Ars Nova News

This week, March 10-19, Joe's Pub at the Public will feature Rory O'Malley, Shannon McNally, Lera Lynn, Benjamin Walker, Mortality Play, Joey Arias Experience, An Evening with Irving Berlin, Justin Vivian Bond, Flamenco Festival 2014, Martha Graham Cracker, Sarah Kay, Banda Magda String Orchestra, Lo Jo, The Meeting with Justin Sayre, Public Forum: Tevye and Chava, Mike Daisey, Winged Victory for the Sullen, John Cameron Mitchell & Holly Hunter, and Paul Loren. Scroll down for details!

LANCE HORNE - the Emmy Award winning composer, musician, vocalist and producer - will make his Birdland debut with a special concert on Monday, March 31 at 7:00 PM with special guests Alan Cumming, Alice Ripley and Rachel Dratch.

In Episode 209, award-winning musical theatre writer Joel B. New sat down with Well-Strung's first violinist, Edmund Bagnell. Well-Strung -- the highly-acclaimed all-male string quartet -- has performed to sold-out crowds at Joe's Pub, Ars Nova, 54 Below,

SPACE on Ryder Farm is now accepting submissions for artistic residencies for its 2014 nonprofit season, which will take place June through September in Brewster, NY.

Damian (My High School Boyfriend Was Gay) spent his childhood in Philly obsessing over Garbage Pail Kids, X-men comic books, and the board game Clue. Anne ('The Martha Rayes') wrote fan letters to the NBA dream team and love letters to Daniel Stern from her waterbed in Missouri. When these two idiots met, a mutual sick fanaticism took hold. Join these pop culture savants as they gush over their favorites and invite the most exciting comedians, writers, and performance artists to explore their own obsessive tendencies.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will continue its engagement at JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, March 16 at 9:30 PM with a celebration of the celebrated TV program 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' After a highly-successful season at 54 Below, the show has returned to its downtown roots this year with shows through May. The Meeting* has been called 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post, and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening 'so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight.' The March show will feature special guests Kim Smith, Christian Coulson, Diana Kazakova, Chris Tyler and Mark Dommu with others to be announced. Tracy Stark serves as Music Director.

Sara Farrington's NEAR VICKSBURG will run today, March 6-16, 2014 at Incubator Arts.

Ripe Time, the Brooklyn-based company led by Rachel Dickstein, has garnered acclaim for creating physically charged, visually powerful adaptations of classic and contemporary stories by authors raging from Edith Wharton to Jhumpa Lahiri. Conceived, written and directed by Dickstein, the play The World is Round epitomizes the company's work, creating from Gertrude Stein's book a fable (for grownups and mature children) full of original, live music by Heather Christian and aerial movement choreographed by Nicki Miller. Ripe Time's first new show since its celebrated Mrs. Dalloway adaptation Septimus and Clarissa (2011), The World is Round makes its world premiere April 17 - 30 at BAM Fisher (Fishman Space, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn).

The Playwrights Realm Artistic Director Katherine Kovner has announced that Alexander Orbovich has been named the company's new Managing Director.

The University of Memphis recently welcomed the spirited Broadway and television actress Susan Blackwell as a guest artist. Her workshops, which centered on creative self-expression, were free and open to the public. I attended and found them exciting and worthwhile.

Justin Sayre's Play, The Click of the Lock, will be presented at The Player's Club as part of a new play reading. The cast will feature Tony Nominated Downtown Performer Justin Vivian Bond, Zachary Booth (Damages, Keep the Lights On), Rob Maitner (Urinetown, NY Fringe Festival; Bistro Award for Fairy Tales at the WPA Theater), Brian Barefoot, Jax Jackson, Grant Chapman & Chris Tyler. The reading will be held at the Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South in Manhattan) at 8:00 PM, with a cocktail reception starting at 7pm. To reserve a seat, please contact clickofthelock@gmail.com.

NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, named one of the Best Musicals of 2013 by The New York Times and one of Time Magazine's Top 10 Musicals of 2013, will close today at Kazino (45th Street between Times Square and 8th Avenue). In addition, today is the final day to give to the Kickstarter that was set up to help fund the filming of the show. The current tally, as of 8:30am, is 235 backers, who have pledged $36,899 of the $250,000 goal, with 15 hours to go.

Kindling Theatre Company has announced the World Premiere of TAKE ME BACK, written by Emily Schwend and directed by Jay Stull. TAKE ME BACK begins performances tonight, February 28 for a limited engagement through Saturday, March 22. Opening Night is Wednesday, March 5 at 8 PM. The performance schedule is Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM, with added performances on Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4 at 8 PM. Performances are at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, between Broadway and Church Streets).

PFP's Gay Play Weekend includes a dynamic musical about a tragedy in gay history, and a historical drama about Michelangelo. You will also see a murder mystery which takes place at a party where everyone is dressed as Joan Crawford, a fun piece about gay dating today, and a drama about abuse and healing. These are the themes of the five finalists in Pride Films and Plays' 2014 Gay Play and Musical Contest.

In honor of the last week of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, the show just invited fans to Times Square to read Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace out loud, tag-team filibuster style, to celebrate great literature that has been made in to great theater! The epic event began on Tuesday and wrapped up this afternoon, when the reading was finally completed. BroadwayWorld stopped by for the festivities and you can check out photos below!

The readings kick off Monday, March 24 and will be held on consecutive Mondays through April 7. The readings will take place at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). All readings are free and open to the public, but space is limited and RSVPs are required. To RSVP, visit https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1685583-1KMR9JvsKh or call (212) 399-3000 x 4163.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present David Ives' THE HEIR APPARENT, adapted from the play by Jean-Francois Regnard, beginning performances Friday, March 28 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). Directed by John Rando, THE HEIR APPARENT will feature Suzanne Bertish (Madame Argante), Carson Elrod (Crispin), Claire Karpen (Lisette), Amelia Pedlow (Isabelle), David Pittu (Scruple), Dave Quay (Eraste) and Paxton Whitehead (Geronte). The official press opening for THE HEIR APPARENT is Wednesday, April 9. The production will play at limited engagement through Sunday, May 4.

Buzz22 Chicago has announced the casting for the World Premiere production of Laura Jacqmin's 'GHOST BIKE,' directed by Co-Artistic Director Sara Sawicki, tonight, February 27 - March 30, 2014 at Red Tape Theatre, 621 W Belmont Ave. Combining elements of Greek, African, and Chinese mythology, 'GHOST BIKE' depicts two best friends navigating the ultimate challenge to a friendship through an underworld beneath their home city of Chicago. 'GHOST BIKE' is Buzz22 Chicago's next production after their sold out and highly acclaimed production of 'She Kills Monsters' at the Steppenwolf Garage in Feb-April 2013.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will continue its engagement at JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, March 16 at 9:30 PM with a celebration of the celebrated TV program 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' After a highly-successful season at 54 Below, the show has returned to its downtown roots this year with shows through May. The March show will feature special guests to be announced.

SPACE on Ryder Farm is now accepting submissions for artistic residencies for its 2014 nonprofit season, which will take place June through September in Brewster, NY.