Daniel MacIvor News

The Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) announces that tickets are now on sale for the 2009 Season, running from July 13 - August 2, 2009. 42 plays and musicals have been chosen, as well as four readings. Selected plays for SHORT SUBJECTS, a new division for plays that run under 60 minutes, will be announced at a later date. Tickets are available at www.midtownfestival.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

The Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) announces selections for the 2009 Season, running from July 13 - August 2, 2009. 43 plays and musicals have been chosen, as well as four readings. Selected plays for SHORT SUBJECTS, a new division for plays that run under 60 minutes, will be announced at a later date. Tickets go on sale on May 8 online at www.midtownfestival.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

Producing Artistic Director, Weylin Symes, is pleased to announce the productions that will comprise Stoneham Theatre's tenth anniversary season, September 2009 to June 2010. Stoneham Theatre will present seven Mainstage performances and one Emerging Stages production.

The Canadian Stage Company continues its 2008/2009 season with the world premiere of Necessary Angel and Wyrd Productions' HARDSELL. The award-winning team that created the runaway hit play Bigger Than Jesus take a satirical look at a world mad with commercialism. HARDSELL, a high-voltage, multi-media, one-man show from Rick Miller and Daniel Brooks begins previews April 13 and continues to May 9, 2009 (media night: April 16) at The Canadian Stage Company's Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street. For tickets and information, contact 416-368-3110 or canstage.com.

The Canadian Stage Company continues its 2008/2009 season with the world premiere of Necessary Angel and Wyrd Productions' HARDSELL. The award-winning team that created the runaway hit play Bigger Than Jesus take a satirical look at a world mad with commercialism. HARDSELL, a high-voltage, multi-media, one-man show from Rick Miller and Daniel Brooks begins previews April 13 and continues to May 9, 2009 (media night: April 16) at The Canadian Stage Company's Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street. For tickets and information, contact 416-368-3110 or canstage.com.

From the pen of Canada's greatest living playwright comes a beautiful play of two women in love. When Mitch and Liz meet in a camping store they are unsure of themselves, unsure of who they are, unsure of what they want. As their story unfolds they find that identity and want play a small part in desire. MacIvor, the Obie and GLAAD Award winning playwright of the runaway hit In on It, brings surprise, humor and great tenderness to this romantic tale. The Rhino's production of A Beautiful View is helmed by Cristina Alicea, an emerging light in New York's alternative theatre scene and Executive Director of MTWorks, a company dedicated to the presentation of new works for the stage.

Canadian Stage Company Artistic Producer Martin Bragg announced today details regarding the 2009-2010 Season, marking his final season with the Company after 17 memorable years. The Company's 22nd subscription season kicks off in September and includes five plays at the Bluma Appel Theatre and three at the Berkeley Street Theatre. Rounding out the playbill is the annual CanStage TD Dream in High Park. Season subscriptions are available with 5-play packages starting from $90 and 8-play packages starting from $138. To subscribe, call 416-368-3110, visit canstage.com or purchase in-person from the Box Office at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front Street East) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley Street).

From the pen of Canada's greatest living playwright comes a beautiful play of two women in love. When Mitch and Liz meet in a camping store they are unsure of themselves, unsure of who they are, unsure of what they want. As their story unfolds they find that identity and want play a small part in desire. MacIvor, the Obie and GLAAD Award winning playwright of the runaway hit In on It, brings surprise, humor and great tenderness to this romantic tale. The Rhino's production of A Beautiful View is helmed by Cristina Alicea, an emerging light in New York's alternative theatre scene and Executive Director of MTWorks, a company dedicated to the presentation of new works for the stage.

Swandive Studio (Lisa Snyder, Founder) announces details of its upcoming joint productions of See Bob Run and Wild Abandon, both written by Daniel MacIvor. See Bob Run is directed by Benjamin Watson and features Lisa Snyder as 'Bob'; Wild Abandon is directed by Ruis Woertendyke and features Max Woertendyke as 'Steve.' These solo-performer one-acts will run in conjunction. Performances begin Wednesday, January 7th for a limited run through Saturday, January 24th at Center Stage, NY (48 West 21st Street, 4th floor).

Swandive Studio (Lisa Snyder, Founder) announces details of its upcoming joint productions of See Bob Run and Wild Abandon, both written by Daniel MacIvor. See Bob Run is directed by Benjamin Watson and features Lisa Snyder as 'Bob'; Wild Abandon is directed by Ruis Woertendyke and features Max Woertendyke as 'Steve.' These solo-performer one-acts will run in conjunction. Performances begin Wednesday, January 7th for a limited run through Saturday, January 24th at Center Stage, NY (48 West 21st Street, 4th floor).

Bold new theater company Remain in Light is set to showcase their range by mounting two edgy new interpretations of familiar shows, designed to capture the audience's imagination.

