American Playwrights News

Cooler than Kill Bill, hotter than Shaft! The OBIE Award-winning Ma-Yi Theater Company teams up with the NYIT Award-winning Vampire Cowboys for 'SOUL SAMURAI' the story of Dewdrop and her fight through the mean streets of a post-apocalyptic Brooklyn. After avenging her lover's murder in the heart of Coney Island, Dewdrop now must make it back home to the Lower East Side before the shoguns of Kings County find her. In a play that mixes hip-hop culture, blaxploitation, and the martial arts, this production dials it back old school with this seventies-inspired samurai story. This is one slick slice with a sharp sword and a score to settle! 'SOUL SAMURAI' is being sponsored by the 2009 New York Comic Con.

Several short plays by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Inge, never before publicly performed, will premiere April 22 at the annual William Inge Theatre Festival in his Kansas hometown. The 28th annual William Inge Theatre Festival celebrates the legacy of great American playwrights and honors Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt April 22-25. They will receive the coveted Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award, joining the list of previous Inge Festival honorees such as Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, and Stephen Sondheim.

The Tony Award-winning actress Elaine Stritch was honored for her 'achievements and humanity' at Theater for the New City's 6th annual LOVE 'N' COURAGE benefit for the theater's Emerging Playwrights Program. BroadwayWorld was there to cheer on the beloved icon on her special night.

Palm Beach Dramaworks and Aspen Theater Masters are proud to announce the formation of a new play development program, New Bridges Fest. The two organizations, which have been working together since summer 2008, will present Equity staged-readings of four new plays by emerging American playwrights on March 8th and 9th at 7:30pm in Aspen, Colorado at the Black Box Theatre and March 23rd and 24th at 3pm and 7pm in Palm Beach, at Dramaworks' downtown theatre (322 Banyan Boulevard). Two plays will be presented at each reading, followed by brief post-show discussions with the playwrights and artistic team.

Native Voices at the Autry proudly presents the world premiere of Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light by musician, poet, songwriter, and playwright Joy Harjo (Mvskoke). The play is a deeply compelling journey of struggle, displacement, self-discovery, and healing. Invoking spoken word, storytelling, music, and song, Harjo takes us on a wild theatrical ride where she tells it like it is with spirit and a mean jazz sax. An allegorical work of tremendous power, Wings demonstrates how theater and art can bring life full circle.

Native Voices at the Autry proudly presents the world premiere of Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light by musician, poet, songwriter, and playwright Joy Harjo (Mvskoke). The play is a deeply compelling journey of struggle, displacement, self-discovery, and healing. Invoking spoken word, storytelling, music, and song, Harjo takes us on a wild theatrical ride where she tells it like it is with spirit and a mean jazz sax. An allegorical work of tremendous power, Wings demonstrates how theater and art can bring life full circle.

Tony- and Emmy- winner Elaine Stritch will be honored for her 'many achievements and humanity' on Monday, February 9 at the 6th annual pre-Valentine's gala, LOVE 'N' COURAGE hosted by Betsy Von Furstenberg at The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) with cocktails at 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm. Proceeds benefit the emerging playwrights' program at Theater for the New City, one of the last bastions for experimental and political theater in 21st century New York in the East Village. Joining the list of previously announced list of celebrities who will turn out to salute Ms. Stritch on Feb. 9 are Barbara Barrie, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, along with Hal and Judy Prince.

The Tony Award-winning actress ELAINE STRITCH will honored for her 'achievements and humanity' at Theater for the New City's 6th annual LOVE 'N' COURAGE benefit for the theater's Emerging Playwrights Program, it has been announced by Crystal Field, Executive Artistic Director of Theater for the New City. Co-hosted by playwright and actor CHARLES BUSCH and actress JULIE HALSTON, this year's benefit will take place at the beautiful National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South), on Monday, February 9, with cocktails beginning at 6:30pm, followed by dinner and performances.

Theater for the New City presents LOVE 'N' COURAGE, the 6th annual benefit for Theater for the New City's Emerging Playwrights Program, it has been announced by Crystal Field, Executive Artistic Director of Theater for the New City. Hosted by playwright and actor Charles Busch and featuring Tony Award-winning actress Marian Seldes, this year's benefit takes place at the beautiful National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South), on Monday, February 9, with cocktails beginning at 6:30pm, followed by dinner and performances.

Brava! for Women in the Arts continues their ambitious 2008-09 'Shout Out Loud' theatrical season as they celebrate women's month by exploring the complexity and humor of women through multiple productions in the month of March ranging from Penny Arcade's sex and censorship show Bitch!Dyke!Faghag!Whore! to Sophie Treadwell's Machinal to an Evening with Eileen Chaiken, creator of televisions's L Word.

