Classic Stage Company News

Next Theatre Company and Artistic Director Jason Southerland are thrilled to announce the 30th anniversary season, a year dedicated to plays that explore the myths that men and women create about their lives. The season opens in the fall with a world premiere presented at the National New Play Network's annual showcase. It continues with the regional premiere of a play Southerland first read when he met with Israeli playwright Motti Lerner (Pangs of the Messiah) in Tel Aviv earlier this year. The season comes to its climactic end with a pair of plays by Phyllis Nagy (pronounced 'Naij') who has captured wide acclaim in the United Kingdom but has been rarely produced in the U.S.

Tony Award winning actor Alan Cumming will be honored with the Out on the Edge Award at Theater Offensive's 'climACTS...Under A Big Top' on April 27. The event will take place at the Big Apple Circus tents in Boston City Hall Plaza and will benefit the Theater Offensive's unique programs.

Green Day's American Idiot is undoubtedly one of the season's most ambitious projects. The concept: take one of the most successful rock albums of this generation and turn it into a Broadway musical - without adding a stitch (or nearly) of dialogue. The experiment, so far, has been a success, managing to win over theater minds largely unfamiliar with the rock/grunge genre, as well as music fans who, prior to it's opening, had never stepped foot in a Broadway house.

Alan Cumming will soon begin performances of his one man cabaret show at Feinstein's later the month. The New York Post recently sat down with the actor, who is famous for another cabaret role: Cumming starred as the Emcee in the 1998 revival of Cabaret, a role that would prove to be his big break in musical theatre.

The Lucille Lortel Awards announced today the details for the 25th Anniversary Lortel Awards Reception & Ceremony. The Awards Reception will be held on May 2, 2010 at 6 PM EST with the Ceremony beginning at 8 PM EST at Terminal 5, 610 West 56th Street, between 11th & 12th Avenues. Members of the industry may purchase tickets through the Off-Broadway League while members of the public wishing to watch the show can purchase tickets at ticketcentral.com or via phone 212-279-4200.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce casting, dates and a director for the American premiere of Olivier Award nominee Moira Buffini's award-winning play GABRIEL, which will mark the final main stage production of Atlantic's 2009-2010 season.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce casting, dates and a director for the American premiere of Olivier Award nominee Moira Buffini's award-winning play GABRIEL, which will mark the final main stage production of Atlantic's 2009-2010 season.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present two-time Academy Award-winner Dianne Wiest in THE FOREST, by Alexander Ostrovosky, translated by Kathleen Tolan, and directed by Brian Kulick, beginning performances Friday, April 23 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) with an official press opening Thursday, May 6 at 7pm.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present two-time Academy Award-winner Dianne Wiest in THE FOREST, by Alexander Ostrovosky, translated by Kathleen Tolan, and directed by Brian Kulick, beginning performances Friday, April 23 at CSC with an official press opening Thursday, May 6 at 7pm. THE FOREST will also star Obie Award-winning actor John Douglas Thompson, who earned great acclaim last year for his title role performance in Othello at Theatre for a New Audience. THE FOREST will play a limited engagement through Sunday May 30 only.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will honor their board member Rosemarie Tichler, the highly-respected producer, casting director, teacher and author, at this year's annual benefit gala Monday evening, May 17 at Twenty Four Fifth. The Honorary Chair for the evening is Mike Nichols and Honorary Co-Chairs are Olympia Dukakis, Dianne Wiest, Walter Bobbie and James Lapine. Honorary Artists include F. Murray Abraham, Christopher Durang, Michael Greif, John Guare, Bill Irwin, S. Epatha Merkerson, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn and Michael Stuhlbarg.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) presents BATTLE OF BLACK AND DOGS by Bernard-Marie Koltès, translated by Michaël Attias, and directed by Robert Woodruff, at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street, at York), April 16-May 8. Opening Night is Thursday, April 22.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will continue its popular Shakespeare Salon series on Thursday, April 22 at 6 p.m. with Shakespeare Initiative Director Barry Edelstein and acclaimed director Daniel Sullivan discussing the upcoming Shakespeare in the Park production of The Merchant of Venice, featuring Al Pacino as Shylock.

The Insights & Revelations Performance Series, now in residence at The Emelin Theatre of Mamaroneck, announces its April 22nd, 8:00 p.m. presentation

The Drama League (Jano Herbosch, President; Gabriel Shanks, Executive Director), announced the nominations for the 2009-10 Drama League Awards today at Sardi's with the help of Broadway stars Kelsey Grammer (La Cage Aux Folles) and Bebe Neuwirth (The Addams Family). The 76th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon will take place on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 12:00pm at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square. The event will be co-hosted by Vanessa Williams (Sondheim on Sondheim) and Michael Urie (The Temperamentals).

The Drama League (Jano Herbosch, President; Gabriel Shanks, Executive Director) proudly announces nominations for the 2009-10 Drama League Awards, to be presented at The 76th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Friday, May 21, 2010 (noon) in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square (1535 Broadway at 46th Street). The event will be co-hosted by Vanessa Williams (Sondheim on Sondheim) and Michael Urie (The Temperamentals).

The Flea Theater presents the World Premiere of PARENTS' EVENING, a two-hander by Bathsheba Doran. Directed by Flea Artistic Director Jim Simpson, the production stars Julianne Nicholson (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and James Waterston (A.R. Gurney's Buffalo Gal).

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) presents BATTLE OF BLACK AND DOGS by Bernard-Marie Koltès, translated by Michaël Attias, and directed by Robert Woodruff, at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street, at York), April 16-May 8. Opening Night is Thursday, April 22.

Kerry Kennedy and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will present a one-night-only benefit reading of Ariel Dorfman's play SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER: Voices From Beyond The Dark, adapted from Kerry Kennedy's book of the same name, on Monday, May 3 at 7 p.m. All proceeds from the reading will benefit the relief efforts of Habitat for Humanity in Chile.

Writers' Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce that A Minister's Wife, Writers' Theatre's musical adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Candida, will be produced by Lincoln Center Theater in the 2010-11 season. The original musical was conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam, adapted by Austin Pendleton with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Tranen. The Lincoln Center production will be directed by Halberstam. Performances begin on Thursday, April 7, 2011 and opens on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street, New York City).

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced plans to produce the New York premiere of A MINISTER'S WIFE, a new musical adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Candida by Austin Pendelton, with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Tranen during its 2010-2011 season. A MINISTER'S WIFE, which was conceived and will be directed by Michael Halberstam, will begin performances Thursday, April 7, 2011 and opening on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street).