Danai Gurira News

Acclaimed playwright Danai Gurira (In The Continuum) returns to Chicago with her newest work, The Convert, directed by Emily Mann.

Golden Globe and Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah has signed on to star in and executive produce the Lifetime Original Movie Event, Steel Magnolias, a television adaptation of the iconic play and 1989 film of the same name, reuniting her with her producing duo Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, from the Oscar and Golden Globe winning Chicago and Hairspray. (Zadan and Meron also produce Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva and Smash.) She will take on the role of 'M'Lynn' and star alongside an all-star cast that includes Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad as 'Clairee,' Golden Globe and multiple Emmy winner Alfre Woodard as 'Ouiser,' Grammy winner Jill Scott as 'Truvy,' Adepero Oduye as 'Annelle,' and Condola Rashad as 'Shelby.' The announcement was made today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager of Lifetime Networks.

AMC has cast actress Danai Gurira (Treme/The Visitor) in the coveted role of Michonne in its original series,THE WALKING DEAD. Tonight's season two finale first featured the iconic character who will reappear in season three of the AMC series. Michonne, a fan favorite from Robert Kirkman's comic book series, is a mysterious woman armed with a sword.

People's Light & Theatre will feature staged readings of four plays this year as part of its pilot program Community Matters. The readings include Dispatches from (A)mended America on Monday, February 27th at 7pm; Eclipsed on Monday, March 26th at 7pm; Beautiful Boy on Monday, May 14th at 7pm; and Schoolhouse on Monday, June 11th at 7pm.

Acclaimed playwright Danai Gurira (In The Continuum) returns to Chicago with her newest work, The Convert, directed by Emily Mann.

As part of its 30th Anniversary Season celebration, the Huntington Theatre Company brings the cast of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom to Roxbury's Hibernian Hall to perform a reading of the play on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7pm. The reading is free and open to the public, but an RSVP at huntingtontheatre.org/raineyreading is encouraged, as seating is limited. Liesl Tommy, director of the Huntington's acclaimed 2011 production of Ruined, helms the production. The ensemble features "ER" cast member Yvette Freeman as the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey and local favorite Jason Bowen (Ruined, A Civil War Christmas at the Huntington) as Levee.

Danai Gurira's powerful new play, "The Convert," which was commissioned by Center Theatre Group, will be presented at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, April 17 through May 19, 2012. The opening is scheduled for April 19. The world premiere production of "The Convert," a co-production with McCarter Theatre Center and Goodman Theatre, is directed by Emily Mann.

Acclaimed playwright Danai Gurira (In The Continuum) returns to Chicago with her newest work, The Convert, directed by Emily Mann.

Primary Stages just announced the first three plays of their 28th Season. In launching their season, the award-winning company will revisit collaborations with playwrights with whom they have partnered to create some of their most celebrated productions.

People's Light & Theatre will feature staged readings of four plays this year as part of its pilot program Community Matters. The readings include Dispatches from (A)mended America on Monday, February 27th at 7pm; Eclipsed on Monday, March 26th at 7pm; Beautiful Boy on Monday, May 14th at 7pm; and Schoolhouse on Monday, June 11th at 7pm.

As part of its 30th Anniversary Season celebration, the Huntington Theatre Company brings the cast of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom to Roxbury's Hibernian Hall to perform a reading of the play on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7pm. The reading is free and open to the public, but an RSVP at huntingtontheatre.org/raineyreading is encouraged, as seating is limited. Liesl Tommy, director of the Huntington's acclaimed 2011 production of Ruined, helms the production. The ensemble features "ER" cast member Yvette Freeman as the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey and local favorite Jason Bowen (Ruined, A Civil War Christmas at the Huntington) as Levee.

Center Theatre Group, host of the August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) in Southern California, has announced that 15 finalists have been selected to compete in the AWMC regional finals to be held at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum on March 26, 2012.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) continues its 27th season with the world premiere of the new play, Rx, written by Kate Fodor.

Rehearsals are underway for the world premiere of Danai Gurira's The Convert at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, January 13 through February 12, 2012 (press opening: January 20). Directed by Emily Mann, The Convert is produced in association with Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles) and The Goodman Theatre (Chicago). The cast features Pascale Armand, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Zainab Jah, Kevin Mambo, LeRoy McClain, Warner Joseph Miller, and Harold Surratt.

Lindsay Fraser presents Execution of Justice by Emily Mann. The show is directed by Joss Bennathan, and designed by James Turner.

Rehearsals are underway for the world premiere of Danai Gurira's The Convert at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, January 13 through February 12, 2012 (press opening: January 20). Directed by Emily Mann, The Convert is produced in association with Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles) and The Goodman Theatre (Chicago). The cast features Pascale Armand, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Zainab Jah, Kevin Mambo, LeRoy McClain, Warner Joseph Miller, and Harold Surratt.

Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), the company's professional training school, has announced its Spring 2012 schedule of classes now open for enrollment. ESPA will offer new classes including Musical Theater Repertoire, Dialects Intensive, Advanced Scene Study: Chekhov in a Contemporary Climate, Musical Theater Collaboration, Directing and Producing for Film, Singing for the Non-Singer, and Solo Performance. New instructors Kelly AuCoin, Jack Doulin, Judy Gold, Daniel Goldstein, and Brian Lowdermilk will join returning faculty members Liz Duffy Adams, David Adjmi, Karen Braga, Bekah Brunstetter, Keith Bunin, Denis Butkus, Kara Lee Corthon, Jane Guyer Fujita, Jackson Gay, Randy Graff, Adam Gwon, Josh Hecht, Lila Rose Kaplan, Kait Kerrigan, Cynthia Mace, Cheri Magid, Rogelio Martinez, Winter Miller, Edwin Sanchez, Julian Sheppard, Saviana Stanescu, Caridad Svich, Daniel Talbott, Richard Topol, Ken Urban, Francine Volpe, Kim Weild, Sheri Wilner, and Primary Stages Literary Manager and Director of ESPA Tessa LaNeve, Associate Artistic Director Michelle Bossy, Artistic Director Andrew Leynse, and Founder and Executive Producer Casey Childs.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) continues its 27th season with the world premiere of the new play, Rx, written by Kate Fodor.

Lindsay Fraser presents Execution of Justice by Emily Mann. The show is directed by Joss Bennathan, and designed by James Turner.