Manhattan Ensemble Theater

Photo Flash: First Look at Nora el Samahy in 9 PARTS OF DESIRE
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 11, 2020

Heather Raffo's critically acclaimed, 9 Parts of Desire, will open this month at Portland Center Stage at The Armory, starring Nora el Samahy.

Heather Raffo's Critically Acclaimed Portrait Of Nine Iraqi Women, 9 PARTS OF DESIRE To Open At The Armory
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 7, 2020

Heather Raffo's critically acclaimed, 9 Parts of Desire, will open this March at Portland Center Stage at The Armory, starring Nora el Samahy. An intimate and complex examination of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of nine Iraqi women, this remarkable solo work offers a meditation on what it means to be a woman in a country overshadowed by war. Based on Raffo's interviews with real women during the reign and fall of Saddam Hussein, Raffo weaves nine utterly distinct voices into a tapestry of humanity, love, and endurance in the face of oppression.

Playwrights Horizons Announces Live For Five Lottery For Heather Raffo's NOURA
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 12, 2018

Playwrights Horizons (Artistic Director Tim Sanford, Managing Director Leslie Marcus) will, from today, November 12, through Thursday, November 15, accept entries for the Live for Five online lottery, giving out $5 tickets to the New York premiere production of Noura, from 9 Parts of Desire playwright and actor Heather Raffo and director Joanna Settle. The Washington Post deemed this "epic-feeling, nearly searing portrait of a woman torn between cultures and family" the "best premiere of the Women's Voices Theater Festival" when it made its world premiere in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. Produced in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company, it will be performed at Playwrights Horizons from November 27 to December 30. Playwrights Horizons created Live for Five in 2007 as part of their Arts Access program to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket. Since its inception, over 3,000 theatergoers have been able to attend the theater thanks to the initiative.

Meet the Cast of THE BOYS IN THE BAND- Now in Previews!
by Julie Musbach - Apr 30, 2018

Directed by Joe Mantello and produced by Ryan Murphy and David Stone, The Boys in the Band will play a strictly limited 15-week Broadway engagement at the Booth Theatre, beginning previews today, April 30. Get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

Jim Parsons Joins Britney Spears as Honoree At This Years GLAAD Media Awards
by Macon Prickett - Mar 7, 2018

According to Entertainment Weekly,  Jim Parsons has been announced as the latest honoree at this years GLAAD Media Awards. Parsons joins previously announced Britney Spears who is also being honored. 

STC to Stage Heather Raffo's NOURA as Part of Women's Voices Theater Festival
by BWW News Desk - Dec 14, 2017

As part of the second Women's Voices Theater Festival, Shakespeare Theatre Company presents the world-premiere production of Noura, a new play written by award-winning playwright and performer Heather Raffo (Nine Parts of Desire). Directed by Joanna Settle and featuring Raffo in the titular role, the play will run at the Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th Street NW) February 6 March 11, 2018.

McCarter to Present 'Lab Spotlight' Production of Heather Raffo's NOURA
by BWW News Desk - Dec 20, 2016

Award-winning Iraqi-American playwright and performer Heather Raffo (9 Parts of Desire) teams up with director Joanna Settle to examine the issue of fractured American identity in this timely re-imagining of Ibsen's iconic A Doll's House.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' AN OCTOROON Begins at the Wilma Theater
by BWW News Desk - Mar 16, 2016

What if all of the white actors in your play quit? AN OCTOROON begins tonight, March 16, 2016; and opens today, March 23, 2016.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' AN OCTOROON to Play the Wilma Theater
by BWW News Desk - Feb 24, 2016

What if all of the white actors in your play quit? AN OCTOROON begins on Wednesday, March 16, 2016; and opens on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.

Lineup Announced for 'Festival of the Emerging Musical' in Philadelphia
by Tyler Peterson - Jan 25, 2016

The University of the Arts' Ira Brind School of Theater Arts announces the 2016 lineup for Polyphone, a "festival of the emerging musical" on the UArts campus in Philadelphia.  Running March 20-27, the 2016 the Polyphone festival produces staged concerts of new musicals and re-imagined canonical works offering professional composers, librettists and directors an opportunity to develop their work among the rich creative community of the Brind School at UArts.  The festival will program five musicals, including both classical and new works, with three performances each.  

Joe's Pub at The Public to Welcome Jamie Leonhart & Joanna Settle, 11/1-3
by Tyler Peterson - Oct 7, 2015

As part of the artist commissioning program New York Voices, Joe's Pub at The Public presents Estuary: an artist/mother story, a new show conceived and written by Jamie Leonhart and directed by Joanna Settle. Estuary's original music is co-written and arranged by Grammy-winner Michael Leonhart. This presentation of Estuary features a live band that includes Saskia Lane, Pauline Kim, Sara Phillips Budde and Katie Scheele. Performances will run Monday through Wednesday, November 1-3 at 7:00PM at Joe's Pub at The Public (425 Lafayette, NYC). Tickets are ($20) available now online, via phone (212.967.7555) or in-person at The Public's Box Office.

VIDEO: First Look - Jim Parsons Stars in New Horror Film VISIONS
by Caryn Robbins - Aug 11, 2015

Jim Parsons and Isla Fisher star in the upcoming horror film VISIONS, heading to theaters this fall. Watch the trailer below!

All His Heavenly Hosts! Meet the Full Cast of AN ACT OF GOD, Opening Tonight on Broadway
by Meet the Cast - May 28, 2015

The new Broadway comedy An Act of God, starring Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jim Parsons, began performances on May 7 and officially opens tonight, May 28, 2015 at Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street). Scroll down to learn more about the company, plus watch interviews with Parsons and the team!