Theatrical agent Sarah Jane Leigh has died at 53, BroadwayWorld confirmed this afternoon. In honor of her memory, American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter, Doug Wright, has paid tribute to Leigh with a heartfelt obituary, which you can read in full below.
THREE DAY HANGOVER -- the acclaimed interactive theater company -- move into their own venue this fall for two new productions filled with drinking, drama and fun. After staging several acclaimed shows in bars across the city, they will now present DRACULA and TARTUFFE in their new home, McAlpin Hall at The West Park Presbyterian Church on 86th and Amsterdam this fall. The New York City premiere of Steven Dietz's bold interpretation of the timeless classic DRACULA, directed by Lori Wolter Hudson, will run September 30 to October 17, and a brand new adaptation of Moliere's classic farce TARTUFFE, directed by Beth Gardiner, will be performed November 4 to November 21.
Lincoln Center Theater presents Patti LuPone, Dale Soules, Michael Urie, Jordan Dean, Lance Coadie Williams, and Zoe Winters in Shows For Days, a new play by Douglas Carter Beane, directed by Jerry Zaks. The production opened, June 29 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street), and it closes tonight, August 23.
Dave Thomas Brown, recently of Heathers: The Musical at New World Stages, leads a cast that also includes Wayne Duvall (O Brother Where Art Thou?, Leatherheads), Matt McGrath (Cabaret, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Keith Nobbs (Lombardi, 'The Black Donnellys') and Afton C. Williamson ('Nashville,' 'Homeland'), in Matthew Lopez's THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE, the first production of MCC's 2015-16 Main Stage Season. THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE begins previews tonight, August 20, 2015 ahead of a September 9, 2015 opening night.
Atlantic Theater Company has announced the final production of its 30th anniversary season, the world premiere of Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kenneth Lonergan's latest play HOLD ON TO ME DARLING, directed by Atlantic Artistic Director Neil Pepe.
Among them, the company can claim 18 Tony Awards, 4 Pulitzer Prizes, 6 Pulitzer finalist distinctions, 3 Emmy Awards, and 2 Academy Awards; to list all their honors would take several pages.
Beginning September 8, the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit MATILDA THE MUSICAL will welcome Natalie Venetia Belcon as Mrs. Phelps, Allison Case as Miss Honey, Rick Holmes as Mr. Wormwood, and Amy Spanger as Mrs. Wormwood. They join a principal cast that features Christopher Sieber as Miss Trunchbull, and the four girls sharing the title role: Mattea Conforti, Rileigh McDonald, Mimi Ryder, and Alexandra Vlachos.
THE GOD GAFFE, a new play by John William Schiffbauer, will make its world premiere in the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival.
Berkeley Rep has announced the full company for its 2015-16 season opener Amelie, A New Musical, starring award-winning actress Samantha Barks.
F*It Club, the New York Innovative Award-winning film and theatre company, joins acclaimed partner companies The Assembly, EST/Youngblood, The Mad Ones, Naked Angels, Slant Theatre Project and The TEAM at The Green Building in Brooklyn with GAP Presents! The Green Plays 2.0, seven new short plays developed and created by each individual company.
Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are proud to introduce the 2015-2016 Apprentice/Intern (A/I) Company. Each year, Actors Theatre of Louisville invites the most talented and highly motivated early-career theatre professionals in the nation to undertake a nine-month long training program that combines hands-on practical experience with educational seminars and professional guidance. Now in its 44th season, Actors Theatre's A/I Company is one of the oldest pre-professional training programs in the nation, and has built an incredible legacy of supporting the long-term vitality of American theatre through the mentorship and fostering of the best forthcoming talent in the field.
Geffen Playhouse has announced the cast for its West Coast premiere of THESE PAPER BULLETS! A Modish Ripoff of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, opening the not-for-profit organization's 20th anniversary season in the Gil Cates Theater. Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award nominated writer Rolin Jones (Friday Night Lights, Boardwalk Empire) with songs by Grammy Award winner Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and staged by Jackson Gay, THESE PAPER BULLETS! was commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre where it premiered in 2014.
