Ars Nova News

Corkscrew Theater Festival presents Pie Shop Play, written by Alice Pencavel and directed by Sivan Battat. Running July 20-29, Pie Shop Play concerns two sisters whose big dreams are derailed when the pipes in their pie shop burst, leaking toxic unknowns that rob them of coherent speech. As the shop slowly floods, buried trauma, and secrets pour forth as well, forcing the sisters to work it out (through garbled English) before they drown. Performed by Devin Kessler, Futaba Shioda*, Kaylee Simonson, Eliza Simpson*, and Madame Vivien V, Pie Shop Play is the third production in the second annual season of Corkscrew Theater Festival, a new summer theater festival that provides early-career artists with a high level of production support.

Thicket & Thistle, the New York City theater company comprised of actor-musicians who blur the lines between author, performer, and orchestra, are excited to announced that its original musical What's Your Wish? will make its Off-Broadway debut this July as part of the 2018 New York Musical Festival's Next Link Project. 

In response to popular demand, Soho Rep. (Sarah Benson, Artistic Director; Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director) extends the world premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview, directed by Sarah Benson, through July 22. In Fairview, the Frasier family (MaYaa Boateng, Charles Browning, Roslyn Ruff, and Heather Alicia Simms) is gearing up for Grandma's birthday, and Beverly needs this dinner to be perfect. But the silverware's wrong, the radio's on the fritz, her sister Jasmine is drinking, her husband Dayton isn't helping, her daughter Keisha is a typical teenager, and her brother Tyrone might not show up at all!

The Off-Broadway League has announced that Terry Byrne was elected as the new President of The Off-Broadway League. Byrne is the first female president in the nearly 60 year history of the League. The organization also announced three new additions to the Board, including Dean Carpenter, Steven Chaikelson and Casey York.

Corkscrew Theater Festival presents Field, Awakening, written by Melis Aker and directed by Tatiana Pandiani. Running July 14-22, Field, Awakening is a political drama set in Turkey in 2016, where a group of high school friends reunites at a soccer field on the evening of an attempted military coup. As the night progresses, the friends unexpectedly find themselves at the center of international strife, and they begin to realize that the Turkey they called home may be rapidly disappearing. Performed by Kieron Anthony, Ayse Babahan, Jamar Brathwaite, Sinan Eczacibasi*, Fahim Hamid*, and Nazli Sarpkaya, Field, Awakening is the second production in the second annual season of Corkscrew Theater Festival, a new summer theater festival that provides early-career artists with a high level of production support.

Award-winning playwright Patricia Loughrey and composer Thomas Hodges, whose critically acclaimed play Dear Harvey has been making waves across the nation since its debut in 2010, are thrilled to announce their original LGBTQ musical Sonata 1962 will making its Off-Broadway debut this August as part of the 2018 New York Musical Festival's (NYMF) Next Link Project.

Creators Carly Brooke Feinman and Cassie Willson are thrilled to announce the casting for their original musical If Sand Were Stone, making its Off-Broadway debut this July as part of the 2018 New York Musical Festival's (NYMF) Next Link Project. Featuring original music by Ms. Willson and original book & lyrics by Ms. Feinman, If Sand Were Stone will play a 5-performance run at The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row beginning July 18, 2018.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces Adele's Way, part of The 2018 TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series on June 18, 2018 at 7pm at the Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam St., New York, NY.

Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director) announces additional casting for a public reading of Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning playwright Will Eno's Gnit, directed by Oliver Butler (The Open House, 2014).

Rebel Theatrical Management, LLC (Harvey Butler, producer), in association with The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, have announced, today, the cast and the creative team for the New York premiere of the new play Little Rock, written and directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj. Performances are set to begin Wednesday, May 30, 2018 for a limited run through September 8, 2018 at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street). Opening Night is set for Today, June 14, 2018 at 7:00PM.

The Tank (Rosalind Grush and Meghan Finn, Artistic Directors) present the world premiere of COREY AND VANESSA PRESENT AN ALL-FEMALE EDUCATIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION OF OF MICE AND MEN, a new devised play directed by Alex Randrup and created in collaboration with Siena Zoe Allen, Emily Auciello, Samantha Clark, and Bonita Jackson.

PortFringe will kick off its 2018 festival with HORSETALE, an innovative shadow play from acclaimed New York City artists, Hit the Lights! Theater Co.

GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS has announced that Two-Player Game - the new album from George Salazar and Joe Iconis - will be available on CD online and in stores on Friday, July 27. The album is being released in conjunction with the debut New York production of Be More Chill, which starts previews on Thursday, July 26. Two-Player Game is currently available in digital and streaming formats. For more information, please visit www.ghostlightrecords.com/joe-iconis-george-salazar-two-player-game.html

Playwrights Foundation announces the plays and playwrights of the 2018 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) running July 20-29, 2018 at Potrero Stage, 1895 18th St in San Francisco. The Artistic Teams for #BAPF2018 features Directors Erik Pearson, Christine Young, Margo Hall, Daniel Banks, Lauren English, and Ken Savage. Dramaturgs joining the teams include Alex Mallory, Maddie Gaw, Lisa Evans, Vidhu Singh, Roweena Mackay, and the Legendary Nakissa Etemad.

Go behind the scenes of the Tony Awards today as Mean Girs' DeMarius Copes takes us with him behind the scenes of rehearal, the show, and the Tony Awards parties all day and eve!

Go behind the scenes of the Tony Awards today as Mean Girs' DeMarius Copes takes us with him behind the scenes of rehearal, the show, and the Tony Awards parties all day and eve!

PortFringe will kick off its 2018 festival with HORSETALE, an innovative shadow play from acclaimed New York City artists, Hit the Lights! Theater Co.

LAUNDRYFEST will make its world premiere at The Soap Box, 110 Saratoga Ave, Brooklyn NY 11233. The show will be comprised of site specific and site responsive pieces in an actual laundromat. The festival, produced by The Motor Company (Lillian Meredith, Artistic Director; Jessica Schmidt, Producing Director), will feature new short plays and musicals by Sean Pollock, Billy Recce, Ben Holbrook and Cherry Lou Sy. Directors include NJ Agwuna, David Kahawaii, Phoebe Padget, and Lillian Meredith. The festival is co-curated and co-produced by Sean Pollock. The performance schedule is Today, June 8th, Saturday June 9th, Today, June 15th, and Saturday June 16th at 9:00PM; Sunday June 10th and Sunday June 17th at 7:00PM. Admission is free of charge to the public.

JACK doesn't go slack in the summer.  From a festival of experimental music to a revival of a Wallace Shawn scorcher to poets and rappers reflecting on reparations, JACK brings action to the steamy months. This season features artists we feel are bringing life to our mission of fueling experiments in art and activism, including theater company Sister Sylvester, poet and writer collective Oye Group, director Knud Adams, playwright Amina Henry and burgeoning theater ensemble TV.

Project Y Theatre Company presents World Premiere of CINDY, a new play for kids and families by Amina Henry based on Cinderella. Appropriate for ages 6 and up, the production is directed by Michole Biancosino. It will be presented through June 24 at IRT Theater in the West Village.