The New Group News

The recent Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Award winning Celebration Theatre has announced the workshop production of a new play, Kissing Che, written by Brooklyn playwright Augusto Federico Amador and directed by award-winning New York-based director Victor Maog . Kissing Che will begin tonight, April 2nd at 7:30pm followed by a performance every Today night closing on April 23rd at the Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood.

Producer Ken Davenport has announced that veteran stage actors Jenny Sterlin and Brendan Titley complete the cast of Broadway's powerful new production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, starring Tony and Olivier Award winner and two-time Emmy Award nominee Alan Cumming (Cabaret, 'The Good Wife').

The Whitney Museum in New York has commissioned a new work by playwright Thomas Bradshaw for the Blues For Smoke Exhibition Live Performances to premiere April 26-28, at the Whitney. Blues for Smoke is an interdisciplinary exhibition that explores a wide range of contemporary art through the lens of the blues and blues aesthetics. Turning to the blues not simply as a musical category but as a field of artistic sensibilities and cultural idioms. Iconoclastic playwright Thomas Bradshaw has emerged as one of the most provocative and original voices in contemporary theater. His most recent play, Job, was produced by the Flea Theater in Fall 2012 and remounted this past January.

The Flea has announced that Thirteen WNET will be filming the critically acclaimed production of THE VANDAL on March 29. A broadcast date has not been slated. Written by actor Hamish Linklater (School for Lies, Twelfth Night, Recent Tragic Events & The Busy World is Hushed, and TV's The New Adventures of Old Christine), The Vandal runs through March 31. It is directed by Flea Artistic Director Jim Simpson starring Zach Grenier, Deidre O'Connell, and Noah Robbins.

The recent Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Award winning Celebration Theatre has announced the workshop production of a new play, Kissing Che, written by Brooklyn playwright Augusto Federico Amador and directed by award-winning New York-based director Victor Maog . Kissing Che will begin Tuesday, April 2nd at 7:30pm followed by a performance every Tuesday night closing on April 23rd at the Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood.

The Flea Theater has announced a unique collaboration between The Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Public Theater, The Flea Theater, and individuals, Luna Kaufman, Emmanuel Ruranga, M.S. L.P.C., Daniel Neiden and Erika Feldman. In commemoration of the 19th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan genocide, the group will produce a one time only public reading performance of a new play by Jay O. Sanders.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director), Barry Grove (Executive Producer), and Mandy Greenfield (Artistic Producer) have just announced full casting for the upcoming world premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's CHOIR BOY, the new play featuring gospel music directed by Trip Cullman.

At the heart of Elsewhere, which receives its world premiere in this production, is a mother-son relationship set in an inner-ring suburb of Chicago in 1969. In the play, widowed single mother Monica squirrels away money to help her 16-year-old son Adam avoid the draft and considers an affair with her divorced boss. Meanwhile, Adam starts a romantic and physical relationship with his uninhibited girlfriend Dana, and resists the advice of the lonely high school counselor he used to trust. Monica's old high school friend Bonnie deals with the loss of affection from her alcoholic husband and her absent son who enlisted to fight in Vietnam. In this touching, insightful and frequently funny play, each of the five characters is dealing with the loss of a relationship and struggling to build new ones in the midst of a frighteningly changing world.

Following its run at The Public Theater, Detroit '67, the much buzzed-about play by two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, Dominique Morisseau, will open at the National Black Theatre tonight, March 23. Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, the powerful drama will run through Sunday, April 14, presented by Time Warner. Billed as 'Uptown Meets Downtown,' the production is a collaboration between the Classical Theatre of Harlem (Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director), National Black Theatre (Sade Lythcott, CEO; Nabii Faison, General Manager and The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director).

Lincoln Center Theater presents an LCT3 Special Event of Mr. Joy, a 90-minute one-man show written and performed by Daniel Beaty and directed by Sheryl Kaller. The workshop production will be performed April 8, April 9, April 12-15, and April 17-21 at 7:00 pm at the Claire Tow Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Hidden secrets are unearthed and family tensions fly high in Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Robin Baitz's contemporary family drama Other Desert Cities. Helen Hayes Award winner and former Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Donnelly returns to direct the D.C.-area premiere of the show with a cast that features Tony Award nominee and two-time Helen Hayes Award winner Helen Carey (Mary Tyrone in Arena Stage's Long Day's Journey into Night, Broadway's Hedda Gabler) as matriarch Polly Wyeth and two-time Tony Award nominee Larry Bryggman (Broadway's Harvey, CBS's As the World Turns) as patriarch Lyman Wyeth. Rounding out the cast are Emily Donahoe (Broadway's 33 Variations) as daughter Brooke Wyeth, Scott Drummond (Cherry Lane Theatre's A Perfect Future) as son Trip Wyeth and Martha Hackett (Pacific Resident Theatre's Nora) as their aunt Silda Grauman. Other Desert Cities runs April 26-May 26, 2013 in the Fichandler Stage.

The 2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.S. playwright Annie Baker for her play The Flick. On March 17, Houston's Alley Theatre hosted a special presentation and ceremony honoring the Winner and Finalists of the Prize and celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the international prize, which is based in Houston.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize honors 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, now celebrating its thirty-fifth year.

Following its run at The Public Theater, Detroit '67, the much buzzed-about play by two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, Dominique Morisseau, will open at the National Black Theatre on Saturday, March 23. Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, the powerful drama will run through Sunday, April 14, presented by Time Warner. Billed as 'Uptown Meets Downtown,' the production is a collaboration between the Classical Theatre of Harlem (Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director), National Black Theatre (Sade Lythcott, CEO; Nabii Faison, General Manager and The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director).

Yale Repertory Theatre presents Paul Giamatti in HAMLET by William Shakespeare, directed by James Bundy, at the University Theatre (222 York Street), tonight, March 15-April 13. Opening Night is Thursday, March 21, at 7:30PM.

After selling it its initial run, award-winning Pipeline Theatre Company will extend its acclaimed World Premiere of CLOWN BAR through April 12. Written by Adam Szymkowicz with music & additional lyrics by Adam Overett. This environmental production is directed by Andrew Neisler, staged at Parkside Lounge, a Lower East Side 'dive' bar.

The New Group will present the world premiere of the new musical Bunty Berman Presents…with book & lyrics by Ayub Khan Din and music by Ayub Khan Din and Paul Bogaev. Directed by Scott Elliott, this production begins previews April 10 in advance of an Official Opening Night on Thursday, May 9 at 7:00pm. A limited Off-Broadway engagement is slated through June 1 at The New Group at Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre / 410 West 42nd Street).

Get ready, 'cause here it comes- MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL that is! MOTOWN begins preview performances tonight, March 11 and will open on Broadway on April 14, 2013 at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street).Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL will feature a book by Berry Gordy and music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue. Meet the company of the new musical with videos of them from past productions and roles below!

Broadway In Boston and Producers Broadway Across America - Beth Williams; Howard & Janet Kagan; and Barry Brown have announced that tickets for the upcoming Boston engagement of the highly anticipated Pre-Broadway World Premiere of TUCK EVERLASTING will go on sale to the public this Today, March 10th beginning at 10am. This limited three week engagement will play the historic Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre July 28-August 18, 2013 and is part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston Series.