David Mamet News

Who Wants Cake? solves the mystery of what to do late nights in the month of March when they present their production of Christopher Durang's The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From along with two other short Durang plays. The Hardy Boys... will play for an exclusive three-week run at Ferndale's The Ringwald Theatre from Friday, March 13th through Saturday, March 28th . For this late night extravaganza, Who Wants Cake? will offer low-price tickets for $10.

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed repertory theatre company, stages Henrik Ibsen?s Ghosts, a haunting tale of unrequited passion, revelation and horror, which opens Saturday, March 21 and runs through Saturday, May 9, 2009 (previews begin Saturday, March 14). Directed by Michael Murray, the cast features Mark Bramhall (Estrand), Alex Feldman (Oswald), Rebecca Mozzo (Regina), Deborah Strang (Mrs. Alving) and Joel Swetow (Manders).

The following statement has been issued by the producers of ?Speed-the-Plow.? The grievance went as expected yesterday. The grievance committee (made up of League and Equity representatives) did not rule for either side and we will be filing for arbitration as provided by our contract.

Alec Baldwin, star of NBC's '30 Rock' will take part in a special 'Evening With...' Benefit for Road Less Traveled Productions. He'll read the David Mamet play, SPEED-THE-PLOW as part of the evening entertainment which takes place on February 28th 2009. Richard
 Dreyfuss, 
David
 Suchet
 and 
Elizabeth
 McGovern star in 
the world 
premiere of the 
new 
play 
Complicitat
 The
 Old 
Vic. The news was reported by UK theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. Whatsonstage.com was told by an Old Vic spokesperson that 'It's a world premiere and we wanted to give this new work a bit more development time.'

Actors' Equity Association could not reach a ruling today in the hearing involving Jeremy Piven, so now both sides will be headed to arbitration. The New York Times gives a detailed account of the proceedings, explaining that Piven convinced a group of fellow actors that he did not violate his contractual obligations when he dropped out of the Broadway play 'Speed-the-Plow' in December. His passionate plea in the closed door meeting helped him avoid potential penalties for his high-profile departure, which he attributed to mercury poisoning.

Actors' Equity Association could not reach a ruling today in the hearing involving Jeremy Piven, so now both sides will be headed to arbitration reports gossip site TMZ.com.

New Repertory Theatre announces its 2009-2010 season, the inaugural season for new Artistic Director Kate Warner. The new season will present five plays on its Mainstage in the Charles Mosesian Theater; two plays in its Downstage @ New Rep series in the Black Box Theater; and two holiday offerings.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel is reporting that Jeremy Piven is expected to appear in person before the grievance committee of Actors' Equity tomorrow to defend his claim that high levels of mercury in his bloodstream, brought on by a passion for sushi, forced him to abandon the Broadway revival of David Mamet's 'Speed-the-Plow.'

Founded in 1967, Magic Theatre is one of the most prominent theatres in the nation solely dedicated to development and production of new plays.

Martin McDonagh?s dark comedy ?The Lieutenant of Inishmore,? originally scheduled as the fourth production of Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum?s 2009 season, will be postponed to the Taper?s 2010 season, it was announced today by CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. There will be no production in the Taper in July and August.

Artistic Director Preston Lane notes 'We will bring you five stories next season that will bring us together to laugh, engage, and rejoice. Stories that take us literally around the world to the end of summer in the middle of America to a woman who has her life transformed by song to a university torn apart by accusations and from the piedmont to the mountains of the state we call home. Our new season at Triad Stage is ?A Season Together.? We look forward to seeing you with us, at the theater.'

McCarter Theatre Center announces the complete cast of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Rebecca Taichman. A co-production with Washington, D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company, Twelfth Night begins performances in the Matthews Theatre on Tuesday, March 10 and runs until March 29. (Press opening Friday, March 13). Shipwrecked in a foreign land without family, friends or possessions-what's a girl to do? Identity is under siege in the labyrinth of misconceptions that is Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's bewitching comedy of unquenchable desire, self-deception and misdirected love. This fantastical, timeless production-helmed by rising-star director Rebecca Taichman-is a real sensualist's delight: full of longing 'all as hungry as the sea' and awash in ethereal charm.

BroadwayWorld.com recently reported that Patti LuPone has been cast on 30 Rock to play the mother 'of Judah Friedlander's... well, um, unique Frank'. NBC has announced that also guesting on the March 5 episode will be John Lithgow.

American Idol runner-up, Justin Guarini, will star in the industry only Equity staged reading of the new musical THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DeLUNA - with book & lyrics by Judylynn Schmidt, and music & lyrics by Lee Ellis - produced by Kate Griffler on Monday, March 23rd at Theater 80 (80 St. Mark's Place) at 3:00pm & 7:00pm. Tracy Bersley directs and Barbara Anselmi acts as music director.

Speed-The-Plow concludes its limited run today, Sunday, February 22, 2009.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Patti LuPone has been cast on 30 Rock to play the mother 'of Judah Friedlander's... well, um, unique Frank'. There's no word on how many episodes LuPone will appear on of the hit show.

Magnolia, Artistic Associate Regina Taylor's world premiere about possibility in the face of seismic social change, takes root at the Goodman this spring, March 14 - April 19, 2009. Directing for the first time at the Goodman, Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro helms a cast of 12 led by Academy Award nominee Annette O'Toole (Smallville, A Mighty Wind, 48 Hours) and Tony Award nominee John Earl Jelks (August Wilson's Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean) in the leading roles of Lily and Thomas. Tickets to Magnolia are $25 - $70. A complete performance schedule including dates, times and ticket prices appears at the end of this release. Target is the lead Corporate Sponsor Partner of Magnolia and Lead Diversity Night Sponsor.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce the final production of its 2008-2009 season - the world premiere of Leslie Ayvazian's play MAKE ME, directed by Atlantic associate artistic director Christian Parker. Casting will be announced shortly.

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis will begin its 2008-2009 season with political plays featuring ripped-from-the-headlines content, and will continue the season with the first Indianapolis production of a work by popular Irish playwright Conor McPherson, a world premiere 'mock operetta' by Jack O'Hara, and a Spanish-language production as well as the regional premieres of a number of plays.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reports this morning that British producer John Gore has been seen scouting out Broadway's Cort Theatre for a possible production of Dario Fo's 'Accidental Death of an Anarchist' which would star Eddie Izzard. The producer is also currently hunting for a director and a writer to do a fresh adaption of the play.