Charles Dickens News

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has announced its 2013-2014 20th Anniversary Season schedule. All productions will feature Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's Resident Company of Artists. CSC's 20th season of bringing the classics to life in Cincinnati is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. This season, CSC is proud to become one of only five theaters in the United States to 'Complete the Canon' by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. 20th Anniversary Season Subscription packages went on sale February 1, 2013 and experienced a record breaking first day of sales. Single tickets are now on sale and seats are filling up fast!

The Guthrie Theater today announced complete casting for its world premiere of the bittersweet romance The Primrose Path by Crispin Whittell based upon the novel Home of the Gentry by Ivan Turgenev. The production will be directed by Roger Rees and will feature actors Kyle Fabel (Broadway: The Farnsworth Invention; Off-Broadway: A Free Man of Color) as Theodore Lavretsky, Suzy Kohane (Acadia Repertory Theatre; University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program) as Liza and Sally Wingert (Broadway/West End, London: La Bete; Guthrie: Other Desert Cities, Appomattox) as Maria.

The Guthrie Theater today announced complete casting for its world premiere of the bittersweet romance The Primrose Path by Crispin Whittell based upon the novel Home of the Gentry by Ivan Turgenev. The production will be directed by Roger Rees and will feature actors Kyle Fabel (Broadway: The Farnsworth Invention; Off-Broadway: A Free Man of Color) as Theodore Lavretsky, Suzy Kohane (Acadia Repertory Theatre; University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program) as Liza and Sally Wingert (Broadway/West End, London: La Bete; Guthrie: Other Desert Cities, Appomattox) as Maria.

Stars Stephanie J. Block, Betsy Wolfe and Jessie Mueller are set to perform from the album at the Upper East Side Barnes & Noble (86th & Lexington Ave.) on March 8 at 4:30pm; they'll be joined by Will Chase, Jim Norton, Gregg Edelman and Chita Rivera for a CD signing following the performances.

According to the Daily Mail, Cameron Mackintosh wants to adapt Lionel Bart's OLIVER! for the big screen, following the success of Tom Hooper's LES MISERABLES film adaptation, which has officially surpassed the $400 million mark in worldwide sales, making it the second highest-grossing movie musical of all time. Rumors are that Mackintosh is eyeing Stephen Daldry as director for OLIVER! No solid timeline for production or casting has been revealed.

The Goodman Theatre just announced its 2013/2014 season. For tickets or more information, visit: http://www.goodmantheatre.org/upcoming-season/?id=&epslanguage=en

Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault announced the Theatre's 2013-2014 season will open with a new production of The Laramie Project, 15 years after the killing of Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard. The play is presented as the cornerstone production for the Ford's Theatre Society's Lincoln Legacy Project, a multi-year effort dedicated to sparking dialogue in the nation's capital around issues of social injustice and the ideals of equality for which Abraham Lincoln stood. A series of free special programs and events will be offered in connection with the play in September/October 2013.

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's 17th season begins with the work of one of the most beloved of all English authors and ends with one of the most horrific of all events, with a classic British mystery in the middle.

Winning a Guthrie Theatre commission, and chosen for development by The Katselas Theatre Company's INKubator program, the West Coast Premiere of SEXSTING is the inaugural production for KTC's 2013 season. Opening at the popular Skylight Theatre Complex tonight, February 23rd, the stellar cast includes Gregory Itzin (Tony, Drama Desk, and Emmy Award nominee), JD Cullum (Stones in His Pockets-Mark Taper Forum, Of Equal Measure-Kirk Douglas Theater), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Geffen Playhouse).

Naked Girls Reading presents tales of the Big Apple at Naked Girls Reading NEW YORK STORIES: the 'hit nude literary salon celebrates The Capital Of The World with stories of the streets, legends of the Empire City, and the poetry, prose and history of downtown, uptown, and everything in between.'

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Carey Perloff announced today four of the seven shows that will comprise the lineup of the company's 47th subscription season, including 'a brilliant and visionary high-spirited musical, a seductive and sexy cat-and-mouse comedy, a newly adapted Chinese classic starring stage and screen star BD Wong, and a masterwork from acclaimed playwright George Bernard Shaw.'

Tony Award-winning Trinity Repertory Company, under the leadership of The Richard L. Bready Artistic Director Curt Columbus and Executive Director Michael Gennaro, has announced its 50th Anniversary season line-up of plays. Trinity Rep's 2013-2014 season starts in September with John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, the definitive American tale of the strength of family and the human spirit in the aftermath of the Great Depression. In November, the New England premiere of Christopher Durang's hilarious new hit comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will hit the Dowling stage, fresh off its wildly successful New York run.

On February 9, Newnan Theatre Company presented its 2013 Gala, NTC's celebration of its 2013/2014 season opening. Season ticket holders and guests were treated to drinks, hors d'oeuvres and desserts. They participated in a silent auction of an intriguing array of items, profits to benefit the theatre, and they were given an opportunity to renew or purchase season memberships at discount prices.

'I'm delighted to bring the hit comedy play Good God A'Mighty! to Atlanta for a special two-week engagement,' states playwright Lolita Snipes. 'It's my Valentine's gift to the city. Starring Tony Award winning actress and legendary singer Melba Moore, this electrifying comedy will give audiences a behind-the-scenes look inside an African-American church in the midst of change. Featured in the cast of memorable characters are nationally known comedians Just June and Dante Carter. Make plans to bring your family and friends to join us at the intimate 14th Street Playhouse from, February 14-24.'

Celebrated for its commitment to encouraging parents (and grandparents) to read to their kids, the Walnut Street Theatre for Kids 2013-2014 Season will feature four great musicals based on popular children's books, along with a family-favorite holiday classic. Children first read great books, then watch as the stories come to life on stage. These hour-long musicals deliver real-life lessons in a welcoming, kid-friendly environment that's both creative and affordable. They're written especially for kids in grades K-6th and their grown-up friends. The Walnut takes pride in bringing together families through reading and the arts.

Beginning February 12, Andrew Samonsky will join the company and assume the role of 'Neville Landless'. Original cast member Andy Karl will play his final performance on February 10.

A new stage adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations opened at the West End's Vaudeville Theatre on 6 February 2013. Reprising their roles from the play's recent, successful UK tour, Jack Ellis stars as Jaggers, Chris Ellison as Magwitch and Paula Wilcox as Miss Havisham. The cast of 14 also includes Paul Nivison as Adult Pip, Grace Rowe as Estella and Taylor Jay-Davies as Young Pip.

Happy Birthday Charles Dickens! An English novelist, Dickens is generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic novels and characters. Many of his writings were originally published serially, in monthly instalments, a format of publication which Dickens himself helped popularise. Many of hisworks have been turned into Broadway shows, including: Oliver!, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Christmas Carol, a Tale of Two Cities, and more.

To celebrate the launch of The Dickens Legacy at the Gala Evening at London's Vaudeville Theatre, GREAT EXPECTATIONS will be screened live via satellite to more than 150 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, with a global cinema release including mainland Europe, Canada, USA, Asia and Australia.