Charles L. Mee News

Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Arts Program and Columbia Stages Present NEW VOICES NEW PLAY FESTIVAL, The final chapter of SPRING, a Series of Three Springtime Events Celebrating, Columbia's M.F.A. Playwriting Class of 2009.

The Colony Theatre Company presents the fifth and final production of its 2008 ? 2009 season, the Los Angeles premiere of the Off-Broadway, Smash-Hit Musical Thriller, No Way to Treat a Lady, book, music and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen, (based on the novel by William Goldman) and co-directed by West Hyler and Shelley Butler. No Way to Treat a Lady will preview on Wednesday, April 15; Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17 at 8:00pm and will open on Saturday, April 18 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, May 17 at The Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center.

The Kentucky Tourism Council (KTC) has chosen Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays as one of the Top 10 Spring Festivals and Events alongside other popular events like the Kentucky Derby Festival and Abbey Road on the River.

U.S. PREMIERE FOR 'BAGHDADI BATH' BY JAWAD AL-ASSADI, LEADING EXPATRIATE PLAYWRIGHT OF IRAQ In a Turkish bath in Baghdad, two brothers reveal the everyday horror of surviving in a war zone. Zishan Ugurlu directs. From March 12 to 15, La MaMa E.T.C., in association with Actors without Borders-ITONY, will present the U.S. premiere of 'Baghdadi Bath' by Jawad al-Assadi, Iraq's best-known playwright and recipient of the Prince Claus Award for his dedication to freedom of cultural expression.

Actors Theatre of Louisville is about to open its 33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays (March 1 - April 11) made possible by the Humana Foundation Inc. Past Humana Festival plays have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes or receive regional theatre productions across the country and off-Broadway. Actors Theatre has been a major force in revitalizing American playwriting for the past 30 years in its presentation of the renowned Humana Festival.

Actors Theatre of Louisville is about to open its 33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays (March 1 - April 11) made possible by the Humana Foundation Inc. Past Humana Festival plays have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes or receive regional theatre productions across the country and off-Broadway. Actors Theatre has been a major force in revitalizing American playwriting for the past 30 years in its presentation of the renowned Humana Festival.

U.S. PREMIERE FOR 'BAGHDADI BATH' BY JAWAD AL-ASSADI, LEADING EXPATRIATE PLAYWRIGHT OF IRAQ In a Turkish bath in Baghdad, two brothers reveal the everyday horror of surviving in a war zone. Zishan Ugurlu directs. From March 12 to 15, La MaMa E.T.C., in association with Actors without Borders-ITONY, will present the U.S. premiere of 'Baghdadi Bath' by Jawad al-Assadi, Iraq's best-known playwright and recipient of the Prince Claus Award for his dedication to freedom of cultural expression.

Artist Bob Rauschenberg presented new ways of looking at life, the world and the United States through groundbreaking collages - 'Combines' - that incorporated everyday objects and assorted images of people, places and things. Random at times, and deliberate at others, each collection of items told a host of stories within a single canvas

Artist Bob Rauschenberg presented new ways of looking at life, the world and the United States through groundbreaking collages - 'Combines' - that incorporated everyday objects and assorted images of people, places and things. Random at times, and deliberate at others, each collection of items told a host of stories within a single canvas

Columbia Stages presents Big Love, written by Charles L. Mee and directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh, running February 18th - 21st, 2009, at The Riverside Theatre, located in the historic Riverside Church at 91 Claremont Avenue between 120th and 122nd Streets.

Artist Bob Rauschenberg presented new ways of looking at life, the world and the United States through groundbreaking collages - 'Combines' - that incorporated everyday objects and assorted images of people, places and things. Random at times, and deliberate at others, each collection of items told a host of stories within a single canvas. Thanks to playwright Charles L. Mee, the artist's spirited, yet unconventional, vision was transplanted to a theater setting by New York's SITI Company in 'bobrauschenbergamerica' in 2001. Soon, Houstonians will have the opportunity to experience this unique stage production when it is presented by the University of Houston's School of Theatre & Dance.

Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Arts Program and Columbia Stages Present MASTERPIECES: Part Two of SPRING, a Series of Three Springtime Events Celebrating Columbia's M.F.A. Playwriting Class of 2009 Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Arts Program and Columbia Stages present MASTERPIECES, the second event in SPRING, a celebration in three parts of Columbia's M.F.A. Playwriting Class of 2009. In MASTERPIECES, each playwright presents a staged reading of a full-length play in various locations around New York City.

Plays written by notable Brooklyn playwrights-four of whom are still alive, well and living in Brooklyn-make up the roster of five works to be presented as part of the Sixth Annual Play Reading Salon Series from Brave New World Repertory Theatre. Based in Brooklyn, Brave New World is known for its bold, critically acclaimed productions of Fahrenheit 451, The Great White Hope and Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, based on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass (all for Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park bandshell); and To Kill a Mockingbird, staged on the front porches of a tree-lined Ditmas Park street.

Columbia Stages presents Big Love, written by Charles L. Mee and directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh, running February 18th - 21st, 2009, at The Riverside Theatre, located in the historic Riverside Church at 91 Claremont Avenue between 120th and 122nd Streets.

This year, 83 schools from region II of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival staged 210 productions. Of those 210, 68 were nominated to participate at the festival January 14 - 17 at The University of the Arts. Through a blind selection process, nine were selected for staging, and include everything from the classic Shakespeare comedy 'Love's Labour's Lost' to new student-written and directed productions. $10 general admission tickets can be purchased for 45 minutes before the show. For information and inquiries, call 215/717-6499 or email sotatickets@uarts.edu.

Plays written by notable Brooklyn playwrights-four of whom are still alive, well and living in Brooklyn-make up the roster of five works to be presented as part of the Sixth Annual Play Reading Salon Series from Brave New World Repertory Theatre. Based in Brooklyn, Brave New World is known for its bold, critically acclaimed productions of Fahrenheit 451, The Great White Hope and Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, based on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass (all for Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park bandshell); and To Kill a Mockingbird, staged on the front porches of a tree-lined Ditmas Park street.

This year, 83 schools from region II of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival staged 210 productions. Of those 210, 68 were nominated to participate at the festival January 14 - 17 at The University of the Arts. Through a blind selection process, nine were selected for staging, and include everything from the classic Shakespeare comedy 'Love's Labour's Lost' to new student-written and directed productions. $10 general admission tickets can be purchased for 45 minutes before the show. For information and inquiries, call 215/717-6499 or email sotatickets@uarts.edu.

Resonance Ensemble begins 2008-09 season with two plays inspired by Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: the World Premiere of Christopher Boal's 23 KNIVES and Bernard Shaw's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA beginning January 11, opening January 18, 2009 at Theatre Row's CLURMAN THEATRE

Following visionary New York productions of The Misanthrope (2007) and Hedda Gabler (2004), Flemish director Ivo van Hove returns with Opening Night, a U.S. premiere engagement that also marks the New York debut of his company, Toneelgroep Amsterdam. A joint production by Toneelgroep Amsterdam and the Belgium-based company NTGent, Opening Night transforms director John Cassavetes' award-winning 1977 film to the stage. Five performances of Opening Night will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater on Dec 2-6 at 7:30pm.

South Coast Repertory will present the Southern California premiere of Dead Man's Cell Phone, Sarah Ruhl's fantastical new play about a woman who answers a dead man's cell phone and finds her life turned upside down. Directed by Bart DeLorenzo, Dead Man's Cell Phone runs Sept. 21 - Oct. 12 on the Julianne Argyros Stage.