Contemporary Stage News

August Schulenburg's new play, The Lesser Seductions of History, follows ten characters through each year of the 1960's.

HotCity Theatre to produce Hot-Fashion 2009, a fashion show fundraiser featuring designers Paul Gibson, Melissa Rae Brown and Ivcich and Asbed at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Following the critically acclaimed, sell-out success of Chris Goode's ...Sisters, winner of the inaugural NEW DIRECTIONS award, Headlong Theatre and the Gate are proud to announce the winner of NEW DIRECTIONS 2009: Dylan Tighe and his remarkable reimagining of Euripides', Medea/Medea.

Following the critically acclaimed, sell-out success of Chris Goode's ...Sisters, winner of the inaugural NEW DIRECTIONS award, Headlong Theatre and the Gate are proud to announce the winner of NEW DIRECTIONS 2009: Dylan Tighe and his remarkable reimagining of Euripides', Medea/Medea.

Variety reports that Stacy Keach will return to the role of Richard Nixon for three perfs in the national tour of 'Frost/Nixon,' currently onstage at the Ahmanson Theater. After Keach suffered a mild stroke last week, his understudy, Bob Ari, took over the role of the former president in the Peter Morgan-penned play, helmed by Michael Grandage. Ari understudied the role under Frank Langella in the Broadway production.

Stacy Keach, who had been hospitalized earlier today has been diagnosed as having suffered a very mild stroke, according to a statement released by Center Theatre Group, which can be read below.

FOX News is reporting that Stacy Keach has been hospitalized and was replaced by his understudy in a Los Angeles stage production of 'Frost/Nixon.'

Following the success of their last season where they were named one of nytheatre.com's 'People of the Year', Flux Theatre Ensemble will produce 3 plays in its 2009/10 season. Last year, Flux's A Midsummer Night's Dream was a Backstage Magazine 'pick' and was called 'immediately accessible and thematically adventurous' by Theatermania. For their New York Fringe production of Other Bodies, Heather Cohn won a Fringe Excellence Award for Outstanding Direction and Flux's ambitious Angel Eaters Trilogy received accolades from critics for being 'wildly ambitious', 'a veritable festival of theatre' and 'a model for other brave artists and production companies.'

GATES OF GOLD, a new comedic drama by Frank McGuinness will hold its American Premiere at 59E59 Theaters. Previews begin Thursday, February 19, 2009. The official opening will be on Sunday, March 1, 2009. Produced by Artists Theatre Group, Inc., Warren Baker and Sally Jacobs, the production is directed by Kent Paul.

Olympia Dukakis will appear at PlayFest on January 30 & 31 as Prospera in two readings of Another Side of the Island, her new adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest.What is PlayFest? PlayFest - The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays is a ten-day theater event packed with dynamic new plays and new play programming for anyone who loves great theater!

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is proud to welcome The Artists Theatre Group, Inc., in association with Warren Baker and Sally Jacobs, with the American premiere of GATES OF GOLD, a new comedic drama by Frank McGuinness and directed by Kent Paul. Previews begin Thursday February 19 for a limited engagement though Sunday March 29. Opening night is Sunday, March 1 at 5:00PM.

