American Playwrights News

In her smart comedy The Book Club Play, D.C.-area playwright Karen Zacarías examines the intricacies of book clubs, with their unspoken rules, high-spirited debates and strong bonds formed when least expected. With an ensemble cast featuring Fred Arsenault, Ashlie Atkinson, Rachael Holmes, Eric Messner, Kate Eastwood Norris and Tom Story, this is Zacarías' second collaboration with Director Molly Smith at Arena Stage and is the first work of a Resident Playwright to be produced as part of their three-year residencies through the American Voices New Play Institute. The Book Club Play runs October 7-November 6, 2011 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

92YTribeca is 92nd Street Y's downtown arts and culture venue in New York City. Opened in October 2008, 92YTribeca presents music, comedy, film, theater, talks, classes, family events, and Jewish community and holiday programs in a versatile, street-level, modern space at 200 Hudson Street.

New Theatre has enjoyed its current intimate space for the last 10 years, but will be moving to continue creating American Theatre history in an alternate location(s). New Theatre's immediate plan calls for their next play to be performed in this space and then to become a traveling theatre for the remainder of the season. At the moment, the Board of Directors and staff are diligently working on finding another intimate theatre space so that they can continue to bring South Florida audiences cutting edge theatre, give voice to new playwrights, give life to new plays and provide a home for local actors and designers. The long-term goal is to have a new permanent home by the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. Venue(s) will be announced shortly.

Marin Theatre Company presents SEVEN GUITARS by August Wilson

The Kennedy Center hosts its 10th annual Page-to-Stage new play festival from Saturday, September 3, 2011 to Monday, September 5, 2011, featuring more than 40 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area, all with a mission to produce and support new work.

Abingdon Theatre Company - which has produced 63 new American plays in its 18-year history - is set to honor playwright and actor Charles Busch and actress Julie Halston during its 19th Annual Benefit Gala on Monday, October 24 at Espace (635 West 42nd Street) Manhattan.

Bill Nabel; a veteran actor of eight Broadway shows with 30 plus years on Broadway with over 9400 performances, a member of the original casts of '42nd Street' and 'Beauty and the Beast' - the latter of which he was the only cast member to do the entire 13 year run; has switched hats and will now see two of his many works mounted within weeks of each other. Utah Shakespeare Festival will present the World Premiere of Mr. Nabel's new play LYING TO SPIELBERG at the Auditorium Theatre (351 West Center Street) in Cedar City, Utah on August 11, 12 and 31. And the Village Theatre will present the West Coast Premiere of TAKE ME AMERICA, a new musical with book and lyrics by Mr. Nabel and music by Bob Christianson from September 14 through November 20 at the Village Theatre of Issaquah, WA and the Village Theatre of Everett, WA.

Playwrights Horizons and 92YTribeca have announced that they will present a panel discussion previewing the theater company's new season on Monday evening, September 12 at 7:30 PM at 92YTribeca (200 Hudson Street). Moderated by The New Yorker culture writer Michael Schulman, joined by Playwrights Horizons Artistic Director Tim Sanford, the panel discussion will feature all six writers from the theater company's 2011/2012 Season.

The Kennedy Center hosts its 10th annual Page-to-Stage new play festival from Saturday, September 3, 2011 to Monday, September 5, 2011, featuring more than 40 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area, all with a mission to produce and support new work.

New Village Arts is thrilled to introduce one of the most exciting new American playwrights to San Diego audiences. Will Eno's THOM PAIN (based on nothing) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and one of the most exciting new plays to come out of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and New York City.

Impro Theatre (Dan O'Connor, Artistic Director) announced a limited engagement of three productions in repertory which will perform at The Carrie Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse.

PURE Theatre presents the regional premiere of Kicking a Dead Horse by Sam Shepard. Directed by PURE's Co-Founder and Artistic Director Sharon Graci, and will feature Randy Neale. The show closes August 20th.

Juilliard's Drama Division announces the complete schedule for its 2011-2012 season of fully-staged productions featuring students in their fourth and final year of acting training at Juilliard. This season's plays include Arthur Miller's All My Sons, directed by Harris Yulin, October 19-23; Juilliard alumnus Nathan Jackson's Broke-ology, directed by Kent Gash, November 10-14; and Noel Coward's Hay Fever, directed by Dakin Matthews, December 8-12. The Drama Division is led by James Houghton, Richard Rodgers Director of Drama.

Acclaimed theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced it will once again present its popular, annual benefit evening STORIES ON 5 STORIES. This year's event, set for Monday evening, October 17, will feature new works by seven of the theater's alumni writers: Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at PH), Bathsheba Doran (Kin at PH), Obie Award winner Daniel Goldfarb (The Retributionists at PH), Eric Overmyer (The Heliotrope Bouquet... at PH), Jonathan Marc Sherman (Sophistry at PH), Jeanine Tesori (Violet at PH) and Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy at PH). Each play will be performed in a different, unconventional space throughout all five stories of Playwrights Horizons' home at 416 West 42nd Street, and the entire evening will benefit the company's developmental programs and productions.

92YTribeca is 92nd Street Y's downtown arts and culture venue in New York City. Opened in October 2008, 92YTribeca presents music, comedy, film, theater, talks, classes, family events, and Jewish community and holiday programs in a versatile, street-level, modern space at 200 Hudson Street.

Since 1993, Abingdon Theatre Company has developed and produced new plays by American playwrights exclusively.

American Stage Theatre Company ends its record breaking 2010-11 season with Neal Simon's classic comedy, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK when it closes on September 25.

Marin Theatre Company is expanding. Not only has the company added a sixth production to its programming for the 2011-12 season, it is also growing behind the scenes.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company (Carl Forsman, Artistic Director/Damon Chua, Executive Director) today announced that their Keith Nobbs, Kellie Overbey and Kevin Kilner would lead the cast of Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky, the 1970 drama by the Pulitzer-winning writer of Talley's Folly, Burn This, and Fifth Of July.

Since 1993, Abingdon Theatre Company has developed and produced new plays by American playwrights exclusively.