Addison News

Liberty Town Productions, Libertyville's not-for-profit entertainment company, hosts its fourth annual Musical Summer Showcase featuring the Best of Broadway on Saturday, July 28, in The Fuel Room of Austin's Saloon & Eatery. Show times are 6:00 and 8:30 pm.

Signature Theatre presents the New York premiere of THE TRAIN DRIVER written and directed by Athol Fugard. THE TRAIN DRIVER is the final production in the Residency One: Athol Fugard Series. The cast includes Leon Addison Brown (The Orphans' Home Cycle, Two Trains Running) as Simon and Ritchie Coster ("Luck," The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) as Roelf. The show opens Sept 9, 2012. Check out photos of the team in rehearsal below!

The Importance of Being Lovely by Alejandro del a Costa will be presented by MBS Productions, featuring Mark-Brian Sonna as Lovely, Richard S. Blake as Randy, Dylan Peck as Casey and directed by Charles Ballinger. The play is presented at the Stone Cottage Theatre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, Texas, from tonight, July 19 through August 11, 2012. For tickets and more information, call 214-477-4942 or visit www.mbsproductions.net.

Hulu today announced its first international co-production with the BBC for the highly anticipated fourth season of Armando Iannucci's political U.K. comedy THE THICK OF IT, through a partnership secured by BBC Worldwide Americas.

Samuel French Inc. Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival announces the 40 semi-finalists for its 37th annual season. Chosen from over nine hundred submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies both in the U.S. and abroad, these 40 plays will be presented October 23rd-27th with finals on Sunday October 28th at the Beckett Theatre, Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street). Out of these plays, six finalists will be chosen by the Samuel French, Inc. editorial staff to receive publication and licensing contracts.

The Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre kicks off its new season in August with the West Coast premiere of Chinglish. David Henry Hwang won three Obies and the Tony Award for Best Play with popular scripts like M. Butterfly and FOB. Now he's back with a canny comedy of cross-cultural errors. Two-time Obie-winner Leigh Silverman returns to the Roda Theatre to stage the play.

Signature Theatre has announced that casting is confirmed and tickets are now on sale for the New York premiere of THE TRAIN DRIVER written and directed by Athol Fugard.

The Importance of Being Lovely by Alejandro del a Costa will be presented by MBS Productions, featuring Mark-Brian Sonna as Lovely, Richard S. Blake as Randy, Dylan Peck as Casey and directed by Charles Ballinger. The play is presented at the Stone Cottage Theatre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, Texas, from July 19 through August 11, 2012. For tickets and more information, call 214-477-4942 or visit www.mbsproductions.net.

Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate and "triple threat" Playwright/Director/Actor Regina Taylor brings her musical Crowns, based on the book by Craig Marberry with photographs by Michael Cunningham, back to the Goodman stage. For her all-new 10th anniversary production, Taylor has engaged community partners and used workshops to explore and deepen the spoken word, dance and music elements in Crowns. Crowns runs now through August 5, 2012 (Opening Night is July 9) in the Goodman's Albert Theatre. Get a first look at the cast on stage in the photos below!

Berkeley's acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company announced today the appointment of Ryan O'Steen as Technical Director and Production Coordinator of Aurora Theatre Company. O'Steen replaces Chris Killion, Aurora's first Technical Director and Production Coordinator at its current Addison Street space. Killion, an integral part of the company for 11 years, collaborated with the architects and builders on both the original Aurora Addison Street space, as well as the new Dashow Wing, in addition to constructing sets for 55 Aurora productions. O'Steen joins the company directly from Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

2 Couples 2 has extended its run at the Stone Cottage Theatre to June 30, 2012. This outrageous and sexy comedy will make you laugh, scandalize, tittilate, and make you think about the inherent controversy of heterosexual marriage.

Today, the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced that it has opened another arts center in its community. Three new studios in the Arpeggio Building on Center Street are now buzzing with activity. With a 20-year lease on this 13,000-square-foot facility, Berkeley Rep is proudly forging partnerships with fellow nonprofits to continue transforming downtown into a destination for theatre lovers.

WaterTower Theatre Producing Artistic Director Terry Martin today announced the directors for the Company's 2012-2013 Main Stage season at the Addison Theatre Centre. Directing the season opener, The Mystery of Irma Vep (September 28 - October 21, 2012) will be Terry Martin. It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (November 23 - December 16, 2012) will be directed by Mark Fleischer. Black Tie (May 31 - June 23, 2013) will be directed by Rene Moreno. As previously announced, Putting It Together (January 11 - February 3, 2013) and The Grapes of Wrath (April 5-28, 2013), will be directed by Terry Martin. The director for Xanadu (July 26 - August 18, 2013) will be announced at a later date.

What better way to kick off Sunday-and to celebrate Father's Day!-than with the latest installment of Music City Confidential! Here's where you'll find all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating live theater industry. Amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit anywhere else, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…

Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate and "triple threat" Playwright/Director/Actor Regina Taylor brings her musical Crowns, based on the book by Craig Marberry with photographs by Michael Cunningham, back to the Goodman stage. For her all-new 10th anniversary production, Taylor has engaged community partners and used workshops to explore and deepen the spoken word, dance and music elements in Crowns. Crowns runs June 30 - August 5, 2012 (Opening Night is July 9) in the Goodman's Albert Theatre. Check out photos of the cast and creative team in rehearsal below!

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced the cast and creative team for its world premiere of Eve Ensler's EMOTIONAL CREATURE. This positive and propulsive new show - from the Tony Award-winning playwright, performer, and activist who created The Vagina Monologues - features a choreographer, a composer, four top designers, and an ensemble of talented young women. Directed by Obie Award-winner Jo Bonney, Emotional Creature plays only 36 performances in the Roda Theatre. The limited engagement at Berkeley Rep begins previews tonight, June 14, opens June 22, and runs through July 15. The lead producers of this premiere are Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney, Marjorie Randolph, and Jack and Betty Schafer; the executive producer is the Strauch Kulhanjian Family. The development of this production has been supported in part by The Mosse Artistic Development Fund.

In an appearance on Bethenny Frankel's new talk show, 'Bethenny,' actress Kate Walsh confirmed reports that the upcoming sixth season of ABC's PRIVATE PRACTICE will be her last. Walsh told the audience, 'This is my last season for 'Private Practice. It's been an incredible journey and an amazing ride … It's bittersweet. It's a huge chapter of my life."

2 Couples 2 has extended its run at the Stone Cottage Theatre to June 30, 2012. This outrageous and sexy comedy will make you laugh, scandalize, tittilate, and make you think about the inherent controversy of heterosexual marriage.

Backstage Creations, specialists in award show gifts and custom backstage Celebrity Retreats are produceing the gift suite at the 2012 Tony Awards® at the Beacon Theater, in New York City. BWW's Richie Ridge got a sneak peek at some of the great gifts that stars and presenters will be getting tonight!

2 Couples 2 runs now through June 23, 2012, at the Stone Cottage Theatre, 15650 Addison road, Addison, Texas. This outrageous and sexy comedy will make you laugh, scandalize, tittilate, and make you think about the inherent controversy of heterosexual marriage. Check out photos from the production below!