Austin Pendleton News

In addition to the previously announced new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical PASSION with Judy Kuhn and Melissa Errico, directed by John Doyle, CSC's 2012/2013 Season will feature Anton Chekhov's IVANOV, with Ethan Hawke, directed Austin Pendleton, and Bertolt Brecht's THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE, featuring a new score by acclaimed singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik and directed by Brian Kulick.

Mississippi Mud Productions will present four performances of Marcy Lafferty's VIVIEN LEIGH: THE LAST PRESS CONFERENCE, in New York, NY, July 6 - 9, 2012 at the Alexander Technique Center For Performance And Development, 330 West 38th Street, Suite 805.

Starring Lenny Ciotti, Eric Doss, Amy Frances Quint, Erick Gonzalez and Jonathan Reed, Frog and Peach Theatre's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' will play from April 26 to May 20, 2012 at the West End Theater, 263 West 86th St. Check out the production photographs below.

Lisa D'Amour's play Detroit premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2010, directed by Austin Pendleton, and was scheduled to open on Broadway in the 2011/12 season.

HERO Theatre presents a benefit staged reading of William Shakespeare's KING LEAR tonight, May 21st at 7:30PM to be held at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/Laura Pels Theatre, 111 West 46th Street. Academy Award-winner Olympia Dukakis will play the title role and director Austin Pendleton will direct a cast featuring special guest artists performing alongside HERO Theatre company members.

Milan Stitt's drama THE RUNNER STUMBLES, presented by Retro Productions and The Bleecker Company, in association with The Arclight Theatre at The Arclight Theatre (152 West 71st Street) concludes its limited Off-Broadway run today, May 20. Peter Zinn, who helmed Retro Productions' revivals Michael Frayn's BENEFACTORS and Sally Nemeth's HOLY DAYS, directs.

Actor, playwright and director AUSTIN PENDLETON will be the recipient of the 2012 ACTIVE ARTS AWARD, it was announced today by Nathaniel Shaw, Artistic Director of The Active Theater. A ceremony will take place on Monday, June 4th at the Active Theater's Spring Gala at the Whaler Lounge at the Madison Towers Hotel (22 East 38th Street).

According to an Equity Audition notice, the Steppenwolf's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf will begin previews on Broadway on September 27, 2012 in anticipation of its previously announced October 13, 2012 opening at a Shubert Theatre to be announced. Pam Mackinnon will continue to helm the project. Jerry Frankel, Jeffrey Richards Susan Q. Gallin and Mary Lu Roffe will produce.

Milan Stitt's drama THE RUNNER STUMBLES, presented by Retro Productions and The Bleecker Company, in association with The Arclight Theatre at The Arclight Theatre (152 West 71st Street) concludes its limited Off-Broadway run on Sunday, May 20. Peter Zinn, who helmed Retro Productions' revivals Michael Frayn's BENEFACTORS and Sally Nemeth's HOLY DAYS, directs.

For its seventh season Boston Midsummer Opera (BMO) presents the comic piece, Donizetti's Don Pasquale, playing at the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University for three performances only, July 25, 27, and 29. Obie Award winner/Tony Award nominee Austin Pendleton directs the fully staged and costumed production. Music director and nationally acclaimed conductor Susan Davenny Wyner leads the performances, which will be performed with orchestra and sung in English. Metropolitan Opera bass Ricardo Lugo will sing the role of Don Pasquale.

HERO Theatre has just announced that William H. Macy, star of Showtime's Shameless and Academy Award-nominated for Fargo, will star in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings", directed by John Levey. The presentation will take place in Los Angeles, Summer 2012. This will mark HERO Theatre's west coast premiere.

The York Shakespeare Company is pleased to present Sam Shepard's TRUE WEST, directed by Seth Duerr. True West will play a three-week limited engagement at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor). Performances begin Friday, June 8 and continue through Saturday, June 23. Opening Night is Saturday, June 9 (8 p.m.). $18 tickets are available at www.smarttix.com.

HERO Theatre announced today that the cast of the "King Lear" benefit staged reading starring Olympia Dukakis and directed by Austin Pendleton will include Louis Cancelmi (Sarah Kane's "Blasted" at Soho Rep), Lynn Cohen ("Sex and the City," Tina Howe's "Chasing Manet'), Dashiell Eaves ("Becky Shaw", "A Behanding In Spokane"), Paul Lazar (Classic Stage Company's "Three Sisters", "Silence of the Lambs") and George Morfogen ("Freud's Last Session", CSC's "Three Sisters", and HBO's "OZ"). The cast also includes Elisa Bocanegra, Seth Duerr, Korey Jackson, Albert Jones, Thomas Kopache, James Martinez, Desiree Matthews, Anya Migdal, Liam Mitchell and Bobby Plasencia.

Retro Productions and The Bleecker Company, in association with The Arclight Theatre, present Milan Stitt's drama THE RUNNER STUMBLES, with an Off-Broadway run opening tonight, May 3 at The Arclight Theatre (152 West 71st Street). Peter Zinn, who helmed Retro Productions' revivals Michael Frayn's BENEFACTORS and Sally Nemeth's HOLY DAYS, directs.

On the Square Productions presents Steven Bost's original piece THE MINERVAE this July in Athens Square Park in Astoria. This new production is part of OtSP's Astoria Free Theatre Project and will be presented to the public for free at all performances. The production will be directed by Stephen Kaliski. Creative team and cast will be announced in the coming weeks.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) kicks off the 10th anniversary of its Uptown Series with the world premiere of The Bad Guys, written by Alena Smith and directed by Hal Brooks. The Bad Guys will feature Michael Braun (War Horse), Roe Hartrampf (Unnatural Acts), James McMenamin (Suicide, Incorporated), Tobias Segal (The Miracle Worker) and Raviv Ullman (Russian Transport). Previews begin on May 22nd and opening night is Monday, June 4th.