Frank Capra News

AFI Alum Bill Duke announces today's AFI Movie Club selection: MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON.

From writer/director Jon Stewart comes Irresistible, the comedy of a Democrat political consultant (Steve Carell) who helps a retired Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) run for mayor in a small Wisconsin town. 

Point Park University's Pittsburgh Playhouse announced a compelling 2020-2021 season today, celebrating love, human resiliency and community spirit.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has the perfect Mother's Day entertainment for you! On Sunday May 10th at 5pm PDT, they will band together with a number of theaters across the country to present a livestream of the hit show 'Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin,' a tribute to America's greatest songwriter. Tickets to the livestream are available on TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's website (www.theatreworks.org) with proceeds to benefit TheatreWorks while the Tony-winning regional theatre remains dark due to COVID-19. BroadwayWorld recently caught up with TheatreWorks Artistic Director Robert Kelley to chat about the company's ongoing relationship with Felder, and also to check in on how they've been managing to juggle so many unknowns in planning their 2020-21 season. Kelley remains steadfastly upbeat and enthused about future possibilities even as he winds down his astounding 50-year tenure as Artistic Director under decidedly different circumstances than he had originally envisioned.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, Artistic Director Designate Tim Bond, and Executive Director Phil Santora announced changes to TheatreWorks's 2020-21 Season, which is now scheduled to begin in October 2020.

Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA announces its 2020-2021 season.

The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (The Gamm) today announced its Season 36 (2020/21) lineup for theater enthusiasts and first-timers alike. The season includes back-to-back Obie and Tony award-winning plays, a Rhode Island premiere and a regional premiere of two contemporary, critically acclaimed plays, and the first Shakespeare production in The Gamm's Warwick home.

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces the lineup for its 2020-2021 Season, a?oeBreaking Boundariesa??. American Blues' 35th Season will include the Chicago Premiere of Airness by Chelsea Marcantel, directed by Gwendolyn Whiteside; the World Premiere of Alma by Benjamin Benne, directed by Ana Velazquez; August Wilson's Fences, directed by Monty Cole; the 19th annual production of It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! from Frank Capra's film, directed by Gwendolyn Whiteside and music directed by Michael Mahler. All performances in the 2020-2021 season will take place at Stage 773, located at 1225 W Belmont Ave, Chicago.

This thought-provoking testament to the universal struggle of living day-to-day in a society whose apathy seems to know no bounds for the down-and-out will grab your attention and keep you at the edge of your seat as Jane Doe's story unfolds. Tanya Alexander's magnificent ability to morph herself from a homeless woman in dirty clothing, sitting on a park bench holding a sign stating a?oeI am NOT Invisiblea?? allows us to see where she has been and how much she really desires to pick herself up by her bootstraps and do whatever is necessary to survive. As she achieves celebrity status, Alexander opens to heart and soul and lets us see into Jane Doe's guilt of having survived when others have not. And as Jane Doe's fortunes rise, Alexander is costumed to perfection in lovely, form-fitting dresses designed by Shon LeBlanc that would allow Jane Doe to shine anywhere.

Coronado Playhouse presents Moon Over Buffalo, the hilarious farce by comic genius Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor) the master of old-fashioned slapstick comedy. With a plethora of pratfalls, slamming doors aplenty, and backstage shenanigans, Ken Ludwig's masterpiece is a fast-paced, hilarious screwball comedy in the old tradition, a throwback farce, a valentine to the stage, and the larger-than-life personalities that inhabit the world of the theatre.

Tickets are now on sale for the comedy a?oeMoon Over Buffaloa?? presented by the Hill Country Community Theatre.  Reservations can be made by calling (830) 798-8944, online at www.theHCCT.org, or at the box office.   Comic genius Ken Ludwig, writer of last year's hit, a?oeBaskerville,a?? is a master of old-fashioned knockabout farces. 

Last night the Directors Guild of America Awards were given out. Taking the top prize was Sam Mendes for the film 1917.

George and Charlotte Hay are fading theatre stars in the 1950s. Currently, they are playing a?oePrivate Livesa?? and a?oeCyrano De Bergeraca?? in rep in Buffalo, New York, with five actors. On the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George's dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might have one last shot at stardom. The famous Hollywood director, Frank Capra, is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he might cast them in his next movie.

Oscar®-nominated Art Director and Production Designers William J. Creber, best known for his work on the Irwin Allen disaster flicks The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno and the first three Planet of the Apes movies, and Roland Anderson, best known for his work on Breakfast at Tiffany's, White Christmas and Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra, will be inducted into the Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) Hall of Fame for their extraordinary contributions to the visual art of storytelling at the 24th Annual Art Directors Guild's Excellence in Production Design Awards. The 2020 Awards will be held Saturday, February 1, 2020, returning to the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The announcement was made today by President Nelson Coates ADG and Awards Producer Scott Moses ADG.  

a?oeThe line between where you are now and sleeping in your car is much thinner than you think.a?? The Fountain Theatre presents the world premiere of a timely new play, written and directed by Stephen Sachs (Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric, Bakersfield Mist), about homelessness, celebrity worship and the assault on American journalism. Human Interest Story opens at the Fountain on Feb. 15, where performances continue through April 5.

Milford's Second Street Players will start its 40th season of shows with more than a few laughs. Moon Over Buffalo, a madcap comedy written by Ken Ludwig, opens on January 31. The story centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s. While on the brink of a disastrous split-up cause by George's involvement with a young ingenue, they get word that they might just have one last shot at stardom, starring in a Frank Capra movie. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong.

Director Brian McDonald does a nice job of keeping the actors rotating around the multiple microphones on stage (or having them add and remove costuming items) to distinguish between multiple characters. The staging is dynamic and the sight gags are clever, and the actors give pleasant and efficient performances, bringing out the warmth and hopefulness of this holiday tale. Ensemble's production highlights humor and heart for an agreeable, well-produced night of festive entertainment.

Join Mary Owen, daughter of Donna Reed, for the Sunday, December 22nd 4pm screening of It's A Wonderful Life at The Ridgefield Playhouse! A holiday classic for the whole family! Frank Capra directs this beloved story of redemption and second chances, with James Stewart as George Bailey, a man at the end of his rope one Christmas Eve. Donna Reed co-stars as Mary Hatch, the high-school sweetheart who became his wife. Reed's daughter, Mary Owen, an expert on the film, will introduce the movie, putting it into historical perspective, and will answer questions live on The Playhouse stage following this screening! This screening is part of the Holiday Series, Cohen and Wolf P.C. Movie Series, Joseph Consentino Film Society Series, and Hearst Media Entertaining Conversation Series.

The Fountain Theatre is gearing up to present the world premiere of a new play written and directed by company co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric, Cyrano). Casting is now complete for Human Interest Story, a timely drama about homelessness, celebrity worship and the assault on American journalism, with the opening date set for Feb. 15, 2020.