Anna-Deavere Smith News

The Philadelphia Theatre Company announced today that it has repurchased the iconic Suzanne Roberts Theatre from TD Bank, thanks in large part to a spirited community effort led by the Roberts family that raised over $3 million and enabled PTC to reclaim its longtime home, which is the final piece to its remarkable fiscal and artistic turnaround.

Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater opens its eighth season with Avenue Q. The artistic team will be headed by favorite Bay Area actor Danny Cozart (Assassins with Shotgun Players, Babes in Arms with 42nd Street Moon), in his directorial debut. Avenue Q runs from tonight, September 17 - October 11, 2015.

Mercy Killers is in the tradition of American playwrights from Arthur Miller and Clifford Odets, to Tony Kushner and Anna Deavere Smith, in capturing political and social reality in powerful story and unforgettable character. "Over 60% of all bankruptcies in the U.S. are the result of medical debt. What most people don't realize is that the majority of those bankruptcies, the person involved actually had insurance at the onset of their health crises," says Milligan. This discovery led him to collect stories from people suffering financial disaster on top of chronic illnesses.

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, will present the new play VEILS by Tom Coash, from October 1-18, with a press opening Sunday, October 4 at 3pm..

The world's largest solo theatre festival announced the nominees for the United Solo Special Award. Now in its sixth year, the Festival honors performers who have made outstanding contributions to solo theatre. Previous award winners include Anna Deavere Smith, Patti LuPone, John Leguizamo, Fiona Shaw, and Billy Crystal.

In cooperation with the NYU Tisch Center for Art and Public Policy, NOW AFRICA - a group of New York based African writers, actors and community activists - will present its first annual playwrights festival, conceived to showcase and raise awareness of dramatic works by African writers.

CPH's historic 100th Season will open on an operatic note, with the world premiere of Ken Ludwig's A COMEDY OF TENORS. BroadwayWorld has just confirmed the full cast -- featuring several Broadway vets. Scroll down for the complete list of stars!

Beginning this Saturday, the Elite Theatre Company's South Stage will be presenting Zero Hour, a one-man play about legendary actor Zero Mostel. The project is near and dear to the heart of actor John Medeiros, who has tried to get it produced for almost 5 years. Medeiros has performed in two roles made famous by Mostel, Pseudolus (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof). He won the Four Star Alliance Award in 2013 for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Tevye.

Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater opens its eighth season with Avenue Q. The artistic team will be headed by favorite Bay Area actor Danny Cozart (Assassins with Shotgun Players, Babes in Arms with 42nd Street Moon), in his directorial debut. Avenue Q runs from September 17 - October 11, with previews on September 17 and September 19. Opening Night is Saturday, September 19, at the Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Avenue in Berkeley. Tickets and Season Passes are available now through the Box Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit Berkeleyplayhouse.org.

California Shakespeare Theater today announced the appointment of Eric Ting as the company's new Artistic Director. The announcement, by Cal Shakes Board President Jean Simpson and Search Committee Chair Kate Stechschulte, caps an extensive seven-month nationwide search. Ting will serve as the fifth artistic director in the company's history, succeeding outgoing Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, who completed his 16-year tenure with the opening of The Mystery of Irma Vep.

The Board of Directors for The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center today announced the appointment of veteran arts executive Wiley Hausam as the organization's new Artistic and Executive Director. Hausam will assume his new role at The Broad Stage, which presents the best in classical and jazz music, opera recitals, theater, dance and children's programming, on October 1. He will be charged with leading the Santa Monica cultural institution in the next phase of its journey-including the opening of its newly expanded $23 million East Wing facilities on the SMC Performing Arts campus in early 2016-while building on its successful seven year legacy.

 Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announces that it will present a three-city Northern California tour of Anna Deavere Smith's Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, a one-woman show about the school-to-prison pipeline. Following a critically acclaimed three-week run at Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, Smith will return to communities she visited during her research for the Pipeline Project to present excerpts of monologues from Notes from the Field. She will share her learnings and encourage dialogue and action to address the school-to-prison pipeline. The tour will also serve as an opportunity to spur youth within those communities to take action around racial inequities in the school system.

George Street Playhouse has announced that Joe DiPietro's The Second Mrs. Wilson, will occupy the previously to-be-announced slot in the New Brunswick theatre's 2015-16 season. 

The Public Theater announced the 2015 Fall Public Forum season, featuring an exciting line-up of one-night-only performances and conversations that connect dramatic literature to the way we live now. Now in its sixth year, the popular Public Forum series presents the theater of ideas: conversations and performances with leading voices in politics, media, and the arts.

After an exuberant reception from critics and audiences alike for her performance in Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, playwright, actor, and educator Anna Deavere Smith today takes a break from her one-woman show currently playing at Berkeley Rep to participate in 'Rethink Discipline,' a conference at the White House hosted by the U.S Departments of Education and Justice.

Youth Speaks is proud to announce they have been invited to participate in Anna Deavere Smith's Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, a special presentation about the nation's school-to-prison pipeline.

Youth Speaks is proud to announce they have been invited to participate in Anna Deavere Smith's Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, a special presentation about the nation's school-to-prison pipeline.

Peninsula Players Theatre, America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theater and Door County's theatrical icon, continues its 80th season tonight, July 8, through July 26 when it presents the classic suspense-filled thriller, 'Dial M for Murder' by Frederick Knott. 'Dial M for Murder' was first staged on Broadway in 1952 and Knott adapted the script for Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic film.

Peninsula Players Theatre, America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theater and Door County's theatrical icon, continues its 80th season July 8 through 26 when it presents the classic suspense-filled thriller, 'Dial M for Murder' by Frederick Knott. 'Dial M for Murder' was first staged on Broadway in 1952 and Knott adapted the script for Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic film.