Branden Jacobs-Jenkins News

Reimagining Shakespeare's rabidly ambitious king with a confrontational interpretation, Thomas Ostermeier returns to BAM with Richard III, running October 11-14 at BAM's Harvey Theater.

Theatre for a New Audience has announced the retirement of Henry Christensen III as Chairman of the Theatre's Board, a position he has held since 2012, due to health reasons. Theodore C. Rogers and Robert Buckholz will succeed Mr. Christensen as TFANA's Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively. Mr. Christensen will continue as a member of the Board of Directors.

The Area Stage Company invites us to take a glimpse into that era of racist complacency - and laugh at it.

Cherry Lane Theatre's Founding Artistic Director Angelina Fiordellisi will step down as Artistic Director of Cherry Lane, where she has been developing, producing and creating new programs for playwrights, and has been a driving force since she acquired the legendary Off-Broadway theatre 21 years ago.

After a smash run last fall, Playwrights Horizons will present MILES FOR MARY, a new play by The Mad Ones. Directed by Lila Neugebauer, MILES FOR MARY received critical acclaim during its fall 2016 run at The Bushwick Starr.

Melbourne Theatre Company Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO today revealed MTC's 2018 Season and what promises to be another brilliant year at Victoria's state theatre company.

Asolo Rep's highly anticipated 2017-18 season 'Staging Our World' kicks off in November with Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning musical masterpiece EVITA.

Eleven diverse independent artists have been selected to receive support from the 2017 Sundance Institute | Time Warner Foundation Fellowship. These Fellowships and accompanying grants are part of the non-profit Institute's year-round efforts to discover and support independent artists from diverse backgrounds in getting their work made and seen by a wide audience.

Pushing the limits of the Shaw Festival's mission, an edgy slave story from a different era is being presented in The Royal George Theatre. By the looks of it, Shaw's usual audiences are in for an eye opener. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (aka BJJ) has taken us on his own personal journey of frustrated playwright who takes the advice of his psychologist and writes a play as an homage to an obscure playwright Dion Boucicault. Boucicault's 1859 played entitled 'The Octoroon' has been transformed by BJJ into 'An Octoroon.' In doing so, BJJ creates a prologue of his own invention describing his personal journey in producing the original work, where no white actors would take on a the roles of evil white plantation and slave owners. 'The Octoroon' tells the story of a plantation that is on the brink of being sold, the original owner's sexual relations with a slave that produces an octoroon ( one who possesses 1/8 Negro blood), the threat of new found love, misogyny and the overall treatment of slaves.

"Appropriate," the 2014 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, will be staged at Westport Country Playhouse, from August 15 through September 2. The story of family secrets is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, 2016 MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient, and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce that the world premiere production of HARRY CLARKE by Obie Award winner David Cale (LILLIAN) and directed by Leigh Silverman (VIOLET) will be the first production of the 2017-2018 Season.

'Appropriate,' the 2014 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, is being staged at Westport Country Playhouse, now through September 2. The story of family secrets is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, 2016 MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient, and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Artists Repertory Theatre launches its 2017/18 season with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' provocative An Octoroon. An incendiary satire, this bold start to their 35th theatre season is co-directed by Lava Alapai and Artistic Director Damaso Rodriguez.

"Appropriate," the 2014 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, will be staged at Westport Country Playhouse, from August 15 through September 2. The story of family secrets is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, 2016 MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient, and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director.

APPROPRIATE by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is an intriguing, intimate family drama that asks the right questions. Princeton Summer Theater's ensemble delivers.

Eboni Booth, Will Connolly, William Jackson Harper, Ben Horner, Cristin Milioti, David Pegram, and Teresa Yenque will comprise the cast of the LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater production of AFTER THE BLAST, a new play by Zoe Kazan, to be directed by Lila Neugebauer. 

Capital Stage will launch its 2017-18 Season: Future Tense with the Obie Award Winner and Sacramento Premiere of An Octoroon by Branden Jacob-Jenkins. This poignant adaptation of a 19th century anti-slavery melodrama will be directed by star of stage and screen, and UCLA's professor of Theatre, Film and Television, Judith Moreland. An Octoroon will be the first production of Capital Stage's 13th Season, and will run from August 30 - October 1, 2017 with a Press Opening on Saturday, September 2, 2017 at 8pm.

ArtsWest has announced three young, celebrated Seattle directors who will bring their talent and vision to the 2017-2018 I AM Season - Samip Raval will direct Ayad Akhtar's THE WHO & THE WHAT, Sara Porkalob will direct Jiehae Park's PEERLESS, and Brandon J. Simmons will direct Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' AN OCTOROON.

Daphne A. Brooks, professor of African American Studies, Theater Studies, American Studies, and Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Yale University, will be guest speaker at Westport Country Playhouse's Sunday Symposium following the Sunday, August 20, 3 p.m. matinee performance of "Appropriate," an Obie Award-winning play about family secrets by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The Playhouse Sunday Symposium program is free and open to the public.

On the heels of winning its second Ross Wetzsteon Award for Sustained Excellence at the 2017 OBIE Awards, Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director) have just announced its 2017-18 season.