Tony Kushner News

Michi Barral, Cindy Cheung, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Ken Leung, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jonny Wo, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen will be featured in Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a two performance benefit to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devastated by last year's great earthquake (Shinsai). Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, will be performed this Sunday, March 11 at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union (Seventh Street at Third Avenue).

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that the New York premiere of An Iliad, by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson, based on Homer's Iliad translated by Robert Fagles, directed by Ms. Peterson, will open this week at NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Denis O'Hare and Stephen Spinella alternate performances of the play. Mr. O'Hare opens Tuesday, March 6; Mr. Spinella Wednesday, March 7.

American Blues Theater (ABT), Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, will participate in a global benefit for the people of Japan, SHINSAI: Theatre for Japan, Sunday, March 11 at 3 p.m. at the Richard Christiansen Theater in Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 North Lincoln Ave. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 with 100% of the proceeds going to SHINSAI. For tickets and more information go to www.americanbluestheater.com or call 312.725.4228.

Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert present Tony Kushner's Tony Award-winning Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. Angels in America will run March 30 - June 3, 2012 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. Press Opening is Saturday, April 14, 2012; Part One: Millennium Approaches at 3PM and Part Two: Perestroika at 8PM.

Philadelphia Theatre Company will present PTC@Play, a two-week festival of new work on February 2-March 11 at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

Cherry Lane Theatre's award-winning MENTOR PROJECT will continue its 13th season with a production of EVOLUTION, written and performed by Patricia Buckley, directed Michele Chivu and mentored Jean-Claude van Itallie with performances scheduled March 13 through March 24 at Cherry Lane Studio Theatre (38 Commerce Street in Manhattan), where the 2012 MENTOR PROJECT is in residence through April 14.

Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN broke the house record of the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street), grossing $692,192 over seven performances for the week ending February 26, 2012. The strictly limited engagement opens Thursday, March 15, 2012. Arthur Miller's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning DEATH OF A SALESMAN, is directed by eight-time Tony Award® winner Mike Nichols and stars Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman, Obie Award winner Linda Emond as Linda Loman and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man), making his Broadway debut as Biff Loman. The strictly limited engagement opens Thursday, March 15, 2012. For tickets, visit Telecharge.com or call 212-239-6200.

A Noise Within (ANW) presents THE ILLUSION by Pierre Corneille, adapted by Tony Kushner and directed by Casey Stangl, opening Saturday, March 17 and closing Saturday, May 19, 2012 (previews begin Saturday, March 10).

Signature Theatre (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) has announced that performances begin tonight for the world premiere production of Katori Hall's HURT VILLAGE, directed by Patricia McGregor.

The Public Theater will continue the 2011-2012 Public Forum season in February with a night of conversation and songs featuring Stew, Heidi Rodewald and Michael Cerveris. This Public Forum event will coincide with the new musical, The Total Bent, premiering in February as part of the Public Lab series. This intimate evening featuring three great singer-songwriters will take place on Monday, February 27 at 9:30 p.m. at Joe's Pub. Member tickets, priced at $15, are on sale now. Single tickets, priced at $20, go on sale Thursday, January 26.

Running through February 26, Caroline, or Change will be performed in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage, 820 East Genesee Street.

As first reported on Deadline.com, actress Marcia Gay Harden is set to star in the upcoming film SUPREME RULER. Harden joins previously announced cast members Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Brian Geraghty and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Cherry Lane Theatre's award-winning MENTOR PROJECT will begin its 13th season on February 21 with a production of Elizabeth Rose's RELATIVE PITCH, the first of four new works in 2012 MENTOR PROJECT running February 21 to April 14 at Cherry Lane Studio Theatre (38 Commerce Street in Manhattan).

Utilizing two different casts to tell a story spanning four decades, Triad Stage and NewBridge Bank present the entire New Music trilogy by Reynolds Price, directed by Preston Lane, in a two part extended run-Part I, comprised of the plays, August Snow and Night Dance, and Part II, the final play in the series, Better Days-produced together for only the second time since they were written.

Director Joe Dowling today announced the three plays that will comprise the Guthrie's 2012 celebration of prolific British playwright, screenwriter and director Christopher Hampton. A Guthrie commission of Appomattox, a new play based upon Hampton's original 2007 opera collaboration with composer Philip Glass, will be joined by Tales from Hollywood and Total Eclipse.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director; Peter Napolitano, Producing Director) is proud to announce the cast for the upcoming production of My Occasion of Sin by Monica Bauer, directed by Frances Hill. My Occasion of Sin will begin preview performances on Friday, March 16, 2012and will celebrate its opening night on Wednesday, March 21 at Urban Stages (259 West 30 Street), running through Sunday, April 15. Tickets are $40 ($25 during previews) and are available at www.Smarttix.com or by calling 212.868.4444.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director; Peter Napolitano, Producing Director) has announced the cast for the upcoming production of My Occasion of Sin by Monica Bauer, directed by Frances Hill.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company (Carl Forsman, Artistic Director/Damon Chua, Executive Director) today announced that Kate Turnbull would join Kathleen Chalfant and Richard Easton for Tina Howe's Painting Churches, the 1983 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Keen Artistic Director Carl Forsman directs.

Utilizing two different casts to tell a story spanning four decades, Triad Stage and NewBridge Bank present the entire New Music trilogy by Reynolds Price, directed by Preston Lane, in a two part extended run-Part I, comprised of the plays, August Snow and Night Dance, and Part II, the final play in the series, Better Days-produced together for only the second time since they were written.

American Blues Theater (ABT), Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, is set to participate in a global benefit for the people of Japan, SHINSAI: Theatre for Japan, Sunday, March 11 at 3 p.m. at the Richard Christiansen Theater in Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 North Lincoln Ave.