GATES OF GOLD, a new comedic drama by Frank McGuinness will hold its American Premiere at 59E59 Theaters. Previews begin Thursday, February 19, 2009. The official opening will be on Sunday, March 1, 2009. Produced by Artists Theatre Group, Inc., Warren Baker and Sally Jacobs, the production is directed by Kent Paul. Written by acclaimed Irish author Frank McGuinness, who earned a Tony Award nomination for Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, and received a Tony Award for best revival in 1997 for A Doll's House, GATES OF GOLD is an acerbic duel between Hilton Edwards and Miche?l MacLiamm?ir, fashionable and eloquent theatrical trailblazers who founded Dublin's Gate Theatre. GATES OF GOLD is funny, witty, deeply moving and a vibrant celebration of art, love, and, finally, life itself. This production marks the American premiere of GATES OF GOLD, which starred Alan Howard in Dublin and William Gaunt in the West End. Frank McGuinness was born in Buncrana, Co. Donegal, lives in Dublin and lectures in English at University College, Dublin. His plays include: The Factory Girls (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1982 and Arcola Theatre, London, January 2006), Baglady (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1985), Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1985; Hampstead Theatre, London, 1986), Innocence (Gate Theatre, Dublin, 1986), Carthaginians (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1988; Hampstead Theatre, London, 1989), Mary and Lizzie (RSC, 1989), The Bread Man (Gate Theatre, Dublin, 1991), Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (Hampstead, West End and Broadway (Tony nominated Best Play, 1992); The Bird Sanctuary (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1992), Mutabilitie (RNT, 1997), Dolly West's Kitchen (Abbey, 1999; Old Vic, 2000) and Gates of Gold (The Gate Theatre, Dublin, 2002, Finborough Theatre, London, 2004). His translations include Ibsen's Rosmersholm (RNT, 1987), Lorca's Yerma (Abbey, 1987), Peer Gynt (Gate, 1988; RSC and international tour, 1994; RNT, 2000), Chekhov's Three Sisters (Gate and Royal Court, 1990), Brecht's The Threepenny Opera (Gate, 1991), Hedda Gabler (Roundabout Theatre, Broadway, 1994), Uncle Vanya (Field Day Production, 1995), A Doll's House (Playhouse Theatre, Broadway, 1997, which earned a Tony Award for Best revival), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (RNT, 1997), Sophocles' Electra (Chichester, Donmar Warehouse, Broadway, 1998), Ovstrovsky's The Storm (Almeida Theatre, London, 1998), Miss Julie (West End, 2000), Euripides' Hecuba (Donmar Warehouse, 2004), his adaptation of Du Maurier's Rebecca (David Pugh Productions, national tour, 2005) and his version of Phaedra (Donmar Warehouse, 2006). Frank's latest play There Came a Gypsy Riding was produced by the Almeida Theatre in 2007. His recent adaptation of Oedipus just ended its highly successful run at the National in London.

Greasy Joan & Co. launches its 13th year of producing innovative productions of classic plays with the world premiere comedy CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, from short works by Anton Chekhov, with translations by Paul Schmidt, Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky, and directed by Interim Artistic Director Libby Ford. CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY will play Chicago's Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., November 7 through December 21, 2008.

Olympia Dukakis will appear at PlayFest on January 30 & 31 as Prospera in two readings of Another Side of the Island, her new adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest.What is PlayFest? PlayFest - The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays is a ten-day theater event packed with dynamic new plays and new play programming for anyone who loves great theater!

Greasy Joan & Co. launches its 13th year of producing innovative productions of classic plays with the world premiere comedy CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, from short works by Anton Chekhov, with translations by Paul Schmidt, Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky, and directed by Interim Artistic Director Libby Ford. CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY will play Chicago's Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., November 7 through December 21, 2008.

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

Greasy Joan & Co. launches its 13th year of producing innovative productions of classic plays with the world premiere comedy CHEKHOV?S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, from short works by Anton Chekhov, with translations by Paul Schmidt, Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky, and directed by Interim Artistic Director Libby Ford.

Greasy Joan & Co. launches its 13th year with the world-premiere comedy CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, from short works by Anton Chekhov, with translations by Paul Schmidt, Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky, and directed by Interim Artistic Director Libby Ford. CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY will play Chicago's Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., November 7 through December 21, 2008.

Greasy Joan & Co. launches its 13th year with the world-premiere comedy CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, from short works by Anton Chekhov, with translations by Paul Schmidt, Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky, and directed by Interim Artistic Director Libby Ford. CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY will play Chicago's Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., November 7 through December 21, 2008.

Greasy Joan & Co. launches its 13th year of producing innovative productions of classic plays with the world premiere comedy CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, from short works by Anton Chekhov, with translations by Paul Schmidt, Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky, and directed by Interim Artistic Director Libby Ford. CHEKHOV'S LIFE IN THE COUNTRY will play Chicago's Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., November 7 through December 21, 2008. The press opening is Sunday, November 9 at 3:30 p.m.