Ars Nova News

Justin Sayre, creator and host of the acclaimed comedy variety show and cult hit, The Meeting* of the International Order of Sodomites, will soon debut his new witty and sexy cabaret show, I'm Gorgeous Inside. The show, which is a sensual exploration of love and bad girl archetypes, begins its run September 22, 23, and 24 at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in New York City.

MCC Theater has announced the 2017 PlayLabs reading series, which will feature new works in development by playwrights: 2017-2018 Tow Playwright-in-Residence Jocelyn Bioh, MCC alum Amanda Peet, Charise Castro Smith, and MCC Youth Company alum Lily Houghton.

A friendly reminder! The Public Theater will begin performances for the free Public Works musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT, adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub on Friday, September 1.

FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade will present The Ten-Foot Rat Cabaret's Fourth Anniversary Show!

Roundabout Theatre Company has just announced the complete cast of The New York premiere of Anna Ziegler's new play The Last Match, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch. The cast includes Wilson Bethel as 'Tim,' Alex Mickiewicz as 'Sergei,' Natalia Payne as 'Galina' and Zoe Winters as 'Mallory.'

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, in association with Cecilia Lin and Hu Guo, has announced the cast and creative team of the New York premiere of the musical Desperate Measures, with book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg (Anna Karenina) and music by David Friedman (Scandalous). 

Speak Up, Rise Up, runs until Sunday, August 20 at the historic Connelly Theater in the East Village. The inaugural festival has featured 18 diverse solo and storytelling shows, and 7 community workshop performances over the past week.

Covering songs from Laura Marling's 6 critically acclaimed albums, Blake Daniel will tell stories of his 10-year relationship with New York in his first solo concert appearance.

Following a successful summer run of Aaron Posner's play Life Sucks, Company of Fools' 22nd season of theatre continues this fall with a production of BRIGHT HALF LIFE by playwright Tanya Barfield. Company of Fools' Interim Artistic Director, Ilana Becker, will direct the play, which runs Sept. 27-Oct. 14, 2017, at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey.

Recognized by The Village Voice as 'Best Scrappy Brooklyn Theater' in their Best of 2016 issue, JACK presents a flurry of some of today's key experimenting artists in theater, dance and music, with new work by playwrights Virginia Grise, Azure Osborne-Lee, nicHi douglas, Karma Mayetand Justin Kuritzkes, by choreographer Nicole Bindler, and by composer Justin Hicks with director Charlotte Brathwaite.

The world of a charming songwriter is on the rocks in Daniel Zaitchik's contemporary new musical Darling Grenadine.

Stripped Scripts (with Executive Producer Greg Schaffert) will present the NYC Premiere of Kieron Barry's Tomorrow in the Battle, directed by Tana Sirois at Theater 511 (511 West 54th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue), October 11-28.

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Cortney Wolfson, Dan DeLuca, and more in YANDURA & MELOCIK: THE REVOLUTION WILL BE EXPOSITORY as part of the New Writers at 54 summer series on August 28th, 2017 at 9:30pm.

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, in association with Cecilia Lin and Hu Guo, has announced the first mainstage production of the 2017-2018 season: the New York premiere of the musical Desperate Measures.

New Light Theater Project will present the New York premiere of BREEDERS by Dan Giles, directed by Jaki Bradley. BREEDERS begins performances Thursday, September 21 for a limited engagement through Saturday, October 14. Press opening is Wednesday, September 27 at 8 PM.

"My first supervisor was a African girl named Ann, and she had the nerve to tell me that I don't have a right to call myself African American. I had to tell that heffa just because your people sold my people doesn't mean I don't got African roots."

Hit the Lights! Theater Co. (HTL!) is pleased to present the award winning production of DUNGEON as part of the 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival. DUNGEON tells the story of a young man falling into the unknown to rescue something he holds dear. It is told through movement, sound, flashlights, and without the use of dialogue or stage lighting. Inspired by kabuki, video games, horror movies, and pixar shorts, dungeon builds a world where the darkness speaks louder than the light.

What would bring you to the bottom of the world?  Scientific research?  A journey of self-discovery?  An escape from a world you don't fit into? Whatever the reasons, it will certainly be a life-changing experience, as we see in Mat Smart's funny and thoughtful The Royal Society of Antarctica, beginning a 5-week regional premiere run at Stage West on Thursday, August 24.

Theatre Horizon's season of #WomenWhoDare starts off with a moving story of one family's history and culture that is made huge and universal by the power of theatre. Lisa Kron's 2.5 Minute Ride will have it's Philadelphia-area premiere at the Norristown theatre from October 6 through October 29, 2017.

By day, one of the most respected stage directors, actors, writers, and impresarios in Europe; by night, a cabaret chanteuse expunging life's pain and love's agony-this unusual artistic double identity comes together when the director of Festival d'Avignon Olivier Py makes a rare US stage appearance in Olivier Py Sings Les Premiers Adieux de Miss Knife.