American Playwrights News

The Guthrie Theater today announced seven of the nine productions to be offered as part of the theater's 2017-2018 subscription season, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Todd Kreidler's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner on the Wurtele Thrust Stage, and Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine, Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, Danai Gurira's Familiar, Kia Corthron's world premiere adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People and Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.

Cherry Lane Theatre has announced casting for the second production of the Obie award-winning MENTOR PROJECT 2017 now in its 19th season. Nathan Yungerberg's ESAI'S TABLE, will be presented at Cherry Lane (38 Commerce St.) from March 22 - April 1, 2017, it has been announced by Seri Lawrence and Janio Marrero, MENTOR PROJECT's Producing Artistic Directors. Angelina Fiordellisi is Cherry Lane's Founding Artistic Director.

Donna Inglima, Director of The Youth Theatre, Education & Outreach at The Laguna Playhouse, will be the recipient of 2017 LBAA (Laguna Beach Arts Alliance) Lifetime Achievement Award and Playhouse Board members Betsy and Gary Jenkins will receive the LBAA Individual Arts Patron Award on April 2, 2017, at the 11th Annual Art Star Awards.

Labyrinth Theater Company presents the world premiere of the witty and socially poignant production of Dolphins and Sharks by upcoming playwright James Anthony Tyler. The production, which marks Tyler's professional debut, is scheduled for February 9 - March 19 and is directed by Charlotte Brathwaite.

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, is proud to announce the six productions of its 2017/2018 Season.  The six new works will be presented at the theater company's home at 416 West 42nd Street. 

August Wilson is considered not only one of the greatest of African American playwrights, but of all theatrical writers. His themes of self-identity, racism, loyalty, religion, deception, love, gentrification and historical verification form the centerpiece of his well-received 'Century Cycle' about black life in Pittsburgh.

The Pearl Theater opened their production of A LESSON BEFORE DYING, which plays through this Sunday, February 26, a little over a week ago. So naturally, I decided to talk to the show's director, Denise O'Neal, yesterday.

Cherry Lane Theatre and Seri Lawrence and Janio Marrero, MENTOR PROJECT's Producing Artistic Directors, present the first production of the award-winning MENTOR PROJECT 2017 now in its 19th season - Ren Dara Santiago's THE SIBLINGS PLAY - being presented at Cherry Lane (38 Commerce St.) from tonight, February 22, through March 4, 2017.

Hot off the heels of its critically acclaimed revival of Fiorello!, which was named a Critic's Pick by The New York Times, Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director/CEO) have announced BTG's 2017 Summer Theatre Season.

Playwrights Horizons has announced complete casting for THE LIGHT YEARS, the world premiere of a new play written by Drama Desk Award winner Hannah Bos (The Open House, Jacuzzi, Blood Play, Buddy Cop 2) and Obie Award winner Paul Thureen (Jacuzzi, Blood Play, Buddy Cop 2), directed and developed by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler (Jacuzzi, The Open House, Blood Play), made by The Debate Society.

Inis Nua Theatre Company jumps into 2017 with the raucous, fast-paced and heartful Leper + Chip, an American premiere by Lee Coffey at the Louis Bluver Theater at The Drake (203 South Hicks Street).

Playwrights Foundation (PF) and the National Center for New Plays at Stanford's 2016/17 Rough Reading Series present early draft  readings on February 27 & 28 of OUR MOTHER'S MEAL by Novid Parsi in partnership with Golden Thread Productions.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Deaf West Theatre (DWT), the performing arts organizations behind the Tony Award-nominated and Ovation Award-winning revival of Spring Awakening, reunite to bring multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo to life in an innovative and new production. Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo begins previews on March 7 and will open in the Lovelace Studio Theater at The Wallis on Friday, March 10. It will run through March 26. This production is made possible by the generous support of Meeghan and Michael Nemeroff.

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons will hold its annual Spring Gala on Monday evening, May 8 at the event space 583 Park Avenue. Titled A CELEBRATION OF SONG, the evening will honor three of the company's exceptional alumni writers: Tony Award nominee Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven at Playwrights), Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven at Playwrights) and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife and Grey Gardens at Playwrights).

LAByrinth Theater Company presents the world premiere of the witty and socially poignant production of Dolphins and Sharks by upcoming playwright James Anthony Tyler. The production, which marks Tyler's professional debut, is scheduled for tonight, February 9, through March 19 and is directed by Charlotte Brathwaite.

Playwrights Horizons has announced complete casting for THE PROFANE, the world premiere of a new play by Zayd Dohrn (Outside People, Reborning). Directed by Kip Fagan (Grand Concourse at , Exit Strategy, The Revisionist, Asuncion), THE PROFANE will be the fifth production of the theater company's 2016/2017 Season.

Actors Theatre of Louisville Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Kevin E. Moore are thrilled to announce the three ten-minute plays chosen to be performed during the 41st Humana Festival of New American Plays (March 1 - April 9, 2017) on Saturday, April 8 at 9 p.m. and Sunday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts continues its star-packed 25th anniversary season in March 2017 with amazing performances from Hollywood to Bollywood, several fascinating lectures, two of Broadway's biggest hits, and the much-anticipated return of Michael Feinstein & the Kravis Center Pops Orchestra.

This February, Goodman Theatre has joined citywide celebrations of Black History Month with its "Black Words Matter: Celebrating Black Voices On Stage and Beyond" series of events.

Following critical acclaim for the world premiere of The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up, by Carla Ching, Artists at Play (AAP) maintains their growing commitment to developing new works into 2017. As they aim to tell the stories of diverse communities in Los Angeles theatre, AAP is partnering with the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and the Los Angeles Public Library this season as well as tackling another world premiere production.