Ellen McLaughlin News

Musical blockbusters "Children of Eden" and "Heathers The Musical" join new plays "bee-luther-hatchee" and "Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play" and classics "The Cherry Orchard" and "Lysistrata" on the Cal State Fullerton stages in 2018-19. Two world-premiere-packed Dance Theatre productions also headline the schedule. "Theatre is about story-telling and this season we open with a story about who has the right to tell whose story," explains CSUF Theatre & Dance Chair David Mickey. "Our College of the Arts students have the right to tell stories that are thought provoking, timeless, engaging, and entertaining and this season will create challenging and educational opportunities for our students, as well as myriad performance experiences for our loyal audiences in Orange County."

The Broad Stage continues their collaboration with Red Hen Press for Red Hen Press: At the Kitchen Table with Rinde and Ellen on Sunday, July 22 at 2:00pm in the East Wing at The Broad Stage.

Isabella Rossellini's Link Link Circus, 7 Fingers' REVERSIBLE, The Reduced Shakespeare Company, Manual Cinema's Memento Mori; acclaimed jazz & blues artists Madeleine Peyroux, John Beasley, Billy Childs, The Stanley Clarke Band, Etienne Charles, Freddy Cole, Corey Harris & Guy Davis and the return of Hiromi: Solo; classical artists Vox Luminis, Olga Kern, Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Jeremy Denk, Lucia Micarelli; an Artist-in-Residence Series featuring violist Richard O'Neill; eclectic world artists Nobunto, Kinan Azmeh CityBand, Alash, Ranky Tanky and the return of David Broza; Kybele Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico; diverse family programming featuring Pacifico Dance Company, Aaron Nigel Smith's Family Reggae Bash, and The Story Pirates; plus partnerships with Sotheby's Institute of Art - Los Angeles, KCRW, Red Hen Press and National Geographic Live are among over 40 attractions announced for the 2018-2019 Eli & Edythe Broad Stage at The Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center season. 

The American Theatre Wing and The Village Voice announce that Tony Award-nominated and three-time Obie-winning actress Kathleen Chalfant will receive a special Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 63rd Annual Obie Awards.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced complete casting today for the 2018 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of OTHELLO beginning Tuesday, May 29 at the Delacorte Theater, continuing a 56-year tradition of free theater in Central Park. Directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, OTHELLO will officially open on Monday, June 18 and will run through Sunday, June 24.

 The MacDowell Colony has awarded fellowships to 84 artists from 18 states and six countries, from Colorado to Virginia and from Portugal to Nigeria. They are working in seven disciplines, and 43 percent identify as culturally diverse while 56 percent are women. The fellowships are for upcoming summer residencies at one of the nation's leading contemporary arts organizations. 

Full casting is announced today for the London workshop of EMMA, A New Musical, based on the novel by Jane Austen, directed by Thom Southerland.

Michael Kahn today announces Shakespeare Theatre Company's 2018-2019 Season. With two world premieres from celebrated playwrights, a multiple Tony Award-winning presentation, a dynamic adaptation of a classic novel, two Shakespeare plays and a group of acclaimed directors and artists, it is an ambitious grand finale for STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn, who will retire from the company at the end of the Season.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF is seeking new full-length plays to be featured in PlayFest presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust. Past PlayFest plays have dealt with issues of racism, autism, gender, Alzheimer's, immigration, etc. While Shakespeare and classical productions deal with "timeless issues," PlayFest favors new plays that confront modern "issues of our times."

PITTSBURGH CLO is pleased to welcome a collection of writing teams from across the country to Pittsburgh for the inaugural SPARK festival in March. These teams were chosen from a highly-selective submissions process and will have the opportunity to rehearse and revise their work in residencies ranging from two days to three weeks. SPARK will provide dramaturgy and production resources to 10 new musicals at all stages of development, in addition to the world premiere of UP AND AWAY. As a part of the development period, eight of the musicals will receive public presentations through which the writing teams can gather audience insights and focus their intentions for the next phase of development. A major initiative of Pittsburgh CLO's recently completed Next Generation Capital Campaign, SPARK is designed to cultivate new and innovative work from emerging and established musical theater artists. 

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced the line-up today for the 2018 Free Shakespeare in the Park season, continuing a 56-year tradition of free theater in Central Park.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Founding Artistic Director Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced that their eighth annual festival of 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes will feature two brand new commissions from Tina Howe and Doug Wright, alongside 6 brand new plays chosen from hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country. Selected plays will receive a staged reading performance in the festival on Monday July 16th (7:30 PM), directed by Pamela Berlin and Evan Yionoulis, performed by a company of some of New York's finest actors.

The New York Society Library presents a new chamber musical based on Euripides' The Trojan Women on Monday, January 22, at 6pm. With libretto by Ellen McLaughlin and music by Sarah Taylor Ellis, The Trojan Women will be directed by Rachel Dickstein and music directed by Mila Henry.

Sleep will make its world premiere, October 27-28, at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and will have its New York premiere at BAM Fisher as part of the 2017 Next Wave Festival, November 29 - December 2.

Sleep will make its world premiere, October 27-28, at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and will have its New York premiere at BAM Fisher as part of the 2017 Next Wave Festival, November 29 - December 2.

Other Theatre, in association with Chicago Dramatists' Grafting Project, will launch its 4th season with the world premiere of Martin Zimmerman's comedic graphic novel for the stage THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO, directed by Kelly Howe, playing September 29 - October 29, 2017 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. Casting will be announced shortly.

Producer Ben Toth has announced casting for an upcoming invitation-only reading of Emma, a new musical inspired by Jane Austen's classic novel, on Monday, September 25 and Tuesday, September 26 at the Dodger Atelier.

Other Theatre, in association with Chicago Dramatists' Grafting Project, will launch its 4th season with the world premiere of Martin Zimmerman's comedic graphic novel for the stage THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO, directed by Kelly Howe, playing September 29 - October 29, 2017 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. Casting will be announced shortly.

The American Theatre Wing has announced new appointments to its Board of Trustees and Advisory Committee.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director/Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced that their seventh annual festival of 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes will feature two brand new commissions from Dael Orlandersmith and Arthur Kopit, alongside 6 brand new plays chosen from hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country. The 2017 Short New Play Festival will be presented on Monday July 24th (7:30pm) at Lucille Lortel Theatre, directed by Craig Baldwin and Evan Yionoulis. Casts will include Tina Benko, Bill Buell, Robert Clohessy, Emily Donahoe, Clifton Duncan, Teresa Avia Lim, Joan MacIntosh, Nadine Malouf, Howard W. Overshown, Alfredo Narciso, and Linda Powell.