Ensemble Studio Theatre News

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Patrick Page in 'Good to be Bad' on Tuesday, January 28th at 9:30 pm

InViolet will present the World Premiere of BRANCHED, an over-the-top comedy by Erin Mallon. Directed by Robert Ross Parker (Vampire Cowboys), previews begin February 13 at HERE in SoHo. Opening night is slated for Thursday, February 20.

Renee Blinkwolt, who will take up the post beginning February 3, 2014 takes over for Jeremy Blocker who was recently named Managing Director of New York Theatre Workshop.

Shining East Productions presents The Sun Shines East, based on a true story written by Corinne Chateau* about an adoptive mother's struggle to break through deep personal barriers and international politics to bring home her daughter. Pat Golden directs a cast of 5 including Karen Christie-Ward*, Tara Gadomski*, Mary Francina Golden*, Bristol Pomeroy, and Amy Staats*. Fourteen performances will be held at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 West 64th Street, in New York City from January 31-February 16, 2014. *Member, Actors' Equity Association. AEA Approved Showcase.

Rosie Benton (Stick Fly, Accent on Youth), Erik Lochtefeld, and P.J. Sosko play three Civil War re-enactors in the world premiere of Jessica Dickey's dark comedy, Row After Row, directed by Daniella Topol, Women's Project Theater's Producing Artistic Director Julie Crosby announced. Row After Row, which marks the 36th season of Women's Project Theater, begins previews Wednesday, January 15, at 7:30 for an opening Thursday, January 23, at 6:30pm at Women's Project Theater's home, New York City Center Stage II, 131 West 55th Street.

New Brooklyn Theater has announced casting today for its site-specific production of Edward Albee's The Death of Bessie Smith at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn. This rare revival will run for eight performances between today, January 9 and 19, 2014.

The Huntington Theatre Company announces that the 2014 Breaking Ground festival of new plays will be held January 30 - February 2 at the Huntington's home for new work, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE presents THE FAIRYTALE LIVES OF RUSSIAN GIRLS by Meg Miroshnik, directed by Rachel Chavkin, January 31-February 22 at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street). Opening Night is Thursday, February 6. The cast of THE FAIRYTALE LIVES OF RUSSIAN GIRLS is Sofiya Akilova, Celeste Arias, Stephanie Hayes, Jessica Jelliffe, Felicity Jones, and Emily Walton.

A different kind of love story opens The Echo Theater Company's 2014 season in its new home at Atwater Village Theatre. Chris Fields directs the world premiere of Firemen by Tommy Smith, opening Feb. 8.

In today's New York Time's In Performance video, Bobby Moreno plays 'Odysseus Rex, a menacing bird with issues in Eric Dufault's cockfighting comedy 'Year of the Rooster,' opening Thursday, January 9 at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.

MCC THEATER announced today that tickets are now on sale for the anticipated Off-Broadway premiere of Robert Askins' Hand to God starring Steven Boyer who reprises his celebrated, Obie Award-winning performance from the Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) in 2011. Boyer will be joined in this brand new production by Tony Award nominee Marc Kudisch as well as Geneva Carr, Michael Oberholtzer, and Sarah Stiles. Hand to God is directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel and begins at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on February 19, 2014. An official opening night is set for March 10, 2014. For tickets and info, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

Ars Nova kicks off 2014 with Game Play, this year's incarnation of Ars Nova's annual Play Group production. An evening of original short plays and live music inspired by classic board game titles, Game Play features Peter Benson, Marcia DeBonis, Dashiell Eaves, Brandon Gill, Ben Graney, Susan Heyward, Jessica Love and Carmen Zilles. This production plays 10 performances, January 29 - February 8.

New Brooklyn Theater has announced casting today for its site-specific production of Edward Albee's The Death of Bessie Smith at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn. This rare revival will run for eight performances between January 9 and 19, 2014. Each performance will be followed by talkbacks or panel discussions with leaders in the arts, government, labor, and health. These discussions are intended to raise critical questions about health access, race, class, and the arts in New York.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces the world premiere of The House that will not Stand, a historical comedic drama commissioned from award-winning poet-playwright and Oakland native Marcus Gardley. Sensuous, witty, heartbreaking, and uplifting - The House that will not Stand unearths a story about free women of color in 1836 New Orleans, where black Creole women entered into common-law marriages with affluent white men. When her wealthy lover mysteriously dies, Beartrice Albans' foundation of security hangs precariously by a thread. She is left to fend for her three unwed daughters in a world where freedom must be carefully negotiated. Told in a rich and lyrical river of words, this new play was developed through The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. It's helmed by Patricia McGregor, whose many credits include the celebrated production of Spunk at California Shakespeare Theater. The House that will not Stand begins previews on Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage on Friday, January 31, opens on Wednesday, February 5 and runs through Sunday, March 16, 2014.

Marin Theatre Company artistic director Jasson Minadakis, managing director Michael Barker and director of new play development Margot Melcon announced today the winners of MTC's two national new American play prizes, a program now in its sixth year. The Way West by Mona Mansour won the 2013 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize and Eric Dufault won the 2013 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize for his play The Year of the Rooster. The winners were selected from nearly 700 eligible submissions.

The second play in MALIBU PLAYHOUSE'S 2013-2014 season will be the West Coast Premiere of Belfry by Billy Roche, opening Friday, January 31, 2014. The play will be directed by Veronica Brady and stars Michael Hyland, Rebekah Tripp and 2010 American Idol contestant Carson Higgins. Tickets are $30, and may be purchased through the box office, online at www.malibuplayhouse.org/belfry, or by calling 323-960-7711. There will be previews on January 29th and 30th for $20. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Malibu Playhouse is located at 29243 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265 (near Zuma Beach, between Kanan-Dume Road and Morning View Drive, near Heathercliff Road).

San Francisco, CA, December 20, 2013 – The five-time Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus--Lisa Bielawa, Artistic Director and Valérie Sainte-Agathe, Music Director and Principal Conductor—continues its 35th anniversary season with a fully staged production of Benjamin Britten's 1957 opera Noye's Fludde, based on the biblical deluge story, in one performance only, Saturday, March 29, 2014, at 8 pm at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. Conducted by Ms. Sainte-Agathe, the cast will feature guest artists Carey Perloff as The Voice of God, bass-baritone Joe Chappell as Noah, mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen as Mrs. Noah and other soloist roles performed by members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, to be announced. The production will be staged by Ariel Craft and will feature original art, costumes and set pieces created by members of San Francisco's acclaimed Creativity Explored, supported by a grant from the Creative Work Fund. The evening features the performance and includes a cocktail party and dinner to benefit the San Francisco Girls Chorus. For information and tickets, visitwww.sfgirlschorus.org .

Ars Nova kicks off 2014 with Game Play, this year's incarnation of Ars Nova's annual Play Group production. Game Play, set to play 10 performances from January 29 - February 8, features original short plays and live music inspired by classic board game titles.

Producers Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel and Louise Gund have announced that James Eckhouse, most recently seen in the world premiere of Jane Anderson's 'The Escort' at The Geffen Playhouse and best known for playing Jim Walsh on the original 'Beverly Hills 90210', will play the role of Robert McNamara in the Broadway bound production of ALL THE WAY by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (The Kentucky Cycle).

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company today announced the inaugural Keen Playwrights Lab. Under the leadership of Mark Armstrong, Keen's Director of New Work, each playwright will be developing a new full-length play inspired by Keen Company's mission - sincere story telling with heart, honesty and hope. The collaborative and supportive environment brings together three acclaimed American playwrights in mid-career to develop new work and facilitate that work's exposure to a greater audience. The program will culminate in three public readings in April, 2014. More details TBA. Keen Playwrights Lab made possible in part thanks to a Creative Space Grant with A.R.T./New York. This season's participants are Jessica Dickey, Gabe McKinley and Qui Nguyen.