in Chicago. The event will be held on Monday, November 12, 2012 at Sunda Restaurant, 110 W. Illinois, with a cocktail party and auction to follow at The Underground, 56 W Illinois. The evening will be co-hosted by A Red Orchid Co-founder and Academy Award Nominee, Michael Shannon and Rockit Ranch Productions CEO Billy Dec.

Rising Sun Performance Company (Akia, Founding Artistic Director) announced today that Hotel Suite, its three-week site specific group of plays set in a real Upper West Side hotel room, will extend performances of Fool for Love by Sam Shepard, and Room 128, a collection of short hotel-themed plays, through November 10th at Hostelling International (891 Amsterdam Avenue at 103rd Street). Originally scheduled to close November 3rd, Hotel Suite was dark for much of its original final week of performances due to Hurricane Sandy.

Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company and General Director of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts today announced a full year's slate of artistic and community-based activity for Soulpepper and the Young Centre in 2013. Over 700 performances representing the remarkable artistic and cultural diversity of the city will happen under the Young Centre's roof next year, including festivals, cabarets, and community partnerships. Soulpepper Theatre Company's repertory season features fifteen plays including two marathon-style theatrical events to be staged in their entirety: Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America (Part One: Millennium Approaches & Part Two: Perestroika) and Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests (Table Manners, Living Together & Round and Round the Garden). Soulpepper's season includes adaptations of plays from the classical canon (Beaumarchais/Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Schnitzler's La Ronde, and Dickens' Great Expectations) alongside twentieth-century gems by Tom Stoppard, Joe Orton, Sam Shepard and Canada's John Murrell.

Atlantic Theater Company presents the World Premiere of WHAT RHYMES WITH AMERICA, written by Melissa James Gibson and directed by Daniel Aukin, beginning November 19 at the Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues). Get a first look at the all-star cast in rehearsal in the photos below!

Magic Theatre introduces playwright Anna Ziegler to the Bay Area with the world premiere of Another Way Home, running from tonight, November 7 - December 2.

La MaMa has announced that its facilities and theatres will re-open this week after having been closed due to Hurricane Sandy, bringing some much needed life, art and people power back to the East Village neighborhood La MaMa has called home for 50 years. Starting today, La MaMa Galleria (6 E. 1 St.) re-opens its exhibit BRAD GREENWOOD/eat the wolfe. The exhibit is on view each day from 1 to 7:30 p.m. through November 11.

In light of power outages as a result of Hurricane Sandy, La MaMa has announced that it will suspend performances at its 3 theatres through Sunday, November 4. Cancelled are performances of UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS FESTIVAL at Ellen Stewart (66 E. 4 St.) along with 2 FROM THE SEA at First Floor Theatre and HOWL! BENEFIT and Saturday's COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLE Trav. S.D. and Tim Cusack at The Club, 74A E. 4 St. in Manhattan, the Brad Greenwood / eat the wolf exhibit La Galleria, 6 E. 1st St.

The Open Fist Theatre Company is thrilled to present FOOTE NOTES, written by Horton Foote and directed by Scott Paulin whose previous directorial Foote offerings have been critically-acclaimed (Harrison, Texas, The Roads to Home, Getteng Frankie Married…and Afterwards). Mr. Paulin's previous collection of one-acts Harrison, TX just closed a sold-out run in New York. FOOTE NOTES, will preview today, November 2, at 8pm; Saturday, November 3 at 8pm and Thursday, November 8 at 8pm and will open today, November 9 at 8pm and runs through Saturday, December 15 at the Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Rising Sun Performance Company (Akia, Founding Artistic Director) announced today that Hotel Suite, its three-week site specific group of plays set in a real Upper West Side hotel room, will resume performances Thursday, November 1st with Room 128, a collection of six short plays, at 8:00 pm at Hostelling International (891 Amsterdam Avenue at 103rd Street). Due to Hurricane Sandy, Hotel Suite, which began performances October 11th, has been dark since Sunday, October 28th.

The Open Fist Theatre Company is thrilled to present FOOTE NOTES, written by Horton Foote and directed by Scott Paulin whose previous directorial Foote offerings have been critically-acclaimed (Harrison, Texas, The Roads to Home, Getteng Frankie Married…and Afterwards). Mr. Paulin's previous collection of one-acts Harrison, TX just closed a sold-out run in New York. FOOTE NOTES, will preview on Friday, November 2, at 8pm; Saturday, November 3 at 8pm and Thursday, November 8 at 8pm and will open on Friday, November 9 at 8pm and runs through Saturday, December 15 at the Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Magic Theatre introduces playwright Anna Ziegler to the Bay Area with the world premiere of Another Way Home, running from November 7 - December 2.

Producer David Youse and Four Things Productions in association with L.A. Works has just announced a celebrity staged reading in celebration of The 25th Anniversary of Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias to take place on Monday, 3 December 2012 at 7pm to benefit The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). This special one night only event will take place at the Lucille Lortel Theater located at 121 Christopher Street in New York City, where the original production performed. Directed by Judith Ivey and starring Blythe Danner, Annie Potts as M'Lynn, the original Truvy, Margo Martindale as Ouiser, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Shelby and Sarah Stiles as Annelle. Additional cast announced soon! Music for this production has been generously donated by Bonnie Raitt and Pat Boone. With support from the 25th Anniversary Honorary Committee including Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts and sponsored by Lifetime Television, Magnolia Bakery and Veranda Restaurant. A VIP reception with the cast and crew will follow this special performance.

Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with American Repertory Theater, presents the world premiere of Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Marie Antoinette will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) October 26 through November 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 1. The cast includes Fred Arsenault, Hannah Cabell, David Greenspan, Marin Ireland, Vin Knight, Jo Lampert, Polly Lee, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Silbermann, Teale Sperling, Brian Wiles, and Ashton Woerz.

Stark Naked Theatre Company opens its 2nd season with the Houston premiere of Body Awareness, a relevant and thought-provoking comedy written by two-time Obie Award-winning author Annie Baker and directed by acclaimed Houston actor/director Philip Lehl. Nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play/Emerging Playwright), Body Awareness explores the question of who is the toughest critic of a woman's appearance: men, society, or women, themselves?