American Playwrights News

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has announced that SUSAN POURFAR will join the previously announced TATIANA MASLANY in the New York Premiere of TRACY LETTS' acclaimed play, MARY PAGE MARLOWE, directed by LILA NEUGEBAUER.

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has announced that Emmy Award Winner TATIANA MASLANY, star of the hit BBC America series, "Orphan Black," will appear in the New York Premiere of TRACY LETTS' acclaimed play, MARY PAGE MARLOWE, directed by LILA NEUGEBAUER.

Mad Horse Theatre Company explores the power of words; their capacity to hurt, to heal, to deceive and to expose the illusions and fragility of love and romance in their March production of Neil LaBute's REASONS TO BE PRETTY.

Sugar-daddy Theatre co. presents, Thirst, by Eugene O'Neill, in celebration of the anniversary of this Nobel Prize Winner & great grandfather of all American playwrights. It's somewhat ironic that this one act play (adaptation by Sugar-daddy) is set one hundred years ago, which coincides with the last time Cape Town experienced such a serious drought.

American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) will present the World Premiere of MANGLED BEAMS by Dawn Jamieson. Directed by Christen Omantra Callahan, previews begin on April 13 at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at The A.R.T./New York Theatres. Opening night is slated for Thursday, April 19.

Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Theatr Clwyd and English Touring Theatre today announce casting for their co-production of Tennessee Williams' masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire. 2017 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Chelsea Walker directs Nicole Agada (Woman/Nurse), Will Bliss (Steve), Dexter Flanders (Mitch), Kelly Gough (Blanche), Amber James (Stella), Patrick Knowles (Stanley), Marai Louis (Eunice) and Joe Manjon (Pablo/Doctor/Paperboy). The second production in the inaugural season at NST City, A Streetcar Named Desire opens at Nuffield Southampton Theatres on 28 March with previews from 23 March, running until 31 March. The production will tour the UK with English Touring Theatre ahead of opening at Theatr Clwyd, where it plays from 15 March until 2 June, before returning to NST City.

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, is proud to announce the six productions of its 2018/2019 Season.  The six new works will be presented at the theater company's home at 416 West 42nd Street. 

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series is pleased to announce their exciting Spring 2018 Lineup, which will feature LookOut Visiting Company The Yard's production of columbinus, by the United States Theatre Project, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, directed by Mechelle Moe, performed by The Yard's 18 young-person based Ensemble. columbinus is a docu-drama that probes the psychological warfare of alienation, hostility and social pressure that goes on in high schools across America.

Love, Lies and Taxidermy by Alan Harris will warm up the winter months at the Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake (302 South Hicks Street). This offbeat comedy celebrates love, hope and lifting the ordinary into the magical. As The Guardian said, "…Harris spins a piece of very funny popular theatre about the need for dreams, seizing the initiative when all seems lost and bringing people together".

Just last night, Second Stage Theater celebrated its annual All-Star Bowling Classic on Monday, February 12th.  For over 30 years, stars of stage and screen have come out to bowl in support of Second Stage's award-winning seasons and to assist the theatre in its fund-raising efforts.

Marquis and Tru, both 14 and black, meet one evening in the holding cell of a police station. Marquis is a Nietzsche-loving prep-schooler, adopted by white people and living in the affluent suburb of AchievementHeights; while Tru is a super smart, Tupac loving, kid from central Baltimore. Tru decides Marquis has lost his blackness and pens a how-to manual for him entitled 'Being Black for Dummies.' They navigate through both Marquis' world of cheerleaders, jocks, headmasters and Tru's world in Baltimore all while they debate, struggle and ultimately develop a friendship that reveals that maybe Tupac and Nietzsche were saying the same thing all along. 'Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies' is a comedic and truthful examination of growing up black in America by rising-star playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm.

This morning, Monday, February 5, 2018 at 10:00am, Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) hosted the official lighting ceremony for its new Broadway home, The Hayes Theater (240 West 44th street). Designed by David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, this landmarked, newly renovated venue has become, under Second Stage's ownership, the first Broadway theater dedicated exclusively to living American Playwrights.

Love appears in unlikely places in Adam Szymkowicz's new play, Kodachrome, which makes its world premiere at The Armory directed by Associate Artistic Director Rose Riordan. The production opens February 9, with previews beginning February 3 and performances running through March 10 in the Ellyn Bye Studio. Kodachrome was developed at The Armory's JAW: A Playwrights Festival in 2015 under the title Colchester and will be the company's 26th world premiere production.

A North American Tour is announced today for the Lincoln Center Theater Broadway Production of FALSETTOS, William Finn and James Lapine's groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical. This production was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival when it returned to Broadway in Fall 2016, and this production will tour North America in the coming season.

This morning, Monday, February 5, 2018 at 10:00am, Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) hosted the official lighting ceremony for its new Broadway home, The Hayes Theater (240 West 44th street). Designed by David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, this landmarked, newly renovated venue has become, under Second Stage's ownership, the first Broadway theater dedicated exclusively to living American playwrights.

First Floor Theater is pleased to continue their sixth season with the Chicago premiere of Nathan Alan Davis's poetic and poignant drama, DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA, directed by Chika Ike. DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA will play March 4 - 31, 2018 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently on sale at firstfloortheater.com. 

WaterTower Theatre Artistic Director, Joanie Schultz, today announced details for the inaugural DETOUR: A Festival of New Work (March 1 - 4, 2018). This year's Festival will consist of four new play readings, three devised works, and two "late nite" performances.  Highlights from this year's Festival include a reading from Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Play On!" initiative commissioning modern adaptations of 39 of Shakespeare's works, three new works from rising company Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, the next installment of Brigham Mosley's laugh-out-loud creation, Movies That Should Be Musicals, and more.

Eastbound Theatre, a division of the Milford Arts Council, is thrilled to present November by David Mamet as the first show of its 24th season.  This darkly comedic piece is directed by Michael R. Mele and will run from September 29th through October 15th.

From award-winning playwright and Princeton University Lecturer in Theatre Nathan Alan Davis (The Princeton and Slavery Plays, Nat Turner in Jerusalem) comes the first in a trilogy of new plays about a multi-generational African-American family. After the recent death of her husband, Gail works hard to keep her rural Illinois household running and to ensure her daughter, mother-in-law, and grandson are happy and healthy while coming to terms with her own mortality. Protect the Beautiful Place is a poignant exploration of how we define the idea of home and the choices we make to protect the ones we love.

The world premiere of the first English-language adaptation of the classic novella by Ghassan Kanafani, Returning to Haifa, adapted for the stage by Naomi Wallace and Ismail Khalidi, opens at the Finborough Theatre for a four week limited season on Tuesday, 27 February 2018 (Press Nights: Thursday 1 and Friday 2 March 2018 at 7.30pm).