Williamstown Theatre News

Three-time Academy Award nominee Diane Ladd (Drama Desk Award nomination) brings Donald Margulies' critically acclaimed Collected Stories (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Ovation Award winner) to the Odyssey Theatre for a limited run. Collected Stories had an extended sold-out run at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York.

George Street Playhouse and Artistic Director David Saint have announced that full casting for their 2012-13 season opener, One Slight Hitch, has been completed. Joining the previously-announced Mark Linn-Baker will be Clea Alsip, Rosie Benton, Lauren Ashley Carter, Scott Drummond, Lizbeth Mackay and Christopher Tocco. Helmed by Joe Grifasi, this tale of matrimonial mayhem will begin performances Tuesday, October 2 and continue through Sunday, October 28. Opening night, with a dessert reception sponsored by Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi restaurants, will be Friday, October 5.

The producers of Peter and the Starcatcher, the five-time Tony Award-winning play by Rick Elice, today announced "The Thing You Did" Initiative, which will provide people with the opportunity to have their inspirational stories told on a Broadway stage. Through this initiative, which was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama's remarks at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, members of the public are invited to share a personal story of a time in their life when someone reached back to help them achieve a goal, or a time when they reached back to help someone else achieve theirs. Stories will then be selected to be told onstage by the cast after specific performances throughout the month of November.

The Flea Theater will present the limited Off-Broadway engagement of HERESY by A.R. Gurney, directed by Jim Simpson, featuring Kathy Najimy (Sister Act, King of the Hill, Veronica's Closet), Annette O'Toole (Smallville, Southern Comfort), Ariel Woodiwiss (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Reg E. Cathy (The Wire), Steve Mellor (Nixon's Nixon) and introducing Tommy Crawford and Danny Rivera, members of The Bats, The Flea's resident company of actors in their professional debut. Previews of this World Premiere begin September 29 with opening night slated for Thursday, October 11.

John Douglas Thompson, described by the New York Times as one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation, will make his Long Wharf Theatre debut in Satchmo at the Waldorf, by Terry Teachout, directed by Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein. The one-man show will take place Wednesday, October 3 through Sunday, November 4 on Stage II.

Chance Theater presents the fourth show of its 2012 season with a biting new world premiere play, OVERLOOKED, written by Brian Nelson (the writer of the acclaimed film "Hard Candy") and directed by Marya Mazor.

The multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) presents a world premiere play, THE RED ROOM, written by former WGA President Christopher Knopf and directed by NoHo Arts Center Artistic Director James J. Mellon. THE RED ROOM will begin previews on Thursday, September 20 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 28 at 8pm and will run for six weeks through Sunday, October 28 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.

On hiatus from the AMC smash hit Mad Men, Vincent Kartheiser comes to the Bay Area to lead a vibrant cast in San Jose Rep's world premiere of the Jonathan Marc Feldman drama The Death of the Novel, directed by Rick Lombardo.The cast also includes Vaishnavi Sharma (Sheba), Patrick Jones, Zarah Mahler and Amy Pietz. Pietz is well-known to TV audiences for her roles in The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Burn Notice, Nip/Tuck, The Closer and Private Practice.

The producers of Peter and the Starcatcher, the five-time Tony® Award-winning play by Rick Elice, will celebrate the 10th annual International Talk Like a Pirate Day on Wednesday, September 19th, with a special "Stache Day" in honor of their own pirate, Black Stache. On the morning of September 19th, the first 100 fans in line at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street) with mustaches (real or fake!) will receive one free ticket for that evening's performance.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced additional casting for its 2012/2013 Season, with initial casting for THE GREAT GOD PAN, the World Premiere of a new play by Obie Award winner Amy Herzog (After the Revolution at PH, 4000 Miles), directed by Carolyn Cantor (After the Revolution and Essential Self-Defense at PH, Pumpgirl, Orange Water Flower).

New Georges (Susan Bernfield, Producing Artistic Director; Sarah Cameron Sunde, Deputy Artistic Director; Jaynie Saunders Tiller, Managing Director) in association with Irondale Center (85 Oxford Street between Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street, Brooklyn) will present the World Premiere of Kara Lee Corthron's ALICEGRACEANON, October 18-November 9.

Slant Theatre Project, in association with Roust Theatre Company present the New York premiere of THE ELEPHANT IN MY CLOSET, written and performed by David Lee Nelson, created with Adam Knight, and dramaturgy by Kristin Vieira. Preview performances of THE ELEPHANT IN MY CLOSET begin Sunday, October 14th prior to an official press opening of Sunday, October 21st at the Kraine Theatre (85 East 4th Street, New York, NY).

Azuka Theatre's 13th Season continues the company's tradition of introducing thought-provoking new works to the region. This season will include two World Premieres and one East Coast Premiere.

Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, will present a staged reading of The Suicide: A Musical Comedy, Sunday, August 26 and Monday, August 27 at 7pm at the St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Tickets are $15 (reserved seating).

At BroadwayWorld we pride ourselves in showcasing theater content from all corners of the globe. Our regional contributors do an amazing job each day of bringing you the latest theater news in their cities and countries and to acknowledge this, we launched a new weekly column called 'Around BWW: Regional Highlights of the Week'. Read on for our most-read features, interviews, breaking news and more for the week of August 20!

Mid-Michigan's award winning professional theatre company, Williamston Theatre, located at 122 S. Putnam Street in downtown Williamston, starts the 2012-2013 with boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. Tickets for this epic and intimate comedy go on sale Tuesday, August 28, 2012.

Five powerful productions have been scheduled for Center Theatre Group's 2013 season at the Mark Taper Forum, it was announced today by CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie.