Ars Nova News

Animus Theatre Company (Jonathan Judge-Russo, Founding Artistic Director), an artist-driven company whose mission is to explore and illuminate the resilience of the human spirit, is thrilled to announce that its 2018-2019 programming will kick-off this April with the New York premiere of Surfer Girl by acclaimed screen & playwright Leslye Headland (Assistance, Bachelorette). Performances of this exciting New York premiere will take place on Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 7:00pm (doors open 7:00pm, performance begins 7:30pm)beginning April 10 and continuing through May 30, 2018, at The Foley Gallery (59 Orchard Street, between Grand and Hester), located in Manhattan's esteemed Lower Eastside gallery district.

Hit the Lights! Theater Co. is pleased to present their original shadow play WHALES at The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT), running April 24 through May 18th, 2018.

The Geffen Playhouse today announced the full cast for its production of Joshua Harmon's (Bad Jews) critically-acclaimed hit play, Significant Other, directed by Stephen Brackett. The cast features Melanie Field (Paramount Network's Heathers) as Laura, Vella Lovell (CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Vanessa, Preston Martin as Zach/Evan/Roger, Keilly McQuail (Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Kiki, John Garet Stoker (CBS's Code Black) as Will/Conrad/Tony, Concetta Tomei (Deep Impact) as Helene Berman and Will Von Vogt as Jordan Berman.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce the latest recipients of Discovery Grants from the Opera Grants for Female Composers program, made possible through the generosity of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Utilizing the Actors' Equity Los Angeles Self-Produced Project Code, and in conjunction with Jolly Pig Project, a project launched in 2018 as a way to create a community of writers in East Los Angeles, A Surplus Of, will premiere April 26th, 2018 at Atwater Village Theatre in the 99-seat proscenium house. Having the ability to develop and present new works, without jeopardizing union standing, is important to many actors in Los Angeles. We are excited to work with Actors' Equity on this exciting new play and develop it in our vibrant community of East Los Angeles.

Previews begin this Friday, March 16 for the Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) world premiere production of THIS FLAT EARTH, a new play by Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone, the current Amy and the Orphans).  Directed by Tony Award winner Rebecca Taichman (Familiar, Stage Kiss, Milk Like Sugar at Playwrights; Indecent), the play is the fourth production of the theater company's 2017/2018 Season.  

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents the Ars Nova production of the Obie Award winning play Small Mouth Sounds, written by Bess Wohl and directed by Tony nominee  Rachel Chavkin (Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812). In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six wildy dissimilar runaways from city life embark on a week-long silent retreat. Guided by an unseen guru and pledging a vow of silence, these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd. Both contemplative and funny, Small Mouth Sounds is a cleverly conceived and sharp observation of the pursuit of wellness and the achingly human need to connect.  Small Mouth Sounds will preview on March 13 and opens on March 14, 2018. The show will run for 24 performances through April 1, 2018 at Philadelphia Theatre Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (480 S. Broad Street). Tickets are on sale starting at $25 at philatheatreco.org, at the box-office, or by calling 215-985-0420.

Access Theater and founding Executive Director, Jacqueline Christy, are proud to announce the appointments of Taylor Norton as Artistic Director and Brandon Burk as Director of Operations. After bidding an incredibly fond farewell to outgoing Artistic Director Sarah Norris and outgoing Producing Director Michael Aguirre, Access has embraced these two new leaders who share a vision for enhancing the critical role Access plays in the lives of emerging artists.

The Orchard Project (Artistic Director, Ari Edelson) announced the eleven writers, composers, directors and companies for its 2018 New York City Greenhouse. In its first year, the Orchard Project NYC Greenhouse is a new NYC-based accelerator for directors, writers, composers and other generative artists to seed ambitious and unexpected work, form new relationships and develop a new generation of theater. For the Orchard Project, it aims to parlay the strength of support that has set the organization apart and transform it into a resource for its growing network of artists.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison & Lisa Rothe, Co-Presidents) will present the 2018 Theatre Women Awards at The TimesCenter (242 West 41st Streetbetween 7th and 8th Avenues) on Friday, March 16 beginning at 6:30pm. Tickets ($85-$250) are available for advance purchase at www.theatrewomen.org.

Andy Richardson (Newsies on Broadway, Kinky Boots National Tour) and Cathy Ang (K-Pop at Ars Nova) will join "Full Capacity: The Work of Hass & Swanton" at Feinstein's/54 Below. Also new to the cast are Samantha Williams and Laura Thoresen, joining the previously announced group of Johnny Rabe, Kuhoo Verma, Alex Guhde, Marina Magnelli, Gabriella Marzetta, Martavius Parrish, and Daniel Youngelman.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE), Chicago's only Equity theatre dedicated to producing new work with women at the core, announces the Midwest premiere of The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter, directed by Lauren Shouse, and featuring RTE Founders Tara Mallen and Keith Kupferer, RTE Member Krystel McNeil, with Tuckie White.

The Play Company (PlayCo), led by Founding Producer Kate Loewald and Managing Director Robert G. Bradshaw, presents Toshiki Okada's Time's Journey Through a Room, marking PlayCo's third collaboration with Okada, translator Aya Ogawa, and director Dan Rothenberg, May 10 - June 10, 2018. This haunting play, set in post-Fukushima Japan, is an intimate examination of how we move forward from life-altering events, and a study of how we experience time, asking whether we can ever be alive to the present moment.

The Geffen Playhouse today announced that Sell/Buy/Date, Sarah Jones' critically acclaimed one-woman show, will extend for one week and run through Sunday, April 15. Written and performed by Jones and directed by Carolyn Cantor, Sell/Buy/Date opens tonight in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse.

The Archive Residency is a vital incubator for New York City's most electrifying independent theater companies. This two-year residency offers companies an artistic home for the development and presentation of a new work. Each residency culminates with a world premiere production. Now in its fifth year, the Archive Residency is a collaboration between New Ohio Theatre and IRT Theater (likeminded neighbors in the historic Archive Building in the West Village).

La Jolla Playhouse is pleased to bring back for a sixth year its acclaimed new play development initiative, the DNA New Work Series, a weekend of readings of new works, taking place March 22 - 25, 2018 in the Playhouse's Rao and Padma Makeneni Play Development Center. Tickets for the DNA New Work Series are free but reservations are required by calling (858) 550-1010 or visiting LaJollaPlayhouse.org.

To commemorate The Plastics' favorite day of the week, customers who wear pink on Wednesdays can score a special, limited time only ticket offer for the Broadway premiere of Mean Girls. Find out how to make sure you're sitting at the right table.

SipFest, a new festival showcasing some of the coolest women theatremakers, has announced a lineup of multimedia works at different levels of development for an impromptu Wild Project takeover running March 7-14th.

Rehearsals kicked off today for Steppenwolf Theatre Company's highly anticipated world premiere comedy, The Doppelganger (an international farce) written by Chicagoland native Matthew-Lee Erlbach (Showtime's Masters of Sex, Off-Broadway's Handbook for an American Revolutionary).

The Public Theater announced the fifth season of PUBLIC STUDIO today, which will present two new plays this spring. Continuing The Public's commitment to nurturing new playwrights, the two plays will run in succession in The Public's Shiva Theater and be presented as pared-down productions with the low ticket price of $15. This vital program continues The Public's mission of making new work by emerging artists accessible to all audiences.