Woodshed Collective, leaders of audience immersive, site specific performance and creators of Twelve Ophelias ('A deconstructed masterstroke' - New York Press) The Tenant ('A great theatrical tapestry of vintage grit...a triumph of simultaneity and atmosphere' - Village Voice) , and The Confidence Man ('A breathtaking stunt! 5 STARS!' - Adam Feldman, TimeOutNY), present Empire Travel Agency, a unique theatrical experience that allows four audience members at a time to participate in the performance, taking them on a surreal quest through lower Manhattan. Tickets are free and performances begin August 19th with trips running six nights a week through September 27th. The audience's immersive experience begins by booking their tickets on empiretravelagency.com, where they'll reserve a spot on the new trip the agency is offering - 'The Hidden City Excursion.' This exclusive experience will begin at a payphone in Lower Manhattan, at which point the audience will be whisked away into the night.
MOLLY POPE - brassy belter/whiskey guzzler/benevolent lunatic - will continue her acclaimed concert series on Friday, August 14, following her recent acclaimed Off Broadway performances in Found at the Atlantic Theater Company and Horseplay, or the Fickle Mistress at La MaMa ETC / Theatre Askew. With the new show Molly Pope Likes Your Status, she sheds all pretense of humility and shamelessly entreats you to adore her for an hour while she prances about making loud noises. Unable to deny that she defines her self-worth entirely via social media notifications, the 'viscerally thrilling alto' (Time Out New York) exploits her fragile ego and vocal chops for your entertainment. Expect the unexpected juxtapositions of song and substance alongside a healthy helping of her roots in The Great American Songbook. Over-sharing? Of course. Sing-a-long? Yes. Three encores? Why not. After debuting earlier this season, the show has been extended a month and will now be performed on Friday nights, August 14, September 11 and October 9, all 9:30 PM at The Duplex in New York. Molly Pope Likes Your Status will be recorded as a live album next season.
Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: An Evening with Laura Osnes; David Josefsberg at 54 Below; Chuck Wagner: Living the Dream; #tbtLIVE Throwback Thursday: The Concert; and Jekyll & Hyde Resurrection.
Atlantic Theater Company has announced complete casting for the first production of its 30th anniversary season, the New York revival of multiple Obie Award winner Caryl Churchill's landmark play Cloud Nine, directed by Obie Award winner James Macdonald.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, presents DEAR EVAN HANSEN. The original musical, featuring a score by Tony Award nominees Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Broadway's A Christmas Story, The Musical; Dogfight), a book by Steven Levenson (Masters of Sex) and directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Broadway's Rent, Next to Normal, If/Then), is a contemporary, intimate story of hope, heartache and the things in life we all need-friends, family and a place to call home. With choreography by Danny Mefford and music supervision, orchestrations and dance arrangements by Tony Award winner Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen runs now through August 23, 2015, opening tonight, July 30, in the Kreeger Theater.
Creative writing students ages 12 to 16 from Long Island¹s Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the acclaimed summer arts day camp whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, Jane Monheit, Taylor Dayne, Jackie Hoffman and Broadway playwright Michele Lowe, have joined for the third season with students of the same age from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Summer Youth Program in a unique two-week joint workshop through July 31.
The Attic Theater Company presents John Patrick Shanley's (pictured, left) the dreamer examines his pillow, directed by Laura Braza. The first official revival of the play since its premiere in 1986, the dreamer examines his pillow will play a strictly-limited Off-Broadway engagement at The Flea Theater (41 White Street, Tribeca) Saturday, July 25th through Saturday, August 15th. The Opening Night is tonight, July 30th at 7 PM.
Creative writing students ages 12 to 16 from Long Island¹s Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the acclaimed summer arts day camp whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, Jane Monheit, Taylor Dayne, Jackie Hoffman and Broadway playwright Michele Lowe, have joined for the third season with students of the same age from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Summer Youth Program in a unique two-week joint workshop through July 31.
