Atlantic Theatre Company News

Thursday and Friday nights just got a whole lot more fun for Chicago families, now that Chicago Children's Theatre has moved in to its first-ever permanent home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago.

Stark Naked Theatre Company opens its 2nd season with the Houston premiere of Body Awareness, a relevant and thought-provoking comedy written by two-time Obie Award-winning author Annie Baker and directed by acclaimed Houston actor/director Philip Lehl. Nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play/Emerging Playwright), Body Awareness explores the question of who is the toughest critic of a woman's appearance: men, society, or women, themselves?

Just yesterday, Atlantic Theater Company held the grand reopening of its main stage Linda Gross Theater following a historic $8.3 million renovation of the landmark theater housed in a nineteenth century church in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. A dedication ceremony hosted by Atlantic founding members Emmy and Golden Globe Award® winner Felicity Huffman and Academy Award® nominee William H. Macy officially christened the newly renovated theater, featuring a gala cocktail hour attended by Atlantic company members, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and government officials and a special musical tribute. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities, and we bring you complete coverage below!

Sunday, September 23rd marked the 60th anniversary of Richard Nixon's political game-changing 'Checkers speech,' and today, September 24th at 10 a.m. tickets go on sale for the Vineyard Theatre's world-premiere production of CHECKERS, a play by Douglas McGrath about Nixon, his wife Pat and that historic speech. CHECKERS is directed by Terry Kinney. Preview performances begin at The Vineyard (108 E. 15 St.) on October 12; October 31 is opening night. Tickets can be purchased by calling The Vineyard box office at 212 353 0303 or online at

Dallas Theater Center continues its exciting and conversation-provoking 2012-2013 season with the regional premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. This unique experience will transport audience members into the thrilling and aggressive world of professional wrestling, complete with a wrestling ring, while weaving a story of power and class in America. The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity runs at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre Friday, October 19 - Sunday, November 11.

Sunday, September 23rd marks the 60th anniversary of Richard Nixon's political game-changing 'Checkers speech,' and on Monday, September 24th at 10 a.m. tickets go on sale for the Vineyard Theatre's world-premiere production of CHECKERS, a play by Douglas McGrath about Nixon, his wife Pat and that historic speech. CHECKERS is directed by Terry Kinney. Preview performances begin at The Vineyard (108 E. 15 St.) on October 12; October 31 is opening night. Tickets can be purchased by calling The Vineyard box office at 212 353 0303 or online at www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Through the Yellow Hour, a play written and directed by Adam Rapp (Pulitzer Prize finalist for Red Light Winter). The first production of the company's 18th season, Through the Yellow Hour will begin performances tonight, September 13, 2012 at Rattlestick Theater (224 Waverly Place-off Seventh Avenue South, between Perry and West 11th Streets). The cast includes Hani Furstenberg, Brian Mendes, Matt Pilieci, Danielle Slavick, Alok Tewari, Joanne Tucker, and Vladimir Versailles.

Vineyard Theatre will open its 30th Anniversary season with the world premiere production of Douglas McGrath's play CHECKERS. Preview performances begin on October 12th, and opening night is set for October 28th. The production will be directed by Terry Kinney, it has been announced by The Vineyard's Artistic Director Douglas Aibel and Co-Artistic Director Sarah Stern.

Theater J opens its 2012-2013 season with a solid effort thanks to a very good play and extraordinary cast.

Opening September 5 for just four short weeks, Joyce DeWitt, co-star of the ABC hit comedy, "Three's Company," will star in Sam Bobrick's romantic comedy, Remember Me. From 1977 through 1984 - for more than 170 episodes -- miss DeWitt is most widely known to audiences for her role as 'Janet Wood', but she is no stranger to live theater, working both as actress and director in a stage career that spans over forty years. She recently starred in A Scattered, Smothered and Covered Christmas Musical and the Canadian productions of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner With Friends and Alfred Uhry's Tony Award-winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Other recent stage performances include the North American premiere of the Australian comedy Daylight Savings, the British farce Noises Off, the revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, and the Broadway musical Olympus on My Mind, for which she completed the cast recording - her first record album.

Roundabout Theatre Company announced the full cast this July for the new Broadway production of Rupert Holmes' Tony Award-winning musical comedy The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The show is set to open on November 13, 2012 and will star Stephanie J. Block as Edwin Drood. Meet the whole cast in the video and bios below!

Kathryn Erbe ('Law & Order: Criminal Intent') will reprise her role as Alexandra Eames on the upcoming season of 'Law & Order: SVU.'

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Through the Yellow Hour, a play written and directed by Adam Rapp (Pulitzer Prize finalist for Red Light Winter). The first production of the company's 18th season, Through the Yellow Hour will begin performances on Thursday, September 13, 2012 at Rattlestick Theater (224 Waverly Place-off Seventh Avenue South, between Perry and West 11th Streets). The cast includes Hani Furstenberg, Brian Mendes, Matt Pilieci, Danielle Slavick, Alok Tewari, Joanne Tucker, and Vladimir Versailles.

Due to popular demand Vassar & New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater is adding an additional workshop performance tonight, July 29 at 7:30pm of the new indie rock musical Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan & Juliana Nash, directed by Trip Cullman. The cast features Tony nominees Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange; Shrek: The Musical) and Will Swenson (Hair; Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as well as Dee Roscioli (Wicked) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot; Passing Strange).

Due to popular demand Vassar & New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater is adding an additional workshop performance on Sunday, July 29 at 7:30pm of the new indie rock musical Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan & Juliana Nash, directed by Trip Cullman. The cast features Tony nominees Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange; Shrek: The Musical) and Will Swenson (Hair; Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as well as Dee Roscioli (Wicked) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot; Passing Strange).

Denise Burse (Peace Love and Understanding, Brother to Brother, "House of Payne"), Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!, The American Plan, Once On This Island), Lynda Gravatt (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Doubt), Nikiya Mathis (Milk Like Sugar), Dennis Parlato (Salome, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Chess), Saycon Sengbloh (Fela!, Hair), and Tracie Thoms (Rent, Stick Fly) join Vassar & New York Stage and Film's 28th Powerhouse Theater season in the workshop of award-winning playwright Marcus Gardley's The House That Will Not Stand, directed by Marion McClinton (July 20-22). Check out photos of the cast in rehearsal below!

Vassar & New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater previously announced casting updates for the season, including Ilana Levine (Jake's Women, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Last Night of Ballyhoo), who joins Dominic Fumusa, Greg Kinnear, and Jennifer Westfeldt in the cast of the second Mainstage production of The Power of Duff by Stephen Belber, directed by Peter DuBois (7/18-29).

Vassar & New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater announces casting updates for the season, including Griffin Dunne (After Hours, An American Werewolf in London) and Samantha Mathis (33 Variations, Pump Up the Volume) who join the cast of Fires Are Confusing by Eva Anderson, Will Berson, and Zach Helm, created by Teatro de Facto. Ilana Levine (Jake's Women, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Last Night of Ballyhoo) joins Dominic Fumusa, Greg Kinnear, and Jennifer Westfeldt in the cast of the second Mainstage production of The Power of Duff by Stephen Belber, directed by Peter DuBois (7/18-29).

Vassar & New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater announces casting updates for the season, including Griffin Dunne (After Hours, An American Werewolf in London) and Samantha Mathis (33 Variations, Pump Up the Volume) who join the cast of Fires Are Confusing by Eva Anderson, Will Berson, and Zach Helm, created by Teatro de Facto. Ilana Levine (Jake's Women, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Last Night of Ballyhoo) joins Dominic Fumusa, Greg Kinnear, and Jennifer Westfeldt in the cast of the second Mainstage production of The Power of Duff by Stephen Belber, directed by Peter DuBois (7/18-29).

Since 2006 The Tony Randall Theatrical Fund has distributed over $1Million to more than 50 companies. This year the Fund has announced that it will award general operating support grants to nine exceptional theater companies with a proven track record of artistic excellence and ambitious, mission-driven theater-making. Special consideration this year was given to companies committed to the development of new audiences and the production of relevant work with a social conscience.