Williamstown Theatre News

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' global hit musical MAMMA MIA! will welcome new principals Christy Altomare, Lauren Cohn, Daniel Cooney, Felicia Finley, Aaron Lazar, Graham Rowat and Zak Resnick who will join Judy McLane as "Donna Sheridan" at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway) on Monday, June 4, 2012.

Oberon in association with the Ministry of Theater will present a pre-New York tryout of ROLLER DISCO THE MUSICAL!, an unautherized parody of the classic film Roller Boogie, from May 30 to August 30 at Oberon in Cambridge Massachusetts, with its world premiere opening night on June 13. With executive producer Pablo Rojas, Roller Disco aims to transfer to Off-Broadway in Spring 2013.

For its seventh season Boston Midsummer Opera (BMO) presents the comic piece, Donizetti's Don Pasquale, playing at the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University for three performances only, July 25, 27, and 29. Obie Award winner/Tony Award nominee Austin Pendleton directs the fully staged and costumed production. Music director and nationally acclaimed conductor Susan Davenny Wyner leads the performances, which will be performed with orchestra and sung in English. Metropolitan Opera bass Ricardo Lugo will sing the role of Don Pasquale.

Producers Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price and Tom Smedes announced today that Rick Elice's new play, Peter and the Starcatcher, will embark on a national tour, opening in August 2013 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, CO. The play's Tony Award-nominated directors, Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, will direct the touring production, which will be represented by The Road Company.

22Q Entertainment LLC and GoAlleyCat Productions presents the West Coast Premiere of the New York hit, IT IS DONE, a thrilling new play in an environmental setting, written by award-winning playwright Alex Goldberg and directed by Ovation award-winner Michael Michetti (The Twentieth Century Way, Carousel, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings). IT IS DONE opens tonight, May 15 at 8:30pm and runs through Tuesday, June 12 at the Pig ‘N Whistle Restaurant, 6714 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood.

The evening is directed by Joe Langworth and musical direction by Greg Jarrett, the show will run for one night only, June 18, at the Loews Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

HERO Theatre has just announced that William H. Macy, star of Showtime's Shameless and Academy Award-nominated for Fargo, will star in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings", directed by John Levey. The presentation will take place in Los Angeles, Summer 2012. This will mark HERO Theatre's west coast premiere.

Looking for a quick roundup of this week's events in the theatre world? Look no further - here are some of the best articles the week had to offer!

Quincy Dunn Baker joins the cast of Kenny Finkle's ALIVE AND WELL at Canal Park Playhouse's monthly BACK ROOM READING SERIES. Directed by Samuel Buggeln, the reading of ALIVE AND WELL takes place on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 PM at Canal Park Playhouse (508 Canal Street, between Greenwich and West Streets in Tribeca). The reading series is FREE and open to the public. Tickets are available at the door, one hour prior to the performance. For more information, visit www.canalparkplayhouse.com.

Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Jenny Gersten has announced additional casting for the 2012 Summer Season. A host of Williamstown Theatre Fesival veterans and talented newcomers including Becky Ann Baker, Marylouise Burke, Tyne Daly, Brandon Victor Dixon, Alison Fraser, Heather Lind, Amy Spanger, Jeremy Strong, Lili Taylor and many more, will take the stage during the Festival's 58th Season.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd previously announced the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's new production of Theresa Rebeck's WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST, part of the Alley Theatre's New Play Initiative. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST runs on the Alley Theatre's Neuhaus Stage tonight, May 11 through June 12, 2012.

A Hollywood action star tries to prove himself in a serious Broadway play by Kafka, and he comes up against a new understudy with a chip on his shoulder and a tangled romantic past, in San Jose Rep's production of The Understudy, scheduled to run tonight, May 10 through June 3. Press Opening Night is May 16, 2012, at 7:30 pm.

Ars Nova presents, as part of the Out Loud series, a FREE reading of: QUEEN BEE by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt. The cast includes Leslie Ayvazian, Kyle Beltran, Aya Cash, Will Jackson Harper and Chip Zien.

Acclaimed Off-Broadway not-for-profit theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced additional details for its 2012 special online Auction. Bidding for the auction, which already features an outstanding array of unique opportunities and experiences, is now underway at www.BiddingForGood/PlaywrightsHorizons. Online bidding continues through Monday, May 14 (with items staggered to close at 8PM and 9PM).