The New Group News

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that Tammy Blanchard, Patrick Breen, John Benjamin Hickey, Alex Hurt, Kellie Overbey, John Pankow, and Stephen Plunkett will comprise the cast of its upcoming production of  DADA WOOF PAPA HOT, a new play by Peter Parnell, to be directed by Scott Ellis.  DADA WOOF PAPA HOT begins performances Thursday, October 15 and opens on Monday, November 9 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Continuing its commitment to developing new works, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will gather playwrights and composers from across the nation for its 2015 New Works Festival at Palo Alto's Lucie Stern Theatre, where the public can attend performances, offer feedback, and participate in a panel discussion with the artists. 

Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, Shameless, EastEnders) will play Ella Khan in Ayub Khan Din's critically-acclaimed play East is East, which was part of Jamie Lloyd's second Trafalgar Transformed season, directed by Sam Yates, on a 16 week National Tour from tonight 11 June 2015, commencing at Theatre Royal, Brighton. East is East is designed by Tom Scutt, with lighting by Richard Howell and sound and music by Alex Baranowski.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) in association with Bosc Publishing Company, Inc. presents The Calico Buffalo a new musical fable with book, music and lyrics by EJ Stapleton, and music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning composer Peter Stopschinski. Craig J. George directs a cast of ten, including Jennifer Apple, Rachel Coloff*, Rhys Gilyeat*, Zachary Infante*, Stephen Mark, Anthea Neri*, Rachel Rhodes-Devey*, Brooke Shapiro*, Kevin Sims*, and Max Wilcox*. The Calico Buffalo is being staged at PTC Performance Space, 555 West 42nd Street (bet. 10th & 11th Avenues) in NYC for five performances from Wednesday, July 8 through Thursday, July 16, 2015. *Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.

Bad Jews runs tonight, June 9 through July 19, 2015 (opening night is June 17, 2015) in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse.

In response to popular demand and critical acclaim, Labyrinth Theater Company (Artistic Director Mimi O'Donnell, Executive Director Danny Feldman) announces a second extension of the world premiere of Melissa Ross's Nice Girl to June 21.

'Big Bang Theory' star Kunal Nayyar stopped by this week's THE VIEW on ABC to chat about his new off-Broadway play THE SPOILS.

The New Group presents the world premiere production of The Spoils, a new play written by and featuring Jesse Eisenberg, directed by Scott Elliott. This production features Erin Darke, Annapurna Sriram and Michael Zegen, and as previously announced, Jesse Eisenberg and Kunal Nayyar. The show opened last night, June 2, for a limited Off-Broadway engagement slated through June 28 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). The Spoils marks the third show in The New Group's current 20th Anniversary Season. Check out photos from the opening night after party below!

The New Group presents the world premiere production of The Spoils, a new play written by and featuring Jesse Eisenberg, directed by Scott Elliott. This production features Erin Darke, Annapurna Sriram, Michael Zegen, Jesse Eisenberg and Kunal Nayyar. The show opens tonight, June 2, for a limited Off-Broadway engagement slated through June 28 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). Let's see what the critics had to say...

Signature Theatre's What I Did Last Summer, written by A.R. Gurney and directed by Jim Simpson, will welcome Izzie Steele (The Heart of Robin Hood) in the role of 'Elsie' (previously played by Kate McGonigle) beginning tonight, June 2nd. The production runs through June 7 at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

The New Group presents the world premiere production of The Spoils, a new play written by and featuring Jesse Eisenberg, directed by Scott Elliott. This production will feature Erin Darke, Annapurna Sriram and Michael Zegen, and as previously announced, Jesse Eisenberg and Kunal Nayyar. The show opens tonight, June 2, for a limited Off-Broadway engagement slated through June 28 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

the side project will close its historic 15th season with the World Premiere of Whatever, a new play by Robert Tenges that, like his plays Elsewhere and Strangers Knocking, is concerned with struggling adolescents, a niche for which the side project has been praised in the past.

In the tradition of Facing Our Truth: Short Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege and HANDS UP: 6 Playwrights, 6 Testaments, The New Black Fest (guest curator playwright Dominique Morisseau) will commission five black women playwrights to write short plays entitled UN-TAMED: HAIR BODY ATTITUDE - Short Plays by Black Women. The playwrights include Cori Thomas, Nikkole Salter, Chisa Hutchinson, Lenelle Moise and Jocelyn Bioh.

Signature Theatre's What I Did Last Summer, written by A.R. Gurney and directed by Jim Simpson, will welcome Izzie Steele (The Heart of Robin Hood) in the role of 'Elsie' (previously played by Kate McGonigle) beginning next Tuesday, June 2nd. The production runs through June 7 at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is proud to announce the lineup for the 10th annual First Look, a program dedicated to new play development, August 11 - 16, 2015 in the Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Providing an early look at works-in-progress from some of the most dynamic playwrights in the field, First Look develops new plays for future production at Steppenwolf and other theaters across the country. Since its inception in 2005, First Look has developed 14 plays that have received subsequent world premiere productions at other theatres, as well as Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason, which premiered on the Steppenwolf stage.

Labyrinth Theater Company presents the world premiere of Melissa Ross's Nice Girl. The production, now through June 7, reunites the Labyrinth Theater Company member with director Mimi O'Donnell, who worked together on the 2011 production of Thinner Than Water. Thinner Than Water marked both the playwriting debut of Ross and the directorial debut of O'Donnell.

Pop culture powerhouse E! today unveiled its “E! Summer Here” programming line-up, including a dynamic slate of new series premieres and popular returning franchises that will continue to sizzle all summer along.

THE OTHER THING, written by Emily Schwend and directed by Lucie Tiberghien, makes its world premiere at Second Stage tonight, May 21, following previews from May 12. The production runs through June 7, 2015.

Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb will join the previously announced Jonathan Groff in the Encores! Off-Center production of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain, running June 24 - 27, 2015. The production will be directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Josh Prince.