In a proclamation dated September 19, 2017, Morristown Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty declared that October 23, 2017 will be known as New Jersey Theatre Alliance Day. On that day, New Jersey Theatre Alliance ( the Alliance ) will host Curtain Call, its annual celebration of theatre, at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown, honoring the artistic directors of its member theatres for their dedication and artistic vision, and Atlantic Health System for its support of theatre programming that enhances the health and wellbeing of New Jersey residents. The event, which is open to the public, will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and includes buffet stations, wine and beer, entertainment, a silent auction, and a raffle.
Voyage Theater Company and Crossroads Theatre Company will present the New York Premiere of Rohina Malik's THE MECCA TALES, directed by Kareem Fahmy (3/Fifths at 3LD; This Time with Rising Circle Theater Collective), at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street), October 20-November 4.
MC Theatrical Productions presents THE DEATH OF THE MOON, a dramatic new musical written and directed by Arnold L. Cohen, with music direction by Michael Ferrara, tonight, September 12th, through October 8th at the Theater Center's Jerry Orbach Theatre (1627 Broadway). The official opening will be on September 17th.
MC Theatrical Productions has announced that it will present THE DEATH OF THE MOON, a dramatic new musical written and directed by Arnold L. Cohen, with music direction by Michael Ferrara, September 12th - October 8th at the Theater Center's Jerry Orbach Theatre (1627 Broadway). The official opening will be on September 17th.
Voyage Theater Company and Crossroads Theatre Company will present the New York Premiere of Rohina Malik's THE MECCA TALES, directed by Kareem Fahmy (3/Fifths at 3LD; This Time with Rising Circle Theater Collective), at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street), October 20-November 4.
Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is proud to announce that Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, welcomes Raymond Bobgan, CPT Executive Artistic Director to its prestigious board of directors. Raymond joins five other new members from around the country including Will Davis, artistic director, American Theatre Company, Chicago, IL; Jamie Herlich, director of development, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA; Benita Hofstetter Koman, executive director, The Roy Cockrum Foundation, Reedville, VA; Johamy Morales, education director, Creede Repertory Theatre, Creede, CO; and Randy Reyes, artistic director, Mu Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, welcomes six new members to its board of directors: Raymond Bobgan, executive artistic director, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH; Will Davis, artistic director, American Theatre Company, Chicago, IL; Jamie Herlich, director of development, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA; Benita Hofstetter Koman, executive director, The Roy Cockrum Foundation, Knoxville, TN; Johamy Morales, education director, Creede Repertory Theatre, Creede, CO; and Randy Reyes, artistic director, Mu Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN.
Back to the Real is a play about a brother and sister who must navigate the potholes along the way to becoming actual adults. The play explores race, colorism within the African-American community, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ sentiment. How are the brother and sister going to (or not going to) stand up for each other?
Back to the Real is a play about a brother and sister who must navigate the potholes along the way to becoming actual adults. The play explores race, colorism within the African-American community, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ sentiment. How are the brother and sister going to (or not going to) stand up for each other?
New Jersey Theatre Alliance (the Alliance), in partnership with New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), welcomes NJPAC Stage Exchange ("StageX") back for its third year. Cutting-edge play development meets insightful community dialogue at StageX, a program that involves three newly commissioned plays by three established New Jersey playwrights, three draft readings with public commentary at NJPAC in Newark, and three full productions at New Jersey professional theatres the following year.
The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team of Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau. The Globe is the first regional theatre in the country to mount the play, which was presented here as a reading in the 2014 Powers New Voices Festival before an acclaimed Off Broadway run. San Diego director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg makes her Globe debut to helm the award-winning drama, which is presented in association with San Diego's MOXIE Theatre, where Turner Sonnenberg is Founding Artistic Director.
The Hub City Jazz Festival and the Friends of Crossroads Theatre Company are partnering to present HIGHER GROUND, a musical celebration and fundraiser. This event will be held Friday March 31 at Crossroads Theatre to celebrate the company's thirty-nine year history of producing high quality work that celebrates the culture, history, spirit and voices of the entire African Diaspora.
Crossroads Theatre Company's more than two-decade run at 7 Livingston Ave. comes to an end this month with the world premiere of Stephanie Berry's Sarah Sings a Love Story, a musical play that weaves the life and music of the great Sarah Vaughan through the enduring romance of two devoted fans. T
Theater Close-Up -- the unique collaboration between THIRTEEN and the large community of New York City area Off-Broadway and regional theaters - continues with John Strand's The Originalist, captured live on-stage at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Monday, March 13 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN, with an encore presentation on Sunday, March 19 at 3:40 a.m. The play will also air Sunday, March 26 at 10 p.m. on WLIW21. The play, directed on the stage by Molly Smith, will be available for streaming for two weeks after the broadcast.
L to R: Edward Gero as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Kerry Warren as Cat in The Originalist at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Credit: C. Stanley Photography.
