Monty Cole

Let me tell you a bit about myself. Even before the death of George Floyd and the political earthquake that followed, I have long been of the opinion that drastic and systemic changes are needed in the American judicial system. When I covered Gaithersburg city government for the Montgomery Sentinel, I took a knee during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the city council meetings. I do the same when the 'Star Spangled Banner' plays at Washington Nationals games. On the wall above my desk where I'm writing this, I have tacked up the front page of the Washington Post from April 21, 2021, announcing Derek Chauvin's conviction for murder the previous day. I oppose the death penalty. I admire works that effectively explore generational trauma and make use of innovative storytelling techniques, including blending genres. For all these reasons, when I read the description of 'Incendiary,' written by Dave Harris and directed by Monty Cole, which recently opened at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, I expected to like it. I didn't.

The stark and riveting version by UK playwright Anya Reiss, first performed at London's Royal National Theatre, will be directed by FutureHome Founding Executive Producer Josh Sobel as part of the 2023 Hollywood Fringe.

​​​​​​​Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company closes its 2022-2023 season with the world premiere of Incendiary, a play bursting with satire and influenced by the style of video games, anime, and blockbuster action movies. The play runs from May 29 to June 25 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D St NW). Tickets and further information can be found here.

One of the American theater's seminal writers, Adrienne Kennedy captures the Black experience in America in the 20th century with a trademark embrace of symbolism, lyricism, and mythic figures. In this world premiere production, Etta and Ella Harrison are talented academics on the Upper West Side – as well as sisters and rivals.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) partners with Cate Cammarata of CreateTheater to present the 2023 TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series, with the generous support of RK Greene and The StoryLine Project on Sundays, February 12 & 19, 2023 at 3pm.

CalArts Center for New Performance (CNP) announces the world premiere of Etta and Ella on the Upper West Side by Adrienne Kennedy (Broadway's Ohio State Murders), with direction by Monty Cole. Running for three nights from Thursday, February 23 through Saturday, February 25, 2023, Etta and Ella marks the second world premiere production of CNP's 20th anniversary season.

Looking ahead to an exciting, new year, Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT), CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, has announced its Winter/Spring 2023 season of performances, screenings, and exhibitions, presented in-person and online January through June 2023.

The Oscar qualifying film festival, which was included on MovieMaker Magazine’s “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” list, once again offers a diverse selection of films from highly anticipated studio efforts to independent films, and international to local Georgia and Atlanta productions as part of its carefully curated hybrid presentation.

CalArts Center for New Performance (CNP) kicks off its 20th anniversary season on Thursday, September 29, 2022, with the world premiere of Scene with Cranes, written by acclaimed playwright Octavio Solis, directed by Chi-wang Yang. It will run from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, 2022 at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) in downtown Los Angeles. 

Chicago's leading Latine theater company, Teatro Vista, has announced its 2022-23 season, the second under Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo. 

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company has announced that single tickets for the 2022-23 season will be available for purchase starting August 12. Regular price tickets start at $29, with a range of special discounts available for those 30 and under, military, educators, and more. 

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, presents August Wilson’s Fences, directed by Monty Cole. Check out photos here!

American Blues Theater is presenting August Wilson's Fences, directed by Monty Cole through August 6, 2022. This is the sensational drama about Troy Maxson, a former star of the Negro Baseball League, who now works as a garbage man in 1957 Pittsburgh. Get a first look at the production here!

American Blues Theater has announced the cast of August Wilson’s Fences, directed by Monty Cole. The intimate and up-close production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama will play to a capacity of 60 people per performance from July 1-August 6, 2022, at Theater Wit,1229 W. Belmont Ave. 

Woolly Mammoth’s upcoming 2022-2023 season is a break-out collection of unconventional storytelling, filled with characters who upend roles, rules, and regimes, and authentic, in-your-face playwriting voices.

The imminent start of the 2022 Oregon Shakespeare Festival season—Artistic Director Nataki Garrett’s first full season—marks a celebratory return to repertory producing. The 2022 lineup features eight on-stage plays and musicals, from classic Shakespeare to works by some of today’s most exciting playwrights.

Chicago's leading Latinx theater company, Teatro Vista, announced plans today for its 2021-22 season, the first guided by new Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo.

The Orchard Project today announced its 2021 programs as well as the names of participating artists and companies.

Midsommer Flight, a company that has been presenting high quality, accessible productions of Shakespeare’s plays in Chicago’s parks since 2012, today announced a series of three virtual panel discussions addressing some of the theatre industry’s most challenging topics, to be held on three successive Tuesdays in February 2021.

Following its initial critically-acclaimed streaming premiere, CalArts Center for New Performance (CNP) presents a free re-release of the world premiere production of The Carolyn Bryant Project beginning Nov. 9, 2020.