Alex Levy News

How will the world respond when a popular local journalist returns from captivity in the Middle East and doesn't do or say what the public expects? What do we expect from the heroes returning from war?

How will the world respond when a popular local journalist returns from captivity in the Middle East and doesn't do or say what the public expects? What do we expect from the heroes returning from war?

The music of Green Day will come to life onstage this summer as Up and Coming Theatre Company presents the regional premiere of 'American Idiot.'

The music of Green Day will come to life onstage this summer as Up and Coming Theatre Company presents the regional premiere of 'American Idiot.'

There is some stellar acting happening over at McLean's1st Stage Theatre right now. The Good Counselor is a taut, stirring story of family, that peels off the veneer, and shows us the layers of love, heartbreak, success and failure of which life with one's family is made. And it's a firm reminder that our own backyard is home to great theater.

Digging for truth frequently returns results that are unpleasant, at best. However, fate, curiosity, and circumstance often compel the deepest parts of human nature to keep searching for truth regardless of the consequences, personal or otherwise. This exploration for truth, both in the courtroom and in life, drives the award winning The Good Counselor opening at 1st Stage on June 5.

1st Stage, Tysons Corner's award winning professional theater, announces the extension of Old Wicked Songs by playwright Jon Marans. Michael Chamberlin directs the production at 1st Stage.

1st Stage, Tysons Corner's award winning professional theater, announces tonight's April 10 opening of Old Wicked Songs by playwright Jon Marans. Michael Chamberlin directs the production at 1st Stage.

1st Stage, Tysons Corner's award winning professional theater, announces the April 10 opening of Old Wicked Songs by playwright Jon Marans. Michael Chamberlin directs the production at 1st Stage.

John Patrick Shanley's thought-provoking drama DOUBT, A PARABLE certainly has earned its share of accolades since it premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2004. Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play, Shanley's screenplay for the film adaptation was also nominated for an Academy Award. The single act play has been brought back in a meticulously detailed production by 1st Stage in Tysons. The playwright's work is reason enough to head to the intimate space 1st Stage calls its home near Tysons Galleria. Shanley's tense, four-person rumination on scandal, gender roles, Catholic church politics, and the power of doubt to bind us or tear us apart is worth a look any time it finds its way to a stage. I just wish the 1st Stage production had more of a spark to ignite the passionate debate and ambiguous mystery Shanley has written.

The World Premiere of John Adams full length play The Taste of It, will be presented at Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios, June 7th - 29th. This production is being directed by Alex Levy and produced by Ballybeg.

After seeing so many versions of MACBETH, one welcomes an approach that promises to bring something new to the table. But instead of finding an intimate world that surrounds the audience, I found myself sitting in a large finished warehouse space with so much staging area between players and public that intimacy was never part of the equation.

Zeitgeist Stage Company's production of Simon Stephens' play, inspired by the Columbine shooting, hits very close to home on the heels of the Newtown and Boston Marathon tragedies. Director David J. Miller and an outstanding cast of teens and young adults handle the material responsibly and realistically. PUNK ROCK is an important play with an articulate message that needs to be heard over and over and over again.

Broadway In Chicago has announced the twenty-four finalists for the Second Annual Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards in celebration of outstanding achievement in high school musical theater performances. The finalists (12 young actors & 12 young actresses) have been invited to participate in the Awards program, which will be held at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.) today, April 29, 2013.

Broadway In Chicago has announced the twenty-four finalists for the Second Annual Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards in celebration of outstanding achievement in high school musical theater performances. The finalists (12 young actors & 12 young actresses) have been invited to participate in the Awards program, which will be held at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.) on Monday, April 29, 2013.

16th Street Theater and Teatro Vista announce the extension of their Jeff-Recommended Empanada for a Dream written and performed by Juan Francisco Villa and directed by Alex Levy thru Saturday, March 23 at North Berwyn Park District's 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th Street in Berwyn. Empanada for a Dream is the second show in 16th Street's Season Six 2013: The American Dream.

16th Street Theater and Teatro Vista present Empanada for a Dream written and performed by Juan Francisco Villa and directed by Alex Levy February 14 - March 16, 2013 at North Berwyn Park District's 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th Street in Berwyn, with a press opening of Friday, February 15 @ 7:30 PM. Empanada for a Dream is the second show in 16th Street's Season Six 2013: The American Dream.

Transport Group, the Drama Desk and OBIE award-winning theatre company, and terraNOVA Collective, creator of the longest-running solo performance festival in NYC, the soloNOVA Arts Festival, will collaborate to produce Dark Nights: Highs & Family Ties during the second dark night of Transport Group's run of House For Sale tonight, November 12th at 7:00pm at The Duke on 42nd Street.

Transport Group, the Drama Desk and OBIE award-winning theatre company, and terraNOVA Collective, creator of the longest-running solo performance festival in NYC, the soloNOVA Arts Festival, will collaborate to produce Dark Nights: Highs & Family Ties during the dark nights of Transport Group's run of House For Sale tonight, November 5th & 12th at 7:00pm at The Duke on 42nd Street. Dark Nights: Highs & Family Ties will feature two of soloNOVA's highest acclaimed shows: Empanada for a Dream, written & performed by Juan Francisco Villa, directed by Alex Levy, and When Thoughts Attack, written & performed by Kelly Kinsella, directed by Padraic Lillis.