South Coast Repertory News

Today, South Coast Repertory announced the actors cast for four new-play readings as part of SCR's Pacific Playwrights Festival, which runs April 25-27. Single and packaged tickets are available online at www.scr.org.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents the West Coast premiere of A Coffin in Egypt, a new chamber opera in one act, based on the play, A Coffin in Egypt by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Horton Foote, for three performances only tonight, April 23 and April 25 and 27 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Singer and songwriter Amos Lee will make his Segerstrom Center for the Arts debut on Wednesday, August 6 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as part of the second leg of his 2014 Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song Tour. His recent fall and winter headline tour included sold-out shows at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, ACL Live in Austin and the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Lee will be joined by band members, Freddie Berman, drums; Zach Djanikian, mandolin; Annie Clements, bass and vocals; Andy Keenan, guitar, banjo and vocals; and Jaron Olevsky, keyboards.

Jack and the Giant Beanstalk by Linda Daugherty, directed by Mercy Vasquez, will be presented by South Coast Repertory's Junior Players today, April 22-23 and April 29-30 in the Nicholas Studio. Tickets are $10 and available online at www.scr.org.

The New Group presents the New York premiere of Annapurna by Sharr White, directed by Bart DeLorenzo and featuring Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, in a limited Off-Broadway engagement through June 1. Official Opening Night is tonight, April 21 at 7:00pm, at The New Group @ Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street).

Theatre Seven of Chicago and Stage Left Theatre announce the upcoming world premiere of Principal Principle, written by Theatre Seven Associate Artist Joe Zarrow and directed by Stage Left ensemble member Scott Bishop. Principal Principle is the third production of Stage Left's 32nd season and the second production of Theatre Seven's eighth season. Press opening is tonight, April 18th at 8:00 PM at Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont. The production runs through May 18th.

Touching, richly-staged and beautifully-acted, REST---Samuel D. Hunter's oh-so-engrossing and oh-so-funny new play now having its world premiere at Costa Mesa's South Coast Repertory through April 27---presents a disheartening reality of life we all must face sooner or later: that getting older is, for the most part, no fun, especially as one enters the twilight phase of their time on the planet. While that description suggests an overtly sad story, what really hits you as a delightful surprise is the amount of wit and humor that it contains, even as the play's overarching dark themes are hovering.

American Theater Company announces a new partnership with The Araca Group (Broadway producers of Urinetown, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, The Wedding Singer, Lend Me a Tenor, and A View From the Bridge, among others) in the development of new American plays in Chicago. The two organizations will partner to produce AracaWorks: Chicago, a weekend of readings of world premiere American plays from August 7-9, 2014 in Chicago. One of the three plays will receive a year of development, including a workshop production the following summer at ATC.

49TH Parallel in association the multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE), are thrilled to present the Los Angeles premiere of a new play, BE A GOOD LITTLE WIDOW, written by Bekah Brunstetter (OOHRAH!) and directed by Sara Botsford. BE A GOOD LITTLE WIDOW will preview tonight, April 17 at 8pm and will open on Friday, April 18 at 8pm and run for six weeks through Sunday, May 25, 2014 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.

Theatre Exile closes its 17th season with the Philadelphia premiere of Annapurna, a moving and explosive new play by critically acclaimed, emerging Broadway playwright Sharr White. Driven by the emotionally charged relationship between a husband and wife, Exile's production stars Barrymore Award-winning actors Pearce Bunting (Exile's A Behanding in Spokane, HBO's Boardwalk Empire) and Catharine Slusar (Iron, Any Given Monday) as Ulysses and Emma. Performances run today, April 17 - May 11 in Theatre Exile's South Philadelphia Studio X.

Having dazzled critics and audiences in the West Coast and Midwest, 'Four Clowns' (www.fourclowns.org), conceived and directed by Jeremy Aluma, makes its too-brief East Coast debut May 23 to June 1 in The Club at La MaMa. In a madcap evening, four foul-mouthed, wonderfully dressed and finely face-painted clowns--a sad one, an angry one, a nervous one and a mischevous one--re-enact iconic life experiences to show how human pain is both unique and universal. The Huffington Post called it 'a drama that focuses on the epic though squalid journey of our four heroes through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The result is as sobering as the voyage is outlandish….daring and energetic, weird and wonderful.'

The Colony Theatre is thrilled to present Ian Buchanan and Mariette Hartley starring in THE LION IN WINTER, written by James Goldman and directed by Stephanie Vlahos. THE LION IN WINTER will preview tonight, April 16; Thursday, April 17; and Friday, April 18 at 8:00pm and will open on Saturday, April 19 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, May 18 at The Colony Theatre, 555 N. Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center Mall.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts and THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, are pleased to announce a lottery ticket policy for the Orange County engagement, May 13 - 25, 2014. The production will conduct a pre-show lottery at the Segerstrom Hall box office, making a limited number of tickets available for $25 each.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) announces the 2014 Round 2 Cycle B recipients of the Leadership U[niversity]-Continuing Ed program. Through the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, grants of up to $5,000 will support four mid-career and veteran theatre professionals at TCG Member Theatres for learning opportunities to advance their leadership skills. The goal of this program is to strengthen the field by developing the individuals who are the core and the future of theatre.

This spring, American Theater Group, New Jersey's newest professional theater, will present a new musical, Marry Harry, from April 23 - May 11th. Check out a hilarious clip of two of the actors here.

The New Group presents the New York premiere of Annapurna by Sharr White, directed by Bart DeLorenzo and featuring Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, in a limited Off-Broadway engagement April 13 - June 1. Official Opening Night is set for Monday, April 21 at 7:00pm, at The New Group @ Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street).

Profiles Theatre announces the Midwest premiere of Annapurna by Sharr White, opening at The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway on June 12, 2014. Annapurna, directed by Profiles ensemble member Eric Burgher and featuring ensemble member Darrell W. Cox, runs June 6, 2014 - July 20, 2014 with the press opening on Thursday, June 12 at 8:00pm. The previously announced production ofHunter Gatherers by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb has been postponed until further notice.

Aurora Theatre continues the 2013-2014 Harvel Lab Series with a Teatro del Sol production, Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarias. It is 1950 and artists Mariela and Jose are living an isolated existence in the desert of Northern Mexico, haunted by the ghost of their young son. Jose is very ill and Mariela sends a telegram to their daughter encouraging her to come home. Where once the walls were beautifully decorated, now only one painting remains, and it is shrouded in mystery. This play will be performed in Spanish with English supertitles. This production features an amazing cast including the stunning Blanca Aguero in the title role of Mariela and Aurora Theatre Producing Artistic Director Anthony P. Rodriguez as her husband, the ailing artist Jose. Scroll down to see some pictures of Blanca Aguero from the show!

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) Observership Program grants emerging Directors and Choreographers 25 paid opportunities to observe the work of master Directors and Choreographers as they create productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and at leading regional theatres across the country. SDCF Observers have access to the entire rehearsal process, from first rehearsal through previews to opening night. Observers are guaranteed the invaluable opportunity to observe, first-hand, the techniques, disciplines, approaches and insights of master artists as they create new productions and revive classics.