Franz Kafka News

American Premiere of Short Opera by British Composer Robin Haigh

First Floor Theater (FFT) is thrilled to announce its fourth annual literary festival, FITZFEST, a festival of eight world premiere plays, by some of the country's most exciting playwrights, inspired by the life and work of F. Scott Fitzgerald. FITZFEST will play August 5 - August 13, 2016 at Collaboraction's Pentagon Theatre in The Flat Iron Arts Building. Tickets will be available at http://firstfloortheater.com/.

With Deathwatch currently running in the theatre and Beckett in London due to open on the 17 May, The Print Room at the Coronet today announces the UK premiere of Haim - In The Light Of A Violin, written and directed by Gerald Garutti, in a new translation by Christopher Hampton. This production marks the return of French writer and director Garutti to the Print Room, after his 2014 production of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, starring Harry Lloyd.

REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, presents the intoxicating dance-theater work Der Bau, by Isabelle Schad and Laurent Goldring, Today April 16 and Sunday April 17, 2016 at 8:30 p.m.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced today the winners of our country's two largest prizes for composers of vocal music: the Charles Ives Opera Prize of $50,000 and the Virgil Thomson Award of $40,000.

REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, presents the intoxicating dance-theater work Der Bau, by Isabelle Schad and Laurent Goldring, Saturday April 16 and Sunday April 17, 2016 at 8:30 p.m.

Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) premieres its Opera Annex production of Philip Glass'sdark, thought-provoking In the Penal Colony at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts, directed by BLO Emerging Artist alumnus R. B. Schlather and running tonight, November 11-15, 2015.

Boston, MA — October 15, 2015 – Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) premieres its Opera Annex production of Philip Glass'sdark, thought-provoking In the Penal Colony at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts, directed by BLO Emerging Artist alumnus R. B. Schlather and running November 11-15, 2015.  The one-act, three-character chamber opera (which Glass dubbed a “pocket opera” for its small cast and musical ensemble, and its 90-minute running time), is based on the 1914 Franz Kafka short story: a pitch-black fable about crime and a very unusual punishment.

Boston, MA — October 15, 2015 – Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) premieres its Opera Annex production of Philip Glass's dark, thought-provoking In the Penal Colony at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts, directed by BLO Emerging Artist alumnus R. B. Schlather and running November 11-15, 2015.  The one-act, three-character chamber opera (which Glass dubbed a “pocket opera” for its small cast and musical ensemble, and its 90-minute running time), is based on the 1914 Franz Kafka short story: a pitch-black fable about crime and a very unusual punishment.

Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. is pleased to continue its 30th and final season with the world premiere adaptation of IBSEN'S GHOSTS, adapted and directed by Neo-Futurist Founding Director Greg Allen. Wrestling with the themes of identity, truth, fate and freedom, Allen puts his trademark meta-theatricality on Henrik Ibsen's scandalous 1882 play, Ghosts. Allen's unique spin on Mrs. Alving's classic battle with Pastor Manders includes humor, self-referentiality and a bit of irreverence in this, his first, and apparently last, show with Mary-Arrchie.

In a production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre, a unique opportunity to see a classic of Yiddish theatre for the first time in the UK - Treasure by David Pinski opens at the Finborough Theatre for a four week limited season on Tuesday, 20 October 2015 (Press Nights: Thursday, 22 October and Friday, 23 October 2015 at 7.30pm).

Complaining about movie stars on Broadway has become a popular pastime for theatre folk, however, the occasional uproar hasn't stemmed the tide of A-listers looking to get back to, or establish, their legit roots. This theatrical divide is at the center of Theresa Rebeck's THE UNDERSTUDY, playing at Theatre UCF's Black Box through October 4th. The dark, back-stage comedy, while occasionally providing poignant personal moments, struggles to settle into a specific tone for any impactful length of time; occasionally playing like a NOISES OFF farce, at others as AN ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE-type fever dream, and still others as a satire on the theatre's (and popular culture's) obsession with celebrity. Unfortunately, despite Mark Brotherton's brisk, thoughtful direction, the production is never able to unpack all of the sloppily assembled concepts in Rebeck's script; resulting in a mildly entertaining, mildly thought-provoking, but ultimately unsatisfying show.

Gloucester Stage presents Annie Baker's The Flick from tonight, August 20 through September 12 at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Flick, follows three underpaid employees of a run-down movie theater in central Massachusetts as they mop the floors and attend to one of the last 35-millimeter film projectors in the state while also revealing touching and funny truths about their search for identity. Their tiny battles and not-so-tiny heartbreaks play out in the empty aisles of the movie theater, becoming more compelling than the lackluster, second-run movies on screen. In The Flick playwright Annie Baker uses keen insight and a finely-tuned comic eye to create a funny and heartfelt cry for authenticity in a fast-changing world. In addition to winning a Pulitzer Prize for The Flick, Ms. Baker also received the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and an Obie Award for Playwriting.

Gloucester Stage presents Annie Baker's The Flick from August 20 through September 12 at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Flick, follows three underpaid employees of a run-down movie theater in central Massachusetts as they mop the floors and attend to one of the last 35-millimeter film projectors in the state while also revealing touching and funny truths about their search for identity. Their tiny battles and not-so-tiny heartbreaks play out in the empty aisles of the movie theater, becoming more compelling than the lackluster, second-run movies on screen. In The Flick playwright Annie Baker uses keen insight and a finely-tuned comic eye to create a funny and heartfelt cry for authenticity in a fast-changing world. In addition to winning a Pulitzer Prize for The Flick, Ms. Baker also received the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and an Obie Award for Playwriting.

First Floor Theater (FFT) is thrilled to announce its third annual literary festival, KAFKAPALOOZA, a festival of nine world premiere plays, by some of Chicago's most exciting playwrights, inspired by the life and work of Franz Kafka. Over the past two years, the FFT LitFest has brought together some of Chicago's greatest writers, including Seth Bockley, Philip Dawkins, Bonnie Metzgar, Ike Holter, Morgan McNaught, andPaul Oakley Stovall, to respond to literary greats The Brothers Grimm and Mark Twain.

Boston Lyric Opera today announced the location for its Opera Annex production of Philip Glass' In The Penal Colony.  The one-act, two-character chamber opera based on a 1914 Franz Kafka short story will be staged in The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts from November 11-15, 2015.  Tickets for In the Penal Colony and all of BLO's 2015/16 Season shows go on sale to the public Friday, July 31.

Mercy Street Theatre continues its debut season with the world premiere of ROTPETER, a new play based on Franz Kafka's 'A Report to an Academy' and adapted by resident playwright Rachel DuBose*. The show begins today, July 17, and runs through August 1, 2015 at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets for ROTPETER are on sale now at brownpapertickets.org. 

Mercy Street Theatre continues its debut season with the world premiere of ROTPETER, a new play based on Franz Kafka's 'A Report to an Academy' and adapted by resident playwright Rachel DuBose*. The show runs July 17 ­- August 1, 2015 at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.

The ensemble is set for Nick Gill's adaptation of Franz Kafka's THE TRIAL at the Young Vic this summer. As previously announced, Rory Kinnear stars as 'Josef K' in the play, directed by Richard Jones and running tonight, June 19 through August 22, 2015.

Theatre Y presents the US and English-language premiere of 'The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez' by Peter Handke, translated by Michael Roloff with Scott Abbott, at Theatre Y, 2649 N Francisco (entrance through side alley), tonight, June 13-July 19, 2015.