The Public Theater News

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) announces nine awards granted from their National Fund for New Musicals, a major funding program to support NAMT member not-for-profit theatres in their collaborations with writers to create, develop and produce new musicals. Now in its seventh year, the Fund will provide grants totaling $46,000 to ten organizations across the country.

Directed by John Collins, THE SOUND AND THE FURY is currently running at The Public Theater through June 27, with an official press opening on Thursday, May 21. Check out a first look below!

Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in classical music, he has won Oscar, Golden Globe and World Soundtrack Awards

In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, the political controversy surrounding the release of The Interview, and continued suppression of plays, books, and art in American schools, libraries and museums, the battle for freedom of speech and expression is more essential than ever. Planet Connections Theatre Festivity will present an evening of world premiere plays by Erik Ehn, Halley Feiffer, Israel Horovitz and Neil LaBute addressing censorship in the arts in Playwrights for a Cause, to be held at 7:30pm on June 14, 2015 at the Sheen Center, located at 18 Bleecker Street.

Catch up on the week's biggest stories from Broadway and beyond in BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures,' featuring coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights, and more. Highlights this week include coverage of HAMILTON's major wins at the Lucille Lortel Awards, BILLY ELLIOT celebrating 10 years in the West End, a first look at Jim Parsons in AN ACT OF GOD, and more!

Tickets for the West End production of Motown the Musical, opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016, are released for sale today (15 May 2015).  With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright.  London previews will begin on 11 February 2016 with press night on 8 March 2016 with the show booking to 22 October 2016.  Casting and further information about Motown the Musical will be released shortly.

TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE, written by Dean Poynor, will receive its world premiere this summer in a stirring environmental production staged in the cafeteria of a New York City public school. The show will run for 15 performances starting on June 4th. Mikhael Tara Garver (Artistic Director of the Woodshed Collective) directs the production, which runs through June 28th.

As part of New York Voices, the artist commissioning program of Joe's Pub at The Public, singer-songwriter Dawn Landes (music and lyrics) and director Daniel Goldstein (book) bring forth a new musical called ROW - the heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting story of Tori Murden McClure, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. On June 21 and 22, Landes, with Xanthe Elbrick (Tori), Stephen Bogardus (Mac) and more, will perform a concert version of ROW at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette, NYC).

We are yet another day closer to the biggest night on every theatre-lover's calendar- the 69th Annual Tony Awards, which will be co-hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming on Sunday, June 7 (8PM on CBS). Earlier this month, the 2015 Tony nominees gathered to meet the press and BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big day. Below, we bring you an exclusive interview with Sting, Best Score nominee for The Last Ship.

Andrew Lippa along with Kate Baldwin and Conor Ryan, the stars of the recent acclaimed Keen Company production of John & Jen, the musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Greenwald and Lippa, will head over to 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Saturday June 6th, to celebrate the upcoming release of the 2015 Off-Broadway Cast Recording for Broadway Records.  A June 16th release is planned. Andrew Lippa and Michael Croiter produced the album. Musical Director is Lily Lang.  This recording will include the premiere of the new song, "Trouble with Men,' as well as new orchestrations and two songs from the score never before recorded.  

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks) gathers for the 81st Annual Drama LeagueAwards Ceremony, hosted by 2014 Tony Award nominee, Hand to God's Steven Boyer with special guest Tyrone, today May 15, 2015 in the Broadway Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway).  Below, BroadwayWorld will be bringing you the complete list of winners live!

This month Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly welcomes four exceptional new hires: General Manager Theresa Von Klug; Director of Marketing, Communications, and Patron Engagement Polly Winograd Ikonen; Associate Managing Director Sarah Williams; and Artistic Associate Sarah Rose Leonard. Together they bring to the award-winning Theatre a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience working in the arts and not-for-profit performing arts sectors.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, has announced that its upcoming production of DOCTOR FAUSTUS, adapted by David Bridel and Andrei Belgrader from the play by Christopher Marlowe, starring Chris Noth ("Law & Order," "Sex and the City," "The Good Wife"), directed by Andrei Belgrader (CSC's production of The Cherry Orchard) will extend through Sunday, July 12.  Previews will now begin Tuesday, June 2 with an official opening Thursday, June 18 at CSC (136 East 13th Street).   Joining Noth in the cast are Tony Award nominee and "The Good Wife" co-star Zach Grenier as Mephistopheles, Jeffrey Binder, Ken Cheeseman, Carmen M. Herlihy, Walker Jones, Marina Lazzaretto, Geoffrey Owens and Lucas Caleb Rooney. 

The Public Theater remounts Elevator Repair Service's acclaimed THE SOUND AND THE FURY this spring. Directed by John Collins, THE SOUND AND THE FURY begins performances in The Public's Martinson Theater tonight, May 14 and run through Saturday, June 13, with an official press opening on Thursday, May 21.

Tonight's performance of THE OTHER THING at Second Stage Uptown has been cancelled following a nearby apartment fire, BroadwayWorld has confirmed.

SPARKLE & CIRCULATE with JUSTIN SAYRE - the official monthly podcast of the International Order of Sodomites - has posted the seventh episode, which features an in-depth conversation with Carl Siciliano, founder of the Ali Forney Center, which provides shelter and services for homeless LGBT youth. The show is available on iTunes here.  Every June, Sayre's event Night of a Thousand Judys honors Judy Garland for Pride and raises money for the organization. Carl explains how the center was formed, who Ali Forney was and the challenges they face with fundraising. The first six episodes of the show - featuring interviews with Randy Harrison, Michael Musto, Frank DeCaro, Kim David Smith, Jeffery Self and R&B legend Sarah Dash - are also available. SPARKLE & CIRCULATE is produced by Dan Fortune and Tyrus Emory.

Pacific Symphony has reunited with Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal to release the world-premiere recording of his “Symphony in G# Minor” on the Zarathustra Music label Tuesday, May 12. Goldenthal wrote the 22-minute work for Pacific Symphony and Music Director Carl St.Clair as part of the orchestra's 2014 American Composers Festival. This collaboration comes 20 years after the orchestra commissioned Goldenthal to write a piece for the 20th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Entitled “Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio,” the hour-long work for orchestra and SATB chorus with soloists and a cello obbligato, was premiered in 1995, with the recording released in 1996 on Sony Classical Records, featuring renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Today, May 12, at The Broadway League's Spring Conference, Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda talked about his first experience seeing RENT when he was 17 and how it inspired him to begin writing musicals. Click below to hear what he had to say!

Awards were presented to more than 25 outstanding actors, directors, designers and ensembles tonight by The Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA), at the 33nd Annual Elliot Norton Awards ceremony, held at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre. Scroll down for the full list!

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, May 17 at 9:30 PM to conclude the 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 last September. The May show will be a celebration of The Scissor Sisters with special guests Amber Martin, Edgar Oliver, Tammy Faye Starlight, Michael Cavadias, Bridget Barkan, Jamie Wright, Angela DiCarlo, Philip Taratula and Brendan Michael. David Nagler serves as the show's Music Director.