Eugene Ionesco News

Right Angle Entertainment and A Rising Tide Theatrical Group have announced the all new national tour of GREATER TUNA. GREATER TUNA will play The Grand 1894 Opera House for a limited three-performance engagement on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 3 and 8 pm; Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 3 pm.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance presents Hudson Theatre Works' 'Readings from the Edge' consisting of 'Rhinoceros' by Eugene Ionesco on Thursday, March 16 at 7:30PM.

It's fine to be in the audience's face and have a scene's energy turned up to 11 but when you do it for the entire play, it gets tiring. That's the issue with Ghost Light Theatricals' current production of "Macbett". Sure it's an absurdist comedy piece but they can have levels too and without them, by the end of the play you wish they'd stop yelling at you.

Ionesco's absurd theatre brought to life in a handsome production that is full of wit and humour, but never loses its avant garde character.

???????New Jersey Theatre Alliance presents Hudson Theatre Works' "Readings from the Edge" consisting of "Rhinoceros" by Eugene Ionesco and "1984" adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan on Thursdays, March 16 and 23 respectively @7:30PM.

Actors' Shakespeare Project (ASP), under the leadership of Acting Co-Artistic Directors Maurice Emmanuel Parent and Paula Plum, Executive Producer Kim Dawson, and Director of Education Programs, Projects, and Partnerships Mara Sidmore announce their 2017-18 season.

Firehouse Theatre presents Eugene Ionesco's anti-play THE BALD SOPRANO on a non-stop loop for twenty-four hours. Beginning Friday, April 21 at 7pm, each performance will begin every hour on the hour and will continue through Saturday, April 22 at 6pm, when the twenty-fourth consecutive performance will close the marathon. Six actors have accepted the challenge to perform Ionesco's absurdist masterpiece twenty four times in a row -- no breaks or intermissions. And, to make it really exciting, in each iteration of the show the six actors will rotate into different roles.

The Drama Book Shop will welcome internationally-renowned director and acting teacher, Jack Garfein, to speak about his groundbreaking, psychologically complex film, Something Wild, his book, Life and Acting: Techniques for the Actor and his world-famous Master Classes on acting technique now given at his newly opened Jack Garfein Studio in the Theater District.

The Drama Book Shop will welcome internationally-renowned director and acting teacher, Jack Garfein, to speak about his groundbreaking, psychologically complex film, Something Wild, his book, Life and Acting: Techniques for the Actor and his world-famous Master Classes on acting technique now given at his newly opened Jack Garfein Studio in the Theater District.

New American Folk Theatre is pleased to present the Midwest premiere of DEEP IN THE HEART OF TUNA, the newest installment of the comedic 'Tuna' series, which has entertained audiences across the U.S for over 25 years (Greater Tuna, "A Tuna Christmas, "Red, White and Tuna" and Tuna Does Vegas). Written by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams and directed by Derek Van Barham, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TUNA will play February 4 - March 5, 2017 at the new Pride Arts Center (The Buena Theatre), 4147 N. Broadway in Chicago. Tickets go on-sale Friday, December 9, 2016 at newamericanfolktheatre.org or by calling (872) 588-5760. 

There have been various responses to the new presidency and the current political climate, including Facebook groups, letter writing and calling campaigns, petitions, and a nation-wide women's march. But what do artists do in response to injustice? They make art. Last weekend 7th House Theater opened a short run of what they call a 'pop up production' of the 1959 play RHINOCEROS, written by Eugene Ionesco as a response to the rise in Fascism in pre-WWII Europe. As company member David Darrow explained before the show, their new original musicals take about a year to plan, write, create, and produce, which makes it challenging to stay current. But with this piece, 7th House is presenting 'a specific work at a specific time in history.' After just ten days of rehearsal, they very intentionally opened on the night of the inauguration, a work presented in what David called 'a mostly sort of way.' While the staging is minimal and actors have scripts in their hands, Rhinoceros is a work that is wholly entertaining, eerily relevant, and exactly what we need right now.

The Lake Effect Fringe Festival kicks off its 5th season of bringing new theatre to West Michigan all through the month of February on Wednesday, February 1 and 2, 2017 at 8:00 pm with a performance by Shadblow Theatre, reprising their production of Anatomy of Gray, by Jim Leonard. A coming of age story that is relatable to all. Its themes of community, family, questioning faith, fear of the unknown, acceptance, and love speak to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The play's ensemble driven story-telling, sometimes delightful and sometimes devastating emotional depth, as well as its often presentational style allows this play to truly connect to its audiences. The story follows fifteen-year-old June Muldoon, her mother, the colorful townsfolk of Gray, Indiana, and the mysterious doctor who crash lands in the center of the "most boring town in the world." Seeking to raise questions about what it means to be a part of this incredibly diverse world, the heart of this play touches on themes relevant to all. Fast-paced clever staging, beautiful lyrical narration, and a small but talented nine person ensemble, this play offers a compelling story in an immersive setting that is sure to offer a lot of laughs and a few tears. 

New American Folk Theatre is pleased to present the Midwest premiere of DEEP IN THE HEART OF TUNA, the newest installment of the comedic 'Tuna' series, which has entertained audiences across the U.S for over 25 years (Greater Tuna, 'A Tuna Christmas, 'Red, White and Tuna' and Tuna Does Vegas). Written by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams and directed by Derek Van Barham, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TUNA will play February 4 - March 5, 2017 at The Buena at Pride Arts Center, 4147 N. Broadway in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at newamericanfolktheatre.org or by calling (872) 588-5760.

New American Folk Theatre is pleased to present the Midwest premiere of DEEP IN THE HEART OF TUNA, the newest installment of the comedic 'Tuna' series, which has entertained audiences across the U.S for over 25 years (Greater Tuna, "A Tuna Christmas, "Red, White and Tuna" and Tuna Does Vegas). Written by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams and directed by Derek Van Barham, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TUNA will play February 4 - March 5, 2017 at the new Pride Arts Center (The Buena Theatre), 4147 N. Broadway in Chicago. Tickets go on-sale Friday, December 9, 2016 at newamericanfolktheatre.org or by calling (872) 588-5760. 

What do you feel you are owed in this world? What are you willing to do to get it? To complete the season's theme, 'But Who Am I, Really,' The Seeing Place presents one of Shakespeare's greatest stories in a way rarely seen it before: with a deep emphasis on text that's understandable, presented in modern dress to deeply connect the audience to the play's relevance today.

What do you feel you are owed in this world? What are you willing to do to get it? To complete the season's theme, 'But Who Am I, Really,' The Seeing Place presents one of Shakespeare's greatest stories in a way rarely seen it before: with a deep emphasis on text that's understandable, presented in modern dress to deeply connect the audience to the play's relevance today.

LUV is by Murray Schisgal, best known for writing the screenplay for Tootsie, and it first premiered on Broadway in 1964, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson. It won a number of Tony awards and later in the run made a star of Gene Wilder.

Audiences first became aware of Jaston Williams as half of the citizens of Tuna, Texas with the debut of Greater Tuna in 1982. The saga continued with A Tuna Christmas, Red, White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas. The plays have been performed on and off Broadway at the Kennedy Center, the Edinburgh International Arts Festival, the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. and all over America. He has received Washington DC's Helen Hayes Award nominations for A Tuna Christmas and Red, White and Tuna as well as the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Award for Greater Tuna. He also received the L.A. Dramalogue Award for both Greater Tuna and A Tuna Christmas. A Tuna Christmas was published in 'Best Plays of 1995.' For several years, Jaston toured in Larry Shue's The Foreigner, for which he received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actor. He performed in The Fantasticks at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre and directed the musical Bad Girls Upset By The Truth at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. A recipient of the Texas Governors Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts by a Native Texan he performed at the White House on three occasions. His hometown of Austin, Texas has seen him perform at the State Theatre in Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs and at Zachary Scott Theatre in Jay Presson Allen's Tru, for which he received the Austin Critics Table Award for Best Actor in a drama. He has appeared at Zach Theatre in The Laramie Project and next month is joining their production of A Christmas Carol as Scrooge. His play, Romeo and Thorazine, work-shopped at Zach in November 2001. He work-shopped his autobiographical one-man show I'm Not Lying to critical acclaim at the State Theatre and returned it there for a full production in February of 2004 as well as a benefit performance at Washington DC's Kennedy Center. His autobiographical play Cowboy Noises premiered in Austin in February 2008 to critical acclaim. Broadway World recently sat down with Jaston for a Q & A session during the run of his latest play A WOLVERINE WALKS INTO A BAR.

As part of its unique annual Hands-on-Opera education and youth performance program, Opera Parallele (OP) will present the world premiere of Xochitl and the Flowers, by OP composer-in-residence Christopher Pratorius. Based on the children's book of the same name by Jorge Argueta and with a libretto by Opera Parallele's Roma Olvera, three free performances will be presented November 17 and 19 at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco. The fully staged and costumed production will be developed during an innovative eight-week residency with third grade students of the Alvarado Elementary School Spanish Immersion Program in San Francisco, assisted by the Opera Parallele creative team and professional singers. Performances will be given Today, November 17, at 6 pm and Saturday, November 19, at 11 am and 1 pm at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission Street in San Francisco. Admission is free, but past Hands-on-Opera performances have filled up quickly, so audience members are encouraged to arrive early. For more information, visitwww.operaparallele.org .

The Brick Theater, Inc. and Gemini CollisionWorks present CANT, a new play by Ian W. Hill and Gemini CollisionWorks, written, designed, and directed by Ian W. Hill and assisted by Berit Johnson.