Ellen Stewart News

A couple of years ago I went to The Flea Theater and had a fun time with A.R. Gurney's then newest play, Post Mortem. It was a clever little piece taking place in the future about a college student writing his thesis on a long-forgotten playwright named A.R. Gurney, and was filled with self-referential zingers based on his reputation for writing 'middle class comedies of manners' that made him popular with WASP theatergoers.

As Broadway prepares for another mounting of Hair, the theatre community has received the sad news that the innovative director who helped make that musical such a success, Tom O'Horgan, has passed away. I asked the legendary and colorful playwright Robert Patrick to share a remembrance...

Pan Asian Rep Artistic Director Tisa Chang interviewed about upcoming season highlights and history of the theatre.

The Book of Lambert opened on February 14 and continues through March 1, 2009 in a limited engagement at the historic La MaMa e.t.c. as part of their Black History Month celebration.

On February 18 and 19, La MaMa will host an open house, 'New Voices Heard,' featuring a sampling of eight plays that were developed during the summer of 2008 in the La MaMa Umbria International Playwrights Retreat. This free event will take place at La MaMa La Galleria, 6 East First Street, Manhattan (between Second Avenue and Bowery), Manhattan. Admission is free. Excerpts of eight plays will be presented. Seven will be staged readings and one will be fully acted.

On February 18 and 19, La MaMa will host an open house, 'New Voices Heard,' featuring a sampling of eight plays that were developed during the summer of 2008 in the La MaMa Umbria International Playwrights Retreat. This free event will take place at La MaMa La Galleria, 6 East First Street, Manhattan (between Second Avenue and Bowery), Manhattan. Admission is free. Excerpts of eight plays will be presented. Seven will be staged readings and one will be fully acted.

La MaMa e.t.c. proudly presents the World Premiere of The Book of Lambert, written by Tony Award nominated and Obie/Audelco Award winning playwright Leslie Lee. The play, directed by Cyndy A. Marion, features Lucille Lortel and Obie Award winning actor Arthur French, who recently performed on Broadway in Horton Foote's Dividing The Estate. The Book of Lambert runs from February 13th to March 1st, 2009 in a limited engagement at the historic La MaMa e.t.c. as part of their Black History Month celebration. Lambert previews on February 13th and officially opens on February 14th, Valentines Day.

On February 18 and 19, La MaMa will host an open house, 'New Voices Heard,' featuring a sampling of eight plays that were developed during the summer of 2008 in the La MaMa Umbria International Playwrights Retreat. This free event will take place at La MaMa La Galleria, 6 East First Street, Manhattan (between Second Avenue and Bowery), Manhattan. Admission is free. Excerpts of eight plays will be presented. Seven will be staged readings and one will be fully acted.

On February 18 and 19, La MaMa will host an open house, 'New Voices Heard,' featuring a sampling of eight plays that were developed during the summer of 2008 in the La MaMa Umbria International Playwrights Retreat. This free event will take place at La MaMa La Galleria, 6 East First Street, Manhattan (between Second Avenue and Bowery), Manhattan. Admission is free. Excerpts of eight plays will be presented. Seven will be staged readings and one will be fully acted.

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway is pleased to announce that applications for the 2009 Honorary Awards are available online now and are due by 6pm on May 1, 2009. Now in their 5th year, the IT Awards have honored over 500 of the brightest and most influential artists from the Off-Off-Broadway community. The Honorary Awards are: * The Artistic Achievement Award, presented to an individual who has made a significant artistic contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community;

La MaMa e.t.c. proudly presents the World Premiere of The Book of Lambert, written by Tony Award nominated and Obie Award winning playwright Leslie Lee. The play, directed by Cyndy A. Marion, features Lucille Lortel and Obie Award winning actor Arthur French, who recently performed on Broadway in Horton Foote's Dividing The Estate. The Book of Lambert runs from February 13th to March 1st, 2009 in a limited engagement at the historic La MaMa e.t.c. as part of their Black History Month celebration. Lambert previews on February 13th and officially opens on February 14th, Valentines Day. Founded by the venerable Ellen Stewart, La MaMa e.t.c. is located at 74A East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue & Bowery in NYC. Performances take place in the First Floor Theatre and run Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm with an added performance on Wed 2/18 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $13 for students and seniors and can be purchased by calling 212-475-7710 or visiting www.LaMaMa.org. The Book of Lambert depicts the lives of six lost souls hiding from society in the subterranean depths of an abandoned NYC subway tunnel. Their leader is Lambert, an African-American man who has been hurt - possibly beyond repair - by his former love, a beautiful Caucasian woman. A bright but disillusioned ex-college professor, Lambert begins writing a prophetic book on life. In an effort to guide and re-focus this wayward flock, Lambert unleashes his own identity issues while coming face to face with the demons of his past. The Book of Lambert is a telling story of how our histories can haunt us, and how we may or may not recover from them.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, January 12, 2009.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Sunday, December 28, 2008.

A special performance of 'Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again' by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA.

A special performance of 'Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again' by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA.

The Hayworth Theatre, in association with Roz Bernstein Productions, will present the world debut of 'Lovelace: A Rock Opera,' on October 18, 2008. The new show, recounting the life and times of legendary adult film superstar Linda Lovelace of 'Deep Throat' fame, is based on the Book, Music and Lyrics of Charlotte Caffey (founding member of 'The Go-Go's,) and Anna Waronker (singer/songwriter, founding member of 'That Dog.,') with the Original Concept and Lyrics from Jeffery Leonard Bowman.

The Hayworth Theatre, in association with Roz Bernstein Productions, will present the world debut of 'Lovelace: A Rock Opera,' on October 18, 2008. The new show, recounting the life and times of legendary adult film superstar Linda Lovelace of 'Deep Throat' fame, is based on the Book, Music and Lyrics of Charlotte Caffey (founding member of 'The Go-Go's,) and Anna Waronker (singer/songwriter, founding member of 'That Dog.,') with the Original Concept and Lyrics from Jeffery Leonard Bowman.

Great Jones Repertory Company at La MaMa E.T.C. Annex in Manhattan presents Ellen Stewart's new adaptation of 'The Raven', an American-premiere musical based on the rarely seen play by 18th-century Italian writer Carlo Gozzi

La MaMa E.T.C. presents Ellen Stewart's new adaptation of THE RAVEN, an American-premiere musical based on the rarely seen play by 18th-century Italian writer Carlo Gozzi (TURANDOT, THE GREEN BIRD), featuring an international cast from the acclaimed Great Jones Repertory Company at La MaMa E.T.C. Annex (66 East 4th Street) in Manhattan, with previews beginning June 12, prior to an official press opening Sunday, June 15.

La MaMa La Galleria is pleased to announce the opening of a floral photography installation by the Filipino-American writer/photographer Randy Gener and the Romanian-born theatre designer/visual artist Nic Ularu. In the Garden of One World brings together theatre scenography, digital photography and installation art to create a conceptual space inspired by Ellen Stewart's famous dictum that theatre should 'speak beyond words.'