August Wilson News

A decade of ambition: Pittsburgh Playwrights completes the Cycle. Many arts organizations struggle in their first few years; and they survive those first lean years through sheer determination. So for a steelworker with no formal theater training to have the audacity to start a theater troupe that has reached a ten-year milestone is reason for pause.

Signature Theatre (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) will present an evening of cocktails and a special one-night-only concert starring one of Broadway's living legends, Betty Buckley, on Monday, September 30 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 W. 42nd Street) to support the Legacy Program in honor of Horton Foote.

Continuing it's theme of tackling meaty classic African American plays rarely staged by independent African American theatre companies, GoKash Productions is pleased to present the powerful, stunning drama FENCES by August Wilson. It is a work that won Mr. Wilson numerous critical acclaim including the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize.

Actor Khalil Kain, who is known for edgy character roles on film and for the TV series 'Girlfriends,' will make his stage directing debut with Sam Shepard's 'Buried Child,' to be presented by Aaron Davis Hall as an Equity LORT/LOA production from July 11 to August 3. The production uses a multi-racial cast to reinterpret the underlying symbols of Shepard's landmark play, in which the misfortunes of a Midwestern farming family reveal both the demise and endurance of the American Dream.

Second Stage Theatre's (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) upcoming 35th Anniversary Season will kick off with the previously announced new musical LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, by James Lapine and William Finn, and will continue with the New York premiere of Quiara Alegria Hudes' THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, the follow-up to last season's acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning, Water by the Spoonful, and the final play in Ms. Hudes' Elliot trilogy, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The season will also include the New York Premiere of Laura Eason's provocative play,SEX WITH STRANGERS, directed by David Schwimmer.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) (Producing Artistic Director, Ty Jones), presents the Shakespeare classic A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Artistic Associate Justin Emeka this summer in Harlem's Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. Performances of the free play, which runs July 13-30 (on Tuesdays through Sunday) at 7:30 pm, are made possible by the Ford Foundation.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced the date and time for its July Gallery Crawl today. On Friday, July 12, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., the crawl will showcase a wide variety of thought provoking art exhibitions in downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Live bands, DJs, dance, comedy, and participatory activities are also part of the complimentary happenings during the crawl.

The Pasadena Playhouse announced today that it would present the One Pearl and a Sphinx production of LETTERS FROM ZORA which will play a five performance, limited engagement starring Vanessa Bell Calloway. LETTERS FROM ZORA, written by Gabrielle Pina, directed by Anita Dashielle-Sparks with live music composed by Ron McCurdy is scheduled to play from August 15 - 18, 2013, with a press opening night on August 15 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are now on sale for all performances.

BroadwayWorld.com's SHOW BIZ: Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 6/21/2013.

Premiere Stages will open its ninth season as the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University with a free staged reading of Darren Canady's powerful new play Ontario Was Here. Selected from over 400 submissions, Ontario Was Here is the first of two scripts scheduled for expanded development as part of the 2013 Premiere Stages Play Festival. The Festival is an annual competition for unproduced scripts by playwrights with ties to the greater metropolitan area (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut), and perfectly embodies the theatre's passionate and longstanding commitment to supporting emerging artists through the development and production of new plays.

Prescott Joseph Center For Community Enhancement is proud to announce the 12th season of theater in its Sister Thea Bowman Memorial Theater. Season 12. TALES OF IRON AND WATER, starring The Lower Bottom Playaz under the Director of Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PHD, opens with the fifth installment of August Wilson's CENTURY CYCLE, SEVEN GUITARS. You are invited to join the Sister Thea Bowman Memorial Theater and the Lower Bottom Playaz as they continue in their commitment to be the first theater and troupe to ever stage all ten plays in August Wilson's CENTURY CYCLE consecutively.

Closing out its 25th Anniversary Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of Big Lake Big City, written by Keith Huff and directed by Ensemble Member David Schwimmer. Tickets are now on sale for the production, running tonight, June 19 - August 11, 2013 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.

Following an acclaimed run at the Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour, the Theatre Royal Bath production of August Wilson's Fences opens at London's Duchess Theatre for a 13 week run, today 19th June - Saturday 14th September.

Chris Rayis and Douglas Waterbury-Tieman present the second installment of THE MUSE CYCLE. Each entry in this new and inventive cabaret series explores the essence of a chosen theme through the lens of musical theatre. This month the topic is, 'Work'.

NiCori Studios and Productions in association with Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center has announced a new monthly concert series, 'Music at the Mansion', on Sunday, June 30, at 3pm. Performers include Ted Stafford and Lorinda Lisitza, Ami Brabson and Sidney Myer. The featured performer in the 'Young Musician Moment' will be Henry Garner.

How does a state contend with a barbarous ruler who is perceived to be appointed by God? King Richard II, portrayed by three-time OBIE Award winner Rocco Sisto, has designed the murder of his uncle, wasted public funds, and used the influence of his crown to misrule a nation. When Richard banishes Henry Bolingbroke (played by Tom O'Keefe, The Taster 2010), he unwittingly fashions an enemy who is intent on orchestrating the King's demise.

It is hard to connect the soft-spoken young actor with whom I am conversing to the soul-singing, hip-swinging rogue he is playing onstage at the Pickard Theatre. Indeed, the more we chat, the more Kelvin Roston, Jr., who plays James 'Thunder' Early in the Maine State Music Theatre hit production of Dreamgirls, seems to be full of surprises.

BroadwayWorld.com's Richie Ridge sat with all of the 2013 Tony Winners right after they came off stage from their big wins. The winners were filled with joy, memories and excitement and we've got it ALL! Here's Courtney B. Vance who won the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for LUCKY GUY.