Tennessee Williams News

Revolve Productions will present "PIECES" by Chris Phillips at the 16th New York International Fringe Festival this August. The new play is directed by Brian Zimmer and will be performing at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre in the Village at 38 Commerce Street, NYC. The performances are: SAT 8/11 12 Noon; TUES 8/14 5:45pm; WED 8/15 6:30; THURS 8/16 4:30pm and SUN 8/19 8:00 pm. The provocative drama is from Los Angeles. www.piecestheplay.com.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Oscar-winner, Emmy-nominated film and television star and Broadway actor Ernest Borgnine died of renal failure on July 8, 2012. He was 95. BroadwayWorld salutes the iconic actor with photos from his career below

Revolve Productions presents "PIECES" by Chris Phillips at the 16th New York International Fringe Festival this August. The new play is directed by Brian Zimmer and will be performing at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre in the Village at 38 Commerce Street, NYC. The performances are: Saturday, 8/11, 12 Noon; Tuesday, 8/14, 5:45pm; Wednesday, 8/15, 6:30; Thursday, 8/16, 4:30pm and Sunday, 8/19, 8:00 pm. The provocative drama is from Los Angeles. For more information, visit: www.piecestheplay.com

According to Deadline, Oscar-winner, Emmy-nominated film and television star and Broadway actor Ernest Borgnine died of renal failure today, July 8, 2012. He was 95.

The Glass Menagerie opens at Redtwist Theatre, directed by Redtwist Literary Manager, Josh Altman, on Saturday, July 28, at 3pm. Company member and Jeff Award-winner, Jacqueline Grandt, plays Amanda in Tennessee Williams' most intimate play.

Culture Project Artistic Director and Founder Allan Buchman announces today IMPACT 2012, a festival focusing on human rights, social justice, and political action. The 44-day festival, with more than 35 events, will take place at Culture Project at 45 Bleecker Street in Noho. See below for highlights; full schedule available at CultureProject.org.

Shakespeare's spirited romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing opens on the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival main stage Friday, July 13, with previews July 11 and 12, and runs through August 5. Much Ado will play in repertory with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak today promoted Resident Director Maxwell Williams, an artistic presence at the Tony Award-winning theatre for more than a decade, to the post of Associate Artistic Director.

The award-winning Dreamhouse Theater Company returns after a four-year hiatus with a new season of shows and a new home. The first production as the new resident company at Jet Studios in North Hollywood, will be an emotionally-charged new look at Arthur Miller's extraordinary play, ALL MY SONS, directed by Dreamhouse Theater Company's Artistic Director Alex Sol. ALL MY SONS will open on Friday, July 20 and continue through Sunday, September 2 at the Jet Theatre, 5126 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.

HERO Theatre has announced that Joe Manganiello of HBO's True Blood and feature film Magic Mike has joined previously announced Emmy Award winner William H. Macy, star of Showtime's Shameless and Academy Award nominee for Fargo, in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings", directed by John Frank Levey. The benefit will be held on Sunday, July 29 at 6pm at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA. The event will include a silent auction.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE star Blair Underwood recently stopped by “Melissa Harris-Perry,' where he chatted about how the face of Broadway is changing and bringing in more African Americans both on-stage and behind the curtain. Click below to watch the full interview!

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's 21st season opens Friday with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and features William Michals and Dee Roscioli, two Broadway actors, as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett respectively.

The Old Globe today announced that Sean Lyons will play the role of Niccolò Machiavelli in the West Coast Premiere of Divine Rivalry.

Being presented in London for the first time in 30 years, the King's Head Theatre presents the first ever London revival of Tennessee Williams' autobiographical play VIEUX CARRÉ, about an aspiring young writer, and the bizarre, poignant and funny characters he encounters at a New Orleans boarding house.

Though Ann Arbor's professional theatre is still in the thick of its record-breaking 30th anniversary season, Performance Network has lined up seven exceptional plays and musicals for its 31st, to begin in the fall.

TINY BUBBLES is a new comedy by Richard Willett (TRIPTYCH, THE FLID SHOW, RANDOM HARVEST), being given its New York premiere this summer, opening on Monday, July 16 at the Medicine Show Theatre (549 W. 52 St.) in Manhattan.

Lorenzo Pisoni's celebrated one-man show, Humor Abuse, returns to American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) for an exclusive limited engagement.

Tennessee-born actress Elaine Hendrix, perhaps best known for her many film and television roles, takes on the challenge of becoming Blanche DuBois in the University of North Alabama's Summer Theatre 2012 production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, opening this Thursday night, June 28, and continuing through July 8. Directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Randal Myler (for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical for Ain't Nothin' But the Blues), the cast also includes Broadway veteran Myk Watford in the role of Stanley Kowalski. The production is part of the University's Summer Theatre program, which gives UNA's Department of Music and Theatre students integrated opportunities with professional actors. A Streetcar Named Desire runs from June 28 until July 8 at UNA's George S. Lindsey Theater. Evening show times are June 28 to 30 and July 5 to 7 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances are set for June 30 and July 1 and 8 at 2 p.m. "One of the priorities of Summer Theater is to bring in professional actors for our students to work with," said UNA theater faculty Charlton James. "[Hendrix] is someone for our students to look up to, and she is appealing to the audience because many people have seen the movies she has been in. She has been wonderful to work with, and, at the same time, students are networking and making connections with professionals." With more than 100 film, television and stage credits under her belt, Hendrix is perhaps best known for her role as opportunistic, scheming fiancee Meredith Blake in the 1998 Disney remake of The Parent Trap. She has also been cast in countless movies such as Inspector Gadget 2, SNL's Superstar, What the Bleep Do We Know!? and the cult classic Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. Her television projects include Castle, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, CSI: Miami, Rules of Engagement, 90210 and two years on the critically acclaimed CBS series Joan of Arcadia, among many others. She will soon appear alongside Janeane Garofolo and Larry Miller in the film General Education, which is set for an August release. The Tennessee-bred (she was born in Oak Ridge) and Los Angeles-living star remains just as active offstage as on by devoting her free time ensuring humane care and treatment of neglected or abused animals as co-founder of the nonprofit organization Animal Rescue Corps. Hendrix is also an annual Honorary Committee Member of the Genesis Awards, presented by The Humane Society of the United States, and she received the Guardian Award at the National Animal Rights Conference for her work on behalf of animals. She has also received numerous other awards and honors for both her humanitarian and acting work, including two Telly Awards (one for her work on Pets 90210), two film festival Best Actress awards and the Founder's Award at the Secret City Film Festival. Tickets for A Streetcar Named Desire are on sale in the UNA Department of Music and Theatre office or Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts. For further details, call (256) 765-5500 or visit the website at www.una.edu/summertheatre.