Viola Davis News

August WilsonFor the very first time, the Estate of August Wilson has granted an organization the rights to record all 10 of these works. Kicking off on Monday, August 26 with 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' The Greene Space - the performance venue of public radio stations WNYC and WQXR -- will stage these readings before live audiences, and will make them present them as live video webcasts for viewers everywhere at www.thegreenespace.org. Ruben Santiago-Hudson, one of the leading interpreters of Wilson's work, is Artistic Director. The series has assembled a formidable group of 'Wilson Warriors' including Phylicia Rashad, S. Epatha Merkerson, Kenny Leon, Leslie Uggams, Anthony Chisholm and many others, along with Wilson first-timers including Taraji P. Hensonand Jesse L. Martin. Click below to watch interviews with the directors!

While 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' is generating Oscar buzz for its chronicle of several decades of African- American political life, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson masterfully documented a full century of the African-American experience in the 10 plays the make up the American Century Cycle. These works, nine of which have been staged on Broadway with stars including Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, among many others, showed the suffering, joys, and triumphs of African-Americans through searing, poetic and personal stories of everyday people in Pittsburgh, PA.

The HBO Family documentary WYNTON MARSALIS: A YOUNGARTS MASTERCLASS kicks off the third season of the two-time Emmy-nominated series, following three promising musicians as they work with the jazz icon.

Warner Bros. Pictures has debuted an extended TV spot for PRISONERS, hitting theaters on September 20th. Denis Villeneuve directs the thriller starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal , Maria Bello, Terrance Howard, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano. Get a first look below!

Friday's all-new “Sofia the First” ranked as the series' #1 original telecast on record in Total Viewers (2.95 million) and placed among its Top 5 to date in Kids 2-5 (983,000/6.1 rating), Girls 2-5 (663,000/8.5 rating) and Women 18-49 (516,000/0.8 rating). The telecast saw royal butler Baileywick (played by Tim Gunn) insist on helping Sofia on her Buttercup troop outing, but she sets out to prove that she is capable of doing things for herself. Viola Davis (“The Help”) guest starred as the Buttercup troop leader.

When King Roland insists that Baileywick assist Sofia on her Buttercup troop outing, Sofia puts her Buttercup skills to use to prove that even princesses are capable of doing things for themselves. Guest Starring Viola Davis ('The Help') Sofia's Buttercup troop leader Helen Hanshaw.

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Alice Bemand Executive Director and John Simpkins Artistic Director, is proud to announce the opening of the theater's new 99-seat Stage 2 performance space in the Bok Gallery, with the inaugural production of John Patrick Shanley's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt, A Parable from today, July 11 through 14.

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Alice Bemand Executive Director and John Simpkins Artistic Director, is proud to announce the opening of the theater's new 99-seat Stage 2 performance space in the Bok Gallery, with the inaugural production of John Patrick Shanley's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt, A Parable from July 11 through 14.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network scored its best quarter in network history delivering a +32% growth in second quarter 2013 in primetime versus first quarter making OWN a Top 5 cable network for African-American women 25-54.

Warner Bros. Pictures has just released a new trailer and poster for Denis Villeneuve's PRISONERS. The film, starring Hugh Jackman, hits theaters on September 20th. Get a first look below.

Second Stage Theatre's (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) upcoming 35th Anniversary Season will kick off with the previously announced new musical LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, by James Lapine and William Finn, and will continue with the New York premiere of Quiara Alegria Hudes' THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, the follow-up to last season's acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning, Water by the Spoonful, and the final play in Ms. Hudes' Elliot trilogy, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The season will also include the New York Premiere of Laura Eason's provocative play,SEX WITH STRANGERS, directed by David Schwimmer.

'True Blood' is one of television's most talked-about shows. With its combination of fantasy, horror, camp and sex, it's not hard to see why the vampire-driven melodrama set in rural Louisiana has inspired a devoted fan following in its six seasons on HBO.

One of the most enduring icons of 20th-century America, Marilyn Monroe invented an endlessly fascinating public persona, but also concealed a private side known only to her closest confidants. A half-century after her death, her creation still blazes brightly in the cultural imagination, while its creator remains in the shadows.

SOFIA THE FIRST cable TV's #1 series among Kids 2-5, will expand to a daily telecast and kick off Disney Junior's multi-platform 'Pirate and Princess Summer' programming event beginning TODAY, JUNE 10.

Trinity Repertory Company previously announced that three local Rhode Island residents would be receiving Pell Awards this year in addition to Kate Burton, the recipient of the 2013 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. The 17th annual Pell Awards will be held tonight, June 10, 2013 at Trinity Rep with a reception to follow next door at the Providence Public Library.

One of the most enduring icons of 20th-century America, Marilyn Monroe invented an endlessly fascinating public persona, but also concealed a private side known only to her closest confidants. A half-century after her death, her creation still blazes brightly in the cultural imagination, while its creator remains in the shadows.

Tony Award winners and Broadway/Hollywood superstars Hugh Jackman and Viola Davis team up for PRISONERS, a new feature film co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, Mario Bello, Melissa Leo and Len Cariou.

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts), a non-profit that recognizes and supports the nation's most talented young artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts, has announced that its 2014 application will be available online at http://www.youngarts.org/apply from May 31, 2013 through October 18, 2013. This year, students with an interest in architecture and design are also encouraged to apply for the inaugural YoungArts Design Arts program.