Edward Albee News

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater will open its 15th anniversary season with a fresh look at Killers and Other Family, the provocative play by Lucy Thurber (Monstrosity, Where We're Born, Stay) which had its world premiere as part of the company's 2000-01 season.

Two-time Tony Award-winning actress Judith Ivey will portray that great woman of American letters -- letters from readers seeking advice, that is -- when she plays the legendary, trailblazing columnist Ann Landers in David Rambo's play THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS Off-Broadway this fall, starting performances October 7, 2009 at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St.)

It is difficult to imagine a greater fan of the recent Tony Award-winning Passing Strange than Spike Lee. After seeing the show twice in the same weekend during its stint at The Public Theater, Lee's 'nightmare,' he tells Blackbook.com was that 'at some point it was going to close and that it was just all going to all go away.' Hence the inspiration for his new documentary, 'Passing Strange,' which documents the stage show he filmed in July just prior to the show's closing. After winning several awards at Sundance, 'Passing Strange' is now playing at the IFC in New York, on the IFC channel and will soon be broadcast on PBS. Lee sat down this week with original creators Stew and Heidi Rodewald and Blackbook.com to discuss of 'Strange.'

George and Martha appear to the world as the perfect 'power couple.' But a glimpse into their lives exposes the truth that the life people show to the world and the life they actually live can be very different.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) will launch its 31st season this fall with the New York premiere of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY. Conceived, written, and performed by Ms. Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY will begin preview performances on Tuesday, September 15 and will officially open on Wednesday, October 7 at 6:45pm.

Tickets for THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, the world premiere of a three part theatrical event by the late Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Horton Foote, are now available at www.signaturetheatre.org.

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.

A PIECE OF MY HEART by Shirley Lauro. In 1994, The American Century Theater launched its quest to bring Washington area audiences the full range of 20th century American theater.

Arena Stage presents The Quality of Life, written by playwright and Emmy Award-winner Jane Anderson and directed by Lisa Peterson (Arena's The Rainmaker). In this 'magnetic work of theater' (San Francisco Chronicle) filled with compassion, honesty and humor, we find two couples dealing very differently with devastation.

In preparation for the opening of the theater's renovated complex in Southwest D.C., Arena Stage has undertaken ARENA RESTAGED-a two-year festival of American voices. Part Two will continue the remarkable exploration of American work and provide the theater with necessary time to move into the new Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in time for the Fall 2010 opening.

Broadway's most talked about new musical and the biggest Tony Award-winner in years is coming to the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Women's Project, truly on a roll in its 32nd year (and not looking a day over 29!) of producing plays written and directed by women, has signed Maggie Siff, one of the acclaimed ensemble of actors in the hit, third-season TV series 'Mad Men,' to play Aphra Behn in Liz Duffy Adams's three-hander Or, directed by Wendy McClellan.

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting will be holding its 4th annual Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts this fall, bringing artists and activists together to discuss the relationship between art and social activism. Events will take place beginning on September 18th and end on September 28th.

Publick Theatre Boston Presents Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? October 1 - 24, 2009 Tina Packer and Nigel Gore Star as the Iconic Martha and George

Phantom Audio (www.PhantomAudio.com) - a full service audio production facility, offering radio production, film mixing, sound design and casting - will transform their large Chelsea loft into an art gallery - Phantom Gallery - for four days in September, and will present an exhibit of artist Don Florence's celebrity portraits entitled ACTORS, AUTHORS, OTHERS.

The Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre (AVENUE Q and [title of show]) will open its 2009-10 season with the Off-Broadway premiere of A BOY AND HIS SOUL -- a new play written and performed by Colman Domingo (PASSING STRANGE, Logo Network's 'The Big Gay Sketch Show') set to begin previews September 9, prior to officially opening on September 24 at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) in Manhattan.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is proud to announce that Tony Award-nominated actor Manoel Felciano has joined the A.C.T. core acting company for the 2009-10 season.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) will present the world premiere of A.R. Gurney's new play THE GRAND MANNER, directed by Mark Lamos, this spring in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Performances will begin Thursday, May 27. Opening night is scheduled for Thursday, June 24.

Shakespeare & Company Artistic Director Tony Simotes today announced the titles for the popular, 15th annual Studio Festival of Plays. The annual Festival is a mini-marathon of plays new to the Company running ONE DAY ONLY in Founders' Theatre on Monday, September 7 beginning at 11:30 am and running through 11pm. Seven productions featuring Company actors and special guest actors will be presented throughout the day as works-in-progress and staged readings. A special Benefit reading of William Bigelow's new play, Leap Year, featuring Olympia Dukakis and directed by Simotes, will kick off the Festival series a week early on Monday, August 31st at 7:00pm .

A PIECE OF MY HEART by Shirley Lauro. In 1994, The American Century Theater launched its quest to bring Washington area audiences the full range of 20th century American theater.