Christopher Ashley News

La Jolla Playhouse has announced that the world-premiere, Playhouse-born productions of Come From Away, featuring book, music and lyrics by David Hein and Irene Sankoff and direction by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, and Indecent, by Paula Vogel, have both received multiple Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, Obie and Lucille Lortel Award nominations for their subsequent Broadway and/or Off-Broadway productions this season.

Native Voices at the Autry, America's leading Native American theatre company, presents its 23rd Annual Festival of New Plays at the Autry Museum of the American West and La Jolla Playhouse. The festival features staged readings of new and in-progress plays by Native writers followed by talkbacks in which each audience member becomes an important part of the collaborative process. These new works explore questions of solidarity and community, spirituality and culture, environment and economic success, and the often contentious relationships that emerge. 

Below, check out how each show fared individually in BWW's list of nominations by show.

This year's Tony Awards nominations have just been announced by Jane Krakowski and Christopher Jackson and here they are, celebrating the best of the 2016-17 theatre season (and what a season it's been!) The 2017 Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Sunday, June 11th on CBS. Our official Tony coverage kicks off - NOW!

Earlier this morning, Laura Benanti (She Loves Me, Gypsy) and Javier Muñoz (Hamilton, In the Heights) announced the nominations for the 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards.

The Outer Critics Circle, the organization of writers covering New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway, will welcome Danny Burstein and Jane Krakowski to announce the nominees for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday, April 25th (11AM) in the Oak Room at New York's renowned Algonquin Hotel (59 West 44th Street). You can watch the announcement live below!

The Drama League (Executive Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks) has announced the eleven exceptional stage directors who have been selected as the 2017 Directing Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project.

If you go to the theater for enjoyment, Cleveland Play House's "Freaky Friday" is your thing. If you go to the theater to see marvelous talent, in a well-directed, well-conceived show, "Freaky Friday" is your thing. If you don't go to theater but have always wondered what a Broadway show is like, "Freaky Friday" is your thing. Yes, if you don't go see "Freaky Friday" you are going to miss out on a special event!

Yesterday's edition of THEATER TALK featured playwright Paula Vogel discussing the odyssey of her new play, INDECENT and the cast and creatives of the new Broadway musical, COME FROM AWAY.

Due to incredible demand, La Jolla Playhouse announces a week-long extension for its world-premiere production of Escape to Margaritaville, now scheduled to run May 9 - June 25. Individual tickets for the show went on sale to the public Sunday, March 26, shattering box office records.

This week THEATER TALK features the creators of two new Broadway productions – playwright Paula Vogel, whose new play INDECENT is being performed at the Cort Theatre; and writing team David Hein and Irene Sankoff, director Christopher Ashley, and performer Jenn Colella from COME FROM AWAY

La Jolla Playhouse announces The Cake, a new play by Bekah Brunstetter (TV's This is Us), as the final production of its 2017/2018 season, running in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre February 6 - March 4, 2018.

Cleveland Play House will close out their 2016-17 season with the joyful new musical romp, Freaky Friday. Based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers which spawned two hit Disney films, Freaky Friday tells the story of a mother and daughter who magically swap bodies for 24 chaotic hours. The contemporary update of this American classic includes a hilarious new book by Bridget Carpenter ("Parenthood," "Friday Night Lights"), and a pop?rock score by Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal, If/Then). Directed by Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse, it has been hailed as "a polished, peppy, modern fairy tale" by The Washington Post. With high-energy choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Memphis, Jersey Boys), this vivacious production is "delightfully spunky" with "timeless appeal" (Variety).

The Canadian-written new musical COME FROM AWAY, a sold-out smash hit in Toronto and newly opened to great reviews and sold-out houses on Broadway, is set to take Winnipeg by storm, filling in the much-anticipated Royal MTC Mainstage Slot Three for the 2017/18 season.

La Jolla Playhouse announced today the complete casting and public on-sale date for its world-premiere musical Escape to Margaritaville, featuring the songs of legendary singer-songwriter-author Jimmy Buffett.

Cleveland Play House (CPH) will debut four inventive and bold new works during their 2017 New Ground Theatre Festival. This year's New Ground will run from May 11-20.

Diversionary has announced casting for the World Premiere of BALLAST by Georgette Kelly. This highly poetic play explores the waking and dream lives of two trans and cisgender couples as they come to terms with the new lives they find themselves in.

Long Wharf Theatre, under the director of Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein and Managing Director Joshua Borenstein, presents the world premiere of The Most Beautiful Room in New York, a new musical with book and lyrics by Adam Gopnik and music by David Shire, directed by Edelstein.

Kevin Tuerff has the unique distinction of being among those who inspired the musical COME FROM AWAY. Now he has a book to launch, and he is spreading the word about the importance of taking care of refugees especially after experiencing it firsthand.

JUNKYARD DOG PRODUCTIONS and THE MUSICAL COMPANY will celebrate the release of the original Broadway cast recording of COME FROM AWAY with a special in-store performance and CD signing at Barnes & Noble (150 East 86th St at Lexington Avenue) on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 4.30 PM. Creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein will be joined by the COME FROM AWAY cast: Petrina Bromley, Geno Carr, Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Rodney Hicks, Kendra Kassebaum, Tony Award nominee Chad Kimball, Lee MacDougall, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren and Sharon Wheatley, along with musical arranger and supervisor Ian Eisendrath. Fans who purchase the CD at the store will be offered priority seating.