The Actors Studio News

Bravo Media pulls the curtain back on Madison Avenue as the cast and creator of the smash-hit television series MAD MEN embark on the 'Inside the Actors Studio' stage, premiering Monday, May 14th at 7pm et/pt.

Signal Ensemble Theatre has announced the final production in their 2011-2012 season, the Chicago premiere of Hostage Song, tonight, May 5 through June 9, at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 West Berenice Ave. Clay McLeod Chapman writes the production with music and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow, directed by Signal's Co-Artistic Director Ronan Marra with music direction by Signal Ensemble Member Jon Steinhagen. The performance schedule for Hostage Song is Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Opening/press night is tonight, May 5 at 8 p.m. The production runs 90 minutes with no intermission and please note there will be no show on Sunday, May 6. Regular ticket prices are $20 for single tickets, $15 for industry/students/seniors/groups and $10 for previews. Tickets may be purchased by calling 773.698.7389 or by visiting www.signalensemble.com.

Signal Ensemble Theatre has announced the final production in their 2011-2012 season, the Chicago premiere of Hostage Song, from tonight, May 5 through June 9, at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 West Berenice Ave. Clay McLeod Chapman writes the production with music and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow, directed by Signal's Co-Artistic Director Ronan Marra with music direction by Signal Ensemble Member Jon Steinhagen.

Russian Arts and Theatre Studio (The RATS Company) announces the world premiere production of EURASIAN INVASION! RATS IN REPERTORY, a two show series, which includes Fred Pezzulli and Di Zhu's HOUSE OF CURIOSITIES and Aleksey Burago and Di Zhu's BILLY BOB BOILS THE SEA, both directed by Aleksey Burago. EURASIAN INVASION! will play a four-week limited engagement at The Connelly Theater (220 East 4th Street, NYC). Performances begin Friday, June 8 and continue through to Sunday, July 1.

Pick Up Performance Co(s), in collaboration with The Joyce Theater, presents the world premiere of The Beginning of the End of the…, a new movement/theater/music work in two-parts written, directed and choreographed by David Gordon, for an unprecedented four-week engagement at Joyce SoHo from June 1 - 30 (155 Mercer Street, between Houston and Prince Streets). The official opening will take place on Wednesday, June 6.

Fresh off Sold Out appearances at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA and Vitello's Jazz & Supper Club in Studio City, CA, the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated celebrated actress, Sally Kellerman will return for a third appearance in the desert cities at Vicky's of Santa Fe in Indian Wells, CA.

Signal Ensemble Theatre announces the final production in their 2011-2012 season, the Chicago premiere of Hostage Song, May 5 - June 9, at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 West Berenice Ave. Clay McLeod Chapman writes the production with music and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow, directed by Signal's Co-Artistic Director Ronan Marra with music direction by Signal Ensemble Member Jon Steinhagen.

The Attic Theater Company will present a limited run of Erica Lipez's play The Tutors. The production will be directed by Drama League Directors Project Alumnus Laura Braza, and performances are May 18th-26th at The Access Theater.

Musical Momentum, a unique benefit concert series, kicks off with its first event True Colors: A Benefit/Fundraiser for the Trevor Project at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York tonight, Sunday 29th April at 9:30pm.

Looking Glass Theatre, celebrating almost 20 years of productions strengthening the voice of women in theater and the arts, presents the NYC premiere of Frankie Little Hardin's East of the Sun, West of the Moon, a new children's play directed by Naima Warden. See photos from the production, playing through May 20, below!

A glittering crowd filled the baronial halls of the landmark New York Athletic Club at the National Meningitis Association annual 'Give Kids a Shot Gala on April 23 to salute those on the front line in the fight against meningitis, a vaccine preventable deadly disease that has taken the lives of thousands of our children and cost many to lose limbs. See photos of the starry gala celebration below!

Frog and Peach Theatre's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' will play from tonight, April 26 to May 20, 2012 at the West End Theater, 263 West 86th St.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes The Directors Company, in association with Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, and Invictus Theater Company, with MURDER IN THE FIRST, written by Dan Gordon and directed by Michael Parva. The production will be led by Tony nominee Chad Kimball Kimball as Willie.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes The Directors Company, in association with Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, and Invictus Theater Company, with MURDER IN THE FIRST, written by Dan Gordon and directed by Michael Parva.

Musical Momentum, a very unique benefit concert series, will kick-off with its first event True Colors: A Benefit/Fundraiser for the Trevor Project at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York on Sunday 29th April at 9:30pm.

The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University's 2012 MFA Repertory Season (April 18 - 21) presents: Scenes from the THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE, ORANGE FLOWER WATER, and RED LIGHT WINTER. We have a peek at the production photos from all shows below!

"Now, there's a movie star!" quoth Eileen (Anjelica Huston) of Rebecca Duvall (special guest star Uma Thurman) following her breathy and spastic performance of a new Julia/Tom musical number for the Marilyn Monroe-based musical-within-the-show on SMASH - BOMBSHELL - titled "Dig Deep". While last night's "The Movie Star" episode of NBC's musical dramedy series SMASH was light on the musical numbers - only Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Rebecca managed a musical moment - the drama was dense and delectable, with the rapport between the motley crew of characters comprising the enterprise improving by the week (and it started strong). Yet, despite the best efforts of Eileen, Tom (Christian Borle), Julia (Debra Messing) and Derek (Jack Davenport) in attempting to create a new version of the Marilyn musical that showcases her best (and limited) abilities. Rebecca is a tentative talent who lacks a lot in the vocal and dance departments - to say the least - yet it is undeniable that she also possesses a certain air of a star - perhaps because she is one; on SMASH (as in real life, given Thurman's A-list status), a big one. Portraying the movie star trying out a Broadway show for the first - and, most likely, last - time, Thurman brings a caustic, nutsy vibe to the seemingly bipolar screen siren - "36-ish", meaning more like 40-ish in actuality - and gives gravitas to the cartoonishly written role. Just as the Marilyn musical has shown its astonishing, chameleon-like adaptability in its iterations starring Karen and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) - not only in its star, but also in its style, sound, mood, conception and musical arrangements - now BOMBSHELL is being retrofitted for Rebecca. But, at what cost? Stripping the show of its big Broadway leading lady musical potential and showing off the supporting cast to take the focus off of the shaky star at the center, BOMBSHELL's "Dig Deep" yet again gave the simply astounding songwriting duo responsible for the songs of the shows-within-the-shows on SMASH (including all of the BOMBSHELL songstack heard and seen so far, as well as the glimpses at the previous Tom/Julia collaborations, HEAVEN & EARTH and THREE ON A MATCH) "Dig Deep" was a WEST SIDE STORY-esque hot jazz song complete with the syncopation and stylization implicit in the best songs of the Actors Studio era which the 50s-set scene set out to depict (Lee Strasberg and all).

After premiering in a sold out, critically acclaimed run in Los Angeles, I AM A TREE, written and performed by Dulcy Rogers and directed by Allan Miller, arrives in NY, produced by United Pies, Inc, in association with The Elephant Theatre (Los Angeles).