Arena Stage presents the world premiere of Daniel Beaty's Resurrection, a drama with a unique blend of music, poetry and dance. A co-production with Connecticut's Hartford Stage, Resurrection explores the interwoven lives of six African-American men struggling to make a living and to make their lives worth living. Beaty dazzled Arena audiences last summer with sold-out performances of his award-winning solo show Emergency (formerly Emergence-SEE!). He now returns to Arena with his first ensemble production-a talented cast of six actors led by director Oz Scott (director of Broadway's original for colored girls... and the Goodman Theatre's recent premiere The Ballad of Emmett Till). The production harmonizes with an innovative score by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), a Haitian-American composer who blends classical violin with piano and bass. To keep the interplay between text and score dynamic, Roumain's original score will be musically styled live each performance by his collaborator Elan Vytal a.k.a. DJ Scientific. Resurrection runs August 29-October 5, 2008 at Arena Stage in Crystal City. The press opening performance is Thursday, September 4 at 8:00pm.
The Edgerton Foundation has announced their selected plays for 2008. The plays listed below are funded by the Edgerton Foundation's New American Play Awards. Since 2006, this funding program has provided over twenty TCG member theatres with financial resources to increase rehearsal time with the full production team onsite at the theatre. More recipients will be added soon.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival, Sharon Carr and Richard Winkler present IDAHO! (www.IdahoMusical.com), a new American comedy musical with book, music and lyrics by Buddy Sheffield and music by Keith Thompson.
Today Berkeley Repertory Theatre, which in the last 40 years has earned a reputation for developing provocative new plays, received a prestigious grant to fund its 50th world premiere: the Edgerton Foundation presented this Tony Award-winning theatre with its coveted New American Play Award to support the latest work from the team that made Eurydice a national hit. The $54,000 grant will provide extra rehearsal time for In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), an elegant comedy that Berkeley Rep has commissioned from MacArthur fellow Sarah Ruhl.
The world premiere musical of 'Dangerous Beauty' is a blend of passion, poetry and politics with an original score inspired by the best of Renaissance, rock 'n roll and classical music. This is the fifth full production to be developed by Northwestern University's American Music Theatre Project (AMTP).
Manhattan Theatre Club announced casting for two of its upcoming productions: ROMANTIC POETRY, the world premiere musical by John Patrick Shanley and Henry Krieger, and RUINED, a world premiere play by Lynn Nottage.
Director Billy Porter and Grammy nominee Ledisi mark their debuts with Reprise Theatre Company in the 1990 musical 'Once on This Island,' opening the 2008-2009 season, September 2 to 14 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. The press opening is September 3.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre kicks off its 2008/09 Season with the world premiere of a provocative new play set in Berkeley and written by a Berkeley native: renowned playwright Itamar Moses returns to his hometown with Yellowjackets, a script set just around the corner in the halls of his alma mater.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin returns to CST to stage Peter Shaffer's award-winning drama Amadeus, and brings us into the tumultuous lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his obsessively jealous rival, Viennese court composer Antonio Salieri. Overcome with envy of Mozart's divinely inspired music, Salieri believes God has bestowed genius upon an 'unmannered fool' and sets out to destroy his rival and take revenge upon an uncaring God. The original Broadway production received five Tony Awards, including Best Play, and its subsequent film adaptation garnered eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The world premiere musical of 'Dangerous Beauty' is a blend of passion, poetry and politics with an original score inspired by the best of Renaissance, rock 'n roll and classical music. This is the fifth full production to be developed by Northwestern University's American Music Theatre Project (AMTP).
The world premiere musical of 'Dangerous Beauty' is a blend of passion, poetry and politics with an original score inspired by the best of Renaissance, rock 'n roll and classical music. This is the fifth full production to be developed by Northwestern University's American Music Theatre Project (AMTP).
With [title of show] completing the journey from Off-Broadway to Broadway this week, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is proud to announce that it has acquired the stock and amateur rights to this hit musical written by Jeff Bowen (music and lyrics), and Hunter Bell (book). In addition to licensing the musical through R&H Theatricals, the Organization will represent Bowen's score through its music publishing division, Williamson Music.
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, after a national search, has announced the selection of Jeff Janisheski to lead the National Theater Institute (NTI), the accredited program for college students at the O'Neill.
Playwright, performer and activist Daniel Beaty has been creating a community-wide buzz with his acclaimed one-man show Emergency that has enabled the Geffen Playhouse to produce a special week-long extension aimed primarily at Title I public schools (three additional performances will also be added for the general public). The production will now close at 2pm on Sunday, June 1.
Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Artistic Director, Mark W. Jones-Executive Director) announces its mainstage production of Little Shop of Horrors, a musical written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It's a musical comedy to die for - literally! The musical is based on Roger Corman's 1960 sci-fi comedy and includes several show-stopping numbers including 'Skid Row (Downtown),' 'Somewhere That's Green,' and 'Suddenly Seymour,' as well as the title song. Little Shop of Horrors will run at the Millburn theatre from June 4 through July 6, 2008.
The highly-anticipated Stephen King and John Mellencamp collaborative musical 'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County' has reportedly announced preliminary casting. The musical is expected to premiere at Georgia's Alliance Theatre in Atlanta during September 2010.
In celebration of its 21st year, Philadelphia Young Playwrights will hold its annual benefit, Write On! A Philadelphia Young Playwrights' Celebration, on Wednesday, June 4th from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia). Young Playwrights will honor Mayor Michael A. Nutter with the newly created Civics Award, created for the Mayor to honor his commitment to the concepts of civility and respect for others.