Heavy ticket demand has prompted Urban Stages to extend its hilarious drawing room musical, 27 Rue de Fleurus, for two weeks through Sunday, April 13th. Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein are delighting audiences with wit and one-up(wo)manship in repartee and song as they confront each other about love, marriage, jealousy, genius and other delicious topics... Add into the salon Pablo Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mabel Dodge, Sylvia Beach and the smashing Jean Harlow, and you have a highly memorable and amusing night of theatre. Unlike most of the stage works about Gertrude and Alice, 27 RUE DE FLEURUS is told from Alice's point of view as 'her muse.' When Gertrude becomes embarrassed by Alice's revealing tell-all, she attempts to hijack the play as only the author of such lines as 'sugar is not a vegetable' can. But Alice has secrets to share with the audience that silence the famously verbose Gertrude. Quelle surprise! Critical reviews have praised Frances Hill's 'smart direction,' the 'strong performances' of the cast (New York Times), as well as 'luscious' costumes by Carrie Robbins (Variety). Curtain Up says, ' Add this small charmer to this season's cornucopia of off-beat new musicals,' and Theatermania declared, 'Director Frances Hill's production has a zest that matches the unbridled creativity of the creators, unfolding on a handsome scenic design from Roman Tatarowicz, who's created a surreal white salon with skewed walls that's backed by a series of overlapping frames into which Alex Koch's collage-like video is projected. It's the perfect canvas for this haphazard look into Toklas and Stein's world.' The critically acclaimed cast includes Cheryl Stern as Alice, Barbara Rosenblat as Gertrude, and Sarah Chalfy, Susan Haefner and Emily Zacharias in various celebrity parts. John Bell is Musical Director. ARTSHOW. During the run of the show, photographs and other artworks from the Gertrude and Alice collection of San Francisco collector Hans Gallas are on display in the theater lobby. Gallas coordinated events around the world last year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the meeting of Gertrude and Alice on Alice's first day in Paris. Works exhibited include original Carl Van Vechten photographs, wood-block prints, caricatures, and mixed media pieces created by artists from around the world. Gertrude and Alice have been the subjects of visual artists from the beginning of the 20th century and continue to inspire artists in all media. Urban Stages produces new plays with themes that reflect our diverse society. Their most recent productions were the critically acclaimed Oxford Roof Climbers Rebellion by Stephen Massicotte, Marion Bridge by Daniel MacIvor, the Pulitzer Prize finalist Bulrusher by Eisa Davis and Apostasy by Gino DiIorio. Since 1983, director Frances Hill has overseen more than 600 staged readings and workshops, plus over 75 productions of new work for the stage. Recent directing credits include Jim Lehrer's Chili Queen (Urban Stages and The Kennedy Center), John C. Picardi's Seven Rabbits on a Pole and The Sweepers (Urban Stages and Capital Rep), Comfort Women by Chungmi Kim and last season's Apostasy by Gino DiIorio. As Artistic Director of Urban Stages, she has moved two plays to commercial off-Broadway runs: Minor Demons and Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown, which won an Outer Critics Circle Award. SCHEDULE for 27 RUE DE FLEURUS: Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8PM, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3PM. Tickets are $40.00; all Wednesday performances are specially priced at $25. Tickets may be purchased by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444, or online at www.urbanstages.org. There will be talkbacks every Wednesday and Saturday night, check www.urbanstages.org for schedule of speakers. 27 RUE DE FLEURUS A New Musical; Book and lyrics by Ted Sod, music and lyrics by Lisa Koch; Directed by Frances Hill At Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th avenues) Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8PM, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3PM. TICKETS: $40; College and High School Students, $15; Half-Price Wednesdays: All seats $25.00 EXTENDED! NOW THROUGH APRIL 13th Call 212-868-4444, or order online at www.urbanstages.org

Urban Stages is pleased to announce the final production of their 2007/2008 season: 27 Rue de Fleurus, a new musical derived from the imagination of Alice B. Toklas. Alice tries to set the record straight about being Gertrude Stein's 'wife' for nearly 40 years. 27 Rue de Fleurus will be directed by Urban Stages Artistic Director Frances Hill. Performances will be at 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th). Previews will begin on Saturday, March 1st with the opening date scheduled for Thursday, March 6th and will run through Sunday, April 6th.

