American Playwrights News

Abingdon Theatre Company-which has produced 77 new American plays in its 20-year history-celebrates its 2012-2013 Season with the inaugural ABINGDON BAY RIDGE ONE-ACT FESTIVAL, an evening of three world-premiere short plays, commissioned by Abingdon Theatre Company, by Kevin Armento, Bo List, and Jen Silverman, tonight, August 25 at 7:00pm at Christ Church Bay Ridge (7301 Ridge Boulevard) in Brooklyn.

People's Light & Theatre presents August Wilson's Seven Guitars,running September 12-October 7, 2012 on the Main Stage. Jade King Carroll directs.

Today, as Berkeley Repertory Theatre holds its final rehearsal for the West Coast premiere of Chinglishand prepares this production for a trip to Hong Kong, the show's celebrated author has earned another honor. The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust announced this morning that David Henry Hwang will receive the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, a biennial prize that recognizes and encourages the artistic excellence and achievement of an American playwright whose body of work has made significant contributions to the American theatre.

John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Carey Anderson (all from Broadway's AVENUE Q) along with Gwen Hollander (LITTLE WOMEN), Christine Toy Johnson (FALSETTOLAND), Francis Jue (THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, PACIFIC OVERTURES), singer/songwriter Phoebe Kreutz, Raymond J. Lee (ANYTHING GOES), Adam Levinskas, Jose Llana (THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, RENT), Orville Mendoza (PETER AND THE STARCATCHER), Olivia Oguma (MAMMA MIA) and actress Lexi Windsor will all be on hand to perform and pay tribute to the beloved director and actor ALAN MURAOKA ('Sesame Street', Broadway's MISS SAIGON, THE KING AND I) at an evening to benefit National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) on Monday, September 10 at 416 W. 42 St.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust today announced that David Henry Hwang will receive the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright "Mimi" Awards. The Mimi Awards promote theater as a vital part of our culture by nurturing American playwrights and encouraging the development and production of new American plays.

In Song of a Convalescent Ayn Rand Giving Thanks to the Godhead (in the Lydian Mode), longtime collaborators Michael Yates Crowley and Michael Rau once again tap into the political zeitgeist with an audacious collage of ideas, scenes, sketches, songs, poetry, and PowerPoint lectures that challenges the myth of the suffering artist. The production will have its world premiere at the Greenwich Village theater incubator IRT from September 15th to 29th.

Sean Daniels, Geva's newly appointed Director of Artistic Engagement/Artist at Large, will head off to Estonia this week for "Stage Island" the International Seminar on Contemporary Playwriting on Hiiumaa Island. The seminar gathers a director, playwright, and dramaturg or literary advisor and team of actors from the USA and each of four Baltic nations: Estonia, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, to develop new scripts from the participating countries and secure English translations for the plays developed during the conference. The conference will also establish new artistic contacts and collaborations between countries.

Co-producers Marin Theatre Company and Encore Theatre Company announced today that, due to extraordinary ticket demand, they will extend Circle Mirror Transformation by eight performances. Bay Area audiences now have the opportunity to experience the regional premiere of Annie Baker's award-winning play through Sunday, September 2.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces that Obie Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter will join the American Voices New Play Institute (AVNPI) as a yearlong resident playwright in 2013.

Adam Szymkowicz has been carving a niche for himself among our best young crop of comedy writers, describing love affairs of many kinds with an admirable simplicity. His latest work, 'The Why Overhead,' will have its premiere run September 6 to 23, presented by Zootopia Theatre Company at Access Theater, 380 Broadway. The piece imagines what happens in the office while the boss is away. Matthew J. Nichols directs a cast of 12, which includes Susan Louise O'Connor, a Theatre World Award winner for 'Blythe Spirit' on Broadway. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!

Penumbra Theatre Company, Minnesota's only African American theatre, previously announced the fourth annual Word(s)PLAY!, a forum designed to develop new plays by African American Playwrights. Word(s)PLAY! continues with its introduction of another new play to the Twin Cities tonight, July 28, 2012 at 7:30 PM.

The Contemporary American Theater Festival, an annual summer showcase for new plays is back for the 22nd season. Five new plays by American playwrights are presented at different venues on the Shepherd campus through July 29, 2012.

The Playwrights Foundation's now legendary Indie New Play Festival begins the 35th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) tonight, July 20 -July 29 2012 at the Thick House Theater in San Francisco.

The 20th annual New American Playwrights Project (NAPP) takes the stage at the Utah Shakespeare Festival August 9 to August 31. Three plays will be presented as staged readings in the Auditorium Theatre at 10 a.m. on selected dates. Chosen from hundreds of plays submitted, this year's lineup includes The Greater Love by Frankie Little Hardin, Turquoise Wind by Kurt Proctor, and Play Desdemona by Daniel Hintzsche.

Juilliard's Drama Division announces the complete schedule for its 2012-2013 season of fully-staged productions featuring students in their fourth and final year of acting training in the drama program at Juilliard.

Penumbra Theatre Company announced today the final staged reading of Word(s)PLAY! 2012, a forum designed to develop new plays by African American playwrights. Word(s)PLAY! will present Holly Down in Heaven by Kara Lee Corthron, directed by Ching Valdes-Aran, Saturday, July 28, 2012 at 7:30 PM.

The Playwrights Foundation's now legendary Indie New Play Festival begins the 35th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) on July 20 -29 2012 at the Thick House Theater in San Francisco.

Abingdon Theatre Company-which has produced 77 new American plays in its 20-year history-celebrates its 2012-2013 Season with the inaugural ABINGDON BAY RIDGE ONE-ACT FESTIVAL, an evening of three world-premiere short plays, commissioned by Abingdon Theatre Company, by Kevin Armento, Bo List, and Jen Silverman, on Saturday, August 25 at 7:00pm at Christ Church Bay Ridge (7301 Ridge Boulevard) in Brooklyn.

Abingdon Theatre Company-which has produced 77 new American plays in its 20-year history celebrates-its 2012-2013 Season with the inaugural ABINGDON BAY RIDGE ONE-ACT FESTIVAL, an evening of three world-premiere short plays, commissioned by Abingdon Theatre Company, by Kevin Armento, Bo List, and Jen Silverman, on Saturday, August 25 at 7:00pm at Christ Church Bay Ridge (7301 Ridge Boulevard) in Brooklyn.

Marin Theatre Company Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis announced today that MTC is now accepting submissions for the 2013 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize and 2013 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize through August 31, 2012. The company will announce the 2012 winners by the end of the month.