Darrah Cloud News

New Jersey Theatre Alliance ("the Alliance") and its partners and funders are pleased to present the 21st annual Stages Festival ("Stages"), a statewide, month-long festival of theatre offering over 90 theatre performances and programs for children and adults free of charge or at significantly discounted rates. Events will take place at theatres, arts centers, libraries, schools, and other community venues throughout the state during the month of March.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance, in partnership with New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, announces the return of NJPAC Stage Exchange for a fourth year. Cutting-edge play development meets insightful community dialogue at NJPAC Stage Exchange, a program that supports three new plays by established playwrights focusing on issues relevant to New Jersey residents.

Former Hackettstown resident Ada Lunardoni had an illustrious claim to fame that was little known to her neighbors she was a member of the first US Women's Gymnastics Team that had its genesis in the backyards and Turners Gyms of Newark, then going on to cross the Atlantic Ocean with Jesse Owens and compete in the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Go behind closed doors as a young Oscar Wilde gets more than he bargained for when he meets his idol, the legendary Walt Whitman, in a new play by David Simpatico, being given a reading by A Howl of Playwrights at Catskill's Bridge Street Theatre on Saturday evening August 19th.

Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 19 writers and 9 new musicals selected for development at this summer's Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. 

The ARK Trio (soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William-Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida) had an auspicious debut presenting six world premieres of new classical compositions in front of a surprisingly packed and enthusiastic audience at Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia this past Valentine's Day.

The ARK trio's inaugural concert taking place this Valentine's Day in New York City celebrates the art song and champions four noted international classical composers who collectively share a love of the poetic and draw inspiration from the ARK trio's unique sound of voice, cello and piano. In their intrepid debut as the ARK trio - soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William-Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida -  will perform six world premieres by American composer Michael Ching -"Arrangements and Derangements: Interpretations of Schubert", Israeli composer/pianist Moshe Knoll - "Simplicity," Russian-born, Israeli raised composer Dina Pruzhansky - "On Love and Land" and three works by American composer Kim D. Sherman "The Wedding Song," "The Laodamiad: A Mythic Journey" and "Prairie Diary" at NYC's  Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space on Tuesday February 14 at 7PM.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the third show in the Laguna Playhouse 2016-2017 season, CHAPATTI, written by Christian O'Reilly and directed by David Ellenstein, based on the direction of Judith Ivey. "I just fell in love with this play and the beautiful and quirky love story at its center.  I think our audiences are about to fall in love with it too," says Wareham.  CHAPATTI will begin previews on Wednesday, January 11; will open on Sunday, January 15 at 5:30pm and will run through Sunday, January 29, 2016 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the third show in the Laguna Playhouse 2016-2017 season, CHAPATTI, written by Christian O'Reilly and directed by David Ellenstein, based on the direction of Judith Ivey. 'I just fell in love with this play and the beautiful and quirky love story at its center.  I think our audiences are about to fall in love with it too,' says Wareham.  CHAPATTI will begin previews on Wednesday, January 11; will open on Sunday, January 15 at 5:30pm and will run through Sunday, January 29, 2016 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Cleveland Play House's New Ground Theatre Festival (NGTF) is breaking new ground once again, with four extraordinary works by some of America's hottest playwrights.

In collaboration with NoPassport, The Arctic Cycle and Theatre Without Borders, the box collective joins the Climate Change Theatre Action.

The play submission gates were thrown open on November 1 when the Table|Room|Stage (T|R|S) new play development program at Artists Repertory Theatre began accepting submissions for the new Oregon Play Prize.

New York In collaboration with NoPassport, The Arctic Cycle and Theatre Without Borders, the box collective joins the Climate Change Theatre Action.

In collaboration with NoPassport, The Arctic Cycle and Theatre Without Borders, the box collective joins the Climate Change Theatre Action.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the cast for the SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE and the SONGWRITERS CABARET at the 27th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS on Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16. Both events take place at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). In person registration for industry members will be available on Thursday at 9:30 AM at New World Stages (340 West 50 Street). (Please note the admission process for each event in the individual descriptions.)

Neil LaBute, Erik Ehn, Arthur Kopit, Deborah Laufer, Ryan McCurdy of Broadway's ONCE, and Heather Woodbury join CLIMATE CHANGE THEATRE ACTION - a series of worldwide readings and performances intended to bring awareness to, and foster discussion around, climate change during the months of November and December 2015.

Artists Repertory Theatre names ambitious new play development program Table|Room|Stage (T|R|S). This wide-ranging program is led by Director of New Play Development & Dramaturgy Luan Schooler. Artists Rep welcomes playwright Yussef El Guindi to develop his play The Talented Ones as the first project of this notable program.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the lineup for the SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE and the SONGWRITERS CABARET at the 27th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS on Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16. Both events take place at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Registration for Industry members is free and now open at www.namt.org/festival. (Please note the admission process for each event in the individual descriptions.)

Half Moon Theatre will close its exciting inaugural season at The Culinary Institute of America with its fifth annual Ten Minute Play Festival. This year's theme, ALL YOU CAN EAT, celebrates the new partnership between HMT and the CIA with ten 10-minute plays-all written by nationally recognized playwrights expressly for this festival-set in familiar local eateries or featuring food-related themes at hot spots around the Hudson Valley.

Artists Repertory Theatre announces the launch of its ambitious New Play Development Program by naming Luan Schooler Director of New Play Development & Dramaturgy. Schooler will begin the post April 13, 2015. At the end of 2014, Artists Rep conducted a national search to find the right match for this position and the aesthetic of the theatre.