David Mamet News

According to the New York Daily News, David Mamet originally tapped comedian Chris Rock to star in his production of RACE, premiering on Broadway this fall. David Alan Grier is cast in Rock's alleged 'would-be' role.

Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, today announced the company's 2010 season. Comprised of 12 productions, the season includes eight new stagings and a return of four of Soulpepper's celebrated productions: Eric Peterson and John Gray's Billy Bishop Goes to War, David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its ongoing relationship with Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet with the West Coast premiere of his hilarious presidential farce November, directed by the acclaimed Ron Lagomarsino (The Gamester and The Imaginary Invalid at A.C.T.).

Famed television performers Debra Mooney, James Sikking and John C. Moskoff will star in the West Coast premiere of EXIT STRATEGY, beginning Oct. 14th at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, CA.

New Repertory Theatre, in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, is pleased to present Speed-the-Plow a drama by David Mamet. Speed-the-Plow opens for the press on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 7:30pm and plays through Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in the Charles Mosesian Theater.

David Alan Grier, set to co-star in David Mamet's upcoming RACE on Broadway, will host book signings of his new book 'Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth' at Bookends in Ridgewood, New Jersey at 7pm on Tuesday, October 6 and Barnes & Noble-Tribeca in New York City at 7pm on Wednesday, October 7.

Roger Friedman in reporting at HollywoodReporter.com in his column that 'And Kerry Washington is headed to Broadway this fall in David Mamet's 'Race' with James Spader and Richard Thomas. I've heard that rounding out this cast will be Doogie Howser, hot-as-a-pistol Neil Patrick Harris. From the Tonys to the Emmys to Broadway. And Mamet. He would never have made this much money as a doctor!'

The Falcon Theatre presents the west coast premiere of EXIT STRATEGY, the second production in its 2009-2010 Subscription Season.

Magic Theatre, San Francisco's premiere home for new plays, kicks off its 2009-2010 Season with Goldfish and the world premiere of Mrs. Whitney - two plays by John Kolvenbach playing in rep this fall.

-A 32-person ensemble of 24 high school students and 8 teachers from Chicago Public Schools (CPS), led by a team of Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) artists, is preparing for a four-week intensive rehearsal, beginning on September 26, culminating in a 60-minute adaptation of William Shakespeare's popular comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. CST's landmark education program, CPS Shakespeare! brings together students and their teachers from across the city in a collaborative process with a team of theater professionals, including the director, designers, text coaches and a fight choreographer.

Goodman Theatre launches its new 2009/2010 Season with tap dancing, acrobatics, tumbling, guitar- and ukulele-playing in an original take on the rarely-produced Marx Brothers classic musical Animal Crackers, written by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, with music and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director), in association with Sonia Friedman Productions and Ostar Productions presents Sienna Miller as 'Miss Julie', Jonny Lee Miller as 'John' and Marin Ireland as 'Christine' in the American premiere of playwright Patrick Marber's drama After Miss Julie, a version of Strindberg's Miss Julie, directed by Mark Brokaw.

'Hooray for Joey Slotnick!' Director Henry Wishcamper has tapped Chicago native Joey Slotnick for the lead role of the African explorer 'Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding'-the heightened vaudevillian persona created by Groucho Marx for the 1929 stage and screen original-in Goodman Theatre's season opening musical Animal Crackers, written by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, with music and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby.

Goodman Theatre will present the Chicago premiere of Dael Orlandersmith's Stoop Stories, September 12 - October 11, 2009 the Goodman's 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Theatre. Tickets are $10 - $40 and go on sale Friday, August 7 at GoodmanTheatre.org.

Producer Jeffrey Finn announced that rehearsals began on Monday, September 14 for the first Broadway production of OLEANNA, the provocative drama by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet. StarringBill Pullman and Julia Stiles and directed by Tony Award winnerDoug Hughes (Doubt), the play is a gripping account of a power struggle between a male university professor and one of his female students. The Broadway production will begin previews on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at The Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) with an Opening Night set for Sunday, October 11, 2009. The cast and creative team took a break from the rehearsal room to meet the press and BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there!

In the raw, urgent, riotous 'American Buffalo', three small-time crooks plot to steal a priceless coin collection. Strategizing from the confines of a pathetic Chicago junk shop, the would-be masterminds each try to control the logistics of their ill-fated scheme. But along the way they make virtually every mistake imaginable and their outlandishly bad planning, stupidity and ego ultimately make for just about the most poorly concocted heist of all time.

The New York Post is reporting this morning that the Public Theater has been sent a 'cease and desist' letter over future performances of THE PIVEN MONOLOGUES. The show, which was presented last night is due to be repeated next month. Piven's attorney, Marty Singer tells that Post that We didn't say you cannot do the play, we said you can't make defamatory statements about our client.'

SARAH JANE MCMAHON Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 PM Versatile doesn't begin to describe New Orleans born soprano Sarah Jane McMahon. Kept busy on two continents and from coast to coast, Sarah Jane is the rare artist as accomplished on the opera stage, singing with the likes of Placido Domingo, as she is wrapping her silvery voice around Broadway show tunes both old and new.

David Mamet has revealed the basic plot details of his upcoming new Broadway play RACE in an essay for The New York Times.

Producer Jeffrey Finn announced that rehearsals begin today, Monday, September 14 for the first Broadway production of OLEANNA, the provocative drama by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet. Starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles and directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt), the play is a gripping account of a power struggle between a male university professor and one of his female students. The Broadway production will begin previews on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at The Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) with an Opening Night set for Sunday, October 11, 2009.