Thornton Wilder News

Rehearsals are underway for the crown jewel of Penobscot Theatre Company's 40th-anniversary season: OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder. 'Widely regarded as the greatest American play, this piece perfectly illustrates the power, relevance, and importance of theatre in our community,' says Artistic Director Bari Newport. Newport is directing the upcoming production, which will run April 24-May 11, and freshness is at the core of her vision.

The divisive playwright's most accessible piece comes off as a Neil Simon attempt at absurdism.

For the first time in over 22 years, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) is pleased to announce it will produce the bright, brassy Broadway adventure, HELLO, DOLLY! on its Main Stage. The production will enjoy previews from September 5 - 11, 2014 with grand opening festivities taking place Friday, September 12.

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 16th Not Your Typical Season with a special run of Love, Loss, and What I Wore -- a witty and wise celebration of womanhood adapted by Nora and Delia Ephron, creators of such hits as 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Sleepless in Seattle,' 'You've Got Mail,' 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' and 'Silkwood.'

On Friday, May 2 at 7:00pm at Crossroads Theatre, American Repertory Ballet will present Philip Jerry's Our Town as part of the Hub City Our Town celebration of arts and community in New Brunswick. The Hub City Our Town festival is a collaboration between the New Brunswick Cultural Center, George Street Playhouse, and six other New Brunswick arts organizations, including ARB.

Labyrinth Theater Company, the award-winning, downtown ensemble, announced today the final additions to the lineup for Pulitzer Fest, a festival of play readings celebrating Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, featuring Labyrinth Theater Company Members and Guest Artists. Five plays will be presented over the course of one week, followed by additional free play readings on the weekend, including Harvey, How I Learned to Drive, They Knew What They Wanted, and more. Full schedule is below.

Playwright Christopher Durang - who won his first Tony Award in 2013 for his comedy VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE on Broadway - will make his debut in the role of Vanya when the play is presented at Bucks County Playhouse (70 S. Main St) in New Hope, PA. From July 17 to August 10, it has been announced by the Playhouse's newly-appointed producing team -- Producing Director Alexander Fraser, Executive Producer Robyn Goodman and Producers Stephen Kocis and Josh Fiedler.

Casting has been announced for the world premiere of Kimber Lee's "different words for the same thing," which begins previews May 4 at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. The opening night is May 11 and performances run through June 1, 2014.

As Theater Latte Da's OUR TOWN heads into the final week, trumpet player turned leading man, David Darrow, reminds us that he's much more than a pretty set of abs. He's actually just a normal guy who likes to act and is somehow making it work in this town.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre cranks up the way back machine to transport the audience to Lebanon, Missouri, on July 4, 1944, in Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winner TALLEY'S FOLLY, but the play chugs along on fumes, despite the best efforts of all parties.

Critics are calling OUR TOWN 'stunning,' 'a vibrant creation' and 'an absolutely immersive experience'!

Labyrinth Theater Company, the award-winning, downtown ensemble, announced today the initial lineup for Pulitzer Fest, a festival of play readings celebrating Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, featuring Labyrinth Theater Company Members and Guest Artists. Five plays will be presented over the course of one week, followed by additional free play readings on the weekend. The weekend schedule will be announced later this month. A post-show discussion with the playwright and a guest moderator will follow select readings for weekday performances. The plays will be presented at Labyrinth's home in New York City's West Village, the Bank Street Theater (155 Bank Street).

On Tuesday, March 18, 2014, Asolo Repertory Theatre announced its 2014-2015 season and the third season of its ambitious five-year American Character Project, an in-depth exploration of the soul of this country's people, past and present. Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training Director/Asolo Rep Associate Artistic Director Rep Greg Leaming presented both season line-ups to more than 350 patrons in Asolo Rep's Mertz Theatre.

At a time when the role of religion in every facet of life is mired in controversy and the battleground seems miles wide and inches deep, 'The Christians' play plants the audience squarely in the thick of the battle and leaves them pondering a lot, and maybe wanting a bit more.

Theater Latte Da will present Our Town today, March 12 - April 6, 2014 | The Lab Theater - 700 N 1st Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Theater Latte Da will present Our Town March 12 - April 6, 2014 | The Lab Theater - 700 N 1st Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401

The Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Program proudly presents Thornton Wilder's profoundly philosophical and epic comedic-drama, The Skin of Our Teeth, directed by Taibi Magar (Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs '14). Scroll down for a first look at the show!

"different words for the same thing" by Kimber Lee will be directed by Neel Keller in its World Premiere at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre. Previews begin May 4 for a May 11th opening. The show continues through June 1, 2014.

Palm Beach Dramaworks celebrates its fifteenth anniversary with a lineup of illustrious plays, beginning on October 10 with Thornton Wilder's Pultizer Prize-winning Our Town, and continuing with Israel Horovitz's My Old Lady, the Christopher Hampton adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning Buried Child, and Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. All performances are at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre (201 Clematis Street).

THEATER TALK celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hello, Dolly! with a trio of guests, each with a different association with the long-running show. Actress Sondra Lee was the production's original Minnie Fay; Lee Roy Reams was Cornelius in the 1978 revival and directed the second revival in 1995; and dancer Marge Champion, married to the show's director-choreographer Gower Champion, was present at the show's creation. The 1964 mega-hit was a musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, with a book by Michael Stewart, score by 26-year-old Jerry Herman and produced by the notorious David Merrick. The show's original cast included: Carol Channing, David Burns, Charles Nelson Reilly, Eileen Brennan and Ms. Lee. It ran for a record-breaking 2,844 performances from Jan. 15, 1964 to Dec. 27, 1970 and won 10 Tony Awards, a record it held for 35 years.