Amy Staats News

Atlantic Theater Company has announced the 2016-2017 selections for its annual Amplified Reading Series.

The Bushwick Starr is thrilled to present the world premiere of MILES FOR MARY, created by The Mad Ones, directed by Lila Neugebauer -- a bittersweet missive about endurance and surrender.

The Bushwick Starr is thrilled to present the world premiere of MILES FOR MARY,

For a play that is essentially about deciding when it's time to say goodbye to the one dream that has made you happy, THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY is as funny as it is insightful. Trying to retain her place in a fitness-class world that has long since moved on to Zumba, Kelsea (Megan Hill, also the play's writer) has continued to teach Jazzercize to an ever-shrinking class at the Chikatawnee Valley Community Center. The Klunch brings the DODO production of JAZZERCIZE to DC, featuring the original cast from the recent New York City premiere and direction from Margot Bordelon.

Jazzercize is out. Zumba is in. But instructor Kelsea Wiggan is not going down without a fight. Armed with pep, a petition, and her conflict-averse co-instructor, Kelsea is determined to keep Jazzercise alive at the Chikatawnee Valley Community Center.

The Bushwick Starr is proud to announce our 2016-17 Season of Programming. The Season begins with our developing work program, the Propeller Project, which this year introduces a new piece by eclectic performance artist, Shasta Geaux Pop, aka Ayesha Jordan (Enter & Exit, Living Room Dance Breaks). Our Main Stage shows feature an ambitious and exciting line-up of world premiers from: award-winning theater ensemble The Mad Ones (The Essential Straight & Narrow, The Tremendous Tremendous), celebrated downtown duo Kate Benson and Lee Sunday Evans (A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes), rising star playwright Phillip Howze(abominable, Tiny Boyfriend), and multi-media cult favorites Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble(Everything One in the Disc of the Sun). Our ongoing community events and festivals, Puppet Kitchen, Brooklyn Gypsies, and Big Green Theater, will continue to present new collaborative work geared towards our Bushwick neighborhood audience, including a multi-lingual partnership between playwright William Burke (Comfort Dogs, the food was terrible) and Modesto Flako Jimenez(Brooklyn Gypsies). And finally, our free Starr Reading Series will cultivate new plays in development from some of NYC's most exciting young playwrights.

Today, The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work announces that it has selected 18 projects for its fifth Summer Residency Lab featuring works from more than 30 talented artists. This June, as part of an extraordinary laboratory for collaboration, some of the nation's most prominent and promising writers, directors, designers, performers, and composers will unite at the Theatre's Harrison Street campus over an intense four-week period to share ideas, break bread, and create new plays. Dozens more local and out-of-town actors and directors will join the Summer Residency Lab, bringing the number of participating artists close to 100.

Samuel French has announced the winners of the 2015 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's leading short play competition. The six winning plays were presented in a Showcase on Sunday, August 9th at the conclusion of the week-long festival at the East 13th Street Theater (Classic Stage Company). These plays will be published, and available for licensing by Samuel French in the 40th Annual edition of its Off Off Broadway Plays collection:

Samuel French presents The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's premier short play competition August 4 - 9 at the East 13th Street Theater (Classic Stage Company). Chosen from over 1,500 submissions (a record breaking number) from the U.S. and abroad, 30 finalist plays, each running 10-30 minutes in length, will be presented. The Sunday, August 9th presentation is the culmination of the week-long festival at which the six winning plays will be presented.

The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's premier short play competition, announces the 30 finalists for its 40th Anniversary of the Festival.  Chosen from over 1,500 submissions (a record breaking number) from the U.S. and abroad, these 30 plays will be presented during a week-long festival August 6th-9th. All performances will take place at the East 13th Street Theater (Classic Stage Company).

Watch the new web series, 'Business Time' starring Alex Herrald and Curran Connor.

