Danai Gurira News

Girl Be Heard, a social justice theatre company that develops, honors and amplifies the voices of young women, will honor two trailblazing women: Mandy Gonzalez, star of Hamilton and In the Heights, and Sayu Bhojwani, founder of New American Leaders, with Girl Be Heard's prestigious Fairy Godmother Award at their fun-filled gala at 26 Bridge Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn on Monday, October 22nd at 6pm.

Nashville businesswoman, philanthropist and arts advocate Martha Rivers Ingram is one of three individuals to be recognized at the annual gala of Theatre Communications Group in 2019. In addition to Ingram, who is co-founder of Nashville Repertory Theatre and who spearheaded the creation of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, honorees included Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner and Broadway press agent Rick Miramontez, president of DKC/O&M.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago announces its production of Eclipsed, written by Danai Gurira and directed by Producing Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan, October 4 - November 4 at Pegasus's resident home Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen. Opening/press night is Monday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with added Saturday 3 p.m. or Sunday 7:00 p.m. performances (TBD). Tickets are $18 - $30 and are available at PegasusTheatreChicago.org. Discounts available for groups of ten or more by contacting boxoffice@pegasustheatrechicago.org.

WP Theater has announced that Tony Award Nominee & Obie Award Winner Pascale Armand (Eclipsed, The Trip to Bountiful) will star in the world premiere of Natural Shocks. Written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by May Adrales (Vietgone), the show will play a limited engagement from Saturday, October 28 through Sunday, November 25, with opening night set for Thursday, November 8.

International advocacy organization Global Citizen today announced that headliners Janet Jackson, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, and Janelle Monae will perform at the 2018 Global Citizen Festival, the free-ticketed event on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City today, September 29, 2018. For the fifth consecutive year, MSNBC & Comcast NBCUniversal will air a live simulcast of the Festival on MSNBC and for the seventh consecutive year, iHeartMedia has been named the exclusive audio media partner.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of Familiar written by Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead, Black Panther, Broadway's Eclipsed) and directed by Danya Taymor, who helmed Steppenwolf's powerful 2017 production of Pass Over. As previously announced, this fiercely funny production features ensemble members Celeste M. Cooper (Nyasha) and Ora Jones (Marvelous Chinyaramwira), who appeared together in Steppenwolf's The Doppelganger (an international farce) last season. Rounding out the cast are Cheryl Lynn Bruce (Anne), Erik Hellman (Chris), Lanise Antoine Shelley, (Tendikayi), Luigi Sottile (Brad), Jacqueline Williams (Margaret Munyewa) and Cedric Young (Donald Chinyaramwira).

'ECLIPSED,' the colorful and fiery drama written by Danai Gurira (of The Walking Dead) & presented by Broadway in the H.O.O.D, settles in at the Troesh Theatre at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts for four intimate, powerful and captivating performances taking place November 2-4, 2018.

Letitia Wright will play the role of Jekesai/Ester in the Young Vic production of Black Panther co-star, and Tony-nominated writer Danai Gurira's The Convert.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago announces its production of Eclipsed, written by Danai Gurira and directed by Producing Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan, October 4 - November 4 at Pegasus's resident home Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen. Opening night is Monday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with added Saturday 3 p.m. or Sunday 7:00 p.m. performances (TBD). Tickets are $18 - $30 and are available at PegasusTheatreChicago.org. Discounts available for groups of ten or more by contacting boxoffice@pegasustheatrechicago.org.

Tony Award nominee Pascale Armand has joined the cast of the staged reading of David Heron's controversial legal drama Against His Will, to be held at The Billie Holiday Theatre on Monday September 17 at 7pm.

Rory D. Sheriff - if you haven't heard that name, it's only a matter of time before you will. Statuesque, bearded and dread-locked, he is a man that's very visible, even in a crowded room. Yet, there is a humbleness and genuine kindness that is etched in his face and resonates in his voice. Why is this man so significant? Under the auspice of his production company, Brand New Sheriff (BNS) Productions, is consistently providing a platform of entertainment via the performing arts as a resident playwright at the Duke Energy Theater of Belk Performing Arts Center. His passion for community theater is echoed loud and clear through his talent-filled cast and masterfully-produced stage plays.

Brand New Sheriff's production of ECLIPSED reaffirms that Danai Gurira is a force to be reckoned with as a playwright as well as a Marvel Universe action hero.

Roundabout Theatre Company's premiere of Theresa Rebeck's Bernhardt/Hamlet begins previews today. Get to know the cast as they begin Broadway performances!

AMC released today a series of new images from the highly-anticipated season nine opener of “The Walking Dead,” premiering Sunday, October 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Global Citizen announces The 2018 Global Citizen Festival at New York City's Central Park on Saturday, Sept. 29. Headlining the festival is The Weeknd, Janet Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, and Janelle Monáe, with John Legend performing a special guest set.

International advocacy organization Global Citizen today announced that headliners Janet Jackson, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, and Janelle Monae will perform at the 2018 Global Citizen Festival, the free-ticketed event on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City on Saturday, September 29, 2018. For the fifth consecutive year, MSNBC & Comcast NBCUniversal will air a live simulcast of the Festival on MSNBC and for the seventh consecutive year, iHeartMedia has been named the exclusive audio media partner.

Black Panther, Ryan Coogler's groundbreaking superhero movie, has crossed the $700 million mark in North America, Disney and Marvel announced. This comes nearly six months after it first opened in theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Carole Shorenstein Hays announced today that Book Passage at the Curran will welcome back former White House photographer Pete Souza on Friday, October 19 at 7 p.m. The event is part of Curran's popular SHOW & TELL series, featuring provocative, topical and entertaining one-night-only events. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of "Obama: An Intimate Portrait," will discuss his new book "Shade," a powerful tribute to a bygone era of integrity in politics. Tickets for the Pete Souza SHOW & TELL event are $55-$85 and include a pre-signed copy of "Shade." VIP tickets are also available for $135 which include the book, an additional signing opportunity, and a special reception with Souza. Tickets are available now by visiting SFCURRAN.com.

Primary Stages (Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Shane D. Hudson, Executive Director; Casey Childs, Founder) is proud to announce complete casting today for the first two productions of their 2018/19 season: Final Follies, by A.R. Gurney (Love Letters, Sylvia, Black Tie at Primary Stages) and directed by David Saint (Clever Little Lies), and Downstairs by Theresa Rebeck ("Smash," Dead Accounts, Poor Behavior at Primary Stages), directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (What We're Up Against). All performances will take place at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St, New York, NY, 10014).

Carole Shorenstein Hays announced today that Book Passage at the Curran will welcome Eric Idle-best known for his unforgettable roles in Monty Python-on Tuesday, October 9 at 7 p.m. The event is part of Curran's popular SHOW & TELL series, featuring provocative, topical and entertaining one-night-only events. Sharing stories from his newest book "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography" (out October 2018), Idle will reflect on the meaning of his own life and share his remarkable, absurdly funny journey from his childhood spent in a charity boarding school to his successful career in radio, comedy, television, theater, and film. Tickets for the Eric Idle SHOW & TELL event are $45-$95 and include an autographed copy of the book. Tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, August 1, by visiting SFCURRAN.com.