Urban Stages is pleased to announce the World Premiere of their latest holiday show, The Blue Bird, written by Stanton Wood and Lori Ann Laster. Performances will be at 259 West 30th Street and will begin on Friday, December 14

Vivid characterizations coupled with an effective minimalist staging cuts right to the heart of Daniel MacIvor's funny, touching play, Marion Bridge. * * * * * (out of 5)

CanStage presents Necessary Angel's production of HALF LIFE, written by John Mighton and directed by Daniel Brooks. Limited engagement through February 3rd at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Toronto, ON...Prize-winning Canadian playwright John Mighton's latest play Half Life premiered to rave reviews in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Scotland. It has been showered with accolades including the Governor General's Award for Drama and a Dora Award for Outstanding New Play. 'CanStage is thrilled to be presenting this beautiful play on the large Bluma Appel Theatre stage, giving a bigger and more broadly-based audience an opportunity to experience this exciting new Canadian work,' enthused CanStage Artistic Producer Martin Bragg. The Necessary Angel production of Half Life will subsequently travel across Canada and be presented in Winnipeg at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in February 2007, and Vancouver at the Arts Club Theatre in March 2007. It is scheduled to be part of the Melbourne Theatre Festival in Australia in October 2007. Directed by Daniel Brooks, the cast of Half Life features the original cast of Laura de Carteret as Anna, Barbara Gordon (CanStage's Homechild) as Agnes, Carolyn Hetherington (CanStage's Written on Water) as Clara, Maggie Huculak (CanStage's A Midsummer Night's Dream) as Tammy, Randy Hughson (CanStage's Homechild) as Reverend, Diego Matamoros as Donald and Eric Peterson (CanStage's Homechild) as Patrick. Joining Mr. Brooks is a creative team that includes set and costume designer Dany Lyne (CanStage's Hair), lighting designer Andrea Lundy (CanStage's The Comedy of Errors), sound designer Richard Feren, stage manager Crystal Salverda and assistant stage manager Kate Porter. Clara and Patrick meet in a nursing home for veterans and their families. They begin to fall in love, thinking they are rekindling an old flame. Have they met before? As Clara and Patrick's middle-aged children watch their faltering parents, the older couple rediscovers beauty and love in the twilight of their lives. Half Life is a poetic and moving meditation on identity, aging and the nature of memory. John Mighton's plays Scientific Americans, Possible Worlds, A Short History of Night, Body and Soul, The Little Years and Half Life have been performed across Canada, as well as in Europe, Japan and the United States and have won several national awards including a Governor General's Literary Award for Drama for Possible Worlds, A Short History of Night and Half Life. Possible Worlds was made into a full-length feature film directed by renowned director/playwright Robert Lepage. In 2005 Mr. Mighton was awarded the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for his body of work. Mr. Mighton holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. For the past eight years he has coordinated the highly acclaimed JUMP program, designed to tutor children who are having difficulties in math. Daniel Brooks is a prolific and versatile artist whose innovation and risk-taking have made him a leader within the Canadian cultural landscape. A director, writer, actor and teacher, Mr. Brooks has been recognized with accolades and awards throughout Canada and around the world. A tremendous mentor and inspiration to an entire generation of theatre artists, Mr. Brooks was the recipient of the inaugural Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. Some of his creations include Red Tape and 86; An Autopsy (with Don McKellar and Tracy Wright); The Lorca Play, House, Here Lies Henry, Monster and Cul de sac (all with Daniel MacIvor); The Noam Chomsky Lectures and Insomnia (with Guillermo Verdecchia), Bigger Than Jesus (with Rick Miller) and The Good Life. His work as a director includes John Mighton's Possible Worlds and Half Life, Goethe's Faust, and Beckett's Endgame. His most recent play is The Eco Show. He is currently the artistic director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company. BLUMA SEASON PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR: Toronto Star CANSTAGE OFFICIAL BEAUTY CARE SPONSOR: Olay Definity OFFICIAL HOTEL OF CANSTAGE: Delta Chelsea Hotel Digital Photography available at: http://www.canstage.com/2006-2007/media/images/play_4.asp Details PREVIEWS: January 8-10, 2007 OPENS: January 11-February 3, 2007 SCHEDULE: Monday-Saturday 8:00 p.m., Wednesday matinee 1:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee 2:00 p.m. TICKETS: $20-$95 LOCATION: CanStage - Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. BOX OFFICE: Tickets are available in person at the CanStage Customer Service Centres, 26 Berkeley St. or 27 Front St. E., by telephone at CanStage 416-368-3110 and Ticketmaster at 416-872-1111, and online at www.canstage.com Rush seats are available for any performance one hour prior to show time. Rush seats are half the regular ticket price. For Monday nigh performances only, pay-what-you-can tickets are available in person at the CanStage Box Office beginning at 10:00 a.m. on the day of the performance. Special Group Rates available. For details call Heather Burns at 416-367-8243 ext. 266. Other activities to enhance your theatre-going experience: CanStage Tea Talks and Talk Backs - These informal post-performance question and answer periods give you an opportunity to meet the artists immediately following a production. Contact Patty Jarvis at 416-367-8243 ext. 245 for details

The Public Theater has announced that it will host Under the Radar 2007, a twelve-day festival that presents contemporary theater artists from across the country and around the world.

Urban Stage's production of Marion Bridge has extended its run through November 27th

Ashlie Atkinson will star as Marilyn Monroe in Making Marilyn, an off-Broadway play running from November 23rd through December 8th

On October 6th, Kitty Carlisle Hart attended the opening night of Marion Bridge at Urban Stages