American Playwrights News

The legendary Cherry Lane Theatre - which this year will celebrate its 90th anniversary as one of the nation's most revered institutions for its commitment to producing new works for the stage - will begin its 90th season with the world-premiere of Lisa Ramirez's play TO THE BONE directed by Lisa Peterson, set to commence previews September 9 prior to an official opening night September 17 at Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St. in Greenwich Village), it has been announced by Angelina Fiordellisi, the company's Founding Artistic Director. The production runs through October 4.

The Echo Theater Company presents six world premieres in 'The Echo One Acts 2014'. See several new plays by hot, award-winning American playwrights - all in a single evening, running today, August 2 through the 24th, 2014.

There will be swashbuckling when Wasatch Theatrical Ventures presents the Tony-nominated comedy MOON OVER BUFFALO, written by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), directed by Kiff Scholl, produced by Racquel Lehrman/Theatre Planners, opening today, August 2 at the Grove Center Theatre in Burbank, CA.

Arthur Miller's intense drama, raising questions of morality and the limits of family ties, promises to be a special opening production for Raven's 2014-2015 season. Headlining the cast will be Chuck Spencer and JoAnn Montemurro as Joe and Kate Keller. These two Raven ensemble members, who earned accolades for their work as Willy and Linda Loman in Miller's Death of a Salesman and as Victor and Esther Franz in his The Price, will play Joe and Kate Keller. Raven first produced All My Sons in 1990 and they appeared in that production as well, playing George Deever and Ann Deever.

On the eve of Northlight's 40th Anniversary Season, the theatre celebrates its rich history of developing and producing new work. In the upcoming season, Northlight is producing two world premiere works (White Guy on the Bus and Shining Lives: A Musical), the second-ever productions of two plays (The Commons of Pensacola and Outside Mullingar) and a classic rarely produced in the US (The Mousetrap). In addition, Northlight has a number of new works in development through Interplay, a program that has sent 25 out of 29 scripts on to full professional productions throughout the country and developed Northlight's three best-selling plays: Better Late by Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright, The Outgoing Tide by Bruce Graham and Chapatti by Christian O'Reilly.

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces its 44th, 45th, and 46th Rolling World Premieres: Nathan Alan Davis' Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, Andrew Hinderaker's Colossal, and William Missouri Downs' Women Playing Hamlet will receive a total of 12 productions through the Network's Continued Life of New Plays Fund in the 2014/15 season.

American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) will present the World Premiere of POWWOW HIGHWAY, a stage adaptation of David Seals novel turned cult classic film by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. Directed by Madeline Sayet, previews begin October 10 at HERE. Opening night is slated for Thursday, October 16.

Second Generation Productions (2g), a major incubator and producer of Asian American theater, announced today that Julian Cihi (Romeo and Juliet, Classic Stage Company) and Diane Phelan (Bernarda Alba, Lincoln Center) lead the cast of 2g's commissioned musical, Galois, by Sung Rno and Aaron Jones, directed by Victor Maog and produced by Jane Jung. The creative team also includes Music Director J. Oconer Navarro (The Adding Machine), Choreographer Camille A. Brown (tick, tick...BOOM!) and Fight Director Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum (Peter and the Starcatcher).

The Echo Theater Company presents six world premieres in 'The Echo One Acts 2014'. See several new plays by hot, award-winning American playwrights - all in a single evening, running August 2 through the 24th, 2014.

Internationally produced playwright Deborah Brevoort premieres her new farce The Velvet Weapon at Trustus Theatre in The Vista. This script is the winner of the Trustus Playwrights' Festival, an annual competition that gives a full production to a new original work. This world premiere production of Brevoort's The Velvet Weapon will run from Friday August 8th at 8:00pm through August 16th, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast below!

The Playwrights Foundation's 37th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) will take place today, July 18-27, 2014 at the Thick House Theater in San Francisco.

Luna Stage presents a special presentation of American Moor, written and performed by Keith Hamilton Cobb. In this 90 minute solo play, Mr. Cobb, best known for his starring roles on All My Children, The Young and the Restless and Andromeda, asks the questions 'What is the role of a lifetime?' and more importantly, 'What is the role of a life?' as he explores Shakespeare's Othello, race, and America... and not necessarily in that order. American Moor is directed by Paul Kwame Johnson.

Regarded as one of the most celebrated American playwrights, Neil LaBute has enthralled audiences all over the world with his layered characters, sharp dialogue and subtle social commentaries. Now, in a London premiere, acclaimed American theatre company Savio(u)r will present his play Autobahn, directed by Off-West End Award nominee Tim Sullivan.

Playwrights Horizons has announced initial casting for its upcoming 2014/2015 Season. The announcement includes casting for the first two shows of the season: initial casting for BOOTYCANDY, the New York premiere of a new play written and directed by Obie Award winner Robert O'Hara (In the Continuum, Antebellum, Insurrection: Holding History); and initial casting for GRAND CONCOURSE, the World Premiere of a new play by playwright and two-time Obie Award-winning actress Heidi Schreck (There Are No More Big Secrets, Creature), directed by Kip Fagan (The Revisionist, Asuncion).

Fetch Clay, Make Man by Will Power will make its West Coast premiere with Marin Theatre Company, directed by Derrick Sanders (Fences) and running August 14 - September 7, 2014, with an Opening Night slated for Tuesday, August 19. Previews: Thursday, August 14 - Sunday, August 17. Casting to be announced.

Marin Theatre Company Director of New Play Development Margot Melcon announced today that MTC will be accepting submissions for the 2015 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize from July 1 - 31, 2014 and for the 2015 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize from August 1 - 31, 2014.

Building on the success of its inaugural Theater Series for Young Audiences, of which every performance was sold out, Marin Theatre Company will again partner with Bay Area Children's Theatre to present five productions in MTC's 99-seat Lieberman Theatre and 231-seat Boyer Theatre. The series includes four BACT productions - Five Little Monkeys, James and the Giant Peach, Three Little Birds, and Fancy Nancy, the Musical! - as well as one MTC production - Around the World in 80 Days. Based in Mill Valley, MTC is a 47-year old professional nonprofit theater that is a destination for smart, uncommon and adventurous theater.

Curious Theatre Company announces their newest program for young playwrights: The Curious New Voices National Collective. Building on the 10-year success of their month-long local Summer Writing Intensive, this summer Curious will be piloting a week-long intensive open to young playwrights selected by regional theatres across the country.

Curious Theatre Company announces their newest program for young playwrights: The Curious New Voices National Collective. Building on the 10-year success of their month-long local Summer Writing Intensive, this summer Curious will be piloting a week-long intensive open to young playwrights selected by regional theatres across the country.

Juilliard's Drama Division announces its 2014-15 season of fully-staged productions featuring Juilliard's 44th group of acting students in their fourth and final year in the drama program at Juilliard. This season's productions feature plays by three Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights: Lynn Nottage's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark;