Donna Simone Johnson News

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which is entering its 85th year, today announced the casts for the 2020 season, featuring some of the most beloved performers from OSF's history alongside newcomers from around the country. OSF is one of the most prominent theatre companies across the nation that have joined the Jubilee, a yearlong nationwide commitment by theatres to feature work generated by those who have traditionally been excluded from or marginalized by the theatre industry. Five Shakespeare plays staged as four productions, alongside two new plays inspired by him, take the Festival's stages in 2020. Two more commissions from OSF's multi-decade commissioning program American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle will also premiere.

Rubicon Theatre of Ventura has announced a two-week extension of the company's World Premiere presentation of WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS, a funny, poignant and powerful new play about the shared experiences of women everywhere, inspired by the remarkable true journey of a small group of women artists who wanted to find a way to inspire change through creative expression.

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 21st "Coming of Age" season with the World Premiere of WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS, a play inspired by and loosely based on the remarkable journey of Lorraine Serena and a dynamic group of California-based artists who founded the non-profit Women Beyond Borders (WBB). Determined to "make art as if the world matters," Serena and her friends fell upon the idea of box as metaphor: hope chest, treasure chest, womb, coffin, etc. They replicated a miniature wooden box no bigger than the size of a human heart and sent the boxes to curators and friends in other countries with the goal of encouraging dialogue, collaboration and community among women and honoring creativity. The founders of WBB were astonished at what came back to them - eloquent expressions of the enormous depth and variety, but also the universality, of women's experiences throughout the world. The boxes were accompanied by equally astonishing artists' statements, in the form of letters, poems and stories asking about transcending barriers: geographical, social, racial, economic, emotional, gender-related, spiritual, etc.

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 21st 'Coming of Age' season with the World Premiere of WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS, a play inspired by and loosely based on the remarkable journey of Lorraine Serena and a dynamic group of California-based artists who founded the non-profit Women Beyond Borders (WBB).

Onstage Now is Virginia Stage Company's The Bluest Eye through March 24. Co-produced by Norfolk State University Theatre Company and directed by Khanisha Foster, this production is based on the novel by Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Toni Morrison.

Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's first novel comes to life at the Wells Theatre. The Bluest Eye, directed by Khanisha Foster, follows the story of young Pecola in 1940's Ohio who is pregnant at her father's hands. She is taken in by a loving family and cared for by brilliant and kind sisters, Frieda and Claudia. The character-driven play, both poetic and daringly funny, illuminates the destructive powers of racism and class dynamics while exploring the power of community through exquisite storytelling. The Bluest Eye is produced in collaboration with Norfolk State University Theatre Company.

Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's first novel comes to life at the Wells Theatre. The Bluest Eye, directed by Khanisha Foster, follows the story of young Pecola in 1940's Ohio who is pregnant at her father's hands. She is taken in by a loving family and cared for by brilliant and kind sisters, Frieda and Claudia. The character-driven play, both poetic and daringly funny, illuminates the destructive powers of racism and class dynamics while exploring the power of community through exquisite storytelling. The Bluest Eye is produced in collaboration with Norfolk State University Theatre Company.

Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's first novel comes to life at the Wells Theatre. The Bluest Eye, directed by Khanisha Foster, follows the story of young Pecola in 1940's Ohio who is pregnant at her father's hands. She is taken in by a loving family and cared for by brilliant and kind sisters, Frieda and Claudia. The character-driven play, both poetic and daringly funny, illuminates the destructive powers of racism and class dynamics while exploring the power of community through exquisite storytelling. The Bluest Eye is produced in collaboration with Norfolk State University Theatre Company.

Jon Lawrence Rivera, Artistic Director of Playwrights' Arena - the first and oldest theater dedicated to discovering, nurturing, and producing original works written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights, is thrilled to announce the encore presentation of the critically-acclaimed hit I GO SOMEWHERE ELSE by Inda Craig-Galvan, with the original cast that includes Kevin Cougal,Kita Grayson, Donna Simone Johnson, Inger Tudor, and Cheri Lynne VandenHeuvel.

Playwrights' Arena is presenting the World Premiere of I GO SOMEWHERE ELSE by Inda Craig-Galvan. It is directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera and starring Kevin Coubal, Kita Grayson, Donna Simone Johnson, Inger Tudor and Cheri Lynne Vanden Heuvel.

Jon Lawrence Rivera, Artistic Director of Playwrights' Arena - the first and oldest theater dedicated to discovering, nurturing, and producing original works written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights, is thrilled to announce the cast for I GO SOMEWHERE ELSE by Inda Craig-Galvan, which includes Kevin Cougal, Kita Grayson, Donna Simone Johnson, Inger Tudor, and Cheri Lynne VandenHeuvel.

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, present the fourth and final show of its 2017-2018 season, the Southern California premiere of RED SPEEDO, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Joe Banno. RED SPEEDO will preview on Saturday, May 6 at 8pm; Sunday, May 7; Tuesday, May 8 at 8pm; Wednesday, May 9 at 8pm & Thursday, May 10 and will open on Friday, May 11 at 8pm and run through Sunday, July 1 at the Road Theatre on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere of THE BABY DANCE: MIXED, a new adaptation by Emmy Award-winner JANE ANDERSON ('Olive Kitteridge') of her acclaimed 2004 play The Baby Dance. A drama delicately laced with comic overtones, THE BABY DANCE: MIXED is a compelling and urgent play about race, class, and wanting the perfect child.

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, present the fourth and final show of its 2017-2018 season, the Southern California premiere of RED SPEEDO, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Joe Banno. RED SPEEDO will preview on Saturday, May 6 at 8pm; Sunday, May 7; Tuesday, May 8 at 8pm; Wednesday, May 9 at 8pm & Thursday, May 10 and will open on Friday, May 11 at 8pm and run through Sunday, July 1 at the Road Theatre on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.  

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANYand Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, present the fourth and final show of its 2017-2018 season, the Southern California premiere of RED SPEEDO, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Joe Banno. RED SPEEDO will preview on Saturday, May 6 at 8pm; Sunday, May 7;Tuesday, May 8 at 8pm; Wednesday, May 9 at 8pm & Thursday, May 10 and will open on Friday, May 11 at 8pm and run throughSunday, July 1 at the Road Theatre on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

501 (see three) ARTS and 24th STreet Theatre are thrilled to present the West Coast premiere of Pang! today, December 2 at 8:00pm and Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3:00pm. Pang! by Dan Froot and Company is a triptych of adventurous live radio plays based on the oral histories of three American families hungering for change. The 90-minute production is being performed for theatre audiences in the three cities where the actual families live: Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California at 24th STreet Theatre (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/26 & 1/27/18). Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line. For more information on Pang!, please visit Tinyurl.com/pang-info.

501 (see three) ARTS and 24th STreet Theatre are thrilled to present the West Coast premiere of Pang! on Saturday, December 2 at 8:00pm and Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3:00pm. Pang! by Dan Froot and Company is a triptych of adventurous live radio plays based on the oral histories of three American families hungering for change. The 90-minute production is being performed for theatre audiences in the three cities where the actual families live: Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California at 24th STreet Theatre (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/26 & 1/27/18). Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line. For more information on Pang!, please visit Tinyurl.com/pang-info.

Pang! Performing amidst a forest of microphones, sound effects, props and musical instruments, award-winning performance artist Dan Froot and his collaborators (Dan Froot and Company) present a triptych of live radio plays about real families hungering for change in Miami, Cedar Rapids and South Central Los Angeles.

501 (see three) ARTS announces the triple premiere of Pang!, by Dan Froot and Company, three live radio plays based on the oral histories of families hungering for change. Pang! will be performed for theatre audiences in October, December, and January in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/25, 1/26 & 1/27/18), respectfully. Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line. For more information on Pang!, please visit danfroot.com/pang and https://www.facebook.com/PangProject.

501 (see three) ARTS announces the triple premiere of Pang!, by Dan Froot and Company, three live radio plays based on the oral histories of families hungering for change. Pang! will be performed for theatre audiences in October, December, and January in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/25, 1/26 & 1/27/18), respectfully. Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line.