The Public Theater News

This winter, ?Joe's Pub at The Public presents a slate of residencies from long-time beloved artists like Justin Vivian Bond and Sandra Bernhard to emerging performers like Ryan Raftery. The winter also holds the return of personalities like Catie Lazarus and Ethan Lipton, bringing their brilliant yet undefinable talent to the Joe's stage.

Joe's Pub has announced its performances running December 10 - December 21, 2014. Details below!

The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute along with The Lee Strasberg Creative Center -- in collaboration with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Undergraduate Department of Drama -- present THE SCHOOL PLAY, a world-premiere play written by Frank Winters, to be presented as part of the 3rd Annual Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission, from today, December 10 to 13 at the Marilyn Monroe Theater (115 E. 15 St.) in New York City. THE SCHOOL PLAY is directed by Danny Sharron. Performances begin December 10th and run through December 13th. A special Closing Night Gala Performance will be held December 13th. All tickets are General Admission, and priced at $10. The Gala Performance is priced at $30. To purchase tickets, please visit: BrownPaperTickets.com

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

Recently Ghostlight Records released the astounding original cast recording of VENICE. The Off-Broadway musical features a book by Eric Rosen, music by Matt Sax, lyrics by Sax and Rosen, and additional music by Curtis Moore. The cast album is quite possibly one of the most exciting recordings I have ever had the pleasure to listen to.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) just announced complete casting for the world premiere of Posterity, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Doug Wright and featuring Hamish Linklater, John Noble, Dale Soules, Henry Stram and Mickey Theis.

Cherry Jones just moderated a special preview conversation with the creative team, including Tesori, Kron, Gold, and Bechdel, which was held yesterday at Joe's Pub. Check out what they had to say about the new musical and catch a performance sneak peek from Sydney Lucas!

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) will premiere at Theater 511 at Ars Nova in the New Year. This innovative and exciting hybrid theatrical concept is the culmination of Harris' successful 30 year career as actor, vocalist and, now, author. HAM: A Musical Memoir will play a limited engagement, with preview performances beginning Thursday, January 8, 2015, with an opening night set for Monday, January 12, 2015.

Sting joins the cast of the musical he penned, The Last Ship, for a limited run from tonight, December 9th to January 10, 2015.

Joe's Pub has announced its performances running December 10 - December 21, 2014. Details below!

SPACE on Ryder Farm just kicked off a Charitybuzz campaign to support its upcoming programs. One of the auction lots features a double-date with ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK stars Michael Chernus and Tracee Chimo -- Chernus portrays Piper's brother, Cal Chapman, on the series and Chimo plays his wife, Neri. If you bid on the item, you and a guest will get to enjoy a meal with the television couple at Rose Water in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The inimitable Sandra Bernhard returns to Joe's Pub at The Public with her all new show Sandra Bernhard is #blessed for her annual year-end residency, which starts December 26 and leads up to her New Year's Eve spectacle.

The Public Theater announced the return of Public Forum's holiday tradition, a one-night-only Drama Club reading and discussion of THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER on Sunday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Joe's Pub at The Public. Just in time for the holidays, this exciting evening will feature a reading of Thornton Wilder's 1931 one-act featuring Tarell Alvin McCraney, Ethan Lipton, Andrew Solomon, and Tappan Wilder. Wilder's ingenious, heartbreaking play traces 90 years in the life of an American family, and will spark a discussion about family and storytelling in a society that's rapidly accelerating.

Producers Fox Theatricals (Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson) and Barbara Whitman announced today that Tony® Award-winner Michael Cerveris ('Bruce Bechdel'), three time Tony® Award nominee Judy Kuhn('Helen Bechdel'), Beth Malone ('Alison'), Obie Award-winner Sydney Lucas ('Small Alison'), Emily Skeggs ('Medium Alison'), and more will reprise their roles from The Public Theater's acclaimed production of Fun Home on Broadway this Spring. Joel Perez and Roberta Colindrez will also return to the cast, with Zell Morrow and Oscar Williams joining the production as Alison's brothers John and Christian respectively. With music by four-time Tony® Award nominee Jeanine Tesori, a book and lyrics by Tony® Award nominee Lisa Kron and direction by Drama Desk nominee Sam Gold, Fun Home will now begin preview performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway, NYC) on Friday, March 27th, with an official opening night set forSunday, April 19th.

Fun Home will begin preview performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Friday, March 27th, with an official opening night set for Sunday, April 19th. Tickets are available to the general public today, December 8th.

The talented teens of the award-winning Riverdale Rising Stars presents the high-kicking Broadway musical A CHORUS LINE for seven performances only, from tonight, December 6, 2014 to January 4, 2015.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the return of David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Eric Rosen. This hilarious send-up of David Sedaris' tale of elfin' woe in his brief, misguided career as a Macy's elf, skewers the sentimental love of all things Christmas. This show will feature Brian Sills, who starred in last year's production as Crumpet, the disgruntled Macy's holiday elf. Shanna Jones, whom audiences saw open the production last year as one half of The Shenanigans, will perform holiday musical numbers during the performance. Performances run December 6 through 24 at KC Rep's downtown Copaken Stage in the Power & Light District. Press night is Thursday, December 11, 7pm curtain. This performance, as a work of satire, contains material that might be objectionable to some audiences. Appropriate for ages 16 and up. Past production high resolution photos can be found here.

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 on Friday, January 9, 2015 at the Equity offices, 165 West 46th Street, New York. The announcement was made by Arne Gundersen, President of the Foundation and Joan Glazer, Managing Director.

Les Freres Corbusier has announced its return to off-off-Broadway with a special workshop production of Here's Hoover! The Historic Herbert Hoover 2014 Comeback Special, written by Sean Cunningham, with songs by Michael Friedman and directed by Alex Timbers, beginning tonight, December 5 at 8:00 pm at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street. The workshop production runs through Sunday, December 21.

Les Freres Corbusier has announced its return to off-off-Broadway with a special workshop production of Here's Hoover! The Historic Herbert Hoover 2014 Comeback Special, written by Sean Cunningham, with songs by Michael Friedman and directed by Alex Timbers, beginning tonight, December 5 at 8:00 pm at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street. The workshop production runs through Sunday, December 21.