Core Artist Ensemble, the theater company born from a Barrow Group Theatre master class in 2011 and hailed for 'their eye for quality and their penchant for collaboration' (http://drama-queens.net), will showcase 7 new one-acts this October in 'Twisted Shorts.' These 7 plays were chosen from a pool of over 40 works that were featured this summer in Core's 3rd annual Summer Reading Series.

Core Artist Ensemble, the theater company born from a Barrow Group Theatre master class in 2011 and hailed for 'their eye for quality and their penchant for collaboration' (http://drama-queens.net), will showcase 7 new one-acts this October in 'Twisted Shorts.' These 7 plays were chosen from a pool of over 40 works that were featured this summer in Core's 3rd annual Summer Reading Series.

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the winner of its 2014 Play Festival, Janice Underwater by Hillside native Tom Matthew Wolfe, September 4 - 21 in Kean University's Zella Fry Theatre. Directed by Jade King Carroll, this delightfully quirky new play tells the story of Janice, who has a sneaking suspicion that she's losing her mind. While waiting for the results of genetic testing that could confirm her fears, Janice struggles to hold it together and pursue her art in the city. With the help of an attractive but troubled super, a devoted brother, and visions of her mentally ill mother, will Janice find her way home? Selected from over 400 submissions as the winner of Premiere's annual competition for unproduced scripts by area playwrights, Janice Underwater received a developmental reading earlier this spring, delighting audiences with its recognizable characters and locales.

Parents do not have to be told to provide unconditional love and care to the children they bring into this world, nor do they have to be reminded of the treasure they covet when these children bring mostly joy and laughter into a home that once belonged only to them. Even though much of their lifestyle has been drastically changed because of these treasures, as all attention and responsibility is now directed at their well-being, this love cannot be disputed as something other than beautiful. Now, does the same hold true when a child is not one's own? After seeing the opening night performance of The Sun Shines East at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, there is little doubt as to this holding true, and the struggle of one couple to adopt a baby, to whom they have already given their undying love and affection upon first holding her, makes for a beautiful, heartfelt story that deems the presence of children in our lives that much more precious.

Shining East Productions presents The Sun Shines East, based on a true story written by Corinne Chateau* about an adoptive mother's struggle to break through deep personal barriers and international politics to bring home her daughter. Pat Golden directs a cast of 5 including Karen Christie-Ward*, Tara Gadomski*, Mary Francina Golden*, Bristol Pomeroy, and Amy Staats*. Fourteen performances will be held at theDeane Little Theatre Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 West 64th Street, in New York City from tonight, January 31-February 16, 2014. *Member, Actors' Equity Association.AEA Approved Showcase. Check out a first look below!

Shining East Productions presents The Sun Shines East, based on a true story written by Corinne Chateau* about an adoptive mother's struggle to break through deep personal barriers and international politics to bring home her daughter. Pat Golden directs a cast of 5 including Karen Christie-Ward*, Tara Gadomski*, Mary Francina Golden*, Bristol Pomeroy, and Amy Staats*. Fourteen performances will be held at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 West 64th Street, in New York City from tonight, January 31-February 16, 2014.

Shining East Productions presents The Sun Shines East, based on a true story written by Corinne Chateau* about an adoptive mother's struggle to break through deep personal barriers and international politics to bring home her daughter. Pat Golden directs a cast of 5 including Karen Christie-Ward*, Tara Gadomski*, Mary Francina Golden*, Bristol Pomeroy, and Amy Staats*. Fourteen performances will be held at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 West 64th Street, in New York City from January 31-February 16, 2014. *Member, Actors' Equity Association. AEA Approved Showcase.

Playing on Air, a new public radio show that features short stage plays performed by great American actors, is now available online for listening, streaming and downloading.

Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, Executive Director) will present Lesser America's World Premiere of Nick Jones' (Jollyship the Whiz-bang with Ars Nova/The Public; The Coward with Lincoln Center) Trevor, tonight, February 28-March 17 at Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue between 9th and 10th Street).