Four-time Helen Hayes Award winner Edward Gero (Red) returned to Arena Stage as one of America's most brilliant and polarizing figures: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. When bright, liberal, Harvard Law School graduate Cat (Kerry Warren) embarks on a nerve-wracking clerkship with Justice Scalia, she discovers him to be both an infuriating sparring partner and an unexpected mentor. How will their relationship affect one of the most incendiary cases ever to reach the nation's highest court? Along the way, Cat's relationship with Scalia is complicated further by Brad (Harlan Work), an adversarial law clerk on Scalia's staff.
Gero had last appeared at Arena Stage as Mark Rothko in 'Red.' He is a four-time Helen Hayes winner and 14-time nominee. Regional credits include Mark Rothko in 'Red' at the Goodman Theatre; the title role of 'Sweeney Todd' at Signature Theatre; 'The Chosen' at Theater J; Ebenezer Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' and Horace Vandergelder in 'Hello, Dolly!' at Ford's Theatre; 'American Buffalo,' 'Shining City' (Helen Hayes nomination) and 'Skylight' (Helen Hayes Award) at Studio Theatre; and 'The Matchmaker' at Center Stage. In 30 seasons with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, he's played 70 roles, including Helen Hayes-winning turns in 'Henry IV,' 'Richard II' and 'Macbeth.' In New York, he's appeared at South Street Theatre and Classic Stage.
Author John Strand is a resident playwright with Arena Stage through the American Voices New Play Institute. His previous work at Arena Stage includes 'The Miser,' an adaptation of the Moliere play set in Reagan-era America; 'Lovers and Executioners,' winner of the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play; and Tom Walker, also commissioned by Arena Stage. His recent work includes the book and lyrics for 'Hat! A Vaudeville,' a new musical with a score by composer Dennis McCarthy (South Coast Repertory); 'Lincolnesque,' a dark comedy about politics and madness in D.C. (The Old Globe, dir. by Joe Calarco); and 'Lorenzaccio,' his adaptation of Alfred de Musset's 1834 French classic (Shakespeare Theatre Company, dir. by Michael Kahn).
Of the Arena Stage production, The New York Times wrote, '... The meat of the play draws a portrait of the private man in accordance with the public record: rigid in his views, deeply moralistic and unafraid to express his florid contempt for those benighted souls who see things from any perspective other than his own. Also: He's funny.'
DC Theatre Scene opined, 'Arena and director Molly Smith have given this fine work a good, rigorous production ... Edward Gero is a continuing wonder ...'
Theater Close-Up on THIRTEEN has most recently featured Rasheeda Speaking from The New Group, Fashions for Men from Mint Theater, Wiesenthal filmed at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row, Repairing a Nation from Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Incident at Vichy from Signature Theatre Company, The Woodsman recorded at New World Stages, Buried Child from The New Group, and Buyer & Cellar from Westport Country Playhouse.
THIRTEEN is using its unrivaled expertise in producing national PBS arts programming - which began with such classic series as Theater in America, part of the award-winning series Great Performances and special limited series such as Stage on Screen -- to provide New Yorkers with unparalleled access to great Off-Broadway and regional offerings.
The Originalist is a production of Stage17, and was directed for television by Diana Basmajian.
For Theater Close-Up, Mitch Owgang is producer; Bill O'Donnell is series producer; and David Horn is executive producer. Executive-in-charge for WNET is Neal Shapiro.
Major support for this presentation of Theater Close-Up is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, and Bernard and Irene Schwartz.
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About WNET
WNET is America's flagship PBS station and parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21. WNET also operates NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (KidsThirteen, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings. WNET's groundbreaking series for children and young adults include Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase as well as Mission US, the award-winning interactive history game. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the daily multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. In addition, WNET produces online-only programming including the award-winning series about gender, First Person, and an intergenerational look at tech and pop culture, The Chatterbox with Kevin and Grandma Lill. In 2015, THIRTEEN launched Passport, an online streaming service which allows members to see new and archival THIRTEEN and PBS programming anytime, anywhere: www.thirteen.org/passport.
About Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. Arenastage.org
For media only: Photos and press releases can be accessed here:
http://www.thirteen.org/13pressroom/press-release/theater-close-originalist/
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in partnership with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, welcomes NJPAC Stage Exchange back for its third year. Cutting-edge play development meets insightful community dialogue at Stage Exchange, a collaboration of three professional New Jersey theaters and a talented trio of Garden State playwrights.
Crossroads Theatre Company will mark Black History Month, Feb. 16-26, with the world premiere of Beyond the Oak Trees, by Kisha Bundridge, the daring story of abolitionist Harriet Tubman merging past and present along the Underground Railroad.
Past and present, history and a touch of fantasy converge on stage in the world premiere of Beyond the Oak Trees, by Kisha Bundridge, at Crossroads Theatre Company Feb. 16-26.
Crossroads Theatre Company will mark Black History Month, Feb. 16-26, with the world premiere of Beyond the Oak Trees, by Kisha Bundridge, the daring story of abolitionist Harriet Tubman merging past and present along the Underground Railroad.
North Carolina Theatre will be presenting Always...Patsy Cline from January 20th-29th at A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater. I recently got to speak with the two stars of this production Carter Calvert and Two-Time Emmy Winner Sally Struthers.
