Alabama Shakespeare Festival News

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced the cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Kenny Finkle's romantic comedy, Alive and Well. Directed by Jeremy Dobrish, Alive and Well will run in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre March 20 - April 25. Previews run from March 20 - March 24.

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced the cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Kenny Finkle's romantic comedy, Alive and Well. Directed by Jeremy Dobrish, Alive and Well will run in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre March 20 - April 25.

The Fountain Theatre opens its 20th Anniversary Season with the West Coast premiere of Ifa Bayeza's daring, folk and gospel-infused The Ballad of Emmett Till in celebration of Black History Month. Shirley Jo Finney (Yellowman) directs Bernard K. Addison, Rico E. Anderson, Lorenz Arnell, Adenrele Ojo and Karen Malina White in the five-week run, February 20 through March 20, with low-priced previews beginning February 11.

FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE, take over the Grandel Stage on March 24th The Black Rep opens the third mainstage production of Season 33. The show features the music of legendary horn player Louis Jordan. Lead character Nomax, whose girlfriend has left him and who is without money, finds Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe emerging from his 1930's-style radio to comfort him. They sing the hit songs of songwriter and saxophonist Louis Jordan, whose new slant on jazz paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Artistic Director, Lauren Schmiedel, Managing Director) will present the World Premiere of the musical Langston in Harlem, featuring a book by Langston Hughes, Walter Marks and Kent Gash, with music by Walter Marks, lyrics by Langston Hughes and directed by Kent Gash, with musical direction by Barry Levitt and choreography by Byron Easley. Langston in Harlem will begin previews on Friday, April 9; opening on Thursday, April 15, 2010 and will initially run through May 2, 2010.

he irresistible, finger-snappin' and toe-tappin' Tony® Award-winning musical revue, Ain't Misbehavin', a celebration of the music of Thomas "Fats" Waller, shimmies onto San Jose Repertory Theatre's stage March 13.

Autumn Hurlbert, Lori Prince, and Michael Puzzo are set to star in Killing Women, by Marisa Wegrzyn and presented by kef productions. The production runs at the Beckett Theatre May 13- June 5 and will be directed by Adam Fitzgerald. Additional casting is yet to be announced.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, one of the country's leading theatres in the creation of new stage works, will produce the world premieres of Nobody and The Fall of the House this spring. Produced in a series called Provocative Premieres, Nobody will run March 12-28 and The Fall of the House will run April 9-25. Both plays have been developed through ASF's prestigious Southern Writers' Project new play development program. The Provocative Premieres are suggestive, stimulating and extreme, promising to take audiences to the edge.

Asolo Rep announces additional casting for award-winning Managing Maxine, Janece Shaffer's new play that takes a straight forward look at sex, love and life after 70. The cast features Howard Elfman as Louis, the role he originated last season in the world premiere of Managing Maxine at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta.

New York's OBIE Award-winning Epic Theatre Ensemble (Zak Berkman, Melissa Friedman, Ron Russell, Founding Executive Directors) today announced the cast and creative team for the New York premiere of Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play (In The Next Room… or the vibrator play) and directed by Mark Wing-Davey (The Singing Forest). The cast will include Brendan Averett, Polly Noonan, Daniel Pearce, Alex Podulke, Keith Reddin, Godfrey L. Simmons Jr., T. Ryder Smith, Felix Solis Jr., Kate Turnbull and Nicole Wiesner.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Artistic Director, Lauren Schmiedel, Managing Director) will present the World Premiere of the musical Langston in Harlem, featuring a book by Langston Hughes, Walter Marks and Kent Gash, with music by Walter Marks, lyrics by Langston Hughes and directed by Kent Gash, with musical direction by Barry Levitt and choreography by Byron Easley. Langston in Harlem will begin previews on Friday, April 9; opening on Thursday, April 15, 2010 and will initially run through May 2, 2010.

Signature Theatre presents Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®, starring Helen Hayes Award-winner Andrew Long and directed by Alan Paul, January 12 through March 7, 2010 in the company's intimate ARK Theatre.

The Fountain Theatre opens its 20th Anniversary Season with the West Coast premiere of Ifa Bayeza's daring, folk and gospel-infused The Ballad of Emmett Till in celebration of Black History Month. Shirley Jo Finney (Yellowman) directs Bernard K. Addison, Rico E. Anderson, Lorenz Arnell, Adenrele Ojo and Karen Malina White in the five-week run, February 20 through March 20, with low-priced previews beginning February 11.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) continues its 2009/2010 Season with the World Premiere of A COOL DIP IN THE BARREN SAHARAN CRICK, a new play by Kia Corthron (Breath, Boom at Playwrights Horizons/PH, Force Continuum), directed by Obie Award winner Chay Yew (Durango at The Public).

ivic Light Opera of South Bay Cities and Executive Producer James A. Blackman, III proudly present SPIT LIKE A BIG GIRL written by and starring Clarinda Ross and directed by Ovation Award winner Stephanie A. Coltrin, opening with previews March 23, 24, 25 with the Gala Press Opening night on Friday, March 26 at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse. This is the 4th show in the 2009/2010 Season for the Playhouse.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) has announced that tickets will go on-sale today, March 3, 2010, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) for the company's third and final production of their 2009-2010 season: Beth Henley's Family Week, directed by Jonathan Demme. Performances of the four person play begin at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on April 9 and continue through May 23, 2010. Opening night is set for Monday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Casting is complete for Goodman Theatre's Chicago-premiere production of Tracey Scott Wilson's The Good Negro, directed by Resident Director Chuck Smith. Wilson and Smith have tapped nine actors to bring this historical drama to the Albert stage, including Karen Aldridge (Goodman's The Cook; Proof); Teagle F. Bougere (Broadway's A Raisin in the Sun; The Tempest); Tory O. Davis (Goodman's Magnolia); John Hoogenakker (Goodman's Rock 'n' Roll; Chicago Shakespeare's Othello); Billy Eugene Jones (Broadway's Passing Strange; Radio Golf); Nambi Kelley (Goodman's Crumbs from the Table of Joy; Victory Gardens' The Lost Boys of Sudan); Demetrios Troy (Northlight's Awake and Sing; Chicago Shakespeare's Richard III); Dan Waller (Goodman's Ghostwritten; Talking Pictures) and Mick Weber (Goodman's Rock 'n' Roll; Chicago Theatre's Shear Madness). The production will run from May 1 - June 6, 2010.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts continues its 2009-2010 Programs for Young Audiences series with The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour production of the new family musical, Nobody's Perfect. Performances are Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) presents the world premiere of COMPULSION by Rinne Groff, directed by Oskar Eustis, at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street, New Haven) January 29-February 28.

Underground Railroad conductor and American hero Harriet Tubman's life will be dramatized on the stage of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Karen Jones Meadow's inspiring one-woman show Harriet's Return: Based Upon the Legendary life of Harriett Tubman, February 5-28.