The Public Theater News

'Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike' will be onstage at Paper Mill Playhouse from January 21st through February 15th. Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Mark Nelson who stars as Vanya in this touching and comical Tony Award winning play.

Suzanne Bertish and Paxton Whitehead have been selected to receive the 2014 Joe A. Callaway Award presented by the Actors' Equity Foundation. The award, honoring the best performance in a professional production of a classic play (one written prior to 1920) in the New York metropolitan area, will be presented at Equity's Eastern Regional Membership Meeting at 2 pm today, January 9, 2015 at the Equity offices, 165 West 46th Street, New York.

Producer Kevin McCollum is proud to announce that Broadway favorite leading men and 'Smash' costars, two time Tony Award nominee Brian d'Arcy James (Shrek, Sweet Smell of Success) and Tony Award winner Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher) will return to the stage to star in Something Rotten!, a completely original new musical comedy directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin), with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O'Farrell.

HAM: A Musical Memoir, a new theatrical event based on Sam Harris' book, HAM: Slices of a Life (a collection of stories and essays published by Simon & Schuster) begins previews tonight, January 8 at Theater 511 at Ars Nova.

The Public Theater began performances for the 11th annual UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL yesterday, January 7. This popular and highly-anticipated program of The Public Theater's winter season includes artists from across the U.S. and around the world, including Argentina, Iran, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Curated by Co-Directors Mark Russell and Meiyin Wang, this year's UNDER THE RADAR also marks the launch of the new Devised Theater Working Group which will present eight works-in-process as part of the festival's INCOMING! Series.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are honored to welcome Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, composer, actor, playwright and director Billy Porter to Feinstein's at the Nikko for three performances only - Friday, January 30 (8 p.m.); Saturday, January 31 (7 p.m.) and Sunday, February 1 (7 p.m.). Porter will perform songs from his new critically acclaimed album, "Billy's Back on Broadway," as well some of his other favorites!

HAM: A Musical Memoir, a new theatrical event based on Sam Harris' book, HAM: Slices of a Life (a collection of stories and essays published by Simon & Schuster) begins previews tomorrow night Thursday, January 8 at Theater 511 at Ars Nova.

This month, ?Joe's Pub at The Public presents showcases from a range of artists including writer Dan Hoyle to orchestral indie band Mother Falcon to downtown darling Erin Markey to a slew of French jazz musicians, as part of the Paris Jazz Club's French Quarter Festival, coinciding with APAP|NYC, the annual Association of Performing Artists Presenters conference. The performances will occur nightly from tonight, January 8 through Tuesday, January 13.

Award-winning New York actor/playwright Dan Hoyle's newest solo show, Each And Every Thing, will play Joe's Pub at The Public Theater for two special performances in the new year, following its sold-out, one-night-only engagement at the Pub in October. The work premiered at The Marsh San Francisco MainStage Theater where it became an instant hit, receiving unanimous rave reviews.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company today announced that Conor Ryan (most recently seen in the Broadway production of Cinderella) would join Kate Baldwin would star in a rare revival of John & Jen, the musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Greenwald and Lippa. This production will include the premiere of a new song, 'Trouble with Men.'

The Public Theater announced today that it will present The 24 Hour Plays: A Bennington Alumni Tribute to Nicky Martin on Monday, January 19 at 8:00 p.m. in the Anspacher Theater. This one-night-only benefit will bring together Bennington College alumni - including Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe winners and nominees - to write, cast, rehearse, and present six one-act plays within a 24 hour period. The event kicks off The 24 Hour Plays 20th Anniversary Season.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: UNDER THE RADAR launches today, 'PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD' begins previews, Takei talks ALLEGIANCE and more!

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced its nightly performances over the next couple weeks, January 6 -18. Details below!

The Public Theater presents the 11th annual UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL, running today, January 7-18, 2015.

This month, ?Joe's Pub at The Public presents showcases from a range of artists including writer Dan Hoyle to orchestral indie band Mother Falcon to downtown darling Erin Markey to a slew of French jazz musicians, as part of the Paris Jazz Club's French Quarter Festival, coinciding with APAP|NYC, the annual Association of Performing Artists Presenters conference. The performances will occur nightly from Thursday, January 8 through Tuesday, January 13.

The Public Theater begins performances for the return engagement of Bridget Everett's ROCK BOTTOM on Tuesday, January 6.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, January 18 at 9:30 PM to open the Winter/Spring 2015 Season. The Meeting* has been called 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice. A story for Slate.com called the evening 'so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight.' The Fall 2014 shows sold out after a New York Times 'Arts & Leisure' piece ran in September. The January show will include a tribute to Broadway legend Ethel Merman, with special guests Klea Blackhurst, Erin Markey, Nora Mae Lyng, Molly Pope and Ben Rimalower. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director.

The Public Theater begins performances for the 11th annual UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL on Wednesday, January 7. This popular and highly-anticipated program of The Public Theater's winter season will include artists from across the U.S. and around the world, including Argentina, Iran, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Curated by Co-Directors Mark Russell and Meiyin Wang, this year's UNDER THE RADAR will also mark the launch of the new Devised Theater Working Group which will present eight works-in-process as part of the festival's INCOMING! Series.

Stars of "Submissions Only" Kate Wetherhead (Legally Blonde, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Ordinary Days) and Anne L. Nathan (Once, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Ragtime, Assassins) are teaching "How to Feel Good About Your Audition," a musical theater audition workshop on Sunday, January 25th at Studio 353.

Necessary Exposure: The Female Playwright Project (on view January 5 - 26) is a series of installations displaying portraits of playwrights who identify as female.