Studio Theatre News

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the full lineup of productions, concerts, readings and special events for its 11th annual festival. This year's Festival will begin July 7th and continue through July 27th.

The New A.C.T. Studio Theatre will offer a special summer production of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow from June 20th- June 28th in its intimate 37-seat blackbox. Speed-the-Plow is a witty satire of 3 Hollywood types who claw their way to the top in a shallow, L.A. world. The show mark's the debut production at the brand new A.C.T. Studio Theatre, dedicated to offering intimate, contemporary plays in the Cedar Point Plaza on Ocean Boulevard.

Virginia Repertory Theatre announces the opening of The Color Purple at the Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre, 114 West Broad Street on Friday, June 20, 2014 with a Preview on Thursday, June 19. The show runs through August 3, 2014. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, this joyful musical and epic story follows the life and personal awakening of Celie, a downtrodden young African American woman. With a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, the uplifting score features jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues. The Broadway production earned eleven Tony nominations.

Steven Rattazzi steps into the role of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby in King Kirby, a play by the husband-and-wife team of NYIT-award winning playwright Crystal Skillman and New York Times bestselling comics writer Fred Van Lente at the Comic Book Theater Festival at The Brick this June.

A lot of exciting theatre is happening this summer in the DC area. Here are some things to check out!

The New Group opened the New York premiere of Annapurna by Sharr White, directed by Bart DeLorenzo and featuring Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, on April 21. The limited Off-Broadway engagement will officially end its run on June 1.

Undercover Productions LLC will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of Ethel Sings, by Joan Beber beginning performances at Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues) tonight, May 31st, with Opening Night set for Friday June 6th. This limited engagement will continue through July 13th.

BroadHollow Theatre Company presents Months on End, running today, May 31-June 21, 2014 at the Studio Theatre, 141 South Wellwood Ave, Lindenhurst, NY.

The Sheffield People's Theatre production of Hearts, which was performed in the Studio as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival in March this year, has been selected to perform at the National Theatre in July.

European Arts Company in association with Greenwich Theatre are delighted to announce a special charity performance of European Arts Company's critically acclaimed production of The Trials of Oscar Wilde in aid of the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall.

THE ROOF, the brand new panoramic performance, directed by David Rosenberg (co-founder of Shunt) and Frauke Requardt in thier third collaboration following Electric Hotel (also a Fuel production) and Motor Show, begins today at Doon Street Car Park.

New Repertory Theatre announces PATTERN OF LIFE by Walt McGough, June 14 through June 29, 2014 at the Boston University Theatre, Lane-Comley Studio 210. PATTERN OF LIFE is co- presented with Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP) and is directed by Bridget Kathleen O'Leary.

Following Dan LeFranc's THE BIG MEAL, directed by Michael Boyd and Keith Huff's gritty two-hander, A STEADY RAIN, directed by David Grindley, is the final production in the Ustinov Studio's American Season 2014 - Lynn Nottage's multi award-winning INTIMATE APPAREL, directed by Laurence Boswell, tonight 29th May - Saturday 28th June.

Beautifully British and bonkers -- this summer, the HandleBards, a four- strong, all-male troupe of cycling players, will pedal the length and breadth of the UK for three months to perform fast-pace productions of Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Comedy Of Errors. This will be the second outing of their World First in environmentally sustainable touring theatre, after they successfully toured productions of Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet last year.

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 16th Not Your Typical Season with Collected Stories. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies and directed by James O'Neil, Collected Stories is a two-person play featuring Susan Clark (Emmy Winner - 'Babe Zaharias,' 'Webster,' Shaw Festival and the Taper) as a brilliant, direct writing professor and Meghan Andrews (Frost/Nixon and The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway) as her eager-yet-talented student. Opening tonight, May 28th at 7:00 p.m., Collected Stories runs Wednesdays through Sundays until June 21st.

Moliere's boisterous romp Scapin hits the New York stage this summer in a visionary revival helmed by Scott Ripley. The show runs today, May 28 - June 8 at Theatre Row and is produced by Adele Domo/Varano Produzioni.

Cori Thomas's warm-hearted and funny play about the many flavors of desire, When January Feels Like Summer, will receive its New York premiere in a co-production of Ensemble Studio Theatre and Page 73 Productions directed by Daniella Topol.

e Co-Artistic Director's Nina Lee Aquino and Nigel Shawn Williams, and Managing Director, Sara Meurling present the 45th season of Factory Theatre consisting of five Factory premieres: THE ART OF BUILDING A BUNKER, written by Adam Lazarus and Guillermo Verdecchia; TAKE ME BACK TO JEFFERSON an adaptation of William Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING by Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith in collaboration with the company; TWISTED, written by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman and Joseph Jomo Pierre; THE UNPLUGGING written by Yvette Nolan; MORRO AND JASP: 9-5, created and performed by Morro and Jasp; and as a special add-on to the subscription season, the return of THE DAISY THEATRE, created and performed by Ronnie Burkett. BMO Financial Group returns as the 2014-15 45th Season Sponsor.

The Long Island theatre scene will unquestionably be a hopping one this Summer. One of the most exciting seasons is being offered by Northport's John W. Engeman Theatre. Their current season culminates with Plaza Suite (May 29th - July 13th). Then their 8th season starts soon after with a stellar line-up that includes Evita, Deathtrap, A Christmas Story, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, A Chorus Line, and The Producers.