American Playwrights News

The Abingdon Theatres presents 'Diamond Tom Sings the Hits of Neil Diamond' in a one night only benefit performance on Sunday, October 4 at 7:00pm.

The romance of Florence comes to life on stage as Philadelphia Theatre Company continues its 2009-2010 season with the hit Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza with book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel on November 13 - December 6. Directed by Joe Calarco, the ensemble cast features Whitney Bashor, Sherri Edelen, Joe Guzman, Ken Krugman, Kyra Miller, Fran Prisco, Matthew Scott, and Maureen Torsney-Weir.

Philadelphia Theatre Company, the city's premier producer of new American theatre, reaffirms its commitment to supporting new plays by American playwrights with its STAGES series, a new play reading series, beginning Monday, October 19 at 7PM at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets) during the run of its current production, Humor Abuse starring Lorenzo Pisoni. The opening program will be a reading of Silverhill by Philadelphia playwright Thomas Gibbons, directed by Richard Corley, who has directed PTC's mainstage productions of Broken Glass by Arthur Miller, A Question of Mercy by David Rabe, The Woods by David Mamet, and Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies.

The Donmar Warehouse presents A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams starring Jack Ashton, Elliot Cowan, Charles Daish, Judy Hepburn, Barnaby Kay, Gary Milner, Daniela Nardini, Luke Rutherford, Rachel Weisz, Ruth Wilson

Emily Zacharias (JEKYLL & HYDE) and Stanley Bahorek (PUTNAM CO. SPELLING BEE) join Alix Korey (ALL SHOOK UP) for Off-Broadway's INVENTING AVI (and other theatrical maneuvers), Abingdon Theatre Company's 2009-10 season opener by Robert Cary and Benjamin Feldman; directed by Mark Waldrop

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is proud to announce its fourth David Mamet Writing Contest in conjunction with its West Coast premiere production of November, Mamet's newest satire on the buffoonery of presidential politics.

The OBIE Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), now in its 20th season, presents Anton Chekhov's classic THE SEAGULL, previews began September 26 prior to an official press opening of October 1 at Theater for the New City (155 First Avenue) in Manhattan.

Eating Their Words, which weds New York's most innovative chefs with the voices of great American playwrights for unprecedented culinary and theatrical events, announces the exquisite menu for its upcoming Tocqueville Event at Tocqueville Restaurant, Monday October 19th, 7PM. Reinventing 'dinner theater' as an artistic collaboration between chef and playwrights, the diner experiences three short plays happening at the table next to them, voyeuristically overhearing a conversation (the short play) taking place over meal.

National and local Asian American theater artists and companies are 'Articulating New Bodies of Words' at the 2nd NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN THEATER FESTIVAL One Week Only! October 13-18 at Theater for the New City and Julia Miles Theatre

The Abingdon Theatres presents 'Diamond Tom Sings the Hits of Neil Diamond' in a one night only benefit performance on Sunday, October 4 at 7:00pm.

The OBIE Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), now in its 20th season, presents Anton Chekhov's classic THE SEAGULL, with previews set to begin September 26 prior to an official press opening of October 1 at Theater for the New City (155 First Avenue) in Manhattan. Gia Forakis directs.

Funny, magical, and moving, Lorenzo Pisoni's Humor Abuse is a tour-de-force journey through the photo album of his extraordinary life. A touching homage to his father, Humor Abuse opens Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2009/2010 season at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Co-written by Pisoni and Erica Schmidt, who also directs the piece, Humor Abuse runs September 25-October 25.

Geva Theatre Center's 2009/10 Season continues with THE CLEAN HOUSE by Sarah Ruhl, which opens on October 13 and runs on the Mainstage through November 8.

Acclaimed theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced it will present the return of its popular benefit evening STORIES ON 5 STORIES on Monday, November 9.

Playwrights Bruce Norris, Tarell Alvin McCraney and David Adjmi are the first recipients of the ?Steinberg Playwright Awards,' it was officially announced by playwright Tony Kushner at a press conference on Thursday, September 17th in New York City. The awards were established in 2008 by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust to recognize up-and-coming playwrights at various stages of their early careers whose professional works show great promise. They will be presented at a ceremony on October 26th, at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

On Monday, September 14th, The National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) will present a one-night-only all Asian-American performance of Terrence McNally's LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, directed by Alan Muraoka, at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) to benefit NAATCO. Joe Mantello, the original director of LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! and Stephen Bogardus, a member of the play's original cast, were honorary chairs for the NAATCO benefit performance.

The debut of the Sydney Theatre Company's production of 'A Streetcar Named Desire', starring Academy Award winner Cate Blanchet has announced its full cast and creative team.

Eating Their Words, producer of unprecedented theatrical and culinary events, will feature Tony nominee Isabel Keating (The Boy from Oz), Christopher Evan Welch (Festen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Austin Lysy (An American Plan), and Aya Cash (From Up Here, the upcoming Killers and Other Family) in new short plays by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, The Understudy), Jonathan Marc Sherman (Things We Want), and Sam Forman (The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall) at ?The Tocqueville Event?, Monday October 19th at 7PM.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust has announced that that playwrights Bruce Norris, Tarell Alvin McCraney and David Adjmi are the first recipients of the Steinberg Playwright Award.

The August Wilson Center for African American Culture -- named for one of the 20th century's most celebrated playwrights and a Pittsburgh native who garnered international recognition for his contributions to the American theater -- honors his legacy with the Grand Opening and World Premiere Tribute Ceremony & Celebration on Thursday, September 17, beginning at 5 pm. This newest contribution to Pittsburgh's cultural landscape is a long-sought-after multidisciplinary facility reflective of all aspects of African and African American culture.