Donald Margulies News

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has announced a change in casting for the New York premiere of A Body of Water by Lee Blessing. Golden Globe winner Christine Lahti will assume the role of Avis, and Tony Award-winner Michael Cristofer will assume the role of Moss.

Lou Spisto, Executive Producer of the Tony Award-winning Old Globe, is pleased to announce the Theatre's complete 2009 Summer Season.

The Tony Award-winning Manhattan Theatre Club (Peter J. Solomon, Chairman of the Board; Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) dedicated its Broadway theatre the 'Samuel J. Friedman Theatre' on Thursday, September 4. The ceremony began at the theatre (261 West 47th Street at 8th Avenue) . MTC previously announced that it was renaming its Broadway home, until now known as the Biltmore Theatre, the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in recognition of the pioneering Broadway publicist.

The Tony Award-winning Manhattan Theatre Club (Peter J. Solomon, Chairman of the Board; Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) will dedicate its Broadway theatre the 'Samuel J. Friedman Theatre' on Thursday, September 4.

the stageFARM (Alex Kilgore, Artistic Director and Carrie Shaltz, Founder / Executive Director) has announced the line-up of plays that will comprise the world premiere of SPIN, a series of new short plays (commissioned on the timely topic) by Adam Rapp, Gina Gionfriddo, Judith Thompson, Elizabeth Meriwether, and Mark Schultz. With direction by Alex Kilgore and Evan Cabnet, SPIN begins performances Friday evening, October 3, 2008, for a limited engagement through Saturday evening, November 8, at The Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street between Barrow & Bedford Streets).

South Coast Repertory will present the Southern California premiere of Dead Man's Cell Phone, Sarah Ruhl's fantastical new play about a woman who answers a dead man's cell phone and finds her life turned upside down. Directed by Bart DeLorenzo, Dead Man's Cell Phone runs Sept. 21 - Oct. 12 on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

Asolo Repertory Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards announces the creative team for the theatre's upcoming production of Barnum the musical and names Brad Oscar in the title role.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer), by arrangement with Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder and Executive Producer, Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director, Elliot Fox, Managing Director), will present Horton Foote's critically acclaimed new play, DIVIDING THE ESTATE, directed by Michael Wilson this fall on Broadway at The Booth Theatre (222 West 45 Street). The production is scheduled to begin performances Thursday, October 23 and open on Thursday, November 20 for a limited engagement.

Ars Nova will present a FREE reading of BOMBS IN YOUR MOUTH by Corey Patrick, directed by Evan Cabnet, as part of the Out Loud series. The cast will feature Dan Eric Gold, Jennifer Mudge, and Cara Greene.

Ars Nova will present a FREE reading of BOMBS IN YOUR MOUTH by Corey Patrick, directed by Evan Cabnet, as part of the Out Loud series. The cast will feature Dan Eric Gold, Jennifer Mudge, and Cara Greene.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has announced complete casting for its 24th season New York premiere of A Body of Water by Lee Blessing. Maria Mileaf (Going to St. Ives) returns to Primary Stages to direct the three-member cast that features Margaret Colin (Old Acquaintance) as Avis, Laura Odeh (The Rivals) as Wren and David Rasche (Getting and Spending, Speed-the-Plow) as Moss.

The Tony Award-winning Manhattan Theatre Club (Peter J. Solomon, Chairman of the Board; Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) will dedicate its Broadway theatre the 'Samuel J. Friedman Theatre' on Thursday, September 4.

Due to popular, Primary Stages has announced a two-week extension for the first production of the their 24th season, the New York premiere of Buffalo Gal by A.R. Gurney.

Collected Stories, one of South Coast Repertory's most successful commissioned plays, will replace the previously announced Daniel Sullivan-directed King Lear as the final production of South Coast Repertory's 2008-09 season. Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize nominated play about two women writers at opposite stages of their careers will run May 15 through June 14, 2009 on the Segerstrom Stage. King Lear will open SCR's 2009-10 season. 'We are delighted to have this opportunity to revisit one of Donald's most celebrated plays and reintroduce it to Southern California audiences,' said Artistic Director Martin Benson, who will direct the revival. Collected Stories received its World Premiere in 1996 on SCR's Second Stage. After its New York premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club, Collected Stories received a commercial Off-Broadway run, and the Los Angeles production at the Geffen Playhouse was subsequently filmed for PBS. Since then, Collected Stories has been produced throughout the U.S. and the world. 'Although we've had to postpone King Lear due to an unexpected conflict with Daniel Sullivan's spring schedule, we're happy to be able to replace it with Donald's engaging play,' said Producing Artistic Director David Emmes. 'Fortunately, Dan will be able to direct King Lear in the fall and we gain an exciting way to open our 2009-10 season.' In addition to Collected Stories, Margulies is the author of four plays that were commissioned and premiered by South Coast Repertory: Brooklyn Boy and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sight Unseen, which received Broadway productions, and Shipwrecked! An Entertainment - The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont as Told by Himself. Dinner with Friends, which had its West Coast Premiere at SCR, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize. LOCATION: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive. CALENDAR: An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville (9/5-10/5), dead man's cell phone (9/21-10/12), The Heiress (10/17-11/16), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (11/7-11/23). PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of South Coast Repertory productions are available at www.southcoastrepertory.com/photos.html. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 400 productions, 107 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Julianne Argyros Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), Off-Broadway's preeminent theater company, will honor Tony Award-winning actress Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group at this year's Primary Stages 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, October 27, 2008.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has announced the addition of the New York premiere of the new comedy, Love Child, written and performed by Daniel Jenkins and Robert Stanton, as an added event of the 2008-2009 season.

Alex Kilgore and Evan Cabnet are set to direct the world premiere of the stageFARM's newest work, SPIN, which begins performances on Friday, October 3, at The Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street).

After coming off the most successful season in the organization's history, New Brunswick's George Street Playhouse is pleased to announce their 2008-09 season. 'Last season was a blockbuster,' said Artistic Director David Saint, 'we began and ended it with smash hit comedies which became the top two best selling plays in our history. For 2008-09, we are pleased to welcome new and old friends to the Playhouse in what promises to be another exciting season.'

Primary Stages (Casey Child, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has instituted a Pay What You Can special ticket offer available for the first two previews of all productions in their 24th season, beginning with the New York Premiere of Buffalo Gal by A.R. Gurney. Pay What You Can tickets go on sale two hours before curtain on July 22nd and July 23rd.

BroadwayWorld's own James Sims joined Shipwrecked! star Gregory Itzin and Director Bart DeLorenzo at the Geffen Playhouse to learn of the voyage Louis de Rougemont took in becoming a 'tabloid sensation' of his Victorian England days with his amazing tales chronicling a voyage full of wild characters and plenty of imagination...