The Public Theater News

Temple University's Department of Theater is excited to announce the Playwright Residency Program, which is generously supported by David G. Steele (FOX '91). The first recipient of this award is playwright, activist and educator Kristoffer Diaz, author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Diaz has been commissioned to write a full-length play, which will receive a full production during the 2016-2017 season.

Joe's Pub at The Public announces the new class of Pub Club, the venue's artist development program dedicated to enhancing the career sustainability and growth of performing artists. In its second year, which commences January 2016, Pub Club welcomes a range of performers - blues/rock singer-songwriter Celisse Henderson, soulful vocalist Stephanie McKay, comedian and producer Trish Nelson, hilarious author and story-teller Isaac Oliver and folk singer-songwriter Kaylyn Marie Scardefield - that represents the diversity and scope of Joe's Pub's nightly programming.

Created in 2011, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat received its first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in the amount of $10,000.

Directed by Jeremy McCarter, the popular Public Forum series presents the theater of ideas: conversations and performances with leading voices in politics, media, and the arts.

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its upcoming nightly performances, running December 9-20, 2015. Scroll down for details or visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

The Civilians (Steve Cosson, Artistic Director), the award-winning New York-based theater company, presents Let Me Ascertain You: War on Christmas tonight, December 8, 2015, at Joe's Pub. Curated by current Civilians R&D Group members Suzanne Agins and Benjamin Kamine with the support of the Civilians Field Research Team, Let Me Ascertain You: War On Christmas is a one- night-only performance, giving voice to diverse cultural and religious minorities in America focusing on their experiences with the commercialization of Christmas. The evening will feature original songs written by established and emerging musical theater talents, created from the company's interviews with real people.

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced the creative teams for New York City Center's 2016 Encores! season. J. Bernard Calloway, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster will star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz?filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances at City Center from February 10-14. The 1940 musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago?Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown.

Updated this week! Check out upcoming Equity Auditions from Sunday, December 6, 2015 for both productions in your area and around the country including what/when/where and how to audition!

Starsky + Cox - the couple named 'Psychics to the Stars' by Vanity Fair, known for their international best- selling book Sextrology - will bring a special Yule installment of their Starring show - You Better Watch Out to Joe's Pub at The Public Theater on Sunday, December 20 at 7:00 PM for the winter solstice.

One of the changes made during the Public Theater run was the cutting of this final picture.

Lupita Nyong'o stopped by last night's THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH to talk about filming CGI scenes in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS and discuss her role as a Liberian woman coping with war in the upcoming Broadway play ECLIPSED.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 2015-16 season  with the return of David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Eric Rosen and starring Brian Sills as Crumpet the Elf.

Coming off of their Obie Award winning production of A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Great Lakes at City Center in January and the critically acclaimed Heartbreak at The Bushwick Starr in May, New Georges announces their final production of 2015, the World Premiere of HOW TO GET INTO BUILDINGS by Trish Harnetiaux (If You Can Get to Buffalo with Incubator Arts Project) at The Brick (579 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn; www.bricktheater.com) as part of The Brick's Resident Artist program, tonight, December 3-19.

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, present the ground-breaking, blockbuster musical, A CHORUS LINE, which performs on the Stark Stage from January 5 to 24, 2016. A CHORUS LINE is sponsored by Mrs. Bobbie Olsen and Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers' Group.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater for two shows - Sunday, December 20 at 9:30 PM and Monday, December 21 at 7:00 PM - for the Seventh Annual Holiday Spectacular. 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 2014-2015 season sold out after a New York Times 'Arts & Leisure' piece ran last fall. Special guests for the Holiday Spectacular will be announced. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director.

Rannells took to Twitter to share his King George III 'The Third's hilarious farewell to his time at the record-breaking musical.

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced a fresh slate of shows for the holiday season, starting today, December 2!

On Monday, November 30, playwright, novelist and songwriter Suzan-Lori Parks was awarded the 22nd annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prizeat The Public Theater in New York City.

ASTEP/Artists Striving to End Poverty announces its starry Seventh Annual New York City Christmas: A Concert to Benefit ASTEP, taking place on Monday, December 14 at 7:00 PM at Joe's Pub at The Public in New York City with a special silent auction, including items from HAMILTON, FINDING NEVERLAND, and LION KING to list a few.

Tony Award nominee Andrew Rannells (THE BOOK OF MORMON) ended his reign as 'King George III' on November 29 in Hamilton on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 W. 46 St). And now Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff -- who joined the cast last spring at The Public Theater -- returns to the role tonight, December 1, after one month of leave to film HBO's LOOKING movie.