Sarah Benson News

New Ohio Theatre presents the world premiere of Glass Bandits Theater Company's AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH TYPHOID MARY, written by Carl Holder and directed by Knud Adams, which begins performances tonight, March 18, and continues through Saturday, March 26 at the New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets).

? The American Theatre Wing announced today that the 2016 Jonathan Larson Grants recipients are Cesar Alvarez (book, music and lyrics), Nikko Benson (music and lyrics), Carson Kreitzer (book and lyrics), and Sam Salmond (book, music, and lyrics). Four prestigious grants of $10,000 each, totaling $40,000, will be presented on Monday, March 21, 2016 at a private event at the WNYC Greene Space. The event will feature special performances of the recipients' work.

The Play Company's (PlayCo) Idea Lab series complements the productions in their 2016 season by bringing together artists, scholars, writers and community leaders for stand-alone events to examine themes raised in the shows. Following performances of the world premiere of The Wildness, a co-produced with Ars Nova, Playco will present three post show events over three Thursdays, March 3, 10 & 17.

Soho Rep., in association with John Adrian Selzer, presents the U.S. premiere of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by award-winning British playwright Alice Birch. Originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the American premiere is directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, 30, with both rigor and a playful spirit, and features Daniel Abeles, Molly Bernard, Eboni Booth and Jennifer Ikeda. The production introduces American audiences to Birch, 29, who was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2012 and 2015 and is a co-winner of the 2014 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright.

New Ohio Theatre presents the world premiere of Glass Bandits Theater Company's An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary, written by Carl Holder and directed by Knud Adams, which begins performances on Friday, March 18 and continues through Saturday, March 26 at   the New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets).

?Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced the line-up for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays. Now in its 21st season, SUMMERWORKS will run May 27 through July 9 at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd Street) in Manhattan, and will feature productions of three new plays: EVERY ANGEL IS BRUTAL by Julia Jarcho and directed by Knud Adams; THE TOMB OF KING TOT by Eric Dufault and directed by Portia Krieger; and TUMACHO by Ethan Lipton and directed by Leigh Silverman. Festival passes are now on sale at: https://www.artful.ly/clubbedthumb/store/passes.

Soho Rep. is pleased to announce the expansion of its Board of Directors with five newly appointed members. By increasing its Board by 50 percent, from ten to fifteen members, Soho Rep. adds important artistic and strategic voices to its leadership.

The Vilcek Foundation just announced the winners of its annual Vilcek Prizes, recognizing immigrant contributions to the American arts and sciences. The 2016 Vilcek Prize in Theatre, presented to an immigrant artist with a record of major achievement in his/her field, is awarded to Blanka Zizka, the recipient of a $100,000 prize.

The University of the Arts' Ira Brind School of Theater Arts announces the 2016 lineup for Polyphone, a "festival of the emerging musical" on the UArts campus in Philadelphia.  Running March 20-27, the 2016 the Polyphone festival produces staged concerts of new musicals and re-imagined canonical works offering professional composers, librettists and directors an opportunity to develop their work among the rich creative community of the Brind School at UArts.  The festival will program five musicals, including both classical and new works, with three performances each.  

Clinton Hill cultural hub and OBIE award-winner JACK launches its winter/spring 2016 season with an a cappella opera set in Zimbabwe by composer Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa, a weekend of curated works by Modesto "Flako" Jimenez, the premiere of the dirty and bracing play Tom & Eliza, by Celine Song, the English-language premiere of Argentinian playwright Rafael Spregelburd's SPAM, The Geneva Project by Jennifer Harrison Newman, Antonio Ramos' Thirsty Mind, love and starvation sitting in a lonely tree and an exploration in minimalist/pop art performance by the No Face Performance Group.  JACK also engineers the return of Walter Dundervill's ARENA (which had two sold-out runs at JACK in 2014 and 2015). 

In response to popular demand and critical acclaim, Soho Rep. and Ars Nova announce a second and final extension of the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's Futurity to November 22. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, Futurity, which opened on October 20, is a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. The production, which features 13 actor-musicians, is presented at the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.) and in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.

Soho Rep. and Ars Nova present the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's FUTURITY, opening tonight, October 20, and running through November 15, 2015. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, FUTURITY is a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. The production, which features 13 actor-musicians, is presented at the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.) and in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.

In response to popular demand, Soho Rep. and Ars Nova extend the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's FUTURITY to November 15. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, FUTURITY is a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. The production, which features 13 actor-musicians, is presented at the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.) and in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY presents its twelfth annual PRELUDE Festival this week, October 7, 8, 9.

At the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.), Soho Rep. and Ars Nova present the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's Futurity, a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, the production will feature 13 actor-musicians. The production is presented in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays. Performances begin tonight, October 6, 2015.

At the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.), Soho Rep. and Ars Nova will present the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's Futurity, a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, the production will feature 13 actor-musicians. The production is presented in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) presents the world premiere of a new play from its acclaimed Company-in-Residence Elevator Repair Service (The Sound and the Fury, The Select, Gatz) -- FONDLY, COLLETTE RICHLAND -- opening tonight, September 28, 2015.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY is pleased to announce the full lineup of its twelfth annual PRELUDE Festival on October 7, 8, 9.  Dedicated to artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre and performance, PRELUDE 2015 features an array of artists working in theatrical and interdisciplinary performance. The festival gives audiences and artists a survey of the current New York moment via in-process presentations, installations, and discussions -- all completely free to the public.

Pipeline Theatre Company will present the World Premiere of Andrew Farmer's haunting play The Gray Man, tonight, September 24, through October 18 at Walker Space (46 Walker Street between Broadway and Church Street).

Ars Nova presents THE ARS NOVA REVOLUTION, celebrating Ars Nova All Stars Jill Furman, Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda, from Freestyle Love Supreme (Ars Nova, 2004) to HAMILTON (Broadway, 2015). This epic night of revelry benefiting Ars Nova's artist community, featuring performances by cast members of Hamilton and Freestyle Love Supreme, was held just last night at The Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). Below, watch as Iain Armitage performs the Finale of In the Heights for the honorees!