Brien Lang News

In CHURCH, 'the best playwright of her generation' (The New York Times) Young Jean Lee transforms her life-long struggle with Christianity into an exuberant church service. This church of celebration is designed to test the expectations of religious and non-religious alike. Never content with simple parody, Lee aims to give herself and her audiences a true religious experience.

The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly announces the Rhode Island premiere of Church by acclaimed playwright Young Jean Lee (2016/17's Straight White Men at The Wilbury Group) as she transforms her life-long struggle with Christianity into an exuberant church service, complete with a gospel choir. Directed by Brien Lang, Church will test the expectations of religious and non-religious alike looking deep into why we believe what we believe as an uplifting, joyous and inspirational event that may be Lee's most miraculous or devious experiment to date.

MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn, directed by Brien Lang, is currently playing at The Wilbury Theatre Group. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Wilbury Group proudly announces the Spring production of Anne Washburn's 2014 off-Broadway hit Mr Burns, a post-electric play directed by Brien Lang in performances March 16-April 1, 2017. 

Ill Seen Ill Said is a late work from Samuel Beckett that paints a haunting picture of an old woman alone in a cabin, who watches the evening and the morning star and ventures out chiefly to visit a grave. In prose of great poetic beauty, which the author translated from his original French text Mal vu mal dit in 1982, Beckett returns to the imagery of the Old and New Testaments to speculate on the great questions of human existence. 

The Wilbury Group's New Works development program, Studio W, proudly announces a staged-adaptation of Samuel Beckett's classic novella, Ill Seen Ill Said, adapted and directed by Erik Ehn with exclusive permission from the Samuel Beckett Estate. 

Not only do we have two acclaimed productions running in rotating rep now thru December 23 (Straight White Men and Di and Viv and Rose), we've got a slew of special events coming up this month to tell you about! 

There is certainly something worthwhile about theater that pushes boundaries, tries new things, experiments and offers unique way to tell a story. The art form, in general, benefit from that kind of work. It benefits from work that expands the minds of an audience and tells them a story in a way that challenges them. On the other hand, Wilbury Group's second show of the year, 10,000 Things by Erik Ehn, proves how this kind of theater can instead leave an audience bored, confused or both. 

The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly announces the world premiere of ?10,000 Things, a new work by acclaimed playwright Erik Ehn, October 20-30 2016.

The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly announces the world premiere of ?10,000 Things, a new work by acclaimed playwright Erik Ehn, October 20-30 2016.

The struggle to find something real, something true or something meaningful, in life is certainly something everyone can relate to. All of us, or most of us, at least, spend some or maybe even all of our lives searching for just that. True love. Meaningful work. Artistic expression that has a real impact. Our true selves. Searching for these things is at the heart of our lives and our life's work. And it's at the heart of the excellent musical Passing Strange, now receiving it's Rhode Island premiere at The Wilbury Group.

The Wilbury Theatre Group continues its 2015/16 season with the Rhode Island premiere of the acclaimed rock musical, Passing Strange, November 19-December 5, 2015.

The Wilbury Theatre Group will hold auditions for its 2015-16 season on Saturday, May 30 from 10:00am-5:00pm, and on Sunday May 31 from 12:00pm-5:00pm. Audition slots are limited and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Auditions will be held at the The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI.

The Wilbury Theatre Group's Founding Artistic Director Josh Short has announced the Group's 2015-16 season, including a new drama from one of New York's most promising young playwrights, the world premiere of a new play by Wilbury playwright-in-residence Ben Jolivet, two of the most acclaimed off-Broadway musicals of the last few years, an irreverent new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, and the New England premiere of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem.

The Wilbury Theatre Group's Founding Artistic Director Josh Short has announced the Group's 2015-16 season, including a new drama from one of New York's most promising young playwrights, the world premiere of a new play by Wilbury playwright-in-residence Ben Jolivet, two of the most acclaimed off-Broadway musicals of the last few years, an irreverent new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, and the New England premiere of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem.

For theater aritsts and theater lovers, few things compare to watching the genesis of a new piece of theater. The creation and development of a new work, from initial staged readings and workshops to final performance, is a thrilling process. Of course, there are many steps along the way and not all of them are successful. Not every aspect of the play found in the first version of the script will make it to the final version. Not every beloved moment or great-idea-at-the-time will end up making the grade when all is said and done. Still, it's a process that is vital to the present and future of theater. Vital because new blood and new life must be created and injected into the theatrical world and it's up to theater artists everywhere to make sure that happens. In our region, one of the companies doing just that is The Wilbury Group, currently presenting the second iteration of a new work, Roadhouse: The Musical.

Celebrities, famous folks and iconic figures are often enigmatic, especially those who lived in bygone days, long before the internet and social media. To most of us, they are a mystery. From their exalted and distant perches far above the ordinary, average citizen, they alter and impact our lives. At the same time, they remain shrouded in secrecy, their true lives unknown or unrevealed. This can be said of the famous figure at the center of Wilbury Group's second play fo the season, A Public Readng of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney. You may think you know something about the man behind the mouse, as he's sometimes referred. On the other hand, this play sets out to offer a different view, one that's decidedly darker.

The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly announces the New England premiere of A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney by one of America's fastest rising young playwrights, Lucas Hnath. Longtime Wilbury Group collaborator Brien Lang (We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!) directs Vince Petronio (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity) in this fascinating examination into the last days of one of the greatest icons America has even known as his success was peaking, and his personal life floundering. A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney runs November 6-21 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI.

The Wilbury Theatre Group opens Season 5 with the New England premiere of This Beautiful City, written by Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. Wilbury Group Founding Artistic Director Josh Short directs with music direction by the team of Brien Lang and Milly Romanzi, this fascinating a new documentary-style play with music that details the explosion of America's evangelical Christian movement. This Beautiful City runs tonight, September 18 through October 12 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI.

The Wilbury Theatre Group opens Season 5 with the New England premiere of This Beautiful City, written by Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. Wilbury Group Founding Artistic Director Josh Short directs with music direction by the team of Brien Lang and Milly Romanzi, this fascinating a new documentary-style play with music that details the explosion of America's evangelical Christian movement. This Beautiful City runs September 18 through October 12 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI.