David Greenspan News

Transport Group has announced casting for its world premiere musical, Renascence, which begins performances Friday, October 5 at 7:30pm, at the Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street. Renascence has music by Carmel Dean (musical director If/Then, American Idiot), book by Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture), and lyrics from the poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay. The musical is directed by artistic director Jack Cummings III and Dick Scanlan. The opening is set for Thursday, October 25 at 7:30pm.

Final casting for Berkeley Repertory Theatre's upcoming production of Fairview was announced today. Written by Jackie Sibblies Drury, directed bySarah Benson, with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, the world premiere production comes straight to Berkeley Rep from a critically acclaimed New York run. Previews begin on Thursday, October 4 with regular run of the show opening on Thursday, October 11 and continuing through Sunday, November 4. Individual tickets begin at $30 ($15 if you're under 35) and can be purchased online at berkeleyrep.org or by phone at 510 647-2949.

Samuel French has announced the winners of the 2018 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's premier short play competition.

The Bushwick Starr is thrilled to collaborate with Abingdon Theatre Company in presenting The Things That Were There, a new play by award-winning playwright and performer David Greenspan (Strange Interlude by Transport Group, Go Back To Where You Are at Playwrights Horizons, The Myopia at The Foundry Theatre), directed by Lee Sunday Evans (Dance Nation at Playwrights Horizons, [PORTO] at WP Theater and The Bushwick Starr, Caught by Play Company).

Abingdon Theatre Company will launch their 26th season with a special one-night-only gala event on Monday, October 22 at The Edison Ballroom. The evening honors two-time Tony winner Donna Murphy (Hello, Dolly!; Passion; Wonderful Town).

Samuel French announces that award-winning playwright and cabaret artist Charles Busch (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Psycho Beach Party, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom) has happily stepped in for the previously announced Lauren Yee (The King of the Yees, The Great Leap, The Hatmaker's Wife) who had to recuse herself due to a scheduling conflict.

The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation's premier short play competition, takes place August 21-25 at The Vineyard's Dimson 15th Street Theatre. Chosen from over 850 submissions from the U.S. and abroad, 30 finalist plays and musicals, each running 10-30 minutes in length, will be presented. The Saturday, August 25th presentation is the culmination of the week-long festival at which the Samuel French staff will choose the winning six pieces for licensing and publication in an anthology.

Transport Group has announced its 2018-2019 mainstage season of two productions: Renascence, a world premiere musical about a radical and reckless poet and The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, a play about the trial that sparked a national wave of Vietnam War resistance. Renascence will run October 5 - November 17, 2018 and The Trial of the Catonsville Nine will run January 16 - February 23, 2019. Both productions will be presented at the Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, New York City. Transport Group season memberships are now on sale on their website: transportgroup.org. Casting and additional staffing announcements and single ticket sales will be available at a later date.

Transport Group has announced that additional casting for Promises, Promises-its second musical in this season's Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series-will include Stanley Bahorek (Amazing Grace, Queen of the Mist), Lauren Blackman (Anastasia), Hannah Corneau (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Marc Kudisch (Finding Neverland, Hand to God), Sean Mclaughlin (Hello Dolly), Bruce Sabath (Cagney), Tally Sessions (War Paint), and Ali Stroker (Spring Awakening).

Recently, BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to interview Dane Laffrey who recently received his first Tony nomination for his work on the Broadway hit ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. Dane's design is an explosive exercise in controlled chaos. Since ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is a tale of magical realism set in the Caribbean, Dane channeled the current conditions of regions hit by 2016's Hurricane Matthew. The stage is covered in sand, a crashed semi-truck takes up a corner of the space, a pool of water is held back by a pile of sand bags, and a downed power line has even crushed some of the seats. It's a complex set that has engrossed countless audiences seated in its theatre in the round setting. A seasoned scenic design veteran, Dane has designed sets for productions across Japan, Australia, Norway and the United States. Throughout his twelve years in the New York circuit, he's built sets for Broadway productions such as Spring Awakening and Fool For Love, along with off-Broadway hits such as The Maids and Woody Harrelson's Bullet for Adolf, as well as the upcoming production of Tennessee William's Summer and Smoke.

Winners for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced just last night at The Town Hall. In keeping with Drama Desk's mission, nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway during the 2017-2018 New York theater season in the same competitive categories.

The time has come for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk Awards, hosted by Michael Urie, June 3 (8:00 PM) at The Town Hall in Manhattan.

Previews begin this Friday, June 1 for the Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) world premiere production of LOG CABIN, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harrison (Marjorie Prime, Maple and Vine, Doris to Darlene at Playwrights; "Orange Is the New Black").  Directed by Tony Award and Obie Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Clybourne Park, The Qualms at Playwrights; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Parisian Woman), LOG CABIN is the sixth and final production of the theater company's current 2017/2018 Season.  

Transport Group has announced initial casting for Promises, Promises-its second musical in this season's Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series. The concert stars John Cariani, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jessica Fontanta and Santino Fontana. 

The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President and CEO) and The Village Voice (Peter Barbey, President and CEO) announced the winners of the 63rd Annual Obie Awards® on May 21 at Terminal 5.

Dennis Grimaldi will present Tony®Award-winner Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd) in two staged readings ofHarry Townsend's Last Stand, a new play by George Eastman.  Directed by two-time Emmy®Award-winner Peter Scolari (Wicked) and featuring Warren Bub ('Gotham'), the readings will be held on Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22 at 3pm at Nola Studios (250 West 54th Street - 10th Floor/Studio 1).

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Doyle, and Transport Group, under the leadership of Jack Cummings III (Artistic Director), announced today that their new co-production of Tennessee Williams' SUMMER AND SMOKE, directed by Cummings, will extend its run through Friday, May 25 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). The cast of SUMMER AND SMOKE features Glenna Brucken (Rosemary), Phillip Clark (Dr. Buchanan), Nathan Darrow (John Buchanan), Hannah Elless (Nellie Ewell), Elena Hurst (Rosa Gonzales), Marin Ireland (Alma Winemiller), Tina Johnson (Mrs. Bassett), Gerardo Rodriguez(Papa Gonzales), T. Ryder Smith (Reverend Winemiller), Ryan Spahn (Archie Kramer), Jonathan Spivey (Roger Doremus), and Barbara Walsh (Mrs. Winemiller).

In the past few weeks, we've watched the nominations roll in. Today the final crop of nominees have been revealed, all leading to next week's ultimate announcement- the 2018 Tony nominations.

RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER (Daniella Topol, Artistic Director; Annie Middleton, Managing Director) is proud to announce that performances of Arthur Laurents's THE ENCLAVE begin tonight, April 24, 2018. THE ENCLAVE is presented with the support of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, which has awarded The Arthur Laurents Centennial Grant to MIDDLE VOICE, the apprentice company at Rattlestick.. Directed by Victor Cervantes Jr. (The Parlour), THE ENCLAVE will play an extremely limited run at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (224 Waverly Place) from April 24, 2018 through April 28, 2018.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Doyle and Executive Producer Jeff Griffin, and Transport Group, under the leadership of Jack Cummings III (Artistic Director) and Lori Fineman (Executive Director), present a new production of Tennessee Williams' SUMMER AND SMOKE, directed by Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director of The Transport Group, now in  previews at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 20.  Opening night is Thursday, May 3.  The cast of SUMMER AND SMOKE will feature Glenna Brucken (Rosemary), Phillip Clark (Dr. Buchanan), Nathan Darrow (John Buchanan),  Hannah Elless (Nellie Ewell), Elena Hurst (Rosa Gonzales), Marin Ireland (Alma Winemiller), Tina Johnson(Mrs. Bassett), Gerardo Rodriguez (Papa Gonzales), T. Ryder Smith (Reverend Winemiller), Ryan Spahn (Archie Kramer),Jonathan Spivey (Roger Doremus), and Barbara Walsh (Mrs. Winemiller).