The National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) -- whose revivals of western classics performed by all Asian-American casts since 1989 include such acclaimed productions as BERNARDA ALBA, OTHELLO, A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, OUR TOWN, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU and IVANOV -- will expand its mission to include world premieres about non-Asian peoples performed by an all-Asian cast with the world premiere of LEAH'S TRAIN, Karen Hartman's play about three generations of women from a Jewish family whose lineage spreads from Russia to present-day San Francisco, previewing February 6th prior to opening February 10th Off-Broadway at the TBG Theatre (312 West 36th Street) in Manhattan.

Tony- and Emmy- winner Elaine Stritch will be honored for her 'many achievements and humanity' on Monday, February 9 at the 6th annual pre-Valentine's gala, LOVE 'N' COURAGE hosted by Betsy Von Furstenberg at The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) with cocktails at 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm. Proceeds benefit the emerging playwrights' program at Theater for the New City, one of the last bastions for experimental and political theater in 21st century New York in the East Village. Joining the list of previously announced list of celebrities who will turn out to salute Ms. Stritch on Feb. 9 are Barbara Barrie, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, along with Hal and Judy Prince.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has announced its upcoming 25th anniversary season of new works offering a 3-play series celebrating female playwrights. The 2009-2010 Season will see the world premiere of A Lifetime Burning by Cusi Cram, and the New York premieres of Happy Now? by Lucinda Coxon, and Night Watcher by Charlayne Woodard at Primary Stages at59E59 Theaters (59 East 59 th Street). In a statement, Casey Childs, Founder & Executive producer, said, 'Primary Stages hasalways had a commitment to playwrights and we have been lucky to help nurture andenjoy the success of many extraordinary women writers. We are thrilled to premiere these new works by these three playwrights as a way to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.

Cooler than Kill Bill, hotter than Shaft! The OBIE Award-winning Ma-Yi Theater Company teams up with the NYIT Award-winning Vampire Cowboys for 'SOUL SAMURAI' the story of Dewdrop and her fight through the mean streets of a post-apocalyptic Brooklyn. After avenging her lover's murder in the heart of Coney Island, Dewdrop now must make it back home to the Lower East Side before the shoguns of Kings County find her. In a play that mixes hip-hop culture, blaxploitation, and the martial arts, this production dials it back old school with this seventies-inspired samurai story. This is one slick slice with a sharp sword and a score to settle! 'SOUL SAMURAI' is being sponsored by the 2009 New York Comic Con.

The Bull presents a pulp revival of Fool for Love wherein two lovers, Eddie and May, trapped in a motel room that only exists on the horizon of the desert, battle to the death of their love in order to escape their lurid past. Fool for Love is arguably the hippest love story to hit the stage in three decades...yet recent renditions have lacked the comedy needed to lighten the weighty themes this play provides. We prefer to take it one step further into the brutal surrealism the play already offers. The characters in our version of Fool for Love are just that, characters.

The American Actor's Company (The Traveling Lady) is proud to present the Off-Broadway premiere of The Unseen by Craig Wright. Performances of this limited Off-Broadway engagement will be at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St) beginning previews March 5th, Opening March 8th and closing March 28th. Performances run Tuesdays ? Sundays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM, Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or by going to www.telecharge.com. For more information please visit www.unseentheplay.com.

Transport Group Online Auction in Time for Valentine's Day We want to offer you more great theatre...and access to great Valentine's Day gifts! Support an online auction to benefit our world-premiere musical, Being Audrey, about a woman obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. In these dark times, what would Holly Golightly do? SHOP! Go to the auction: visit http://www.charityfolks.com/cfauctions/auction_verticalngo.asp?slrid=1699 Bidding open now til 3pm on February 4th only @ www.charityfolks.com/transportgroup All items ship in time for Valentine's Day!

Keen Company announced today that Tony Award-winner Ron Holgate (1776, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Grand Hotel, recent revivals of Kiss Me, Kate and Guys and Dolls) will join John Cullum and Jonathan Hogan for its upcoming production of Heroes, replacing previously announced Tony Roberts. Mr. Roberts has withdrawn from the production to attend to family matters. The New York premiere of this 2006 Olivier Award-winning play by Gerald Sibleyras with a translation by Tom Stoppard, will be helmed by Keen Artistic Director Carl Forsman and run from February 24 - April 11 at The Clurman Theatre / Theatre Row ( 410 West 42nd Street ). The official opening is set for March 8.

Playwrights Horizons announces completion of a major renovation to 440 Studios, which is Lower Manhattan's largest rehearsal space complex (located at 440 Lafayette Street). The $1.2 million project took 8 months for demolition and renovation.

Playwrights Horizons announces completion of a major renovation to 440 Studios, which is Lower Manhattan's largest rehearsal space complex (located at 440 Lafayette Street). The $1.2 million project took 8 months for demolition and renovation. 440 Studios is the third and fourth floors of the Playwrights Horizons Theater School. When not in use by the School for classes, workshops and productions, the rehearsal studios and theaters are rented out to hundreds of New York City cultural groups each year. The School and the studios are an integral part of Playwrights Horizons and perform a vital service for students, the theater community and the surrounding neighborhood. The renovation of the third floor was made possible, in large part, through generous capital funding from New York City and New York State.