Tennessee Williams News

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - the acclaimed gay comedy/variety show, will open their fourth season on September 20, 2012 at The Duplex in New York's West Village.

Hartford Stage, under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts, presents Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, the season opener of the Tony Award-winning theatre's 49th season, on stage now through September 23.

Tennessee Williams' last great play, "The Night of the Iguana," will be presented by the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, tonight, Sept. 6 through Sept. 22, 2012, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre, 320 Cocalico St., Ephrata, Penn.

Every age has had its stars who combine show business glitz and political passion, with Bono, Sean Penn, and Angelina Jolie among those carrying that mantle currently. But few, if any, have inhabited those two worlds as dramatically and comprehensively as David Rothenberg. Although never himself a 'star,' Rothenberg's multilayered life brought him contact with Broadway's brightest lights, as well as prison riots, political campaigns, civil rights sit-ins, and a Central American civil war. It all is recounted in his searing memoir, Fortune in My Eyes: A Memoir of Broadway Glamour, Social Justice, and Political Passion.

At the close of the 16th New York International Fringe Festival (8/26) Revolve Productions presentation of "PIECES" by Chris Phillips won an "EXCELLENCE IN PLAYWRITING" Award. The acclaimed play was named an early selection for the FringeNYC Encore Series. It was one of the four shows that were selected for the early announcement during the Festival, by a group of seven theatre producers led by Darren Lee Cole.

With a national ranking and a plethora of talented young artists, the School of Theatre is presenting a season that will be sure to impress and captivate audiences of all ages. This year's shows explore various aspects of life that we encounter every day: passion, love, fear, greed, deceit, and so much more. The School of Theatre at Florida State has an enthralling season in store for 2012-2013.

The Long Beach Playhouse presents Tennessee Williams' classic story of a generational and unbridgeable cultural chasm between a dysfunctional mother and her children who want only to be part of the world beyond their mother's understanding.

Focal Point Theatre Company (FPTC) presents its second incarnation of the popular Against Type Project. In this exciting event, the audience will experience a collection of traditional theatre scenes turned on their heads with non-traditional casting, proving that a great performer can play any role. With a wealth of Chicago's most talented directors and performers, this promises to be an evening not-to-be-missed.

Theatre East presents "Normalcy" by Bennett Windheim, Off Broadway at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 416 West 42nd Street, NYC. Benard Cummings directs the new play. Previews begin for the limited engagement today, August 31 and the opening is Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 7:00 pm. For this opening of its 2012-13 season, there will be a series of talk-backs throughout the run, with the author, the producers and director, as well as experts in the respective field of this emotionally charged play.

TimeLine Theatre Company opens its 16th season with the Chicago premiere of 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman, directed by Nick Bowling, tonight, August 30 - October 21, 2012 (previews August 24 - 29). Note that performances will be held at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Chicago. Press Opening performance is Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

Pook's Hill will present SOMETHING WILD…, an evening of three rarely performed short plays by Tennessee Williams: Hello From Bertha, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, and This Property is Condemned. Directed by Ken Schatz and starring Andrus Nichols (Off-Broadway's Saint Joan), performances begin September 14th at The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at The Abingdon Theater Arts Complex. Opening night is sceduled for Friday, September 21st.

'Band of Brooders' and 'Abstinence Only,' two short plays by Jim Pangrazio, directed by Jason Hale, depict Americans fighting to free themselves-from Americans and are set to play The First Floor Theater (74A East Fourth Street) for Summer Shares at La Mama, tonight, August 29 to September 2, 2012. Presented by Nucleo Eclecttico Theatre, a Denis Diderot Production.

The Play About the Baby previews September 7-9 and runs through October 7 at Gough Street Playhouse.

"We are all civilized people, which means that we are all savages at heart but observing a few amenities of civilized behavior,' writes Tennessee Williams in his introduction to Sweet Bird of Youth. Goodman Theatre opens its 2012/2013 Season with a major revival of Williams' 1959 play directed by Chicago native David Cromer. As previously announced, Academy Award nominee Diane Lane portrays Alexandra del Lago, an aging Hollywood screen siren on a journey with an unlikely soul mate, Chance Wayne (Broadway's Finn Wittrock)-an ineffectual drifter whose youth and promise have begun to fade.

Theater for the New City, Crystal Field, Executive Director, presents OPEN UP as part of the Dream Up Festival, tonight, August 28 through September 2, 2012. Written by Kimberly Pau and directed by Eric Mercado, the production features designs by Rachel R. Blackwell and production stage management and additional designs by Jeromy Hunt. The cast includes Melissa Chambers, Lauren Cipriano, David Fernandez, Aaron McDaniel, Amanda Peters and Elizabeth Spano. Meet the cast in the photos below!

Tennessee Williams' last great play, "The Night of the Iguana," will be presented by the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, Sept. 6 through Sept. 22, 2012, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre, 320 Cocalico St., Ephrata, Penn.