Shakespeare & Company News

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces casting for Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night's Dream, a 75-minute abridged production of William Shakespeare's whimsical comedy of misplaced young passions and magical mischief. This new adaptation by Jeff Award-winning director David H. Bell provides a quality, family-friendly introduction to Shakespeare with special opportunities for audiences to interact with the actors at every performance. In addition to public performances each Saturday, this production will welcome 1,000 students each day to the Theater's home on Navy Pier during its five-week run in the Courtyard Theater, followed by a tour to schools across the Midwest. Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night's Dream will be performed for the public Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. from February 22 to March 22 in CST's Courtyard Theater. After each performance, the actors remain on stage for a brief question-and-answer session, before joining the audience in the Lobby for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities.

James I, James II and James III - are a new cycle of history plays by award-winning playwright Rona Munro and directed by Laurie Sansom, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, which are to be presented in an unprecedented co-production by the National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain, during the Edinburgh International Festival in August and at the National Theatre in London from September to October.

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein have announced that Actors Theatre continues its 50th Anniversary Season with Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Widely regarded as one of the finest plays ever written by an American, Our Town will be directed by Obie-award winning director Les Waters. The production, part of the Brown-Forman Series, will begin previews tonight, January 21, open on January 23 and run through February 9, 2014.

Frank Kafka's terrifying but bizarrely comic story Metamorphosis bursts onto the stage in a theatrically explosive new version by renowned British playwright and director David Farr (Associate Director of Royal Shakespeare Company) and actor/director Gisli Örn Gardarsson, of the award-winning Icelandic theatre company Vesturport.

Turn to Flesh Productions presents the world premiere of Cupid & Psyche: A New Play in Blank Verse written and directed by Emily C. A. Snyder running at The Barrow Group Theatre beginningFebruary 13th. The cast features James Parenti, Erin Nelson, Laura Hill, Gwen Sisco, Parker Madison, Stanley Burturla, Laura Iris Hill, Kelly Zekas, Patrick Marran and Jon Adam Ross.

Votes are cast; polls are closed; and results have been tabulated! This was our biggest year yet! After a record number of voters in more than 50 regions worldwide, BroadwayWorld is very excited to announce the 2013 Cincinnati winners! Thanks to all who voted, and huge congratulations to all the winners!

Celebrated and criticized writer-activist Amiri Baraka died at age 79 on January 9. When I first read his poetry his name was LeRoi Jones (his birth name). I came to him through reading early literary heroes, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, birthers of a literary and cultural movement that welcomed Mr. Baraka into their wide fold. He in turn published some of their work, later penning controversial plays and helping lead the Black Nationalist movement.

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company put on their production of Hamlet recently. Overall, it was a solid show and the acting was pretty good but I have to admit that there were elements that I didn't understand. Hamlet is a very long play yet there was only about a 20-30 minute period where I felt the time dragged by and that is an accomplishment in itself.

Actors From The London Stage, an international touring theater troupe based in London and the University of Notre Dame in the U.S., will be in residency at Rice University February 18-20.

Virginia Repertory Theatre announces the opening of Olympus on My Mind on Friday, January 31 at Hanover Tavern, 13181 Hanover Courthouse Road. The show runs through Sunday, March 16. This contemporary musical comedy retells the Greek Amphitryon legend where Jupiter comes to Earth in human form to woo beautiful Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon. Jupiter appears to her in the body of her absent husband and quickly wins her love. Things go swimmingly until the real Amphitryon returns from war. This production is one part of the Acts of Faith Festival. First produced Off- Broadway in 1986, the book and lyrics are by Barry Harman with music by Grant Sturiale. Olympus on My Mind won an Outer Critics Award for Best Lyrics and received three Drama Desk nominations.

Trustus Theatre is bringing Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Olivier Award-winning comedy Clybourne Park to the Thigpen Main Stage. This show, a response to Lillian Hellman's A Raisin in the Sun, is a provocative and humorous look at racial relations and reactions in America. Clybourne Park is directed by award-winning guest director Jim O'Connor, and opens on the Thigpen Main Stage Friday January 24th at 8:00pm. The show runs through February 8th, 2014. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org.

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced today that the company will present a new production of Richard Wagner's monumental four-opera masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) starting in 2016-17.

Natascha McElhone will play Alex Forrest in the world stage premiere of Fatal Attraction. Written by James Dearden and directed by Trevor Nunn, Fatal Attraction will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 25 March 2014, with previews on 8 March and is booking to 21 June 2014. Designs are by Rob Jones with lighting by Paul Pyant and sound by Paul Groothuis.

Due to critical acclaim and audience response, including 16 sold-out performances in Watertown, New Repertory Theatre announces an encore presentation of Deborah Margolin's IMAGINING MADOFF, May 28 through June 1, 2014.

The Trap Door Theatre presents JUDITH, A PARTING FROM THE BODY, written by Howard Barker and directed by Zeljko Djukic. The cast features Kevin Cox, Stacie Beth Green, and Nicole Wiesner. The show will open on Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 8PM and is set to close on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 8PM.

The Carnegie presents the final production in its 2013-14 Theatre Series -- a lightly staged production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Today Cornish College of the Arts President Nancy J. Uscher and Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams signed a 20-year lease for the Playhouse at Seattle Center, officially launching a partnership that began in late 2012. The Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center will host many of Cornish's educational programs in both the performing and visual arts, while also ensuring that the facility is made available to arts and cultural organizations around the region.

Red Bull Theater presents the Off Broadway revival of Loot by Joe Orton. Red Bull Artistic Director Jesse Berger directs a company that includes Rebecca Brooksher (Fay), Eric Martin Brown (Meadows), Jarlath Conroy (McLeavy), Ryan Garbayo (Dennis), Rocco Sisto (Truscott), and Nick Westrate (Hal). Loot has scenic design by Narelle Sissons, costume design by Sara Jean Tosetti, lighting design by Scott Zielinski, and sound design by Brad Berridge. Opening Thursday January 16th, this limited engagement continues through February 9th only at Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street).

Votes are cast; polls are closed; and results have been tabulated! This was our biggest year yet! After a record number of voters in more than 50 regions worldwide, BroadwayWorld is very excited to announce the 2013 Houston winners! Thanks to all who voted, and huge congratulations to all the winners!

Jamie Wilson, Paul Elliott and Duncan C Weldon for Triumph Entertainment are delighted to present the World Premiere of 'Robin Cousins' ICE - The Skating Stage Experience', on national tour opening at Southampton Mayflower Theatre today, 15 January 2014.