Alliance Theatre News

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens this evening, Saturday, October 13, 2012, at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street), exactly 50 years to the day of the play's original Broadway opening on Saturday, October 13, 1962.

According to The Washington Post, Molly Smith, artistic director of Arena Stage has signed on to direct a production of Eric Coble's THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN on Broadway in the Spring of 2013, a production that'll mark Broadway debuts for both. Lead producer Larry Kaye has said that signed on to star will be Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella.

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein have announced that Waters will stage his inaugural production as Artistic Director with Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill. O'Neill's epic drama will play a limited engagement of 24 performances in the Pamela Brown Auditorium at Actors Theatre of Louisville as part of the Brown-Forman Series. It opens tonight, October 11 and runs through October 28.

Atlanta's nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre will begin its Hertz Stage series with the world premiere of APPLES & ORANGES, a play by Tony Award, Academy Award, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Alfred Uhry. APPLES & ORANGES is based on the memoir of the same name by Vanity Fair writer-at-large Marie Brenner and was originally commissioned by the Manhattan Theatre Club. Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club, will direct the world premiere.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, announces new leadership of its board of directors and six new members. Lydia R. Diamond, playwright, and Diane Rodriguez, associate producer/director of new play production, Center Theatre Group, will assume the joint positions of vice president. They succeed James Bundy, artistic director, Yale Repertory Theatre and Rachel Kraft, executive director, Lookingglass Theatre Company. Philip Himberg, producing artistic director of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, will continue to serve his term as board president. Roche Schulfer, executive director, Goodman Theatre will continue to serve as treasurer and Ralph Bryan, managing director, Bryan-Billauer-Kozo, Financial Strategies Group, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC will succeed Olga Sanchez, artistic director, Miracle Theatre Group, as secretary.

Stark Naked Theatre Company opens its 2nd season with the Houston premiere of Body Awareness, a relevant and thought-provoking comedy written by two-time Obie Award-winning author Annie Baker and directed by acclaimed Houston actor/director Philip Lehl. Nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play/Emerging Playwright), Body Awareness explores the question of who is the toughest critic of a woman's appearance: men, society, or women, themselves?

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, announces new leadership of its board of directors and six new members. Lydia R. Diamond, playwright, and Diane Rodriguez, associate producer/director of new play production, Center Theatre Group, will assume the joint positions of vice president. They succeed James Bundy, artistic director, Yale Repertory Theatre and Rachel Kraft, executive director, Lookingglass Theatre Company. Philip Himberg, producing artistic director of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, will continue to serve his term as board president. Roche Schulfer, executive director, Goodman Theatre will continue to serve as treasurer and Ralph Bryan, managing director, Bryan-Billauer-Kozo, Financial Strategies Group, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC will succeed Olga Sanchez, artistic director, Miracle Theatre Group, as secretary.

Previews begin Friday, October 12 for the Playwrights Horizons' production of THE WHALE, the New York premiere of a new play by Obie Award winner Samuel D. Hunter (A Bright New Boise). Directed by Davis McCallum (February House, A Bright New Boise, the upcoming Water By the Spoonful at Second Stage), the production has an Opening Night set for Monday, November 5 at 7PM at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

Over the weekend, BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL welcome several special guests- Broadway favorite Ann Harada and 'Good Morning America's' George Stephanopoulos. Both stopped to chat with the cast afterwards, and you can check out photos below!

In Houston, The Ensemble Theatre is proudly opening its 36th season with Pearl Cleage's THE NACIREMA SOCIETY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE AT A CELEBRATION OF THEIR FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, often shorted to THE NACIREMA SOCIETY. The play premiered to fantastic audience reception on October 20, 2010 at Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff in Atlanta, Georgia, and The Ensemble Theatre's production makes it very easy to see why it was so well received.

Preview performances of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? begin this evening, Thursday, September 27, 2012, at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). Opening night is set for Saturday, October 13, 2012, exactly 50 years to the day of the play's original Broadway opening on Saturday, October 13, 1962.