Edward Albee News

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.

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, will feature a company of 22 actors under the direction of Michael Wilson. The exciting, sweeping work will be co-produced in the 2009-2010 season by Hartford Stage (Michael Wilson, Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Managing Director) and Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director).

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment in association with The Welk Resorts Theatre are proud to present the first production of La Mirada Theatre's 2009-2010 season of shows, Cathy Rigby and Michael Learned starring in the funny and moving, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, written by Robert Harling and directed by La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts Producing Artistic Director Brian Kite. STEEL MAGNOLIAS will begin performances on Friday, October 2 (with a press opening on Saturday, October 3) and will run through Sunday, October 18 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada.

Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) is pleased to announce that the theatre's 20th Anniversary season in 2010-2011, celebrating author Tony Kushner, will feature the first New York revival of Kushner's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning epic work, ANGELS IN AMERICA: A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES. The production will be directed by Michael Greif with Part One: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES and Part Two: PERESTROIKA presented in repertory. Signature's Tony Kushner season will also include two more works to be announced.

The American Theatre Wing has announced that Applause Theatre & Cinema Books will publish its original book, The American Theatre Wing presents The Play That Changed My Life: America's Foremost Playwrights on the Plays that Influenced Them.

Legendary Broadway star Elaine Stritch will headline a private reading of Ben Andron's new comic play WHITE'S LIES. The reading will take place Thursday, September 24, 2009 at The Snapple Theatre Center - The Jerry Orbach Theatre located at 1627 Broadway. KelVin Productions will present the reading.

'I Am Stephen Colbert (and So Can You)' A candid conversation with the real Stephen Colbert is a benefit for the Two River Theater Company and will be held on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 7:30pm. All proceeds will benefit TRTC's productions and education programs.

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 Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced complete casting today for the Shakespeare in the Park production of Euripides' THE BACCHAE, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis with original music by Philip Glass and translated by Nicholas Rudall. Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) will play the lead role of Pentheus joining George Bartenieff as Cadmus; André De Shields as Teiresias; Jonathan Groff as Dionysus; Karen Kandel as Chorus Leader; Joan MacIntosh as Agave; Steven Rishard as Cowherd; and Rocco Sisto as Messenger.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced casting for the Shakespeare in the Park production of Euripides' THE BACCHAE, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis with original music by Philip Glass and translated by Nicholas Rudall. THE BACCHAE will run August 11-August 30 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park with an official press opening on Monday, August 24 at 8 p.m. Bank of America returns as lead sponsor of Shakespeare in the Park 2009.

MadLab Theatre will present The Quintessential Roulette, featuring the best plays from each of the 10 previous Theatre Roulettes, MadLab's annual shorts festival, the longest running such festival in Columbus.

Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, today announced that the company's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will run August 29 - October 24, 2009, at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

MadLab Theatre will present The Quintessential Roulette, featuring the best plays from each of the 10 previous Theatre Roulettes, MadLab's annual shorts festival, the longest running such festival in Columbus.

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.

Tickets to 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') will be available for purchase - both at the Vineyard Theatre Box Office (108 East 15th Street) and online at www.VineyardTheatre.org - beginning today (Wednesday, August 26).

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.