Arthur French News

According to a source within the production, the Obama ladies slipped into their seats just prior to the beginning of the show, though received a 'huge ovation' when they returned at intermission for the second act. After the curtain call, the Obamas went backstage and met the cast and crew, including Cuba Gooding, Jr., Vanessa Williams, and Tyson.

Academy Award winner CUBA GOODING JR. will give his final performance in the critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, on Tuesday, August 27th, due to a change in schedule for an upcoming film project. Gooding made his Broadway debut in the acclaimed revival and can currently be seen nationwide in the hit film, Lee Daniels' The Butler.

While 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' is generating Oscar buzz for its chronicle of several decades of African- American political life, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson masterfully documented a full century of the African-American experience in the 10 plays the make up the American Century Cycle. These works, nine of which have been staged on Broadway with stars including Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, among many others, showed the suffering, joys, and triumphs of African-Americans through searing, poetic and personal stories of everyday people in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR, the state-of-the-art venue of the nation's most listened-to news/talk and classical public radio stations, will make history this fall when it creates, for the first time, exclusive recordings of all 10 of August Wilson's American Century Cycle Plays.

The critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, will host a special free talkback following the performance on Wednesday evening, August 14th. Focusing on the creative process of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, this one-night only event will feature stars VANESSA WILLIAMS, CUBA GOODING JR, TOM WOPAT and ADEPERO ODUYE and will be moderated by writer and critic, CARYN JAMES. All ticket holders for the evening performance on August 14th are invited to stay for the talkback. THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL talkback series kicked off last week with a panel featuring Betty Buckley, Ellen Burstyn, and Hallie Foote as they discussed the appeal and challenges of appearing in a Horton Foote play.

ADEPERO ODUYE will assume the role of Thelma in the critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, on Tuesday, July 16th. Oduye is best known for her acclaimed breakout role in Dee Ree's Sundance film, Pariah, and for her performance opposite Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard and Phylicia Rashad in the Lifetime Television movie, Steel Magnolias. Condola Rashad, who also co-starred with Oduye in Steel Magnolias, played her final performance as Thelma on Sunday, July 14.

The critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, has been extended again, adding five weeks to its already extended engagement, and will now play through Wednesday, October 9, giving audiences just a few more chances to see the legendaryCICELY TYSON's in her Tony Award-winning performance of a lifetime.

The critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, is kicking off two summer ticket promotions every Wednesdayand Thursday throughout the summer.

Mississippi Mud Productions is proud to present The Blonde Bombshell Project, a new solo play written and starring Jen Danby and directed by Tony Nominee and Obie-Winning Director Austin Pendleton. Fresh from their collaboration as Catharine Holly and Dr. Sugar in Suddenly, Last Summer with Mississippi Mud, this new solo work is about about legendary Hollywood 'Blonde Bombshell' Marilyn Monroe in her final summer of 1962.

Mississippi Mud Productions is proud to present The Blonde Bombshell Project, a new solo play written and starring Jen Danby and directed by Tony Nominee and Obie-Winning Director Austin Pendleton. Fresh from their collaboration as Catharine Holly and Dr. Sugar in Suddenly, Last Summer with Mississippi Mud, this new solo work is about about legendary Hollywood 'Blonde Bombshell' Marilyn Monroe in her final summer of 1962.

The Constitution is the only document you get more knowledge of it, the drunker you get.  Why?  It was written during a four month drunken binge. The bills from those days show thousands of dollars in wine, port, beer.  They were all drinking.

'Gossip is the lube by which this town slips it in.'

THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, which had been scheduled for a 14-week limited engagement through July 7, will extend eight additional weeks and will now run through September 1, 2013.

Mississippi Mud Productions will present The Blonde Bombshell Project, a new solo play written and starring Jen Danby and directed by Tony Nominee and Obie-Winning Director Austin Pendleton. Fresh from their collaboration as Catharine Holly and Dr. Sugar in Suddenly, Last Summer with Mississippi Mud, this new solo work is about about legendary Hollywood 'Blonde Bombshell' Marilyn Monroe in her final summer of 1962. ??

The Flea Theater has announced a unique collaboration between The Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Public Theater, The Flea Theater, and individuals, Luna Kaufman, Emmanuel Ruranga, M.S. L.P.C., Daniel Neiden and Erika Feldman. In commemoration of the 19th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan genocide, the group will produce a one time only public reading performance of a new play by Jay O. Sanders.

Broadway veteran and two-time Tony Award nominee Tom Wopat will join the company of the upcoming Broadway revival of Horton Foote's THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, starring the previously announced Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Vanessa Williams, and Condola Rashad.

Tony Award-Winner Dick Latessa, former Board Chair for Creative Alternatives of New York (CANY), a not-for-profit that uses drama therapy to help New York's most vulnerable children and adults has helped CANY assemble an Honorary Broadway Board. The ten inaugural members have been supporters of CANY, often giving their time and talent to annual fund-raising efforts. Several members have been honored at past CANY Galas and continue their support of CANY's mission by providing professional expertise as the organization expands its services to reach more children and adults than ever before.

The National Theatre Conference (NTC), an organization founded in 1925 that meets annually in New York to discuss relevant issues in today's theatre community and to celebrate outstanding achievement in the American theatre, has named the recipients of its 2012 awards. Broadway producer Elizabeth McCann has been named Person of the Year; the New Federal Theatre, under the direction of its founder, Woodie King, Jr., is the recipient of the Theatre of the Year Award; and playwright Dominique Morisseau has been selected as the winner of the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award. All three will be presented with their awards and honored at the Players and at Signature Theatre during NTC's annual conference in New York October 26-28, 2012.

The Horton Foote Prizes, named in honor of the legendary writer, were established in 2010 to award excellence in American Theater. Presented last night, the first Horton Foote Prize was awarded to Ruined by Lynn Nottage for Outstanding New American Play and Middletown by Will Eno for Promising New American Play.This year's recipients are David Lindsay-Abaire's GOOD PEOPLE for Outstanding New American Play, along with Naomi Wallace's THE LIQUID PLAIN for Promising New American Play. Check out photos from this year's celebration below!

Throughline Artists (J.J. Kandel, Executive Producer; John McCormack, Producing Artistic Director) will present SUMMER SHORTS 2012, their sixth annual festival of new American short plays from established and emerging writers, at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street). Performances will begin Thursday July 26th, and continue through Saturday September 1st.