Sharon Ott News

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), the theatrical union that unites, empowers and protects professional stage directors and choreographers throughout the United States, announced the election of four officers and two new members of the Executive Board at Monday's Annual Membership Meeting. In addition, Sharon Ott received the annual President's Award for service to SDC.

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) announced further details today for the Shakespearean centerpiece to the 2018 Epic Season, The War of the Roses. The War of the Roses is a monumental evening of theater spanning four history plays-the Henry VI trilogy and Richard III. Presented as an action-packed evening, The War of the Roses will deliver a fast-paced, far-ranging, vividly theatrical depiction of two powerful families-the Lancasters and the Yorks-and their decades-long fight for the English throne. Political unrest and power grabs collide with weak leadership and civil strife as the country fights against the threat of tyranny.

On Saturday evening, June 9, nearly 400 of the Bay Area's finest arts supporters gathered at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco to celebrate Berkeley Rep, the Tony Award-winning theatre company known for its groundbreaking and challenging productions. Ovation: 50 Years and Glowing raised over $800,000 to support the Theatre's artistic and innovative efforts, including its educational programming and new play development.

PlayFest presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust offers you the rare opportunity to participate in the development of new plays. Now expanded to two weekends of development and growth, PlayFest now has more to see, learn, and love!

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF (Orlando Shakes) invites audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust (PlayFest 2017) from October 27 29, 2017 and November 3 5, 2017. Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($10) are available now by calling (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, visiting www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Virginia Repertory Theatre announces Kikau L. Alvaro as the new Associate Artistic Director.

The lineup for South Coast Repertory's 20th Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF), April 21-23, includes works from playwrights Amy Freed, Lucas Hnath, Donald Margulies and Lauren Yee. This year's festival offers three full productions and four staged readings. Tickets, including discounted packages to see all the readings, are available online at www.scr.org.

SDC, the theatrical union that unites, empowers, and protects professional stage directors and choreographers throughout the United States, announced at the Annual Membership Meeting that Pam MacKinnon has been elected SDC Executive Board President.

Lucid Dramatics has announced a limited engagement of How to Be A Virgin (in 12 morally ambiguous steps) during the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2016. A world premiere play by Carla Neuss, it will take place at the Studio C Theatre in West Hollywood. Directed by Payden Ackerman, How to Be a Virgin is previewing on Thursday, June 2, 2016 at 8:30pm before opening on Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 8pm. The play will run for five performances through June 25 only.

Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company will host a post-show discussion centered on the later work of Tennessee Williams following the March 5, 3pm performance of Tennessee Williams 1982. The participants include Tony-winning playwright John Guare, scholar and writer David Savran, scholar and current Tennessee Williams' editor Thomas Keith, and professor and writer Annette J. Saddik.

Seattle Repertory Theatre's Board of Trustees announced today that Braden Abraham has been appointed as the official artistic head of Seattle Repertory Theatre, effective immediately.

Jessica Dickey's world-premiere comedic drama THE GUARD, currently playing at Ford's Theatre, paints masterful depictions of not only Rembrandt and Homer, but also those in modern times who cherish their works and wish to find beauty and memory themselves.

Ford's Theatre Society welcomes Tim Getman (Round House's Rapture, Blister, Burn; Fool for Love), Mitchell Hebert (Ford's The Laramie Project), Josh Sticklin (Keegan Theatre's Midsummer Night's Riot), Kathryn Tkel (Kennedy Center's Mockingbird) and Craig Wallace (Ford's The Laramie Project, Our Town, Necessary Sacrifices, others) will comprise the cast of THE GUARD, a world-premiere comedic drama by playwright Jessica Dickey. THE GUARD is directed by Sharon Ott and will play at Ford's Theatre, now through October 18, 2015. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

Ford's Theatre Society today announced that Tim Getman (Round House's Rapture, Blister, Burn; Fool for Love), Mitchell Hebert (Ford's The Laramie Project), Josh Sticklin (Keegan Theatre's Midsummer Night's Riot), Kathryn Tkel (Kennedy Center's Mockingbird) and Craig Wallace (Ford's The Laramie Project, Our Town, Necessary Sacrifices, others) will comprise the cast of The Guard, a world-premiere comedic drama by playwright Jessica Dickey.

Playwright Jessica Dickey and her world-premiere play, THE GUARD, are recipients of the National Theatre Conference's 2015 Barrie and Bernice Stavis Award -- an annual award celebrating outstanding emerging playwrights.

Ford's Theatre Society today announced that Tim Getman (Round House's Rapture, Blister, Burn; Fool for Love), Mitchell Hebert (Ford's The Laramie Project), Josh Sticklin (Keegan Theatre's Midsummer Night's Riot), Kathryn Tkel (Kennedy Center's Mockingbird) and Craig Wallace (Ford's The Laramie Project, Our Town, Necessary Sacrifices, others) will comprise the cast of The Guard, a world-premiere comedic drama by playwright Jessica Dickey.

Nine highly-talented directors from across the country are already knee-deep in costume designs, scenery sketches, and play scripts as they prepare to create the transformative stories of their plays for the 54th season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival June 25 to October 31.

Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault today announced the Ford's Theatre 2015-2016 season. Productions include the world-premiere play The Guard by Jessica Dickey and directed by Sharon Ott-part of the fall 2015 Women's Voices Theater Festival; The Glass Menagerie featuring Nancy Robinette; and the musical 110 In the Shade directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge and featuring Tracy Lynn Olivera. The season also includes the holiday favorite A Christmas Carol.

Lucid Dramatics has announced a limited engagement of Revival, a world premiere play by Carla Neuss at the Acting Artists Theatre in West Hollywood. Directed by Neuss, Revival is set to open Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 8pm. The play will run for seven performances through February 7 only.

At the recent Theatre Bay Area Awards, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Robinson Family Fund for the Arts announced the Charles Dean Award to celebrate and honor outstanding work by a local actor. The inaugural award was presented to longtime Bay Area actor Charles Dean. The award comes with a $10,000 cash prize endowed by the Robinson Family Fund for the Arts and administered by Berkeley Repertory Theatre. It recognizes a Bay Area actor who has dedicated his or her career to Bay Area theatre. Future awardees will be chosen by a panel of local theatre community adjudicators and presented annually at the Theatre Bay Area Awards.